CRIME AND DEVIANCE

Ethnicity, Crime and Justice

RECAP

You have one minute to write on the board one word which sums up what you remember from gender, crime and justice.

YOU WILL BE ABLE TO....

1. Identify the patterns of ethnicity and criminalisation as shown by different sources of data,

2. Understand the relationship between the criminal justice process and ethnicity,

3. Evaluate sociological explanations of the relationship between ethnicity, offending and criminalisation,

4. Understand the relationship between ethnicity, racism and victimisation

YOUR THOUGHTS ...

Are some ethnic groups more likely to commit crime

more than others ?

Why?

Is the criminal justice system biased and

racist towards ethnic minorities ?

1. There are definite ethnic differences in criminalisation,

2. Some ethnic group are more likely to be victims of a crime than others,

3. Considerable evidence of the scale of racially motivated offences against minority groups

A CRUCIAL EXAMPLE ....

Rodney King

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROn_9302UHg

ETHNICITY AND CRIMINALISATION

Significant ethnic differences in the likelihood of being involved in the CJS1. Black people make up 2.8% of the population

but 11% of prison population, 2. Asians make up 4.7% of the population but 6%

of the prison population, 3. White people on the other hand are under-

represented at all stages of the CJS (see Ministry of Justice statement, 2008)

HOWEVER...

Statistics fails to tell us whether one ethnic group is more likely to commit crime more than another as they focus on the CJS involvement ,

e.g. .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

ALTERNATIVES SOURCES OF STATISTICS

Victim surveys

1. Asks individuals what they have been victims of and the ethnicity of the perpetrators,

2. Provides us with information with regards to ethnicity and offending,

3. Mugging for example over represents black people as perpetrators.

CRITICISM ....................................................................................

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WOULD YOU ....

Share or tell others if you

had previously committed a

violent crime ?

SELF REPORT STUDIES

Asks participants to disclose their own dishonest and violent behaviour,

Graham and Bowling (1995), Sharp and Budd (2005),

ETHNICITY, RACISM AND THE CJS

There are ethnic differences at each stages of the CJS.

How can we explain them ? How far are they the result of racism within

the criminal justice system? 10 stages to the CJS stages.

POLICING

Phillip and Bowling (2007)

STOP AND SEARCH

British Crime Survey (BCS), Terrorism Act (2000) Phillips and Bowling (2007) Asians more likely to be stopped and search

under the terrorism act, Black people more likely to be stopped and

search than white.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzzDSW7UY-g

EXPLAINING STOP AND SEARCH PATTERNS

3 possible factors: 1. Police Racism: McPherson Report (1999) – Stephen

Lawrence2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-kVCTbuRMg

3. Ethnic Differences in offending – Low and high discretion ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

4. Demographic Factors:.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

ARREST AND CAUTIONS

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PROSECUTION AND TRIAL

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CONVICTION AND SENTENCING

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PRE-SENTENCES REPORTS

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PRISONS

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EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCES IN OFFENDING

Large upscale migration from the Caribbean and the Indian subcontinent(1950s),

General agreement in the 1970s that ethnic minorities had a lower rate of offending,

Mid 1970s increased conflict between Afro-Caribbean communities and the police (black criminality),

1990’s growth of “Asian gangs” which leads to Asian people to be viewed as a problem and an enemy within:1. Riots in Bradford (2001),2. Islamic Terrorist 9/11

EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCES IN OFFENDING http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kte0T-nPAT4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhjy9TV4wuo

Statistics on the CJS ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

2 EXPLANATIONS FOR THE ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN STATISTICS – LEFT REALISM AND NEO-MARXISM

Using the handout “explanations for ethnic minority crime” and your handout put together a spider diagram which sums up the standpoint of Lea and Young (Left realism), Gilroy (Neo-Marxism) and Hall (Neo Marxism)

You have 10 minutes to complete this task be ready to feedback.

LEFT REALISM

NEO-MARISM

HALL ET AL

ETHNICITY AND VICTIMISATION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zumq0iUyMQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFO1b9I-u5Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqbQWxHIn4U

ETHNICITY AND VICTIMISATION

Focus of the ethnicity and crime debate focused on the over representation of black people,

New focus on racist victimisation, Stephen Lawrence (1993) & the McPherson

inquiry (1999) 2 sources:

1. British Crime Survey (BCS), 2. Police recorded statistics

What is one of the issues with the use of

police recorded statistics as reliable and valid sources of

data ?

E AND V CONTINUED ....

Racist incidents ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Racially or religious aggravated assault ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Add video

EXTENT AND RISK OF VICTIMISATION

Police recorded 61,000 racist incidents in England and Wales in 2006/2007 (property offences and verbal harassment),

However most crimes go unreported, BCS counted 184,000 racially motivated incidents in 2006/2007,

Police recorded 42,600 racially or religiously aggravated offences in 2006/2007 only 10,600 people were cautioned or prosecuted for racially aggravated offences.

METHODS LINK

Read through the small passage and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of

using interview in order to gather data in the context of ethnicity and crime ?

Chances of being a victim of crime varies by ethnic groups.

What sort of crime would each ethnic minority you can think of be a victim of?

Various factors can explain the differences such as unemployment.

Statistics fail to capture the victim’s experiences of crime,

Sampson and Phillips (1992)

RESPONSES TO VICTIMISATION

Ethnic minorities are very responsive to victimisation,

Wide range of responses put in place to protect ethnic minorities,

Police tends to ignore the racist dimension of victimisation and fail to report or investigate properly,

Macpherson Inquiry (1999) concluded that the police investigation into the death of the black teenager.

PLENARY

Pub Quiz