In one country, playing amplified music in public squares after 22:00 was not a criminal offence in Year 1. A law making this behaviour a criminal offence came into force at the start of Year 2. An anonymous survey estimated how often the behaviour occurred, while police data showed how many offences were recorded.
| Year | Estimated number of occasions | Police-recorded offences |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8,200 | 0 |
| Year 2 | 8,100 | 1,900 |
Using the claim that crime is a social construct, explain the difference between the two patterns in the table.
The law is repealed before the start of Year 3, and no other law makes this behaviour a crime. Suggest what would happen to the number of police-recorded offences for this behaviour in Year 3 if the estimated number of occasions remained about 8,000. Explain your answer.
41 exam-style questions on OCR GCSE Psychology 1.1 Key Concepts, covering 1.1.1 Types of crime, 1.1.2 Crime as a social construct, and 1.1.3 How crime is measured. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.