Ethnicity, Crime And Justice Flashcards
Give some statistical data that show that black and Asian people are over represented in the UK criminal justice system
-black people make up just 3% of the UK population, but 13% of the prison population
-asian people make up just 6.5% of the population, but 8% of the prison population
How can we argue that the official statistics on ethnicity and criminality tell us nothing about how much more likely to commit crime one ethnic group is over another?
They only tell us which ethnic groups are more likely to be involved with the Criminal Justice System.
What are the 2 sources of statistics except from official statistics that sociologists look at to try and determine which ethnic groups are more likely to offend?
1) victim surveys
2) self-report studies
What patterns do victim surveys show regarding crime and ethnicity?
CSEW - In the case of ‘mugging’, black people are significantly over-represented among those identified by victims as offenders. Also shows that crime is intra-ethnic.
What does it mean for crime to be intra-ethnic (victim surveys)? Give some evidence.
Crime often takes place between members of the same ethnic group. In 2007 the CSEW found that in 90% of crimes where the victim was white, at least one of the offenders was also white.
give 2 general weaknesses of victim surveys
-exclude corporate crimes + white collar crimes
-only cover personal crimes which account for only 1/5 crimes.
-rely on the memory of the victim: Bowling&Phillips found that white victims may over identify black people as the offender.
-exclude under 10s, and very few include under 16s, however minority ethnic groups contain a higher proportion of young people
What patterns do self-report studies show regarding ethnicity and crime?
-ask individuals to disclose their own behaviour (criminality). Graham & Bowling used sample of 2500 ppl. Found that black + white people had similar rates of offending. Asian people least likely to offend
Give 2 general weaknesses of self report studies
-evidence is inconsistent
-raise many questions: can you assume the respondent is being truthful? Have individuals understood the questions correctly ?
What do all 3 sources (official statistics, victim surveys, self-report studies) all consistently show as a pattern regarding crime + ethnicity?
All 3 sources show that Asian individuals are the least likely to offend
What is individual racism? Define it
When an individual’s beliefs, behaviours and actions discriminate against certain ethnic groups.
What is institutional racism? Define it
When the systems, structures and policies of an organisation discriminate against certain ethnic groups. For example, racist policies/procedures within the Criminal Justice System.
Name 4 stages of the criminal justice system process that sociologists investigate for racism
-policing
-stop&search
-arrests&cautions
-prosecution&trial
-convictions
-sentencing
-pre-sentence reports
-prison
Explain patterns regarding policing and racism
-there are allegations of over-policing of ethnic minority groups, as well as policing of these groups being aggressive in nature.
-including: mass stop/search operations, armed raids, excessive surveillance, police violence, failure to respond effectively to racism etc
Explain patterns regarding stop&search and racism
-ethnic individuals are more likely to be stopped + searched by police. black and Asian ppl are over twice as likely to be stopped compared to white ppl.
-ethnic minority individuals report that when stopped, police are rude and unfair
Identify the 3 possible reasons that sociologists suggest for the over representation of Black + Asian people in stop & search patterns.
•police racism
•real ethnic differences in offending
•demographic factors
What is a caution?
Can be given after an arrest. Its a warning that you can be given, instead of continuing through the criminal justice system. But you can only be given a caution if you admit guilt for the offence.
Explain patterns regarding arrests/cautions and racism
arrest rate for black individuals is approximately 3 times higher than the rate for white individuals. However, once arrested, black + asian individuals were less likely to receive a caution, possibly due to them not admitting guilt to offences.
Explain patterns regarding prosecution/trial and racism
Crown Prosecution service is more likely to drop cases brought against ethnic minority individuals as there is often little evidence to support the case. This may be due to the original only having taken place due to stereotyping.
What decision does the Crown Prosecution Service get to make regarding police cases?
Decides whether or not a case brought by the police should be prosecuted in court. This depends on whether or not they think there is a good enough chance of conviction or if the cases of public interest.
Explain patterns regarding convictions/sentencing and racism
Interestingly comment black and Asian defendants are less likely to be found guilty in 2007 60% of white defendants were found guilty, compared to 44% of Asian defendants and 52% of black defendants. This suggest stereotyping at the police level leads to more arrests, but with a lack of evidence for convictions.
Explain patterns regarding sentencing and racism
Custodial sentences are more likely to be given to black offenders, than white or Asian people, who are more likely to receive community service. Hood argues that even when comparing like for like cases, black men were still 5% more likely to be given custodial sentences and on average were given sentences three months longer than white men.
What are pre-sentence reports?
Written by probation officers. Used during the sentencing decision. They act as a risk assessment to assist magistrates in deciding the appropriate sentence for an offender.
Explain patterns regarding pre-sentence reports and racism
Hudson and Bramha argue these reports are discriminative. Reports for Asian offenders showed less remorse and were more of a risk. They argue that this is connected to the demonising of Muslims following 9/11.
Explain patterns regarding prison and racism
Black people are five times more likely to be in prison than white people. Black Asian offenders are more likely than white offenders to be serving sentences of four years plus. All minority ethnic groups are less likely to be granted bail than white offenders.
