The document discusses statistics on ethnic representation in prisons and alternative sources of data on offending rates. Black people are overrepresented in prisons compared to their population percentage. Victim surveys and self-report studies have found mixed or similar rates of offending across ethnic groups, challenging the stereotype of higher black criminality. However, ethnic minorities experience disproportionate stops/searches and higher arrest and conviction rates, suggesting discrimination within the criminal justice system.
The whole of Sociology Crime and Deviance, This is only for the exam board - OCR, Suitable for all GCSE Students studying Sociology for their exams at the end of year 11. Once finished look through PowerPoint/Document please look through questions and Pass papers on the official OCR Website - This is the Latest available Pass Paper - http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/412873-question-paper-unit-b672-01-socialisation-culture-and-identity.pdf
The title of this week’s session is taken from the famous study of ‘mugging’ by Stuart Hall et al. in the 1970s in which the authors note the racialised nature of the crime of mugging and the instigation of a public ‘moral panic’ in the association of young black men and violent street crime. Taking this as a starting point, we shall look at the way in which racialised people have been seen as having a natural propensity to crime and deviance that justifies the use of ‘special measures’ against them. We shall pay particularly close attention to the cases of disproportionate incarceration, the ‘prison industrial complex’ and of the suspension of law in the case of the ‘Northern Territory Intervention’.
The whole of Sociology Crime and Deviance, This is only for the exam board - OCR, Suitable for all GCSE Students studying Sociology for their exams at the end of year 11. Once finished look through PowerPoint/Document please look through questions and Pass papers on the official OCR Website - This is the Latest available Pass Paper - http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/412873-question-paper-unit-b672-01-socialisation-culture-and-identity.pdf
The title of this week’s session is taken from the famous study of ‘mugging’ by Stuart Hall et al. in the 1970s in which the authors note the racialised nature of the crime of mugging and the instigation of a public ‘moral panic’ in the association of young black men and violent street crime. Taking this as a starting point, we shall look at the way in which racialised people have been seen as having a natural propensity to crime and deviance that justifies the use of ‘special measures’ against them. We shall pay particularly close attention to the cases of disproportionate incarceration, the ‘prison industrial complex’ and of the suspension of law in the case of the ‘Northern Territory Intervention’.
Jones 1Jones 7Kyle JonesMatthew ZimmermanEnglish 10222 N.docxpriestmanmable
Jones 1
Jones 7
Kyle Jones
Matthew Zimmerman
English 102
22 November 2014[Title]: [Subtitle]
In 2014, we live in a world with a media saturated culture. This is the era of digital news services, of 24-hour news channels, free newspapers, and even media based applications. For the majority of us, the way in which we learn about the world outside our personal perception is through the consumption of news, mainly still through broadcast or print (OFCOM 2007). Various forms of media has fed the public statistics that created a sense of stereotyping for each particular race. For example, the media and those on film, such as politics and leaders of the government, link together race and crime, which conveys a criminal image of the public’s consumption (St. John & Heald-Moore, 1995). Since race and crime are tied together, when one thinks of a crime, hears about a crime, or when crime is being reported, race is usually associated with it. In the American society, a frequent representation of crime is that it is majorly committed by African- Americans. The view of African Americans has been distorted and twisted by the media. Without question, almost everything that is being covered by the media is believed by most of society and it becomes their actual perceptual reality. Broadcast media and other various forms of media has a history for portraying African Americans in a biased manner, as if they were mostly reported involved in crime, drugs, or acts of violence. This has led to many cases of stereotyping, racial profiling, police brutality, prejudice, inhumane acts and has brain washed most of our society into believing that almost every African American is mischievous or a threat to their well-being. African Americans are unjustly, as well as unrealistically depicted on broadcast news and various other types of mass media. These negative connotations affects more than just African- Americans but also every other culture that exists in America.
