5. Statistics and Patterns of Offending - 4.1 Theorising Race and Criminality

Question 1

Who developed the left realist approach for ethnicity and crime?

Answer 1

Lea and Young

Question 2

Core view of the left realist approach for ethnicity and crime

Answer 2

Do accept there are racist prejudices in the CJS but also believe statistical evidence is generally accurate enough to suggest there are real ethnic differences in crime

Question 3

What crime is committed more by EMGs than whites? How do Lea and Young explain this?

Answer 3

Street crime. High EMG street crime can be explained by:
- marginalisation
- relative deprivation
- subcultures

Question 4

What can racism lead to according the left realists? What is the effect of this?

Answer 4

It can lead to marginalisation.
This means those from EMGs face higher levels of underachievement, unemployment and low paid jobs.
This can lead to feelings of resentment and relative deprivation

Question 5

What is one response to marginalisation and RD according to left realists?

Answer 5

The creation of deviant subcultures

Question 6

Conclusion of Lea and Young’s approach

Answer 6

It would be surprising if there were not higher levels of crime in groups that are relatively deprived

Question 7

Negative evaluation of the left realist approach to ethnicity and crime

Answer 7

If there is a correlation between ethnic crime and poverty, we would expect other ethnic groups to appear in high numbers in crime stats. This suggests left realists lack credibility

Question 8

Neo Marxist view of OS on ethnicity and crime

Answer 8

Neo Marxists reject the view that OS reflect reality of ethnic offending

Question 9

Neo Marxist view of ethnic patterns of offending

Answer 9

Patterns of offending is product of social construction that has created the belief that EMGs are more criminal than white people

Question 10

Which neo-Marxist developed the anti-racist perspective?

Answer 10

Paul Gilroy

Question 11

2 theories of ethnicity and crime developed by Gilroy

Answer 11

Myth of black criminality
Crime as a political resistance

Question 12

What approach does Gilroy reject? Why?

Answer 12

He rejects the left realist approach, arguing that black criminality is a myth created by racist stereotypes of black Indociduals by the CJS. EMGs are more likely to be criminalised as the CJS acts on racist stereotypes (myth of black criminality)

Question 13

According to Gilroy’s crime as a political resistance, what could crimes committed by black youths be a form of?

Answer 13

Could be a form of political resistance in response to colonial struggle

Question 14

How does Gilroy link the Windrush to crime?

Answer 14

Migrants from the Windrush generation faced discrimination and EMG crime could still be seen as resistance and response to this

Question 15

Criticisms of Gilroy by Lea and Young: lack of evidence

Answer 15

Evidence shows that only a small amount of EMGs take part in crimes of political resistance

Question 16

Criticism of Gilroy by Lea and Young: first generation migrants

Answer 16

First generation migrants in 1950s were law abiding so it’s unlikely that EMG crime is a response to colonial struggle

Question 17

Criticism of Gilroy by Lea and Young: key criticism

Answer 17

Lea and Young mainly criticise Gilroy for romanising ethnic crime as revolutionary

Question 18

Which neo-Marxists developed the policing the crisis theory?

Answer 18

Stuart Hall et al

Question 19

What did Hall et al study in the 1970s?

Answer 19

Studied the moral panic over the increasing rise in ‘muggings’ committed by black youths in the 1970s

Question 20

What was the 1970s a period of?

Answer 20

A period of a capitalism crisis with high unemployment, industrial unrest, strikes, recession and high inflation

Question 21

What do Hall et al mean by policing the crisis?

Answer 21

Hall et al argue that a moral panic was used to draw attention away from the capitalism crisis. This diversion helped reassert the dominance of the ruling class

Question 22

3 positive evaluation points of Hall et al’s theory

Answer 22

Avoids over generalising crime and ethnicity
Looks at bigger picture
Places ethnicity and crime in context of social change

Question 23

3 negative evaluation points of Hall et al’s theory

Answer 23

Doesn’t research motivations and thinking of black youths
May not longer be relevant
Contradictory as it suggests black crime wasn’t rising whilst claiming that unemployment was bringing about crime

Question 24

What cultural factor may explain why blacks are over-represented in crime statistics?

Answer 24

Afro-Caribbean families have a high rate of one-parent households and some argue that the absence of a male role model explains why there is an over-representation of young black men in the CJS

Question 25

Negative evaluation of cultural factors

Answer 25

Some suggests that fathers play a positive role without being present