6.1 Ethnicity & Criminalisation

• What documentary talks about racism in the police force?

  The Secret Policeman BBC covert observation
• Prison

  As such Black people were five times more likely to be in prison than white people

  Black and Asian offenders are more likely than whites to be serving longer sentences (of four years or more)
• How did Hudson & Bramhall find about Pre-sentence reports?

  Hudson & Bramhall argued that pre-sentence reports allow for unwitting discrimination:

  -They found that reports on Asian offenders were less comprehensive and suggested that they were less remorseful than white offenders.

  -They place this bias in the context of the demonising of Muslims since 9/11
• What are Pre-sentence reports?

  A pre-sentence report is intended as a risk assessment to assist on deciding the appropriate sentence for a given offender
• Sentencing (Hood)


  Black men were 5% more likely to receive a custodial sentence & given sentences 3 months longer than white men
• Trial

  MEGs are more likely to elect for trial before a jury in the Crown court, rather than in a magistrates' court perhaps due to mistrust of magistrates' impartiality

  But Crown courts can give more severe sentences
• Prosecution (Phillips & Bowling)


  -The Crown Prosecution Service is more likely to drop cases against ethnic minorities

  -Phillips & Bowling argue that this may be because the evidence presented to the CPS by the police is often weaker and based on stereotyping of ethnic minorities as criminals
• Arrests and cautions

  -In 2014/2015 the arrest rate for Black people was 3x the rate for whites

  -MEGs less likely to get a caution & more likely to be charged
• How do demographic factors affect why MEGs are stopped & searched more?

  They're more likely to be part of other demographic groups e.g. young, working class, unemployed etc
• Low discretion & high discretion stops

  Low discretion stops- police act on relevant information about a specific offence, for example on a victims description of the offender

  High discretion stops- police act without specific intelligence, it is in these stops where officers may use their stereotypes and that discrimination is most likely
• What report showed Police Racism?

  The Macpherson Report on the racist murder of the Black teenager Stephen Lawrence concluded that there was institutional racism within the police
• What are 3 possible reasons for the disproportionate use of stop & search against MEGs?

  1. Police racism

  2. Ethnic differences in offending

  3. Demographic factors
• What is a statistic about stop & search?

  Compared with white people black people are 7 times more likely to be stopped and searched and Asians 2 times more likely
• How do MEGs feel about the police? (Phillips & Bowling)


  'Over policed & under protected'
• What are 3 example of oppressive policing against MEGs?


  -Mass stop & search

  -Excessive surveillance

  -Police violence
• Policing (Phillips & Bowling)


  Since the 1970's there has been many allegations of oppressive policing of MEGs
• What did Graham & Bowling find about Self report studies? What does this show?


  Black & white people had similar rates of offending

  -Evidence on ethnicity & crime is inconsistent
• Self report studies


  -Self report studies ask individuals to disclose their own criminal, deviant and violent behaviour
• What are 2 criticisms of victim surveys?

  -Rely on victims' memory of events

  -Don't include white collar & corporate crime