sociology 101

Please ensure that your paper is around 3 pages, double-spaced, with a heading (your name, course info, etc.) and a creative title. Remember that you must utilize ideas and concepts from the textbook, class lectures and discussions to illustrate your point, so the prompt that you choose to write about must reference any of those corresponding chapters, lectures, discussions, and/or activities. Lastly, factors such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar certainly count towards your reflection paper grade, so be sure to edit your paper beforehand.

The Uniform Crime Report (UCR). Chapter 7 (Deviance, Crime, and Social Control) describes several ways in which the Uniform Crime Report may present an inaccurate picture of the demographics of crime. Describe the sources of bias that lead to these inaccuracies. Are these biases better explained by conflict theory or functionalism? Justify your answer. Be sure to also consult the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) website, as well as the National Crime Victimization Report (NCVR) website during this process. Then, consider how this connects to Robert Merton’s idea that labeling can bring about self-fulfilling prophecies; that inaccurate beliefs, if repeated loudly and frequently enough, can become true.