Ethnicity And Crime Flashcards
What are the 3 main sources of statistics on ethnicity and crime?
1) . Official stats.
2) . Victim surveys.
3) . Self-report studies.
What do official stats show about ethnicity and crime?
Ethnic differences in the likelihood of being involved in the CJS.
What statistics support official stats uses on ethnicity and crime?
Blacks =
- 7x more likely than whites to be stopped and searched.
- 5x more likely to be in prison.
What do victim surveys show about ethnicity and crime?
Shows the crimes BAME are more likely to commit, as it asks victims to name the ethnicity of the criminal.
What statistics support the use of victim surveys in determining BAME crimes?
‘Mugging’ = black people more likely to be identified as offenders.
What do self-report studies show about ethnicity and crime?
Ethnic differences in rates of offences.
What statistics show the use of self-report studies on ethnic differences in crime?
Graham and Bowling (1995) =
- blacks and whites = almost identical rates of offending.
Evaluate each source of statistics for ethnicity and crime?
1) . Official statistics =
- could just show BAME are more likely to be prosecuted of an offence.
2) . Victim surveys =
- rely on the honesty of the respondent, also a low attrition rate.
3) . Self-report studies =
- rely on honesty of individuals.
Is the evidence on ethnicity and offending consistent?
No =
- official stats + victim surveys = higher rates of black offending.
- self-report studies = lower rates of black offending.
What are the different stages of the CJS that BAME experience racism?
1) . Policing.
2) . Stop and search.
3) . Arrests and cautions.
4) . Prosecution and trial.
5) . Sentencing and prison.
Who says there has been many allegations of oppressive policing of ethnic minorities?
Phillips and Bowling (2007).
What are some examples of racist policing Phillips and Bowling use?
1) . Mass stop and search operations.
2) . Paramilitary tactics.
3) . Excessive surveillance.
4) . Armed raids.
5) . Police violence and deaths in custody.
What concept is similar to Phillip and Bowling’s claim?
Lea and Young’s military policing (which shouldn’t be used).
How many times more likely are black people to be stopped and searched, compare to white people?
7x.
How many times more likely are Asians to be stopped and searched?
3x –> under the Terrorism Act 2000.
What are the 3 explanations for these stop and search patterns.?
1) . Ethnic differences in offending =
- some ethnic groups are more likely to offend.
2) . Police racism =
- police more likely to discriminate in ‘high discretion stops’ (police act without information).
3) . Demographic factors =
- BAME have a high proportion of groups most likely to be stopped (young, unemployed and urban dwellers).
Which historical event relates to the evidence of police racism?
The Macpherson Report (1999) =
- institutional racism in met police.
- so infused that nobody notices.
- follows Stephen Lawrence death.
What is the arrest rate for blacks?
Over 3x than the rate for whites.
Why are blacks and Asians less likely to receive a caution once arrested?
Because they are less likely to admit the offence, so they are more likely to be charged.
What prosecution service decides whether a case brought to the police should be prosecuted?
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Is the CPS more likely to proceed cases against BAME?
No,
- more likely to drop cases against them.
Are BAME more likely to be found guilty than whites.
No.
Why are BAME cases often elected from Crown Court trials, rather than magistrates’ court?
Because =
- less likely to plead guilty due to mistrust of magistrates.
- less likely to trust the police, so don’t accept a plea.
Why do BAME cases often appear more severe than whites?
Because they are often elected from Crown Courts =
- they impose harsher sentences.
How does the prosecutions and trials of BAME contribute to polices stereotypes?
Police think their crimes are more severe =
- so typify them more.
- causing a deviance amplification spiral (labelling).
What percentage of male BAME are more likely to plea not guilty in Crown Courts?
52%, compared to whites of similar cases.
Which ethnic group has the highest proportion of prison sentences?
Black, compared to whites and Asians.
What did Hood (1992) find about sentencing of blacks?
Even with seriousness and previous convictions are taken into account =
- black men = 5% more likely to be jailed.
How many times more likely are blacks to be in prison?
5x.
Are BAME more likely to serve longer sentences?
Yes.
Are BAME more likely to be granted bail when awaiting trial?
