Ethnicity and crime

Question 1

What is a limitation of interactionist explanations for ethnicity and crime?

Answer 1

Cicourel’s labelling theory helps explain low Asian crime rates, but critics argue this ignores changing attitudes—e.g., post-9/11 increases in surveillance and suspicion of Asians show labelling is not fixed.

This highlights the dynamic nature of societal perceptions and their impact on crime statistics.

Question 2

What is a criticism of Sewell’s triple quandary theory?

Answer 2

Sewell’s theory is socially sensitive—it implies young Black males are to blame for their own deviance. Marxists like Bowles and Gintis argue wider capitalist socialisation shapes behaviour more than family structure.

This suggests a critique of individualistic approaches to understanding deviance.

Question 3

What is a key criticism of Stuart Hall’s ‘moral panic’ theory?

Answer 3

Downes and Rock argue Hall contradicts himself by denying crime was rising while blaming unemployment. Lea and Young (Left Realism) also claim fear of crime was based on real inner-city concerns, not media panic.

This indicates a divergence between media narratives and the reality of crime in urban areas.

Question 4

What is a limitation of Paul Gilroy’s theory of black crime as political resistance?

Answer 4

Lea and Young criticise Gilroy for lacking empirical evidence—young Black crime is more about deprivation than resistance. His theory romanticises crime and ignores its real social impact.

This critique emphasizes the importance of socio-economic factors in understanding crime.

Question 5

What do Lea and Young argue about ethnicity and crime?

Answer 5

Lea and Young (Left Realism) argue that ethnic minorities experience marginalisation

Question 6

What concepts do Lea and Young use to explain ethnic minority crime?

Answer 6

Marginalisation

Question 7

What is Tony Sewell’s triple quandary explanation?

Answer 7

Tony Sewell (Interactionism) identifies three risk factors for African-Caribbean boys: racism (blocked goals)

Question 8

How does Tony Sewell explain the link between media and crime?

Answer 8

Sewell argues that media promotes materialistic values and hyper-masculinity

Question 10

What does Stuart Hall argue about black criminality?

Answer 10

Stuart Hall (Neo-Marxism) argues black criminality is socially constructed—during the 1970s recession

Question 11

What was the ideological function of the ‘black mugger’ moral panic?

Answer 11

The moral panic around black youth allowed the state to use repressive policing as a distraction from economic crisis and threats to ruling class hegemony.

Question 13

What is Paul Gilroy’s myth of black criminality?

Answer 13

Gilroy argues black criminality is a racist myth created by stereotypes and enforced by the CJS—over-policing causes ethnic minorities to appear more criminal in stats.

Question 14

How does Gilroy describe black crime as political resistance?

Answer 14

Gilroy argues black street crime is a conscious

Question 15

Evaluate sociological explanations into the relationship between ethnicity and offending

Answer 15

Economic exclusion explanation
Triple Quandary Explanation
The Social Construction of crime
the myth of black criminality