Ethnicity And Crime

Question 1

Reasons for ethnic rates of offending

Answer 1

Neo marxist explanation (hall and gilroy)
Left realism explanations
Strain and subcultural theories
Institutional racism
Interactionist theories

Question 2

Hall et al policing the crisis

Answer 2

Examined the unequal structure of British society and the perceptions of the black community in the uk

Aggressive policing tactics such as stop and search nonaligned bystanders to react to discrimination

Media legitimised police actions by portraying black community as crimnal

Question 3

Hilton, the myth of black community

Answer 3

Black criminality is a myth

Self report surveys shows similar levels of crime in black and white communities

Action is a firm of political resistance to oppression and police retaliation is the states way of reaffirming control

Question 4

Left realists explanations

Answer 4

Marginalisation of ethnic minority groups in society thy are economically and socially excluded

Failures of education result in the formation of subcultures as a response to blocked opportunities

Media representations of ethnic minority criminality fuel further marginalisation and exclusion

Question 5

Strain theory

Answer 5

Ethnic minority groups over represented in poverty measures- 40% of ethnic minorities classified as below poverty line

Lack of resources lead to strain but lack of legitimate opportunities leads to Retreatist or innovation in order to achieve society’s goals

Question 6

Institutional racism

Answer 6

MacPherson report stated metropolitan police operated on practices that were institutionally racist

Waddington and Fielding both found evidence of racial stereotyping in the attitudes of off duty police and development of a ‘canteen culture’

Whites have lowest rate of stop and search- black 9 times higher according to 2019 CSEW

Question 7

Interactionist theories

Answer 7

Role of media in creating folk devils out of both black and Asian males

Ethnic minority groups less likely to be able to negotiate the justice system than white middle class

Negative stereotyping of black and Asian males being associated with certain crimes- e.g. drug dealing, carrying knives

Question 9

Ethnic differences in offending

Answer 9

Not all crimes are solved and for many crimes such as property damage and burglary, ethnicity is not accurately recorded

One measure of offending is by arrests, but this can be misrepresentation of police priorities

Rates of imprisonment is another measure of rate of offending

Question 10

Arrests

Answer 10

Average 12arrests per 1000
Black other 64 arrests per 1000

Question 11

Arrests from 06/07 to 18/19

Answer 11

The arrest rate for black people went down from 57 arrests per 1000 to 32 a decrease of 43%

Arrests for white people went down by 59%

Question 12

Stop and search

Answer 12

Between 2018 there were 4 stop and searches for every 1000 white people compared with 38 for black people

Question 14

Subcultural explanations

Answer 14

Gunter 2008 development of road culture amongst young black males

Cloward and OHLIN suggest limited opportunities leads to formation of crimina, conflict and Retreatist subcultures

Status frustration felt by lack of status within education and society- status provided by gang cultures