ethnicity and crime

Question 1

what do official statistics say about black people

Answer 1

they highlight that black people are more likely to be stopped, arrested and imprisoned

Question 2

what do sociologists say about what official statistics say about black people

Answer 2

some sociologists argue this is because they are more likely to offend due to poor educational achievement, dysfunctional family structures and racist stereotypes that are portrayed in the media, others argue they may appear more criminal due to discrimination in society

Question 3

what sociologists explain why black people appear more criminal

Answer 3

• lea + young
• gilroy
• hall et al

Question 4

what does lea + young say about why black people appear more criminal

Answer 4

differences in statistics are the result of black people being discriminated in wider society, utilitarian crime is a response to material deprivation and non utilitarian crime is due to frustration towards society - they believe police racism isn’t the main cause of this because 90% of crimes are reported by the public

Question 5

what does gilroy say about why black people appear more criminal

Answer 5

BME don’t commit more crimes than others, it’s a result of racist policing who act on stereotypes

Question 6

what does hall et al say about why black people appear more criminal

Answer 6

in 1970s, there was a moral panic about black people and mugging, this was because capitalism was in crisis and they used this story to cover it up. so black people were not more criminal but were a victim of capitalism which made it harder for them to get jobs so turned to crime (SFP)

Question 7

3 reasons to why black people are more criminal

Answer 7

1. education
2. family
3. media

Question 8

how does education make black people more criminal

Answer 8

black caribbean pupils statistically perform poorly in education and may find it hard to get a job so turn to illegal means of employment

Question 9

how does the family make black people more criminal

Answer 9

(functionalists) the growing rate of a lone parent structure within the black community leads to inadequate socialisation therefore children aren’t taught the correct norms and values of society

Question 10

how does the media make black people more criminal

Answer 10

reinforces the stereotype that black people are more criminal which may lead to a SFP and black people will in turn commit more crime