African Americans have been associated with crime for quite some time. It was not until some in the 1970’s and early 1980s that the popular stereotype of the young black man evolved in the eyes of many from a petty thief or rapist into the notorious , malicious criminal predators, or what Kathery Russel ( 2002) has argued, is the world recognized “ criminalblackman”. Within the last few decades there have been controversial law enforcement practices of racial profiling. Law enforcement officials pursue minorities in an attempt to increase the likely hood of catching illegal activity or the predetermined act of illegal activity, which is part of a consequence from the racial profiling that the media has inflicted upon society. The questionable practices has led to negative effects on blacks. To the African American culture law officials are deemed more criminal or more of a threat than what the media and statistics has condemned blacks to be. The after math, after the many years of harassment, African ...
Term Paper Essay Assignment Rubric Due by Saturday May 12th.docxjacqueliner9
Term Paper Essay Assignment Rubric
Due by Saturday May 12th at 11:59pm via TurnitIn (20% of final grade)
Sociology 3480: Term Paper Rubric
Sources: In addition to your text and/or readings, provide at least 5 outside sources. At least one
outside source must be a peer reviewed/academic journal article. Wikipedia, personal blogs,
and/or .org’s will not be accepted as valid sources.
Note: Electronic copy must be uploaded to Turnitin link to check for citation accuracy
Study – Gather data online (no less than 5 articles). Characterize the social issue you chose for
yourself and show how it fits what is given and said about that topic in news/media. How is this
different than what we have been reading in our text? Cite comparisons.
Consider the social topic you chose relative to course material and answer the following
questions in essay format to summarize your findings.
In general, you should address the following questions in your essay:
What is your social topic?
What are some of the specific areas discussed in your social topic?
What are the different perspectives/opposing viewpoints?
How do most people get their information on your given social topic?
How is it different than you imagined, than what you read about?
What past research has been done on your topic?
Which solutions have worked, what haven’t? (investigate: read articles and refer to your text)
What new or unresolved issues/concerns have developed?
What did you learn by doing this paper?
(Again, use these questions to guide the general direction of your essay. Do not answer these
questions individually).
Surname 6
How Racial and Ethnic Discrimination Influence Police Brutality
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
The social topic of race, ethnicity, and immigration is critical to discuss so that one can understand how these factors influence people in society. Race refers to the classification of individuals based on social or physical qualities. Ethnicity entails people’s categories based on their language, culture, ancestry, and history. In addition, immigration refers to moving and settling in a specific country temporarily or permanently. Many individuals consider race and ethnicity of residents in a particular area before migrating. In most cases, people move to places where they can find others who understand them. Currently, neighborhoods comprise of individuals who belong to the same race or ethnicity. That is why it is hard for whites to settle in areas where the majority of people living there are African Americans. Therefore, race and ethnicity are the two primary determinants of immigration in the United States of America (USA). Although many Americans have encountered police brutality, at some point in their lives, race, ethnicity, and immigration ar.
Running head PUBLIC OPINION OF POLICE BY DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS .docxcharisellington63520
Running head: PUBLIC OPINION OF POLICE BY DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS 1
PUBLIC OPINION OF POLICE BY DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS 6
Cylvania Allen Pringle
8/11/2015
CJA/344
Public Opinion of Police by Different Ethnic Groups
Dr. Joycelyn Ballard
Public Opinion of Police by Different Ethnic Groups
I. Introduction
Researchers and policy makers have constantly shown immense interest in how different ethnic groups perceive the police. Of utmost importance is how different ethnic groups experience face to face interactions with those individuals in legal authority especially the police. Such interactions can help researchers and policy makers understand the perceptions different ethnic groups might have towards the police and how these perceptions can influence the prevalence of crime in a jurisdiction (Huo & Tyler, 2000).
The fact that ethnic groups differ in how they perceive the police is already well known. However, what is boggling the researchers interested in this interaction is whether these differences can be attributed to different perceptions of how these individuals were treated, different outcomes of their interaction with the police, or different expectations of fair treatment based on their culture and values?
