Reasons Victims Don't Report Crimes: Impacts & Implications Analysis

This essay delves into the complex reasons why victims of crime may choose not to report incidents to the police, highlighting the significant impacts and implications of underreporting on the criminal justice system and society. It examines factors such as fear of retaliation, lack of trust in law enforcement, concerns about social or economic status, and the emotional and mental toll on victims. The essay also explores how socio-demographic variables like education, gender, and age influence reporting decisions. Furthermore, it discusses the impact of unreported crimes on the accuracy of crime statistics, the allocation of resources, and the overall effectiveness of crime prevention strategies. The conclusion emphasizes that reporting a crime is a personal decision influenced by a rational assessment of potential benefits and consequences, while also acknowledging the need for increased awareness and support systems to encourage victims to come forward and contribute to a safer society. Desklib offers a range of academic resources, including similar essays and study tools, to support students in their studies.

Explain why a victim may decide not to
report a crime What are the impacts or
implications for not reporting crime to
the police

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................1
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................2

INTRODUCTION
An incident must be reported to the police for them to be aware of it, unless they were witnesses
to the crime. As a result, criminologists believe reporting to be an integral part of the criminal
justice system. Many of the "facts" about victim reporting are based on scientific evidence, with
the majority of studies focusing on victim, offender, and crime characteristics, with a few studies
focusing on victims' opinions and interactions with the police(Wiedlitzka, et.al. (2018)). A
victim of crime may opt not to report the crime to the police for a variety of reasons. According
to studies, up to 60% of crimes are not recorded. The following essay is going to elaborate the
fact as to why a victim may decide not to report a crime. What are the impacts or implications for
not reporting crime to the police.
MAIN BODY
What are the impacts or implications for not reporting crime to the police
Crime plays a very important role in the development of any country. There are various
implications for not reporting the crime to police. These implications are very negative in nature.
These implications hinders the healthy growth of the people. There are various instances where
these crimes are not reported to the police. The main result of this is that the police and the
prescribed authorities does not get the information regarding the crime that is happening i8n the
society. These crimes as a result increases day by day in the society(House & Neyroud, (2018)).
This is because the dare of the criminal increases because he knows that no punishment for these
criminal acts is to be suffered by him. There are various cases where it can be seen that crimes
are increasing day by day against the youth. This is because the individuals due to fear does not
tell it to there parents about the abuse done to them. In addition to this, there are many cases
where the person who commit offense tends to blackmail mentally and emotionally to the victim
of the case. These instances also shows that there is a very huge mental torture to these types o0f
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victims. This is because these victims are helpless as they cannot say about this abuse to any one
in the society due to the fear( Cross, (2019)). Moreover, the fear is due to the loss of reputation in
the society. In many cases, the concerned individuals don't report it to the authoritarians only
because of the fear that they will be defamed in the society. But, in the present scenario, it can be
seen that now the because of the increasing awareness the people are reporting about these types
of cases. This is because of the awareness that is spread by various authorities in the society.
Furthermore, there are also the case of human trafficking that are very less reported to the
police. This is because these cases are held liable for the fear that the proceedings can be taken
against the person who is reporting the case. All these conditions and instances shows that the
police does not get access to these crimes that are happening in the society. Hence, these types of
crimes are tend to increase on the daily basis by the criminals. This is because these criminals
know that there won't be any action taken against them. Moreover, in order to decrease the
crime in the society, there is the wide need to report these crimes to the authorities. This is
because if these crimes are reported on time, then the police can help in ceasing the crime in the
society. Moreover, the government of country will also make new laws to decrease these crime
in the society(Victor, Chika & Innocent, (2019)).
Aside from the rational choice paradigm, research reveal that a range of socio-demographic
variables of victims play a role in the decision to report a crime. These studies found that an
individual's educational level has an impact on their reporting rate( Franks & Smith, (2020)).
People with a greater degree of education are more likely to report crimes to the police than
those with a lower level of education. This conclusion, however, has been challenged. Many
