ETHNICITY and CRIME

Question 1

STATISTICS

Answer 1

PRISON:
Black people make up 3% of the population but 13.1% of the prison population

POLICE:
ETHNIC MINORITIES are 3 TIMES MORE LIKELY to be STOP and SEARCHED by the police.

COURT:
ETHNIC MINORITIES are MORE likely to be given a CUSTODIAL SENTENCE then those of the WHITE MAJORITY.

Question 2

DEMOGRAPHIC explanation of ETHNICITY and CRIME:

Answer 2

BAME groups contain a
disproportionate number of young people compared to the white ethnic majority, explain why there is higher
ethnic minority criminality as young people are more likely to commit crimes.

EVALUATION:
Statistical Illusion – It is impossible to determine if it is the age of the offenders that causes the higher rates
or their ethnicity.

Question 3

POLICE TARGETING

Answer 3

PHILIPS and BROWNING:
EM are “over-policed and under protected”

GILROY:
‘MYTH of BLACK CRIMINALITY’
argues black criminality is a myth created by RACIST STEREOTYPES. as a result of POLICE and CJS acting on these stereotypes, BLACK people become CRIMINALISED and therefore appear high on OFFICIAL STATISTICS.

Question 4

INSTITUTIONAL RACISM

Answer 4

HOLDAWAY:

CANTEEN CULTURE-
POLICE themselves MAY NOT be racists but when together they can REINFORCE STEREOTYPES which are then acted on duty

McPHERSON REPORT:

result of the STEPHEN LAWRENCE’S murder which
highlighted RACIST POLICIES within the police force.

EVALUATION:
Since publication of the McPherson Report, the police force has been actively changing policies to deal with institutional racism, and RECRUITING MORE OFFICERS from ethnic minorities. However the crime rate amongst ethnic minorities has NOT decreased.

Question 5

POLITICAL PROTEST

Answer 5

GILROY:
Ethnic Minorities, particularly BLACK MEN, often feel ALIENATED by
everyday experiences of racism and what they perceive as a racist police
force, and as such CRIME becomes a FORM OF PROTEST, Street Crime are seen as forms of RESISTANCE against WHITE OPPRESSION. eg BALCK PANTHERS

EVALUATION:
This doesn’t account for the fact that most crime is commit within ethnic
minority groups, therefore the majority of victims of black crime are black themselves which undermines Gilroy’s theory

Question 6

TRIPLE QUANDRY: SEWELL

Answer 6

identifies three risk factors which could be responsible for the relatively high levels of crime amongst black boys:
1) LACK OF A FATHER FIGURE – large numbers of single mother families amongst black families mean that boys look to their community for role
models such as gang leaders.
2) NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES OF WHITE CULTURE:
Black boys are disaffected by
their experiences of school, policing and employer racism.
3) MEDIA
– Media influence of hip-hop and rap stars believe that status can be achieved in TWO ways:
1.Acquisition of status symbol designer clothing and jewellery.
2. Construction of hyper masculinity based on violence and
sexual conquest.

EVALUATION:
- rise of positive black role models such as BARAK OBAMA.
- there is NO CAUSALITY established between SINGLE PARENTHOOD and
CRIMINALITY.
- black crime tends to VICTIMISE black people.