In Part 1 of this TMA, are you asked to consider the concept of ‘invisible crime’ and its implications for understanding how ‘crime’ has been conceptualised within criminology.
In order to answer this question, you first need to understand the concept of ‘invisible crime’, the processes by which some crimes and some harmful behaviours are made ‘invisible’, and the role that ‘invisibility’ plays in reproducing and concealing structural inequalities and power relationships within society. You are encouraged to roam across the module for examples of ‘invisible crimes’ – perhaps also including ‘invisible victims’. Second, you need to relate your understanding of ‘invisible crimes’ to administrative, and some alternative, conceptions of ‘crime’. You might ask yourself: How does the concept of ‘invisibility’ show us the limitations of administrative notions of crime? How does the concept of ‘invisible crimes’ demonstrate, for example, what labelling theory neglects, or cannot explain? You may even want to consider how the concept of ‘invisible crime’ moves beyond criminology and towards zemiology, as it connects to the notion of social harm. At the end of these notes, you are provided, as always, with a list of relevant sources from the module. Note that you are required to draw on two study weeks (excluding the animations from Weeks 2 and 3 because they are repeated elsewhere), but you may choose to work with a broader selection if you wish.
As with other TMAs, you must try not to let your essay become overwhelmed by detailed examples. The point of the TMA is to show that you understand how theory evolves through the process of critique. Often, concepts and theories help us understand some things, but in so doing obscure, or fail to take account of, others; all ideas and perspectives have strengths and limitations. As you examine the limitations of the concept of ‘crime’, you may also wish to explore what might be valuable about it.
Your essay will not be able to cover everything, so you will need to be selective in your choice of examples. As you select materials for inclusion in your essay, remember what you have learned on the module so far about constructing an argument and drawing connections between theories and concepts, and evidence.
Among the examples you use to illustrate your discussion, you must refer to the two quantitative data sources provided. These respectively present statistics on the numbers of homicides recorded by the police between 2004 and 2019, and figures collated by the UK Asbestos Training Association on the number of asbestos-related disease deaths recorded each year between 1980 and 2020. Both are presented as line graphs. How you make use of the graphs is up to you: you may choose to explore the data in some depth, but it will be sufficient to comment on, for example, the scale of the problems represented on the graphs, or the trends they show, in order to illustrate a broader point. With these examples as with all others, remember that the purpose of including them is to support your argument, so you must avoid getting distracted by description.

Writing a good answer
To be successful on this part of the TMA you should:
• Select your material carefully to ensure that your discussion is coherent
• Ensure that you have a good understanding of what the two quantitative sources show before you decide how you will use them
• Provide clear, but concise, definitions for the theories and concepts that you discuss
• Ensure that your essay has an argument (planning the outline of your essay in advance will help you do this)
• Include sufficient evidence to support your points, but avoid getting distracted by detail
• Ensure your essay includes an introduction providing a brief statement of your main argument, and a conclusion that flows logically from and sums up your discussion.
Data sources
UK Asbestos Training Association (2020) ‘The UK’s Biggest Workplace Killer: Over 5,000 asbestos related disease deaths per year’ https://www.ukata.org.uk/ library/ asbestos-health-statistics/ (Accessed 15 April 2021).
Office for National Statistics (2020) Crime in England and Wales: year ending December 2019. Section 4: Homicide. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/ peoplepopulationandcommunity/ crimeandjustice/ bulletins/ crimeinenglandandwales/ yearendingdecember2019#homicide (Accessed 15 April 2021)

Key module sources
Your essay should draw on module sources AS WELL AS the data sources provided.
The following activities and resources on interpreting quantitative data may be helpful:
Week 8
• Section 4: Mass incarceration in the USA
Week 13
• Section 6.2: Thinking critically about statistics
Week 22
• Activity 6: Evidence for the violence of austerity
For material relevant to other aspects of the TMA, refer to:
Week 2
• Animation: Structure and Agency
Week 3
• Animation: Power and Inequality
Week 16
• Book 2, Chapter 10: Criminal justice and social inequality
Week 21
• Book 2, Chapter 13: Problematising criminal justice
• Week 21: Limitations of criminal justice
Week 22
• Book 2, Chapter 14: Structural violence
• Week 22: Structural violence
Week 23
• Book 2, Chapter 15: Invisible crimes, harms and victims
• Week 23: Invisible crimes, invisible victims
Week 24
• Film: Exploring harms of the powerful
• Week 24: Thinking about social harm
Week 25
• Book 2, Chapter 16: Critical reflection and review
• Week 25: Review and reflection