Ethnicity and social class

Question 1

How can crime statistics be unreliable?

Answer 1

1. ethnic minorities more likely to be stopped and searched, arrested, or put in prison
2. not representative as age and gender affect data e.g there’s a high proportion of young black males in the black pop so black people are over represented in stats
3. collected via self-report studies and victim surveys

Question 2

What did the Macpherson Report conclude?

Answer 2

police are institutionally racist and so are court systems

few black people in the police or legal system

Question 3

Why does Hall(marxist) think that black people don’t actually commit more crimes than other groups?

Answer 3

1. they are used as scapegoats to distract from social issues in capitalist system

Question 4

Why do left realists think that ethnic minorities DO commit more crime?

Answer 4

1. because they are relatively deprived
2. because they are marginalised
3. so they form criminal subcultures to fight back

Question 5

Why are ethinic minorities more likely to be victims of crime?

Answer 5

1. vicimised because of their race
2. they are more worried about crime
3. lack of faith in justice system

Question 6

Why do left realists suggest that working class people commit more crime?

Answer 6

Young - the media allows them to see what others have got which causes relative deprivation

Question 7

Why do marxists suggest that working class people commit more crime?

Answer 7

the justice system is controlled by ruling class, so is against working class interests, therefore the justice system in capitalist societies criminalises them

Question 8

Why does Miller believe the working class commit more crime?

Answer 8

the working class culture encourages law breaking behaviour 
Murray - the underclass have criminal values

Question 9

Why is white collar crime treated more leniently?

Answer 9

1. they’re usually non-violent
2. viewed as ‘victimless’ because they don’t target individuals, but society as a whole
3. more likely to be unreported and undetected as companies can cover it up as they have power and want to avoid the negative press
4. get away with just apologising publically e.g celebrity tax evasion