Crime And Deviance 2 - Ethnicity

Question 1

Stats on ethnicity and crime?

Answer 1

Institute of race relations - over-represented in criminal justice system BUT 6% of judges were BAME, 8% of practitioners in the National Offender Management Service and 5% of senior rank police officiers
2020 adults in criminal justice system by ethnicity - black 3% population but 13% of prison population, Asian 8% population but 14% of stop and search

Question 2

Stats explanations?

Answer 2

Hall et al (1978) ethnic minorities are disproportionately criminal, and this view is adopted by criminal justice system and media
Gilroy (1983) criminal justice system is biased and racist

Question 3

Evidence for biased justice system?

Answer 3

South Asians 50 times and African Caribbeans 36 times more likely to be a victim of racial attacks than whites

Question 4

Reasons for crime by ethnic minorities?

Answer 4

Gordon (Marxist) ethnic minorities often experience severe economic deprivation and so are part of the working class, with crime being a rational reaction to inequality
Gilroy (neo-Marxist) crime by young black males is political and part of a protest against inequality
Hall (1978) ‘mugging’ was used as a scapegoat for the government instead of admitting the crisis of capitalism and portrayed young black men, through reports and sensationalist media, as a criminal threat. This divided working class and justified aggressive policing to keep the system, and with high unemployment, etc. also led to a rise in street robbery as a result of marginalisation

Question 5

Criticism of Hall (1978)?

Answer 5

Downes and Rock (2003) Contractions - black crime is exaggerated, but crime is rising because of factors e.g unemployment
Association between criminality and black youths has continued after 1970s, so was it economic reasons that really caused this