what is the message behind this picture? has it got a point?
TRANSCRIPT
What is the message behind this picture?Has it got a point?
Ethnicity, Crime & Deviance
There are huge differences between the offending rates of
different ethnic groups according to official statistics. This
topic examines various theories of ‘ethnicity-based’ offending
& highlights the issue the criminal justice system may be
discriminative towards certain groups.
Your Learning Objectives for this topic are as follows. You
Should:> Know the main patterns of ethnicity & criminalisation as
shown by different sources of data differences in recorded
patterns of offending.
> Be able to evaluate sociological explanations of the
relationship between ethnicity, offending & criminalisation
Ethnicity and crime
Key facts
Official statistics say black people are:
7 times more likely to be stopped and searched.
3 ½ times more likely to be arrested.
5 times more likely to be in prison than their white counterparts.
Victim studies say black people are more likely to be identified as offenders & most crime is intra –ethnic meaning it takes place among rather than between ethnic groups.
Self-report studies conclude that black people have similar rates of offending to whites if not lower.
Ethnicity and the criminal justice system
2.Stop and search
Lots of stop an search is perhaps due to racism and the targeting of
ethnic minorities.
1. Policing
Many allegations of oppressive policing from minority ethnic communities are made.
3. Arrests and cautions
More likely to be arrested and cautioned perhaps due to a mistrust of police and not admitting to the offence.
4. Prosecution & conviction
Crown prosecution Service more likely to drop cases against ethnic minorities. Black and Asian defendants are less likely to be found guilty.
5. Sentencing and Prison
Custodial sentences more likely to be given to black offenders. Blacks and Asians over-represented in prisons and more likely to be given longer sentences.
Ethnicity & Crime
Like the working-class, teenagers and males, certain ethnic groups
are highly represented in official crime statistics compared to others.
In 2008, the Ministry of Justice reported that, compared to white
people, black people (African Caribbeans) were:
>Three and a half times more likely to be
arrested
> More likely, if found guilty, to receive a custodial sentence.> Five times more likely to be in prison
> If arrested, more likely to be charged & face court proceedings
than to receive a caution
> Three times more likely to be cautioned by police
> More likely to be arrested for robbery
In 2008, the Ministry of Justice reported that, compared to white
people, Asians were;
>Twice as likely to be stopped & searched (mainly for
drugs)
> More likely to be charged and face court proceedings than to
receive a caution.
> More likely to receive a custodial sentence if found
guilty> More likely to be arrested for fraud & forgery
In 2007, 26% of male prisoners and 29% of females were from black &
minority ethnic groups despite making up only 9% of the general
population.
We will now look at some sociological explanations of these trends
Before continuing, what problems should we be aware of when trying to
examine crime rates by ethnic groups?
What is meant by the term ‘Generalisation’?
Neo-Marxism:
What do you already know about Neo-Marxist Theory?
Gilroy (1982) argues that Black crime, particularly in the 1970s was a form
of political resistance against a repressive, racist state (Capitalist State)
He denies that there was greater criminality amongst black people than
white but the media created a folk-devil of black people which generated
deviance amplification…..
As such it is important to recall the work of labelling/ interactionist
theorists such as:
Becker Cohen Young
How do each of these sociologists explain high crime rates amongst particular
groups?
THEORY LINK:
Neo-Marxism might be described as a STRUCTURATION THEORY…why?
Criticisms of Neo-Marxist explanation of black
crime:
> Ignores the fact that much black crime is committed against
other black people (not just against the ‘white establishment’.
> Ignores that much crime is actually reported by the public,
suggesting that it is not the police being racist.
Despite these criticisms, this theory is supported by other
researchers including Hall et all (1982) in ‘The Whites of Their
Eyes.
During the 1970s Britain was facing a CRISIS OF
HEGEMONY.
There was high unemployment, civil unrest in relation
to political issues and a high number of strikes. This
had the potential to topple ruling-class power and as
such the ruling-class needed a SCAPEGOAT – they did
this by using the media to create the ‘Black
Mugger’……
Due to the hostility developing between the black community
and the police, the police begin to implement MILITARY
POLICING. This is aggressive, stricter and more repressive
policing.
How might the black community react to such police tactics?
See Article: Police accused of misusing terror laws against
peaceful protests
(Once again the work of Becker, Cohen & Young is
important here)
By creating a folk-devil and a moral panic (and convincing the
public that the ‘Black Mugger’ is to blame for society’s
problems), the police are justified in using more aggressive and
oppressive tactics against the black community. This in turn
creates resentment and hostility against the police which again
in turn reinforces existing stereotypes and racism.
The Effects of Police Prejudice, Military policing and Deviance Amplification
(Lea & Young)
Unemployment
(Moral Panic Hyped Up by the Media)
Racial prejudice & discrimination within
the police
+ Rising Street Crime & Civil Unrest+
Stereotype the black community as crime prone (Scapegoats)
=
Alienation of Black
Community
Mobilisation of Bystanders
Reduced cooperation with police
Collective Resistance from
Community
Military Police Tactics
Reinforcement of Folk Devil, Moral Panic,
Prejudice and Racism
After the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993, the Macpherson Inquiry
claimed that the police are characterised by ‘Institutionalised Racism’.
