ethnicity and crime Flashcards
2020 statistics
- black overrepresented in crime statistics
- 18% stop and search, 13% prison pop- Black
- chinese not involved in crime stats
2 explanations for trend in crime?
- black groups commit disproportionately higher amounts of crime
- CJS institutionally racists, therefore stats innaccurate + socially constructed
key ideas for black groups committing more crime (3)
- resistance to racism
- formation of subcultures
- criminogenic triangle
how is crime resistance to racism?
Gilroy
- ethnic minority crime as form of political resistance aganist racist society, roots against British Imperalism
- anti-imperalists struggles taught how to resist oppression eg riots , these were criminalised
crime as resistance to racism criticisms
Lea and Young
- first gen immigrants very law abidding so unlikely passed anti-colonial struggle to children
- most crime is intra-ethnic (victim + criminal same ethnic) so cant be seen as struggle against racism
how does formation of subcultures lead to crime?
Bourgois
- street life in NYC
- alternative economy developed amongst ethnic minorities in Harlem bc of ecnomic exclusions + neg social attitudes to them
- not consciously committing crime- bc have to
- subculture causes- sub abuse, lifestyle of viol
how does the criminogenic triangle lead to crime for black?
- marginality-> young blacks tend to be less successful in ed, high unemploy, lower paid job
- relative dep-> sims between black youths + rest of society cause trouble, black youths have high aspirations compared with parents and are unlikely to achieve them legally
- subculture-> young blacks respond diff to aspirations, drift to petty crime as response
why is there lower asian crimes?
- greater economic success
- distinct culture
- stronger family + community
is this an ethnic or a class issue?
Fitzgerald-> black criminals are male, more likely from lone parent fam + lower class much more sig in causing crime than other ethnicity
key ideas for the CJS to be instituionally racist
- differences in sentencing + arrests
- marxist explanation
- full CJS explanation
Bowling + Philips
define insitutional racism as procedures and practices and culture that excludes or disadvantages non white ppl
Secret Policeman documentary
Daly
since Stevan Lawrence (racially motivated murder where there were failings made by police in investigation) nothing has changed, police system still institutionally racist
Runer
‘police culture’ + ‘canteen culture’ -> police developed strong collective identity as result of pressure, isolation and hostility
Bowling + Philips beliefs about stop and search stats
invalid because of demographic reasons account for some statistic diffs. ethnic minority more likely live in inner-city, be young and unemployed
Bowling and Philips sentencing
- whites more likely convicted of serious offences
- Blacks and Asians more likely immediate custodial sentence
- blacks given longer sentences
Reiner
canteen culture
hegemonic masculinity in police force of white working class leads to racism and discrimination
Bowling and Philips arrests
- blacks high prop of arrests (8.3%)
- ethnic minorities more likely silent, legal advice, deny offence= more susp + harsher pun
- ethnic less likely released after caution
Hall- marxist interpretation
- crisis of capitalism there was mugging moral panic (element of breakdown of law and order)
- black mugger symbolised threat of violence
- public persuaded that society’s problems were caused by immigrants rather than capitalism
- to prevent revolution black muggers targetted
link between ethnicity and victimisation?
- chance of being victim of crime fo ethnic group= 7.2%, white= 5% (inner-city areas)
- non-white more likely be victims of hate crime (rural areas where small pop of ethnic)
- 2012-13= 124k racially motivated incidents