II. Review of Literature
One thing that remains clear throughout the entire research process is that people view perceptions of fair treatment as more important than getting a favorable outcome from the entire experience. People of all ethnic groups generally form positive impressions, perceptions and attitudes to legal authorities and the decisions made if they feel that they have been dealt with in a fair manner which does not demean them or make them feel discriminated against. This is known as the procedural justice effect, one of the patterns of responses recognized in law circles (Davis, 2000).
It is a well-known fact that the minority ethnic groups usually have bad experiences at the hands of the police. In a multi-cultural country such as the US, the minorities including the Latinos and the African Americans have negative perceptions towards the police as well as negative experiences with the same. These ethnic minorities report that their members constantly face unfair treatment, harassment and at times violation of their human rights at the hands of the police officers.
III. Discussion
They argue that there is discrimination on the part of the police forces based on race. It is a well observed fact that individuals who belong to ethnic groups that are less integrated into the political structure or less efficacious are less inclined to voluntarily indulge with the police as compared to those individuals who come from ‘superior’ ethnic backgrounds (Davis, 2000).
This perception of discrimination can lead to lower rates of compliance amongst the members of these ethnic communities. There is usually a high level of tension that characterizes the relati.
Minority Youth and Crime Minority Youth in CourtYouth in genera.docxannandleola
Minority Youth and Crime: Minority Youth in Court
Youth in general, and young minority males in particular, often are demonized by legislators, the media, scholars, and the public at large. These attacks reinforce stereotypes and place a particularly heavy burden on young Black and Latino males.
LINDA S. BERES AND THOMAS D. GRIFFITH, “DEMONIZING YOUTH”1
In June 2001 Lionel Tate, an African American boy who was 12 years old when he killed a 6-year-old family friend while demonstrating a wrestling move he had seen on television, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Tate, who claimed that the death was an accident, was tried as an adult in Broward County, Florida; he was convicted of first degree murder. One month later, Nathaniel Brazill, a 14-year-old African American, was sentenced by a Florida judge to 28 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Brazill was 13 years old when he shot and killed Barry Grunow, a popular 30-year-old seventh grade teacher at a middle school in Lake Worth, Florida. Although Brazill did not deny that he fired the shot that killed his teacher, he claimed that he had only meant to scare Grunow and that the shooting was an accident. Like Tate, Brazill was tried as an adult; he was convicted of second degree murder.
These two cases raised a storm of controversy regarding the prosecution of children as adults. Those on one side argue that children who commit adult crimes, such as murder, should be treated as adults; they should be prosecuted as adults and sentenced to adult correctional institutions. As Marc Shiner, the prosecutor in Brazill’s case, put it, “This was a heinous crime committed by a young man with a difficult personality who should be behind bars. Let us not forget a man’s life has been taken away.”2 Those on the other side contend that prosecuting children as adults is “unwarranted and misguided.” They assert that children who commit crimes of violence usually suffer from severe mental and emotional problems and that locking kids up in adult jails does not deter crime or rehabilitate juvenile offenders. Although they acknowledge that juvenile offenders should be punished for their actions, they claim that incarcerating them in adult prisons for the rest of their lives “is an outrage.”3 According to Vincent Schiraldi, president of the Justice Policy Institute, “In adult prisons, Brazill will never receive the treatment he needs to reform himself. Instead, he will spend his time trying to avoid being beaten, assaulted, or raped in a world where adults prey on, rather than protect, the young.”4
Nathaniel Brazill is still incarcerated in the Brevard Correctional Institution. Assuming that none of his pending appeals are successful, he will not be released until 2028, when he will be 41 years old.5 Lionel Tate’s conviction, on the other hand, was overturned by a Florida appellate court in 2003. The court ruled that Tate should be retried because his competency to stan ...
FINDINGS FROM THE 2016 CATO INSTITUTE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SUR.docxgreg1eden90113
FINDINGS FROM THE 2016 CATO INSTITUTE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SURVEY 1
Overview
Stark racial and partisan divides in favorability toward police, but no group is
“anti-cop”
While 68% of white Americans have a favorable view of the police, only 40% of
African Americans and 59% of Hispanics have a favorable view.1 Attitudes have
changed little since the 1970s when 67% of whites and 43% of blacks reported
favorable views of the police.2 Racial minorities do not have monolithic attitudes
toward the police. This report finds that Hispanics’ perceptions of police occupy
a “middle ground” between black and white Americans’ views.
