Chapter 1 was concerned with offenses, that is with acts. This chapter deals with actors, i.e., with offenders and their victims. The first section describes the methods used to secure information about offenders and the results obtained. The second concentrates on victims: who they are and the effects they suffer.

Offenders: methods of study

Introduction

This part outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the research instruments which provide information on offenders: UCR, NCS – both described in Chapter 1 in the context of offenses – and the self-report questionnaire, introduced for the first time. A further method of studying offenders, that of direct observation, is also set out, together with a brief discussion on the randomized experiment, widely used in applied psychology but very sparingly in criminology. All of these instruments and methods may be used on a single or on repeated occasions, sometimes over many years; both approaches are discussed. Next, the results obtained are outlined, from the prevalence and incidence of offending in the general population, through criminal careers, specialization and professionalism in crime, and solitary versus group offending, to the demographic correlates of crime (age, gender, ethnicity and social class).

In North America, the term delinquency traditionally includes both criminal (Index as well as nonlndex offenses) and status offenses, such as drinking alcohol below the legally allowed age.