Ethnicity and crime Flashcards
Ethnicity and criminalisation
Black people and to a lesser extent Asians over represented in the system
Black people make up 2.8% of population but 11% of prison population
Asians make up 4.7% of population but 6% of prison population
By contrast white people under represented at all stages of criminal justice process
Victim surveys
Gain info about ethnicity/offending when they ask victims to identify ethnicity of person who committed crime against them.
Victim surveys have limitations;
Relies on victims memory of event – white victims over identify blacks saying the offender was black when they are not sure
Exclude crimes By and against organisations don’t identify ethnicity or white-collar criminals
Victim surveys tell us ethnicity of small proportion of offenders not representative of offenders in general
Self-report studies
Ask individuals to disclose their own dishonest and violent behaviour
Findings of self-report studies challenge stereotypes of black people more likely to offend and white and supports Asian is less likely to offend.
Self report 2005:
White 42% / mixed 39% / black 28% / white more likely to offend therefore institutional racism | black more likely to be arrested and convicted
Stop and search - oppressive policing
Ethnic minority groups more likely to be stopped and searched by police. Police can use this if reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing.
Black people seven times more likely to be stopped then search Asians twice as likely Compare to whites
Asians three times more likely to be stopped and searched then others on terrorism act.
Ethnic community is less likely to think police acted politely when stopping them
Philip and Bowling - Police racism / institutional racism /
Many offices hold negative stereotypes about ethnic minorities as criminals leading to deliberate targeting for stop and search.
Such stereotypes are endorsed and upheld by canteen culture.
This creates disproportionality and discrimination.
Higher levels of robbery among black peoples could be product of labelling that arises from stop and search procedures lead to SFP eg black muggers
A03- Becker disagree due to labelling process
Arrests and caution
Arrest rate for blacks 3.6 times the rate for whites.
Once arrested blacks and Asians less likely than whites to receive a caution. This is because ethnic minority is more likely to deny offence and exercise right to legal advice.
Prosecution
CPS - Responsible for deciding whether case brought by police should be prosecuted in court. CPS more likely to drop cases against ethnic minorities Because evidence presented to them by police often weak and based on stereotyping.
Convictions
Black and Asian defendants are less likely to be found guilty; in 2006/760% of white defendants guilty against 52% of blacks and 44% of Asians
Suggest discrimination in police and CPS may be bringing weaker/less serious cases against ethnic minorities
Sentencing
In 2006/7 custody of sentences given to greater proportion of black offenders 68% and white 55% or Asian offender 59%. White and Asians were more likely than blacks to receive community sentences.
Pre-sentence reports
PSR Written by probation offices can create harsher sentences. This allows unwitting discrimination. Reports on Asian offenders less comprehensive and suggested they were less remorseful than white offenders. Place this bias on the context of demonising Muslims In the wake of events of 911
Prison
2007 prison population male - 15% black 7% Asian
Black and Asian offenders more likely than white to be serving longer sentences.
Ethnic minorities Less likely to be granted bail while awaiting trial.
LR- lea and young
Crime product of relative deprivation/sub cultures/marginalisation. = strain theory + status frustration.
They argue racism lead to Marginalisation and economic exclusion of ethnic minorities who face higher unemployment/poverty/poor housing.
Black ppl more in street crime than white
Media saturation and emphasis on consumerism promotes relative deprivation setting materialistic goals and ethnic minorities unable to reach by legitimate means. Increases utilitarian crimes e.g. theft to cope with the relative deprivation. Marginalised groups show frustration through non-utilitarian crime such as violence.
A03- functionalists - racist policing and justice systems causes crime and inadequate socialisation
Gilroy- The myth of black criminality
Idea of black criminality is a myth created by racist stereotypes of African Caribbean and Asians. Black targeted by media and police but it’s different.
Eg Rastafarianism revolutionary political thing over throwing white authority.
Black crime in modern society is a political protest - response to discrimination and inequality.
The police and criminal justice system act on racist stereotypes, ethnic minority is more criminalised and a pig greater in official statistics of crime.
In Gilroy’s view ethnic minority crime form of political resistance against racist society Rooted from earlier struggles against British imperialism.
However most crime is intra ethnic- victim and offender same ethnicity ./ do they know they’re oppressed / is it just a excuse to commit crime
Hall et al- policing crisis
Crime result of media and police labelling.
There was a moral panic over black muggers. The black marker served as a scapegoat to distract attention from true cause of problems such as unemployment.
Black muggers Symbolise disintegration of social order. The moral panic served to divide working-class on racial grounds.
Capitalism increasing marginalisation of black young through unemployment drop some into lifestyle of hustling/petty crime as means of survival
Other reasons for higher rates of street crime amongst black people
- educational success 2006 only 23% black boys achieved gcse
- family structures 60% young black lone parent matrifocal
- mass media - cultural deprivation attitudes and values / black rap artists as role models for replacement of father