No.
What historical events show racist police attitudes?
1) . 1968 –> Enoch Powell “rivers of blood” speech =
- immigration = crisis in society.
2) . 1981 –> Brixton riots =
- police “swamped” Brixton, by standards caused a riot as whites were picking on blacks.
3) . 1980s –> The Scarman Report =
- few bad apples (no institutional racism).
- need more non-white officers.
4) . 1993 –> Stephen Lawrence =
- Macpherson report = met police is institutionally racist.
What are the 2 explanations for the ethnic differences in offending?
1) . Left Realism (LR).
2) . Neo-Marxism.
According to LR, how has racism caused BAME crimes?
Led to (i) relative deprivation and (ii) marginalisation of BAME.
How has relative deprivation led to BAME crimes?
Racism results in unemployment and poverty =
- BAME can’t gain consumerised materials legitimately.
- so resort to utilitarian crimes to cope.
How has marginalisation led to BAME crimes?
Racism results in unemployment =
- as BAME struggle to find jobs, they are excluded to poverty.
- may join a deviant subculture to deal with this exclusion and relative deprivation.
- criminality creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.
What do Lea and Young say about police racism?
- It can’t be the sole explanation of BAME crimes.
- It doesn’t explain the higher convictions of blacks than Asians (they’d have to be really selective).
What statistics support lea and Young’s argument that police racism can’t be an explanation of BAME crimes?
90% of crimes are reported by the public rather than discovered by the police =
- shows relative deprivation and marginalisation are more valuable explanations of ethnic offending.
What is Lea and Young’s conclusions about the causes of ethnic differences in crime?
1) . Statistics reflect the reality of ethnic differences in crime.
2) . These are caused by differences in relative deprivation and marginalisation.
What perspective rejects the LR view?
Neo-Marxism =
- statistics don’t reflect reality.
- statistics are a social construct.
Why does Gilroy say black criminality is a myth?
- Based on racist stereotypes.
- BAME are no more criminal than anyone else.
How does Gilroy say black criminality is based on a social construct?
- CJS acts on racist stereotypes.
- Minorities are criminalised.
- Therefore, appear in greater number in the official crime statistics.
How does the Interactionist perspective relate to neo-Marxism?
Criminalisation of minorities creates a dark figure of crime, which creates a deviance amplification spiral (police act on it) and this further labels minorities as criminal.
What does Gilroy mean by ‘crime as political resistance’?
- Crime = political resistance against racist society.
- Roots from earlier struggles against British imperialism.
- Used the same defensive mechanisms in racist Britain.
- But their political struggle was criminalised by the state.
What view is similar to Gilroy’s?
Critical criminology =
- that w/c crime is an act of resistance to capitalism.
How does Hall et al. say capitalism ‘policed their crisis’?
1970s = capitalist crisis of high unemployment =
- moral panics of a young black “mugger”.
- even though their was no increase in this crime.
According to Hall, why did the media create a moral panic of a young black “mugger”?
1) . Acted as a scapegoat =
- distracted the public’s attention from the real issue in society –> unemployment caused by capitalism.
2) . Divided the w/c on racist grounds =
- this weakened opposition to capitalism.
How did the moral panic create more black crimes?
It marginalised them =
- increased unemployment.
- so drove some to commit petty street crimes.
How is Hall et al. criticised?
1) . Say black crime wasn’t rising, then saying it was due to unemployment.
2) . Don’t say how the crisis led to a moral panic.
3) . Don’t say whether the public actually blamed crime on blacks.
What is meant by intra-ethnic?
Crimes committed within an ethnic group (e.g. black on black).
What are 3 reasons why ethnic minorities are more likely to be victims of crime?
1) . Institutional racism =
- police more likely to typify them as aggressive, so treat them accordingly.
2) . Poverty =
- 2x more likely to be unemployed.
- 3x more likely to be unemployed (more likely to be victims as more vulnerable).
- may live in criminalised areas.
3) . Discrimination =
- moral panics = stereotype them as dangerous (especially Muslims).
- creates more hate crimes (actually rising).
What is an example of a crime committed against an ethnic minority?
Stephen Lawrence (1993).
