Crime

Crime Statistics and Ethnicity

Referring back to the earlier lesson on official crime statistics, students can begin by reminding themselves, through discussion, of the difficulties associated with using official data in research.

Students could be provided with quantitative data in an exam and asked to identify trends from this material. It is therefore a good idea to get them used to handling this type of material in class.

The Ministry of Justice material found here:

Discover More Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System 2012 A Ministry of Justice publication
It may look a little intimidating at first but once you begin to read it, you can see that it is well-written in a clear and concise manner. Students could create a table that identifies the patterns and trends contained within the report in relation to stop and search figures, arrest levels, cautions and so on. Once they have identified a pre-determined number of trends (for example 10), they could be asked to work in groups to identify possible with a range of reasons – some of which might be in contrast to their own personal beliefs.