ethnicity and crime

criminalisation

statistics

Self report studies:

Graham and Bowling found that blacks (43%) and whites (44%) had similar rates of offending

Indians (30%) and Pakistanis (28%) and Bangladeshis (13%) had much lower rates

Sharp and Budd note that those of mixed ethnic origins were most likely to say they committed an offence (40%), followed by blacks (28%) and Asians (21%)

27% of males of mixed ethnic origin said they had used drugs in the last year, compared to 16% of both black and white males and 5% of asian males.

The use of Class A drugs (heroin or cocaine) was highest in whites (6%)

Evidence on ethnicity and offending is inconsistent; while official statistics and victim surveys point to the likelyhood of higher rates of offending by blacks, this is generally not borne out by the results of self-report studies

Victim surveys:

According to Phillips and Bowling, evidence suggests that white victims may 'over-identify' black people- saying the offender was black despite them not actually being sure

Victim surveys only cover personal crimes, which only make up about a fifth of crime

Official statistics

Home Office: in a table for arrests for notifiable offences by ethnic appearance, in totality, whites commited most crime (87%), followed by blacks (7.3%) and asians (4.0%)

However, another study done on the percentage of ethnic groups at different stages of the criminal process, while black people only make up 1.8% of the population, they make up 8.2% of stop and searches. This suggests that black people may be over-represented in the criminal justice system.

Moreover, while Whites make up 85.2% of stop and searches (out of 94.5% of the population), they make up 87% of arrests. This suggests that the police might be under policing white people; this is further seen as they make up 81.2% of the prison populations

Asian people on the other hand, while making up 2.7% of the population they make up 3% of the prison population, are 4.4% of the stop and searches.

Explanations

Left realism

Lea and Young: ethnic differences in statistics reflect real differences in levels of offending

Do not believe that discriminatory policing fully explains differences in statistics, bc 90% crimes reported by civilians

Selective racism is a myth; asians vs blacks

Crit: police stereotype diff groups; blacks are dangerous, asians are passive

Neo- Marxism

Gilroy : myth of black criminality, a result of CJS acting on racist stereotypes, making them over-represented in stats

Gilroy: EMC = political resistance in a racist society

Anti-imperialist, political struggle

Crit: Lea & Young/ law adiding first gen immigrants

intra-ethnic crime

low asian crime

Hall: moral panic; black muggers, class crisis, capitalism, scapegoat for unemployment

Downes & Rock: inconsistent- black crime rising bc of unemployment?

How does this link to capitalism?

inner-city, realistic fear

Other

Fitzgerald: crime rates higher in poor communities. blacks more likely to live in poor communities= higher rate of crime

Sharp & Budd: black offenders more likely to be arrested: easier to identify

Ethnicity and victimisation

The risk of being a victim of crime varies by ethnic group: mixed backgrounds= 27.9%, blacks= 18%, asians= 15.8%, whites=15.7%

Young, make, unemployed= high

Racist incidents= perceived as racist by the victim or another person

Racially/religiously aggravated offenses= where offender is motivated by hostility towards members of a racial or religious group

Responses to victimisation

Situational crime prevention measures; fireproof doors, letterboxes, organised self-defense campaigns

Macpherson Enquiry= police investigations into the death of a black man was marred with profesional incompetence