Ethnicity and Crime

The Statistics

Statistics suggest what appears to be higher levels of criminality among some minority ethnic groups, particularly the Black population.

Ministry of Justice 2013 reported that compared to White people, Black people were:

Ethnicity and Offending:

Gilroy (1982): Black Crime as Resistance

Black people (particularly in 70s) committed crime as a form of political action against inequality and oppression from police racism and harassment
Denied there was a greater criminality among Black people than Whites
Suggested this was a myth created by negative stereotyping by police and the media
African-caribbean youth were labelled untrustworthy as potential ‘muggers’ and Asians as illegal immigrants

Hall et al. (1978): the ‘Black mugger’

Media used this for good headlines, promoting the idea of the ‘Black mugger’
Developed a moral panic and the ‘Black mugger’ is a scapegoat for all of society’s problems.

Evaluation (AO3):

Conflicts between minority ethnic groups, police and — still exists but the crisis of hegemony of 1970 does not.
Gilroy may be imposing his own interpretations, as Black crime tends to be committed against other Black people so it is hard to see it as resistance to oppression
Lea and Young (1984) point out most crimes reported by the public are not covered by the police so it’s hard to say the police are racist.

Lea and Young (1984): 3 factors

Accept that some Black crime offence are higher than White due to:

Marginality - minority groups are pushed to the edges of society by poor education outcomes, lack of employment, low pay creating a sense of powerlessness fueled by racism
Relative deprivation - mostly in social situations.
Subculture - both the above combine so peer groups seek support involving gangs and street crime as a response to status frustration.

Bowling and Phillips (2002): The Search for Identity

Such activities can generate peer-group status and a sense of powerful Black identity otherwise denied in White culture.
Also affects Asians, particularly Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, some of the poorest groups in society.
Their low crime rate may be culturally defined as they have a stronger sense of identity due to large families and community cohesion.

Reiner (2000): Canteen Culture

Racism and racist stereotypes in police culture and practice mean the behaviour of Black and Asian people is more likely to be labelled criminal.
Police suspicion, macho values and racism creates a ‘canteen culture’ which encourages racist stereotypes of those from non-White backgrounds.
‘Canteen’ refers to the concept of jokes and stories that would be said ‘off duty’ or on break, but seep into everyday practice.
Link between crime and minority groups is a socially constructed fabrication and a product of racial prejudice and discrimination.

Bowling and Phillips (2012): Direct and Indirect Racial Discrimination

Indirect Racial Discrimination:

Direct Racial Discrimination:

Racism in the police force; discriminates against them because they’re not White.

Evaluating Ethnicity and Crime Statistics

It is difficult to say whether crime rates are a result of ethnic identity, or due to age, social class or the area one lives in.
Eg. minority groups tend to have a younger population and suffer economic deprivation.
However, self report studies show that ethnic groups offending may be an exaggeration and distortion of the truth.

Hargreaves - Triple Failures

These are born due to labelling (Becker), stereotyping and institutional racism.

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