C&D- ETHINICTY & CRIME Flashcards
What are the three main sources of data about ethnicity and crime?
Official Crime Statistics (OCS): Government-published data gathered annually.
Victim Surveys: Self-completion questionnaires asking people if they’ve been victims of crime in the last 12 months, the type of crime, and details about the perpetrator.
Self-Report Surveys (SRS): Self-completion questionnaires asking individuals if they’ve committed a crime in the last 12 months and the type of crime it was.
What do victim surveys claim about ethnicity and crime?
Black people are more frequently identified as perpetrators of crime by victims, particularly for mugging (42% of muggings attributed to black people).
What are the criticisms of victim surveys?
Over-identification: White victims may over-identify black people as attackers.
Intra-ethnic crimes: Most crimes are intra-ethnic, with offenders and victims often belonging to the same ethnic group.
Memory reliability: They rely on victims’ memory, which may not be accurate.
Limited scope: Only cover personal crimes, which are a minority, and exclude crimes like white-collar offenses.
What do self-report surveys (SRS) reveal about ethnicity and crime?
White and black respondents report similar rates of offending (44% and 43% respectively).
Asian British individuals report lower rates of offending, though Islamophobia since 9/11 and 7/7 has increased perceptions of Asian criminality.
What are the two main explanations for ethnicity and crime?
Some ethnic minorities are more criminal than the white population in the UK.
The legal system is unfair, leading to over-representation of ethnic minorities due to prejudice, discrimination, and institutional racism.
Explanation 1: Some ethnic minorities are more criminal
What does Left Realism argue about ethnicity and crime?
Lea and Young state that the OCS are accurate regarding differences in offending.
-Crime among ethnic minorities is caused by:
Relative deprivation: Unemployment and inability to afford consumer goods lead to utilitarian crimes like robbery and theft.
Marginalization: Lack of political representation results in frustration, leading to non-utilitarian crimes like violence.
Subcultures: Emergence of criminal subcultures to cope with deprivation and marginalization.
Police stereotypes are not the main issue, as most crimes are reported by the public.
What do New Right theorists attribute high crime rates among Afro-Caribbean populations to?
Educational underachievement:
Only 26% of Afro-Caribbean boys achieved 5+ A-C GCSEs in 2006.
Limited educational success restricts access to further education and employment.
Crime becomes a survival strategy (supported by Merton’s strain theory).
Family structure:
60% of Afro-Caribbean children live in lone-parent families, compared to 20% of white children.
Absence of male role models increases susceptibility to crime (Murray’s underclass theory).
Mass media:
Rap music glamorizing bling, violence, and drugs may influence criminality.
Explanation 2: The legal system is unfair
What does Phillips and Bowling argue about racism in the criminal justice system?
Stop and search:
Black people are seven times more likely, and Asians three times more likely, to be stopped and searched than white people.Reasons include institutional racism, officer stereotypes, and targeting working-class urban dwellers.
Arrests and cautions:
Ethnic minorities are more likely to be arrested and charged but less likely to be cautioned due to distrust of police and denial of offenses.
Prosecution and evidence:
The CPS often drops cases against ethnic minorities due to weak evidence based on stereotypes.
Trial and sentencing:
Ethnic minorities are more likely to face Crown Court trials, which lead to harsher sentences.
Pre-sentence reports (PSRs):
Probation officers’ assessments reflect stereotypes, e.g., presenting Asian offenders as less remorseful.
What does the Macpherson Report say about institutional racism in policing?
Following the murder of Stephen Lawrence, the report highlighted systemic racism within the police.
Institutional racism includes unwitting prejudice, ignorance, and stereotyping.
What evidence supports institutional racism in the police force?
Holdaway:
Police canteen culture reinforces stereotypes, conservatism, and macho values.
Racist attitudes are passed on within this culture.
BBC Investigation:
Exposed instances of racial discrimination and bias in policing practices.
Interactionist theory:
Chambliss’s labelling theory argues that the police disproportionately target ethnic minorities, leading to self-fulfilling prophecies.
What does Neo-Marxism say about ethnicity and crime?
Hall:
The moral panic over black muggers in the 1970s served capitalism by distracting attention from economic crises and unemployment.
Black men were scapegoated to divide the working class by race and maintain the capitalist status quo.
Gilroy:
Black criminality is a myth created by racist stereotypes.
Resistance against racism (e.g., anti-colonial struggles) is interpreted as crime.
What factors contribute to low crime rates among Asian populations?
Strong religious influence and close-knit communities provide informal social control.
Recent increases in crime rates may be due to integration into mainstream culture, weakening traditional controls.
What percentage of stop-and-search cases in 2023 involved Black individuals in England and Wales?
32% of all stop-and-search cases involved Black individuals, even though they make up 4% of the population.
What percentage of Black individuals in England and Wales were found guilty in court compared to White individuals in 2022?
21% of Black individuals were found guilty, compared to 26% of White individuals, suggesting potential disparities in charging decisions.
How much more likely are Black individuals to be imprisoned compared to White individuals in the UK?
Black individuals are 5 times more likely to be imprisoned than White individuals.
