Ethnicity

• Functionalism -> Merton


  • crime is a social fact (crime stats accurate)
  • black people more likely to face strain
  • black people turn to rebellion/innovation if poor
  • indian/chinese richer -> conform
• Functionalism Counter?


  Institutional Racism

  • practices in organisations disproportionately disadvantaged individuals based on race
• (Institutional Racism) Holdaway 1980


  • covertly studied police force whilst a Sargent in police force
  • if there was too much crime to handle -> would prioritise
  • led to occupational culture

  eg. turn blind eye to minor crimes, focused more on violent crimes, racist culture/canteen culture, race unnecessarily emphasised

  A02 - MACPHERSON REPORT!
• A02 -> MacPherson Report 1999


  • racially motivated attack on 18 yr old Stephen Lawrence
  • riots occurred due to claims made about lack of policing due to victims race
  • accused MET police of Institutionalised racism
  • after report black people 9.5x more likely to get arrested
• (Institutional Racism) Fitzgerald 2002


  • conducted policing for London survey after Stephen Lawrence case
  • biggest predictors for being stopped & searched: young, male, W/C, black, alone (INTERSECTIONALITY)
  • supports idea police policies institutionally racist -> Gang Matrix

  EVALUATION->

  doesn't account for changes after survey
• (institutional racism) Hall -> policing the crisis 


  • radical criminologist study
  • media created moral panic about 'black mugger'
  • W/C turned on each other
• EVALUATION -> Institutional Racism


  • police can justify more stop & search on black males -> police recorded rime stats show nearly 50% all gun/knife crime committed by black males (victim surveys)
  • Wadding et al: stop & search stats may reflect availability of people at time (not based on racism)
  • Lea & Young (LR's): accept crime rates show higher crime rates in black ethnicity BUT... intra-racial crime more common (race isn't cause of crime)
• Define Intra-Racial crime


  crimes committed between individuals of same race
• Define Inter-Racial crime


  crimes committed between individuals of different race
• Gunter 2008


  • attempts to explain why there is a difference between minority ethnicities crime
  • Young black Caribbean male subculture very different -> 'ROADMEN'
  • 'Rude boy' values -> material gain, street cred, tough reputation, loyalty -> contribute to increase in crime stats
• Akala (not sociologist)


  black boys commit crime due to:

  • masculinity, racial deprivation, self-hatred/ internalised racism, lack education, relative poverty
• 'Asians'


  • typically lower/same crime stats as white people
  • wide variation in Asian community (49 countries) masks crime patterns
• Palmer & Phillips 2003


  • Islamophobia has altered the perception of Muslims (9/11)
  • previous values: honour, respect, devout, modest, Sharia Law (explain lower crime stats)
  • Values twisted negatively -> explains C&D

  A02 -> Yusuf Sawar; got harsher sentence than white murderer