Structural Explanations - John Lee & Jock Young (1984)

Question 1

What do Lee and Young believe?

Answer 1

Believe that official stats aren’t necessarily inaccurate - young, black men may commit more crime than other ethnic groups

Question 2

What % of crime police deal with comes from members of the police directly reporting it? What does this show? (2)

Answer 2

92%
- makes it difficult to argue that over-representation is directly caused by police discrimination

Question 3

How are black men represented in crimes such as burglary? What do Lee and Young question?

Answer 3

• they are under-represented
• Lee and Young question why the police would be selectively racist - therefore arguing real ethnic differences exists

Question 4

What are the 3 factors L&Y consider? (3)

Answer 4

• social marginality
• relative deprivation
• subculture

Question 5

Describe social marginality and what 3 things cause it? (4)

Answer 5

• underachievement at school
• lack of meaningful, long-term employment
• racism
  
  • crime as a response to being pushed to the edge

Question 6

Describe relative deprivation. What particular crime does this link to with black men? (2)

Answer 6

• feeling that you lack the luxuries and lifestyle factors that are easily enjoyed by others
• helps explain the stereotypical connection between young, black men and the drug trade

Question 7

Define subculture. What causes the formation of a subculture? What type of crime is formed thru a subculture (3)

Answer 7

• marginality and relative dep = subcultures in deprived communities to provide support
• black men more likely to join
• violence and street crime are both means of achieving financial gain and social status while expressing frustration and resentment against wider society

Question 8

Eval for Lee and Young regarding police racism (2)

Answer 8

• they refuse to accept that police racism, bias and disrcimination can create a false and misleading impression
• police may be selectively racist, associating black men to particular forms of crime like street crime and robbery

Question 9

Eval regarding Lee and Young’s use of social marginality, relative dep, and subculture

Answer 9

• Lee & Young assuced of ignoring how men and even women of all ethnic groups can experience such problems
• British-asian men, for example, are more likely to live in poverty, and can also face social exclusion and commit crime