Which is a property crime?

burglary. Property is stolen or damaged.

What is corporate crime?

crime committed by or for a company to increase its profits. The company is the one that benefits.

crime against the environment. Illegal dumping and wildlife trading are examples.

crime motivated by hostility to a person's identity. The victim is targeted for who they are.

A teenager sprays graffiti on a wall for the excitement. Which type of crime is this?

expressive and property. It damages property, and the motive is the thrill, not gain.

Types of crime · Cambridge IGCSE Sociology 0495 revision

In plain words

"Crime" covers the boy who smashes a bus shelter and the company director who steals a pension fund, the hacker in a bedroom and the gang that ships people across borders. Sociologists sort crimes into types, because each has different causes and gets very different treatment.

10 things to know

Violent crime is crime against the person, such as assault and robbery with force. Property crime is the theft of or damage to property, such as burglary and vandalism. It is the most common type in official statistics.
White-collar crime is committed by people in professional and office jobs in the course of their work, such as fraud. Corporate crime is committed by, or on behalf of, a company to increase its profits, such as breaking safety laws.
Expressive crime comes from emotion, such as anger or the search for a thrill, and brings no gain. Instrumental crime is a means to an end, usually money.
Gang crime is committed by members of an organised group, often to do with territory, drugs and violence.
Green crime is crime against the environment, such as illegal dumping of toxic waste and the illegal trade in wildlife.
Global crime crosses national borders. Organised crime groups traffic drugs, people and weapons between countries.
Cyber crime is committed using computers and the internet, such as hacking, online fraud and identity theft.
Hate crime is crime motivated by hostility towards a person because of their ethnicity, religion, disability or another part of their identity.
Domestic crime takes place within the home or family, such as domestic violence.
One crime can belong to several types. An online fraud run from another country is cyber crime, global crime and instrumental crime.

Worked example

Classify: a man punches a stranger in an argument over a football match; an accountant moves her employer's money into her own account.

The punch is violent crime. It comes from anger and brings no gain, so it is also expressive crime.
The accountant commits white-collar crime, because she uses her professional position.
It is done for money, so it is also instrumental crime.

Tips and tricks

White-collar crime benefits the individual. Corporate crime benefits the company. Both are crimes of the better off, and both are under-recorded.
Expressive and instrumental describe the motive, not the act. The same theft could be either: for the thrill, or for the money.

5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Types of crime: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

Which is a property crime?
- assault
- burglary (the answer)
- a hate speech offence
- pollution
Property is stolen or damaged.
What is corporate crime?
- crime committed by gangs
- crime against the environment only
- crime committed by or for a company to increase its profits (the answer)
- crime committed at home
The company is the one that benefits.
What is green crime?
- crime against the environment (the answer)
- crime committed by young people
- crime motivated by envy
- crime in parks
Illegal dumping and wildlife trading are examples.
What is hate crime?
- any violent crime
- crime committed in anger at a friend
- crime committed for money
- crime motivated by hostility to a person's identity (the answer)
The victim is targeted for who they are.
A teenager sprays graffiti on a wall for the excitement. Which type of crime is this?Stretch
- instrumental and violent
- expressive and property (the answer)
- white-collar
- cyber
It damages property, and the motive is the thrill, not gain.

5 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

3 questions, 10 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

Types of crime

Cambridge IGCSE Sociology 0495 · 10 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

What is meant by the term "white-collar crime"?[2]
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Crime committed by people in professional or office jobs in the course of their work, such as fraud.
I got this one
Describe the difference between expressive crime and instrumental crime.[4]
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Expressive crime is committed out of emotion, such as anger or excitement, with no material gain, for example vandalism. Instrumental crime is committed as a means to an end, usually to gain money or goods, for example burglary.
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Describe two types of crime that have grown with globalisation and technology.[4]
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Any two, each described: cyber crime, committed using computers and the internet, such as hacking and online fraud; global crime, such as organised groups trafficking drugs or people across borders; green crime, such as the illegal dumping of waste across borders.
I got this one

Answers: Types of crime

1. Crime committed by people in professional or office jobs in the course of their work, such as fraud.
2. Expressive crime is committed out of emotion, such as anger or excitement, with no material gain, for example vandalism. Instrumental crime is committed as a means to an end, usually to gain money or goods, for example burglary.
3. Any two, each described: cyber crime, committed using computers and the internet, such as hacking and online fraud; global crime, such as organised groups trafficking drugs or people across borders; green crime, such as the illegal dumping of waste across borders.