Ethnicity and Crime (Marxism)

Question 1

Give 3 statistics on crime

Answer 1

Ministry of Justice:

• Blacks are 3x more likely to be arrested and charged
• Asians make 6% of the Eng/Wales pop but 8% of the prison population
• Blacks 5x more likely to be in prison

Question 2

What does Gilroy argue

Answer 2

• Black criminality is a myth = the police act on racist stereotypes which lead to over representation of ethnic minority groups in crime stats
• Some crime can be seen as a political response to class inequality and racism e.g. silent protests are criminalised by the police = reinforces the myth of the black community

Question 3

what does Hall argue

Answer 3

• crime statistics are socially constructed which reflects aggressive police tactics on the black youth
  e. g. 1970s = UK had an economic crisis and news report created a notion of the ‘black muggers’ = moral panic

Question 4

define moral panic and the effect of it

Answer 4

MP: Exaggerated or imagined threat to society

1. more aggressive policiing against the black community
2. All black youth are seen as a threat
3. re - asserts the RC ideas

Question 5

Criticisms of Neo - Marxists and crime

Answer 5

• It’s only specific to the context of the 70s and 80s (outdated)
• LR = fears of mugging are real and not panicked