Institutionalised Racism:
‘The Police operate by procedures,
practices and a culture that tends to
exclude or to disadvantage non-white
people’
This is racism that is not necessarily intentional but that
the day-to-day activities of the organisation are based
upon racist ideas and practices i.e. Racism is ingrained in
the system.
See handouts:
> ‘Policing & the Law’
> ‘Police Station had
“Apartheid Culture” > ‘Black
Bishop “Demeaned” by Police Search’
Reiner (2000) argues that there exists a ‘Canteen Culture’
amongst the police: a macho, suspicious, racist and mistrusting
culture against non-whites.
The Metropolitan Black Police Association (2008) warned ethnic
minorities not to join the police force because of it’s, ‘…hostile
atmosphere where racism is allowed to spread’.
Evidence in Self-Report Studies?
Offending, Crime & Justice Survey (2003):
> White people had highest offence rate
> Mugging was higher in the black group, but was rare across all groups
> Offences committed in last 12 months: Whites males aged 10-25 more serious
offences.
> Violence & drug-selling: White response higher than average, Asians were lower
than average.
Sharp & Budd (2005) Minority Ethnic Groups & Crime: Findings
from the Offending, Crime & Justice Survey :
Methods Link:
> Why might information obtained through Self-Report studies need to be
questioned?
If you were to investigate institutional racism within the police force
which methods would be best to use and why?
What sorts of problems might you encounter whilst conducting such
research?
> Out of all ethnic groups, black people were more likely to have contact
with the police, been to court & convicted.
> This is despite lower levels of offending than whites in general
> Black & Asian offenders more likely to be charged than white offenders
for similar offences.
> Black & Asian offenders less likely to be granted bail.
> Black & Asian offenders more likely to be given custodial sentences
rather than community punishments
Left Realism:
Lea & Young (1984) accepts that black crime, for some offences,
is in fact higher than for whites i.e. it is not just a social
construction, an the police and racism cannot be blamed for
creating high black crime rates.
What do you know about Realist Theories of crime & Deviance?
Instead Lea & Young look at the how many ethnic minority groups suffer from:
1) Marginalisation
2) Relative Deprivation
3) Negative Subcultures
What is meant by Marginalisation & Relative Deprivation?
Why might ethnic minorities be likely to suffer from these?
Why might these things produce subcultures that are detrimental to minority
individuals?
Lea & Young argue that individuals react to these factors in different
ways yet many black minority groups do in fact react through crime &
deviance.
Is this approach to Crime and Ethnicity realistic?
Can this theory be criticised and if so, how?
Bowling & Phillips (2002) support this realist view by pointing out
that high levels of poverty and social exclusion could explain why
there is a high level of robbery amongst black people.
They also argue that despite the fact that Pakistani & Bangledeshi
communities also suffer from social exclusion, their low crime rates may
well be down to stricter social control within the home and local
community which limits their opportunities to offend.
How could Rational Choice Theory & Control Theory be linked to these
ideas?
Ethnicity and crime
Explaining differences in offending
Left realism
Ethnic minorities commit more crime because racism in wider has caused them to be marginalised, coupled with economic exclusion such as high unemployment and poor housing. Left realists don’t believe that racism in the police can account for higher crime because black people have a higher offending rate than Asians.
Neo-Marxist - Paul Gilroy
Black people commit more crime because they resent the cultural experience of colonialism i.e. being taken over and having black slaves sent to Britain to work. This experience causes resentment in young black males which makes them commit crime.
Neo-Marxist - Stuart Hall et al (Policing
the crisis)
Combines Marxism and Labelling theory.
Economic conditions in the 1990’s were bad, government look for a scapegoat.
Young black muggers are labelled and a moral panic is created about their behaviour in the media.
Young black males commit no more crime than any other group but labelling and the economy makes it seem like they do.
Victimisation
Police recorded 61,000 racists incidents while the BCS reports 184,000 many go unreported. People from mixed ethnic backgrounds were more likely to be victims of crimes.
Stephen Lawrence
The death of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 by a white gang caused outcry as police botched the investigation. The inquiry called the Macpherson report declared institutional racism in the police.
Strain Theory & Anomie
(Merton)
Ecology Theory (Park &
Burgess)
Subcultures & the Working-Classes (Cloward &
Ohlin)
Working-Class Focal Concerns (Miller)And
Apply each of the following theories to the study of Ethnicity & C&D
(evaluate the theories as you do this)
You should also be familiar with other theories of C&D which can also be
applied in relation to Ethnicity & C&D.
Exam style question:
‘Assess Sociological explanations for the over-
representation of some minority ethnic groups in
criminal statistics’. (24 marks)