Republicans (81%) are far more favorable toward the police than independents
(59%) and Democrats (59%). Nevertheless, majorities of all three groups share a
favorable view.
• Confidence gaps matter: Groups who feel less favorable toward local law
enforcement are less certain they would report a crime they witnessed.
For instance, black and Hispanic Americans are more than 20 points less
likely than white Americans to say they definitely would report a crime.
Research finds that when the police have legitimacy, the law has
legitimacy, which encourages compliance and cooperation.3
• No group is “anti-cop”: Although some groups have less positive views of
the police, survey findings weaken the assertion that these groups are
“anti-cop.” For instance, few individuals have “unfavorable” views of law
enforcement. Instead, 40% of African Americans, 28% of Hispanics, and
18% of whites are conflicted and report having “neutral” feelings toward
the police. A quarter of Democrats and independents and 13% of
Republicans share such feelings.
Emily Ekins is a research fellow and director of polling at the Cato Institute.
1 In this study the term ‘Hispanic’ is used interchangeably with ‘Latino,’ ‘Caucasian’ interchangeably with ‘white,’ and
‘African American’ interchangeably with ‘black.’
2 Louis Harris and Associates Study No. 2043, 1970, cited in Michael J. Hindelang, "Public Opinion Regarding Crime,
Criminal Justice, and Related Topics." Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 11 (1974): 101-116.
3 See Linquin Cao, James Frank, and Francis T. Cullen, "Race, Community Context and Confidence in the Police,"
American Journal of Police 15 (1996): 3-22; Tom Tyler and Jeffrey Fagan, "Legitimacy and Cooperation: Why Do People
Help the Police Fight Crime in Their Communities?" Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law 6 (2008): 232-275; Andrew V.
Papachristos, Tracey L. Meares, and Jeffrey Fagan, "Why Do Criminals Obey the Law? The Influence of Legitimacy and
Social Networks on Active Gun Offenders," Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 102 (2009): 397-440; Tom R. Tyler,
"The Role of Perceived Injustice in Defendants' Evaluations of Their Courtroom Experience," Law & Society Review 18
(1984): 51-74; Tom Tyler, Why People Obey the Law (Pri.
RUNNING HEAD: ROUGH DRAFT
19
Rough Draft Comment by Nygel: Please remember to complete the title, date and running head throughout the paper.
Lidia Williams
American Military University
Date:
Abstract
Analysis of research regarding the criminal justice and racial profiling reveals that the system basically targets the African males. Recent research conducted by the African Civil Liberation Union (ACLU) and Mary Whinser from the School of Law in the University of Washington clearly reveal that the Criminal Justice System targets the African males when profiled through the race. The two researchers reveal that there although it is argued that racism has greatly decreased in the United States there still exist some racial disparities in various stages of the criminal justice system. The results of the researchers show that there is a need for reviewing the current criminal justice system in order to minimize racism that exists in the system. The current policies that exist in the criminal justice system need to be changed in order to change the face of the system that is seen to target the African males. Comment by Nygel: This is a good, strong abstract.
Keyword: racism, racial disparity, African Americans, statistics
The United States is the world’s leader in mass incarceration. Approximately 700 out of Comment by Nygel: Please begin each paragraph with an indent about 1/2 inch in from the left margin. This is the typical/default Tab.
100,000 Americans are currently incarcerated serving sentences in federal and state prisons
While mass Incarcerations rates in the United States are alarming, the problem of racial
disproportion of African American males within the rates of mass incarceration is equally if not
more problematic, as it sheds light on the unpleasant side of American Justice System. African Comment by Nygel: American justice system
Americans males are disproportionally incarcerated, making them targets for systematic abuse in
the hands of the American Criminal Justice system by way of the criminal justice process. The Comment by Nygel: This does not need to be capitalized. Comment by Nygel: This is a bold statement. I look forward to reading more.
criminal justice system is therefore racist in its practices and processes; it is institutionally
designed to systematically abuse and oppress African Americans males.
