CRIME AND DEVIANCE TOPIC 6: ETHNICITY,CRIME AND JUSTICE

Question 1

(ETHNICITY&CRIMINALISATION) why might official statistics not be a good measure of how much crime different ethnic groups actually commit?

Answer 1

• statistics may not be a true reflection; over policing certain groups (ethnic minority areas)

Question 2

what do victim surveys tell us about ethnicity and offending?

Answer 2

• many crimes are intr-class (2 ppl of of same ethnicity)
  -may cause over-representation of same groups

Question 3

what are 4 limitations of victim surveys?

Answer 3

• rely on the victims memory= can be distorted/ can forget they are a victim of the crime
• only covers personal crime
• excludes crimes by or against organisations
  -excludes under 10s= less domestic abuse being reported

Question 4

why might victim surveys be unrepresentative?

Answer 4

• it’s only a small proportion of offenders= unrepresentative

Question 5

according to SHARP&BUDD, which ethnic groups are most likely to admit to offending?

Answer 5

• white and mixed ethnic origins most likely to admit to offence

Question 6

how do the findings of self-report studies challenge stereotypes about ethnicity and offending?

Answer 6

• these are surveys where criminals admit their criminality
• shows black and white criminals have similar offending rates but unequal in stats

Question 7

how do the various forms of data contradict each other?

Answer 7

• victim studies show higher levels of black criminality

Question 8

how are ethnic minorities treated differently through: POLICING

Answer 8

• PHILIPS&BOWLING: there are many allegations of oppressive policing since 1970s

Question 9

how are ethnic minorities treated differently through: STOP AND SEARCH

Answer 9

• ethnic minorities more likely to be stopped e.g. black ppl 9 times, asian 2 times
• under the Terrorism Act (2000) asians are 3 times more likely
  -PHILIPS&BOWLING: peple from these communities think they’re over-policed & under-protected

Question 10

how are ethnic minorities treated differently through: ARRESTS AND CAUTIONS

Answer 10

• 2018/19 arrest rate: black are 3 times more likely
  -asians less likely than white to be cautioned
• can’t be let off w/ caution if you don’t admit to offence & more likely to be charged anyway

Question 11

how are ethnic minorities treated differently through: PROSECUTION&TRIAL

Answer 11

• CPS (crown prosecution service) must decide if conviction is possible
  -PHILIPS&BOWLING: suggest CPS more likely to drop cases against ethnic minorities

Question 12

how are ethnic minorities treated differently through: PRE-SENTENCE REPORTS

Answer 12

• written by the probation officer
• HUDSUN&BRAMHALL: argue pre-sentence reports allow for discrimination
  -reports on Asian offenders less comprehensive and less remorseful e.g demonising muslisms post 9/11

Question 13

how are ethnic minorities treated differently through: PRISON

Answer 13

• in 2021 male prisoners- 26% one from an ethnic minority background:
  -5.5 per 1000 black people
  -1.6 per 1000 asian people
• 1.4 per 1000 white people
  -ethnic minority groups serve longer sentences& less likely to be granted a bail

Question 14

(EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCES IN OFFENDING) why did black criminality come to be seen as a problem in the 1970s?

Answer 14

-there was increased conflict between police and the African and Carribean community and higher arrests for street crime.

Question 15

why did Asian criminality come to public attention in the 1990s?

Answer 15

• there was a growing of Asian gangs paired with the event of 9/11 Asians, especially muslims were demonised as public enemy

Question 16

according to left-realists, what are the 3 factors that contribute to crime and how do these affect ethnic minorities?

Answer 16

-relative deprivation, subculture and marginalisation.
-racism leads to marginalisation economically and socially.
-media emphasises consumerism which leads to deprivation

Question 17

according to LEA&YOUNG why does police racism not fully explain the differences in crime stats between diff. ethnic groups?

Answer 17

• 90% of crimes known to the police are reported by the public and discriminatory acts don’t account for the ethnic differences.

Question 18

what are criticisms of LEA&YOUNG on police racism?

Answer 18

• arrest rates for Asians may be lower than black as the police see them differently as Asians are stereotyped as passive whereas blacks are seen as dangerous.

