Ethnicity In Crime Flashcards
What do Left Realists’ Lea and Young argue about crime in ethnicity
Racism in society has left young, black youths feeling excluded in society compared to their white counterparts;
media advertises consumerism and materialistic goals that BAME groups can’t reach; on top of being stopped and searched by police because of stereotypes, they join street gangs and form subcultures to channel their anger and hostility.
What does strain theory suggest about crime and ethnicity
Cashmore argues Black-African boys are encouraged to reach materialistic goals but because of blocked opportunities (racism in school and unemployment), they can’t.
They experience anomie and turn to street crime as a result.
They justify their acts through rejecting white society because it’s failed to offer them opportunities white Britons take for granted.
What do most Interactionist’s say about OCS
They’re misleading, lack validity because they’re socially constructed by the police and the courts. They argue OCS simply reflect the injustices and inequalities police make because of stereotypes and ‘canteen culture’.
What does labelling theory suggest about ethnicity in crime
IF THE STATS REFLECT REALITY:
While most interactionist theories would argue the stats are misleading, they also argue because young, black men fit the ‘typical delinquent’ stereotypes, they’re more likely to commit crimes.
Regular targeting from the police makes it more likely to be found out (secondary deviance) by the police.
The label of ‘criminal’ can lead to a SFP, forming a master status and soon a deviant career.
What do Marxists argue about ethnicity in crime
Gordon argues BAME groups experience severe economic deprivation in terms of income as well as social deprivation, like poor housing. They are part of the w/c hat has internalised the criminogenic values of a capitalist society that is underpinned by consumerism and materialism.
What are 2 other sources of OCS
- victim surveys - ask interviews to say what crimes they’ve been victims of; however, white victims tend to ‘over identify’ black people as offenders as they’re based on victims’ memory.
- self report studies - ask individuals to disclose crimes they’ve committed; Graham & Bowling found black and white offending rates were almost identical, while Asian rates were much lower.
How is the CJS ‘institutionally racist’
the McPherson Report (1999) famously reported the CJS being institutionally racist, including everything to the police and its procedures, not just a ‘few bad apples’.
What do Neo-Marxists say about ethnicity in crime
Gilroy and Hall et all reject the view that the stats reflect reality and rather they’re an outcome of the social construction process that stereotypes minorities as more criminal than whites.
In reality this isn’t true but because the CJS acts on these racist views, BAME groups are criminalised and appear more in OCS.
What does Gilroy argue is political resistance in the Neo Marxist view on ethnicity and crime
He says ethnic minority crime is a form of political resistance against racist society and this resistance has its roots in earlier struggles against racism. By while defending themselves against racism, their political struggle was criminalised by the British state.