Comment by Nygel: There should not be an extra space between paragraphs. This should only happen with headings or subheadings to separate/divide paper into sections.
The criminal justice system is set in place to mitigate crime in a manner accordance with Comment by Nygel: In accordance… Remove manner
Constitutional rights of citizens. By desig ...
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Learning Objectives
• Understand the concepts of “race” and “ethnicity” as social constructs.
• Analyze evidence about racial inequality and social class in relation to crime.
• Analyze evidence about racial differences in rates of victimization.
• Analyze evidence regarding racial inequality and incarceration rates.
• Explore how the War on Drugs contributes to racial discrimination in the criminal justice system.
• Examine crack cocaine and marijuana law enforcement in context of racial discrimination.
• Critically analyze the connections between race and the death penalty.
• Examine empirical evidence on the issue of racial profiling.
• Examine empirical evidence on the issue of immigration and crime rates.
Crime, Race, and Ethnicity
4
coL82305_04_c04_091-122.indd 91 7/5/13 4:18 PM
Section 4.1 Race and the Criminal Justice System CHAPTER 4
In April of 2012, law enforcement in Oklahoma arrested one of the region’s foremost drug kingpins. In the home of the alleged drug kingpin, police seized four pounds of marijuana, $276,000 in cash, and two firearms: a revolver and a semiautomatic pistol.
Police believe that the defendant is the “mastermind” (Perez, 2012, p. 1) of a drug-dealing
organization that supplies approximately 40% of the marijuana markets in Oklahoma and
three nearby states: Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas. The suspect, drug kingpin Darlene
Mayes, is a White grandmother with thinning silver hair who appears to be in her 60s or
70s. Thus she has been dubbed the “Granny Drug Kingpin” (Perez, 2012).
Studies suggest that when asked to picture a drug dealer, overwhelmingly the American
public visualizes a young man of color (Burston, Jones, & Roberson-Sanders, 1995). How-
ever, evidence from this chapter will demonstrate that drug use and drug crime spans
racial and ethnic groups and that all racial groups seem to commit drug crime in similar
rates. Whether broaching issues of drug crime, or any other type of crime, issues of per-
ception, race, and criminality are central in the study of criminology.
4.1 Race and the Criminal Justice System
The American criminal justice system disproportionately impacts people of color, and this disproportionate impact by race is often dramatic and consistent at nearly every level of the system. Research demonstrates that members of poor, disenfranchised
groups receive harsher treatment in all phases of the criminal justice system: They are
more likely to be stopped, investigated, arrested, charged, put on trial, found guilty, and
sent to prison (Tonry, 2011). The disproportionate involvement in the system is cumula-
tive. Police are more likely to arrest someone who has a prior record, prosecutors are more
likely to charge someone who has previously been arrested or spent time in jail. A judge
is more likely to convict and incarcerate a defendant rather than offer probation to some-
one who has .
How to Split Bills in the Odoo 17 POS ModuleCeline George
Bills have a main role in point of sale procedure. It will help to track sales, handling payments and giving receipts to customers. Bill splitting also has an important role in POS. For example, If some friends come together for dinner and if they want to divide the bill then it is possible by POS bill splitting. This slide will show how to split bills in odoo 17 POS.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
We all have good and bad thoughts from time to time and situation to situation. We are bombarded daily with spiraling thoughts(both negative and positive) creating all-consuming feel , making us difficult to manage with associated suffering. Good thoughts are like our Mob Signal (Positive thought) amidst noise(negative thought) in the atmosphere. Negative thoughts like noise outweigh positive thoughts. These thoughts often create unwanted confusion, trouble, stress and frustration in our mind as well as chaos in our physical world. Negative thoughts are also known as “distorted thinking”.
