The GSS aims to gain knowledge of the dark figure of crime. Its strengths are that it’s an effective way to discover if the victim reported those crimes or not and gives an understanding of the reasons the victims may have not reported it. However, there are various weaknesses in the GSS as it can be truly effortless for a victim to exaggerate a particular situation and create it even grievous than it actually was, implying that the conclusions of the GSS may be unreliable. Interviews apply to those who have a telephone in their household, which may be implicated as inaccurate source of reference since numerous relegated individuals who are the most victimized, don’t have telephones so they may be …show more content…
For instance, self-report surveys question members of the public whether they have committed an illegal act. Some of the strengths include that it’s useful to uncover petty crime that few people may engage in from time to time such as speeding or minor thefts. However, the self-report surveys have a range of weaknesses that include respondents becoming unreliable and tend to lie by ascertaining offences, which they may have never committed. Also, offenders who are truly culprit of committing an illegal act may choose not to participate in these surveys, implying that self-report surveys may not uncover the most serious crimes such as murder or property