CRIME AND DEVIANCE TOPIC 6: ETHNICITY,CRIME AND JUSTICE Flashcards
(ETHNICITY&CRIMINALISATION) why might official statistics not be a good measure of how much crime different ethnic groups actually commit?
- statistics may not be a true reflection; over policing certain groups (ethnic minority areas)
what do victim surveys tell us about ethnicity and offending?
- many crimes are intr-class (2 ppl of of same ethnicity)
-may cause over-representation of same groups
what are 4 limitations of victim surveys?
- 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
why might victim surveys be unrepresentative?
- it’s only a small proportion of offenders= unrepresentative
according to SHARP&BUDD, which ethnic groups are most likely to admit to offending?
- white and mixed ethnic origins most likely to admit to offence
how do the findings of self-report studies challenge stereotypes about ethnicity and offending?
- these are surveys where criminals admit their criminality
- shows black and white criminals have similar offending rates but unequal in stats
how do the various forms of data contradict each other?
- victim studies show higher levels of black criminality
how are ethnic minorities treated differently through: POLICING
- PHILIPS&BOWLING: there are many allegations of oppressive policing since 1970s
how are ethnic minorities treated differently through: STOP AND SEARCH
- 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
how are ethnic minorities treated differently through: ARRESTS AND CAUTIONS
- 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
how are ethnic minorities treated differently through: PROSECUTION&TRIAL
- CPS (crown prosecution service) must decide if conviction is possible
-PHILIPS&BOWLING: suggest CPS more likely to drop cases against ethnic minorities
how are ethnic minorities treated differently through: PRE-SENTENCE REPORTS
- 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
how are ethnic minorities treated differently through: PRISON
- 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
(EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCES IN OFFENDING) why did black criminality come to be seen as a problem in the 1970s?
-there was increased conflict between police and the African and Carribean community and higher arrests for street crime.
why did Asian criminality come to public attention in the 1990s?
- there was a growing of Asian gangs paired with the event of 9/11 Asians, especially muslims were demonised as public enemy
according to left-realists, what are the 3 factors that contribute to crime and how do these affect ethnic minorities?
-relative deprivation, subculture and marginalisation.
-racism leads to marginalisation economically and socially.
-media emphasises consumerism which leads to deprivation
according to LEA&YOUNG why does police racism not fully explain the differences in crime stats between diff. ethnic groups?
- 90% of crimes known to the police are reported by the public and discriminatory acts don’t account for the ethnic differences.
what are criticisms of LEA&YOUNG on police racism?
- 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.
according to GILROY, why is black criminality a myth?
-as it is created by stereotype of African Caribbean and Asian.
In reality these groups are no more criminal than any other
according to GILROY, how should ethnic minority crime be viewed?
-as a form of political resistance against racist society and the roots are still in earlier struggles against British imperialism.
explain how ethnic minority crime may be a reaction to racism?
-as the history of colonialism and anti imperialist struggles taught how to resist oppression through riots and demonstrations.
outline LEA&YOUNG’s 3 criticisms of GILROY:
-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.
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?
-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.
how did the moral panic about the black mugger serve the interests of the ruling class?
-It served as a scapegoat to distract attention from the cause of economic problems such as employment which was namely capitalism.
what other reason do HALL ET AL give for black males committing crime, apart from moral panic nd policing?
-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.
outline 3 criticisms of HALL ET AL:
-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.
according to FITSGERALD ET AL, how does neighbourhood help to explain crime among black youths?
-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.
according to SHARP AND BUDD, why do some ethnic groups face a greater chance of getting caught for crimes?
-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.
(ETHNICITY&VICTIMISATION) define racist vicimisation:
-when an individual is selected as a target because of their race, ethnicity or religion.
outline the 2 sources of information on racist victimisation?
-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.
which ethnic group is at greatest risk of being a victim of any crime?
-those of a mixed ethnic background had a high risk (27.9%) of becoming a victims than blacks (18%).
other than ethnicity, what factors may account for high proportions of minority ethnic groups being victims of crimes?
-being young, unemployed and male is strongly linked to criminalisation.
according to SAMPSON&PHILIPS what info is missing from stats in relation to racist victimisation?
-the awareness of long term effects such as long-term psychological impact needs to be added to physical injury and damage.
outline some of the responses of ethnic minorities to victimisation:
-situational crime prevention e.g fireproof doors and letter boxes and the organisation of self defence campaigns.
how do racist attitudes affect the treatment of ethnic minority victims by the police?
-they feel under pressure by the police, who have often ignored the racist dimensions of victimisation and failed to record it investigate reported incidents.