2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...Sandy Millin
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/iateflwebinar2024
Published classroom materials form the basis of syllabuses, drive teacher professional development, and have a potentially huge influence on learners, teachers and education systems. All teachers also create their own materials, whether a few sentences on a blackboard, a highly-structured fully-realised online course, or anything in between. Despite this, the knowledge and skills needed to create effective language learning materials are rarely part of teacher training, and are mostly learnt by trial and error.
Knowledge and skills frameworks, generally called competency frameworks, for ELT teachers, trainers and managers have existed for a few years now. However, until I created one for my MA dissertation, there wasn’t one drawing together what we need to know and do to be able to effectively produce language learning materials.
This webinar will introduce you to my framework, highlighting the key competencies I identified from my research. It will also show how anybody involved in language teaching (any language, not just English!), teacher training, managing schools or developing language learning materials can benefit from using the framework.
Instructions for Submissions thorugh G- Classroom.pptxJheel Barad
This presentation provides a briefing on how to upload submissions and documents in Google Classroom. It was prepared as part of an orientation for new Sainik School in-service teacher trainees. As a training officer, my goal is to ensure that you are comfortable and proficient with this essential tool for managing assignments and fostering student engagement.
2. Black people are over represented.
• They make up 2.8% of the population, but 11% of the prison population
• Asians make up 4.7% of the population, but 6% of the prison population
However, these statistics don’t tell us whether members of one ethnic
minority are more likely than another to commit crime in the first place.
3. ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF STATISTICS
Victim Surveys:
These involve asking individuals to say what crimes they have been victims of (usually in
the last 12 months) and ask them to identify the ethnicity of the actor. They have found
that blacks are over represented as ‘muggers’ and show a great deal of crime is intra-ethnic.
The British Crime Survey (BCS) (2007) found 90% of crimes where the victim
was white, at least one of the offenders was too.
Limitations:
• Rely on the victims memory: Bowling and Phillips say white victims may “over identify
blacks”
• Only cover personal crimes
• Exclude under 16s – the minority ethnic groups have a higher proportion of young
people
• Exclude white collar and corporate crime
• Unrepresentative
4. ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF STATISTICS
Self-report Studies
These ask individuals to disclose their own dishonest and violent
behaviour.
Graham and Bowling conducted a study with a sample of 2500 and found
blacks and whites had very similar rates of offending – other ethnicities
had lower rates.
Sharp and Budd note the 2003 Offending, Crime and Justice survey of
12000 people found whites and those of ‘mixed’ ethnic origins were
most likely to say they had committed an offence. They also found 27%
of ‘mixed’ ethnic individuals said they had used drugs in the last year.
(Class A drug use was much higher among whites)
Self-report studies challenge the stereotypes of black people as being more
likely to offend than white people. However, they are inconsistent: the
higher rates of offending by blacks isn’t borne out of these studies.
5. ETHNICITY, RACISM AND THE CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM (CJS)
Policing:
Philips and Bowling note since the 1970s there have been many allegations
of oppressive policing of minority ethnic communities
Stop and Search
Members of minority ethnic groups are more likely than whites to be
stopped and searched. Police can use this power if they have
‘reasonable suspicion’ – blacks are 7x more likely to be stopped and
search (only a small proportion end in arrest).
Under the Terrorism Act, police can stop and search people whether they
have reasonable suspicion or not – this resulted in Asians being 3x
more likely to be stopped and searched. Phillips and Bowling note
members of ethnic communities are more likely to think they are “over
policed and under protected” and they have limited faith in the police.
6. ETHNICITY, RACISM AND THE CJS
Explaining stop and search patterns
There are three possible reasons:
• Police racism: (It’s worth reading up about the Stephen Lawrence
murder and the Macpherson report) Phillips and Bowling point out
many officers hold negative stereotypes about ethnic minorities as
criminals. This leads to deliberate targeting for stop and searches.
These views are upheld by the ‘canteen culture’.
