Dark figure of crime

First coined by Belgian sociologist and criminologist Adolphe Quetelet in the 19th century, the dark figure of crime, hidden figure of crime, or latent criminality is the amount of unreported, undetected, or undiscovered crime, and is a central concept of victimology, highlighting the limitations of solely relying upon official crime statistics. Crime may go unreported for various reasons, such as a victim being unaware that a crime occurred, personal dynamics with the perpetrator, perceived social stigma, distrust of the police, or fear of retaliation.

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