ethnicity and crime

• Criminalisation


  Process where individuals an actions are turned into criminals, implying a process of labelling is occuring
• Policing


  Controversy between police and minority ethnic groups
• Official statisticsshow


  ethnic groups more likely to be convicted and arrested than white
• Official Stats critique


  They don't show the full picture

  show unfair police and judge bias

  Not reliable
• Official stats


  Black population make a much higher proportion of those stopped searched, arrested, convicted and sent to prison

  More than 2x as likely to be arrested

  3x more likely to be sent to prison

  Asian more likely to be stopped and searched than white
• Self Report studies


  rely on honesty of respondents but give a indication of the dark figure
• Self Report Studies Research 2005

  10,000 respondents collecting 20 core offences

  White had highest rates of offending for more serious categories

  Robbery only category where blacks higher

  Data suggests bias
• Victimisation Study


  done by public and asked if they've been victims of crime in the last 12 months
• Philips and Bowling


  Higher risk of victimisation the result of high proportion of minority ethnic groups living in cities - rates are higher here
• Risk of being a victim - Black vs White

  7.2% vs 5%
• MacPherson Report


  Defined as institutionalised racism and the inability to carry out an appropriate and professional service because of skin colour
• Canteen Culture


  Police have distinctive working values, strong collective identity as a result of pressure, isolation and hostility they face
• Sentencing and Imprisonment - white


  White more likely to be sent to trial

  White more likely to be sent to prison for actual bodily harm
• Sentencing and Imprisonment - black


  Black and asian more likely to be given immediate custodial sentence

  Black given longer sentences for burglary

  Blacks overrepresented in prison
• Neo marxists see


  Black as a social construct
• if theres racist bias in whats reported


  there will be racist bias is whats prosecuted
• why are ethnic minorities unlikely to report crime

  ethnic minorities don't see police as on their side
• Hall et al


  moral panic over black muggers - used as scapegoats to hide the real problem of unemployment

  this was media driven and served the interests of capitalism
• marginalisation of black youth


  through employment leaving them to rely on petty crime to survive
• Neighborhood factors


  street robbery was highest in these very poor areas where there was contact with rich
• Getting caught


  easy to be identified as it was likely they were excluded from school or associated with known criminals