• Ethnic differences in offending:
Low discretion: police act on relevant information about an offence
High discretion: police use their stereotypes when acting;
discrimination is likely
• Demographic factors: ethnic minorities are over-represented in the
population groups who are more likely to be stopped (e.g. the young,
unemployed which regardless of their ethnicity are most likely to be
stopped)
7. ETHNICITY, RACISM AND THE CJS
Arrests and Cautions: The arrest rate for black people is 3.6x the rate for
whites. However, they are less likely to receive a caution. They are more
likely to deny an offence and exercise their right to legal advice. This
highlights their distrust in the police.
Prosecution: The Crown Prosecution Survey (CPS) are more likely to drop
cases against ethnic minorities. Phillips and Bowling note this may be
due to the cases being presented to the CPS by the police are based on
racist stereotypes.
Trial: Black people are more likely to elect for trial before a jury in the
Crown Court where they face tougher sentences because they don’t
trust the police.
Convictions: Black and Asian defendants are less likely to be found guilty.
In 2006/7, 60% whites, 52% blacks, 44% Asians were found guilty.
8. ETHNICITY, RACISM AND THE CJS
Sentencing: Black people are most likely (68%) to receive custodial
sentences whereas whites and Asians are more likely to receive
community sentences. Hood’s study of 5 crown courts found black men
are 5% more likely to receive a custodial sentence and on average are
given a 3 month longer sentence.
Pre-sentence reports: Hudson and Bramhall found that these allow for
unwitting discrimination. They found Asian offenders were less
comprehensive and suggested that they were less remorseful. These
places bias in the context of the ‘demonising’ of Muslims.
Prison: in 2007, one-quarter of the population in prison who were male were
from a minority ethnic groups (15% were black, 7% were Asian). Blacks
are 5x more likely to be in prison than whites and has to serve longer
sentences. In the USA, 2 out of 5 prisoners held in local prisons are
black and 1 out of 5 were Hispanic.
9. EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCES IN OFFENDING
Large scale migration began in the 1950s and until the 1970s, minority
ethnic communities has lower rates of offending. But, from the mid
1970s, ‘black criminality’ increasingly came to be seen as a problem. By
contrast, in the 1990s, Asian crime began to be viewed as a problem
and the events of 9/11 supports the idea that Asians were an ‘enemy
within’ that threatened public order and safety.
10. LEFT REALISTS
Lea and Young argue ethnic differences in the statistics reflect real
differences in the levels of offending by different ethnic groups. They
believe crime is the product of relative deprivation, subcultures and
marginalisation.
Racism has led to the marginalisation and economic exclusion of ethnic
minorities who face higher levels of unemployment, poverty and poor
housing. Also, the media’s emphasis on consumerism promotes a
sense of relative deprivation by setting materialistic goals that many
members of minority groups are unable to reach by legitimate means.
One response to relative deprivation is the formation of delinquent
subcultures. This produces higher levels of utilitarian crime as a means
of coping with it. Furthermore, these groups are marginalised and have
no organisations to represent their interest. This leads to frustration
which is expressed through non-utilitarian crime. (link to Merton’s
‘strain to anomie’ and Cohen’s status frustration theories)
11. LEFT REALISTS
Lea and Young acknowledge that the police often act in racist ways and the
results are unjustified. But, they don’t believe discriminatory policing
fully explains the differences. Over 90% of crimes know to the police are
reported by the public so they can’t account for the ethnic differences
even if they act in discriminatory ways. Also, blacks have a higher
criminalisation rate than Asians, so the police would have to be very
selective in their racism.
Thus, they conclude that the statistics represent real differences in levels
of offending between ethnic groups and that these are caused by real
differences in levels of relative deprivation and marginalisation.
12. CRITICISMS
• Asian arrest rates may be lower than blacks as police stereotype the
two groups differently (they see Asians as passive and blacks as
dangerous – although, Asians may now be seen as dangerous since
9/11)
On the other hand, Neo-Marxists believe statistics are a social construct
resulting from racist labelling and discrimination in the CJS. Two neo-
Marxists illustrate this view…
13. GILROY: THE MYTH OF BLACK CRIMINALITY
Gilroy believes black criminality is a myth created by racist stereotypes. In
reality, these groups are no more criminal than any other. But, because
the police act on these racist stereotypes, ethnic minorities come to be
greater in the official statistic numbers.