academics believe that persons with less education are more likely to report crimes to the police
than those with higher education. Gender and status have a big impact on reporting. For example,
highly educated ladies are less likely than less educated females to report sexual
harassment/assault to the police out of fear of losing their social or economic status. It has also
discovered that males and females report crime at different rates. Male victims of crime,
according to Goudriaan, are less inclined to report to the police than their female counterparts.
Similarly, crime reporting intentions reveal that male students are less likely than female students
to report a crime victim(Smith & Jorna, (2018)).
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Furthermore, studies have indicated that the victim's age influences his or her decision to
disclose a crime to the authorities. However, there were inconsistencies in the statistics when it
came to age and crime reporting. It has been discovered, for example, that older people are less
likely to report a crime to the police, but adults are more likely to report a crime than children.
Experts believe that the majority of crimes committed by adolescents are less likely to be
reported to the police(Koster, Van der Leun & Kunst, (2020)). While controlling marital status,
age, sex, race, and educational attainment, there is a relationship between the offender's
identification and the decision to report the incident to the police. According to the various
studies, victims who do not know the name of the attacker are less likely to report the crime to
the authorities. These people make these calculations and conclusions because they don't want to
go through the stress of having to identify and describe an unknown person to the authorities(
Jorna & Smith, (2018)). It's also possible that victims reporting a crime in which they are unable
to identify the perpetrator would be a waste of time, if not time consuming, because they may
lack evidence, leading them to believe that the police are unlikely to be able to do anything about
it, and even if they could, it would be a lengthy and demanding process. As a result of the high
cost of worry and the likelihood of getting no results, victims prefer not to report a crime when
they cannot identify the perpetrator.
Furthermore, existing research scarcely mentions the consistency with which a crime occurs and
the willingness of victims to disclose it. As a result, the goal of this research was to close that
gap. When crimes occur frequently, victims are less inclined to disclose them to the police,
according to the study. This effect defies the rational choice theory expectation that persons who
are regularly victimised are more likely to report crime to the authorities. If research shows that
persons who have been victimised repeatedly have the highest probability of being victimised
again. Victims may also fail to report a crime to the police because they have been accustomed to
being victimised and have evolved personal defence mechanisms rather than depending on
governmental control mechanisms. Furthermore, they would not report to the police because
blaming the police every time they are harmed could make them appear as a nuisance and
labelled as troublemakers(Jorna, Smith & Norman, (2020)). Such factors could be calculated
judgments made by victims that influence their decision to disclose a crime to the authorities.
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CONCLUSION
From the following essay it can be concluded that reporting a crime is seen as a personal
decision taken by an individual who is responsible for their actions. In terms of deciding whether
or not to report a crime, a rational victim weighs the potential benefits and consequences of
reporting (or not reporting) a crime before making a sensible decision. Victims may also be
hesitant to report a crime if they believe the authorities would do little to catch the perpetrator. If
the crime is serious and the victims fear for their lives or property, they will report it.
REFERENCES
Wiedlitzka, S.,et.al. (2018). Perceptions of police legitimacy and citizen decisions to report hate
crime incidents in Australia. International journal for crime, justice and social
democracy, 7(2), 91-106.
House, P. D., & Neyroud, P. W. (2018). Developing a crime harm index for Western Australia:
The WACHI. Cambridge Journal of Evidence-Based Policing, 2(1), 70-94.
Cross, C. (2019). Reflections on the reporting of fraud in Australia. Policing: An International
Journal.
Franks, C., & Smith, R. G. (2020). Identity crime and misuse in Australia: Results of the 2019
online survey.
Smith, R. G., & Jorna, P. (2018). Identity crime and misuse in Australia: Results of the 2016
online survey.
Jorna, P., & Smith, R. G. (2018). Identity crime and misuse in Australia 2017.
Jorna, P., Smith, R. G., & Norman, K. (2020). Identity crime and misuse in Australia: Results of
the 2018 online survey.
Victor, E., Chika, D. M., & Innocent, I. (2019). Investigating the Impact of Crime Reporting on
Crime Control in Gwagwalada Area Council Abuja North Central Nigeria. Library
Philosophy and Practice, 1-18.
Koster, N. S. N., Van der Leun, J. P., & Kunst, M. J. (2020). Crime victims’ evaluations of
procedural justice and police performance in relation to cooperation: a qualitative study
in the Netherlands. Policing and Society, 30(3), 225-240.
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