Ethnicity and Crime

What do Lea and Young argue about ethnicity and crime?

High crime rates in some ethnic minority groups are due to relative deprivation, marginalisation, and subcultures

Hall et al

The 1970s "mugging" moral panic was a social construction use to distract from economic crises and control the black working class through racism.

Gilroy

Black crime is a myth created by racist stereotypes. Black criminality is a form of political resistance against oppression, rooted in anti-colonial struggle.

Bowling and Phillips

Ethnic minorities, especially Black people, are disproportionately stopped and searched by police and prosecuted, reflecting institutional racism.

Phillips and Samson

Crime is a response to social exclusion, racism, and economic marginalisation. Blocked opportunities push young Black men towards crime.

What was the focus of the McPherson Report?

Investigated the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and concluded that the Metropolitan Police was institutionally racist, calling for major reforms.

What did the Lammy Review find about race and the criminal justice system?

Persistent racial bias in the CJS, including harsher sentencing and disproportionate representation of Black people in custody.

What does the Crime Survey of England and Wales reveal about ethnicity and victimisation?

Ethnic minorities are more likely to be victims of crime but less likely to report it, highlighting mistrust of the police in these communities.

Waddington et al

“Availability theory" - EMs are more likely to be stopped and searched because they are more visible in high-crime areas where police patrol. Critics say it still reflects institutional bias.