In his view, ethnic minority crime can be seen as a form of political
resistance against a racist society and this resistance has its roots in
earlier struggles against British Imperialism (similar to critical
criminology). Their anti-imperialist struggles taught them how to resist
oppression through riots for example, and when they faced racism in
Britain they adopted the same forms of struggle to defend themselves.
14. CRITICISMS
Lea and Young criticise Gilroy:
• First generation immigrants in the 1950s/60s were law abiding citizens
so it is unlikely they passed down a tradition of anti-colonial struggle
• Most crime is intra-ethnic, so it can’t be seen as an anti-colonial
struggle against racism. Gilroy has romanticised street crime as
revolutionary
• Asian crime rates are similar to or lower to whites. If gilroy is right, then
police are only racist towards blacks, which seems unlikely
15. HALL ET AL: POLICING THE CRISIS
Hall et al argue the 1970s saw a moral panic over black ‘muggers’ that
served the interests of capitalism. They argue the ruling class are
normally able to rule the subordinate classes through consent, but in
times of crisis this becomes more difficult.
In the early 1970s, British capitalism faced a crisis of high inflation and
rising unemployment which were provoking widespread industrial
unrest and strikes. At such times, capitalist opposition grew, so the
ruling class may have needed to use force to maintain control.
The 1970s also saw media driven moral panic about a new crime –
‘mugging’. Hall et al argue this was a new name for an old crime, and
there is no evidence of this crime at the time.
16. POLICING THE CRISIS
Hall et al argue this moral panic was no coincidence – they think it is linked
to the crisis. The black mugger myth served as a scapegoat to distract
attention away from the true cause of problems (capitalism).
But, Hall et al don’t argue black crime as a sole produce of media and
police labelling. The crisis of capitalism was increasingly marginalising
black youth through unemployment and this drove some into crime to
survive.
17. CRITICISMS
• Downes and Rock argue they are inconsistent in claiming that black
street crime was not rising, but also that it was rising due to
unemployment
• They don’t show how the capitalist crisis led to a moral panic or provide
evidence that the public were panicking or blaming crime on blacks
• Left realists argue fears about mugging are realistic, not panicky
18. ETHNICITY AND VICTIMISATION
More recently, sociologists have taken an interest in issues like the racist
victimisation of ethnic minorities. This occurs when an individual is
selected as a target because of their race, ethnicity or religion. It isn’t
new, but the Stephen Lawrence murder and subsequently the
Macpherson report brought it into focus.
Information on racist victimisation comes from victim surveys and police
recorded statistics which cover:
• Racist Incidents
• Racially or Religiously Aggravated Offences
19. EXTENT AND RISK OF VICTIMISATION
• The police recorded 61000 racist incidents in England and Wales in
2006/7
• Most incidents are unreported. The BCS estimates 184000 racially
motivated incidents in 2006/7
• Police recorded 42600 racially or religiously aggravated offences in
2006/7. 106000 were prosecuted or cautioned
The risk of being a victim varies by ethnic group. The 2006/7 BCS found
people from mixed ethnic groups were 36% more likely to be a victim
(blacks 27%, Asians 25%, whites 24%). However, it could be due to other
factors such as being young, male and unemployed (ethnic groups have a
high proportion of this). But, some of these factors are largely due to
discrimination.
But, these statistics don’t capture the victims’ experience of it. Samson and
Phillips note racist victimisation tends to be ongoing over time (repeated).
20. RESPONSES TO VICTIMISATION
This ranges from situational crime prevention to fireproof doors to self-defence
campaigns. Such responses need to be understood in the
context of accusation under-protection by the police.
The Macpherson report found professional incompetence, institutional
racism and the failure of leadership by senior offices.