Self Report Surveys

• Definition


  Anonymous surveys, asked to report crimes committed in past 12 months
• Strengths


  + Can uncover the dark figure of crime e.g. domestic violence

  + Can find out more about 'hidden offenders', people who haven't been caught. Helps challenge the idea of a 'typical criminal'
• Weaknesses


  - May not be honest

  - Sample may not be representative (often completed by young people and so professional criminals are not captured)

  - Doesn't include all types of crime

  - Difficult to match how the offender describes the crime to police categories
• Examples

  • The Jack Roller Study (Shaw): investigated criminal history of one person over 6 years