ethnicity and crime

Question 1

Ethnicity and crime:

Answer 1

• Official stats highlight that black people are more likely to be stopped, arrested or imprisoned
• Some argue that this is because they are more likely to offend
• Due to poor educational achievement, dysfunctional family structure and racist stereotypes portrayed in the media
• However, some argue that they merely appear more criminal due to discrimination in wider society

Question 2

Why black people appear more criminal:

Answer 2

• Lea and Young
• Gilroy
• Hall et Al

Question 3

• Lea and Young

Answer 3

• Differences in stats are the result of black people being discriminated in wider society.
• Utilitarian crime is a response to material deprivation
• and non-utilitarian crime is due to their frustration towards society
• they believe police racism is not the main cause of this because 90% of crimes are reported to the public

Question 4

• Gilroy

Answer 4

• BME do not commit more crime than others
• It is the result of racist policing who act on stereotypes
• Also, BME often come from former colonies where they revisited oppression
• However, when they revisited racism in Britain it was criminalised

Question 5

• Hall et Al

Answer 5

• In the 1970s there was a moral panic about black people and mugging
• This is because capitalism was in crisis, and they used this story to cover it up
• Thus, black people were not more criminal but a mere victim of capitalism
• However, this made black people more unlikely to get jobs and then turn to crime.

Question 6

Why black people are more criminal:

Answer 6

• Education
• Family
• media

Question 7

• Education

Answer 7

• Black Caribbean pupils statistically preform poorly in education
• And therefore, may find it hard to find a legitimate well-paid job
• In turn they may either do illegal means of employment e.g. drug trade
• Or turn to crime due to relative deprivation

Question 8

• Family

Answer 8

• Functionalists – the growing rate of lone parent family structure within the black community leads to inadequate socialisation
• Therefore, children are not taught he correct norms and values e.g. crime is immoral

Question 9

• media

Answer 9

• media representations reinforce the stereotype that black people are more criminal
• this may lead to self-fulfilling prophecy and black people will in turn commit more crime