Question 19

according to GILROY, why is black criminality a myth?

Answer 19

-as it is created by stereotype of African Caribbean and Asian.
In reality these groups are no more criminal than any other

Question 20

according to GILROY, how should ethnic minority crime be viewed?

Answer 20

-as a form of political resistance against racist society and the roots are still in earlier struggles against British imperialism.

Question 21

explain how ethnic minority crime may be a reaction to racism?

Answer 21

-as the history of colonialism and anti imperialist struggles taught how to resist oppression through riots and demonstrations.

Question 22

outline LEA&YOUNG’s 3 criticisms of GILROY:

Answer 22

-1st gen immigrants in the 1950s&1960s were very law abiding, unlikely that they passed down a tradition of anti-colonial struggle to their children.
-most crimes are intra-ethnic, so it can’t be seen as an anti colonial struggle against racism.
Gilroy romantics the crimes into something revolutionary.
-asian crime rates are similar to or lower than whites.
If Gilroy were right, then police only act racist towards blacks and not Asians.

Question 23

according to HALL ET AL, what were the social institutions of the 1970s and how did these cause a need for greater social control by the ruling class?

Answer 23

-there was high inflation and rising unemployment which provoked industrial unrest.
The ruling class used force to maintain their control which resulted in widespread resistance.

Question 24

how did the moral panic about the black mugger serve the interests of the ruling class?

Answer 24

-It served as a scapegoat to distract attention from the cause of economic problems such as employment which was namely capitalism.

Question 25

what other reason do HALL ET AL give for black males committing crime, apart from moral panic nd policing?

Answer 25

-capitalism was increasingly marginalising black youth through employment and this drama be some into a culture of hustling and petty crime as a means of survival.

Question 26

outline 3 criticisms of HALL ET AL:

Answer 26

-Downed and Rock (2001) argued that Hall et al are inconsistent in claiming that black street crime was not rising, but also that it was rising because of unemployment.
-they don’t show how the capitalist crises led to a moral panic, nor show evidence that the public were in fact panicking or blaming crimes on blacks.
-left realist argue that inner city residents’ fear about miffing was not panicky but realistic.

Question 27

according to FITSGERALD ET AL, how does neighbourhood help to explain crime among black youths?

Answer 27

-crime rates were highest in poorer areas.
-young blacks were more likely to live in these areas and be poor due to racial discrimination in the housing and job market.

Question 28

according to SHARP AND BUDD, why do some ethnic groups face a greater chance of getting caught for crimes?

Answer 28

-as they are more likely to commit crimes such as robbery, where victims can identify them and have been excluded from school or to associate with known criminals.

Question 29

(ETHNICITY&VICTIMISATION) define racist vicimisation:

Answer 29

-when an individual is selected as a target because of their race, ethnicity or religion.

Question 30

outline the 2 sources of information on racist victimisation?

Answer 30

-racist incidents : any incident that is perceived to be racist by the victim or another person.
-racially or religiously aggravated by offences ( assault,wounding, criminal damage and harassment) where the offender is motivated by hostility towards members of a racial or religious group.

Question 31

which ethnic group is at greatest risk of being a victim of any crime?

Answer 31

-those of a mixed ethnic background had a high risk (27.9%) of becoming a victims than blacks (18%).

Question 32

other than ethnicity, what factors may account for high proportions of minority ethnic groups being victims of crimes?

Answer 32

-being young, unemployed and male is strongly linked to criminalisation.

Question 33

according to SAMPSON&PHILIPS what info is missing from stats in relation to racist victimisation?

Answer 33

-the awareness of long term effects such as long-term psychological impact needs to be added to physical injury and damage.

Question 34

outline some of the responses of ethnic minorities to victimisation:

Answer 34

-situational crime prevention e.g fireproof doors and letter boxes and the organisation of self defence campaigns.

Question 35

how do racist attitudes affect the treatment of ethnic minority victims by the police?

Answer 35

-they feel under pressure by the police, who have often ignored the racist dimensions of victimisation and failed to record it investigate reported incidents.