Ethnicity & Crime
Neo-Marxist approaches
Black crime as resistance
Gilroy (1982) - Black crime is a form of rebellion, a way of standing up against an inequality filled
society. Gilroy also mentions that black crime was a myth created by the police & media outlets
Black crime & scapegoating
During the economic and political crisis of the 1970's, black crime and more particularly the 'black
mugger' stereotype was used as a scapegoat. This was a moral panic created by the media and
exaggerated the problem of black crime. This was used to justify and excuse more aggressive policing
towards young black men.
Evaluation
1. The idea of black crime being a scapegoat for society during the 1970's is outdated. Conflict
between BAME and the police still exists even now when there is no longer a hegemonic
crisis. This means this explanation is outdated and inadequate.
2. The vast majority of BAME crime is intra-ethnic, this means the victims and criminals are
both of the same ethnicity. This disproves the idea of BAME crime being a form of resistance
as it makes no sense to damage their own community as a way to fight back.
3. Lea & Young (1984) point out that the majority of crime is reported by the public, not found
by police, this makes it difficult to use police racism as the explanation.
Left realism
Lea & Young accept black crime is higher than white crime for some offences. They provide three
reasons for this:
1. Marginality - The underachievement of BAME groups in all areas of life e.g., education,
employment, opportunities, low pay etc. Create a sense of powerlessness among BAME
communities.
2. Relative deprivation - This is likely to be felt among people among deprived social situations.
3. Subculture - Marginality and relative deprivation contribute to the creation of BAME
subcultures, these have alternate values and norms to that of mainstream society. They seem
to have an emphasis on 'gang culture', violence, street crime. This is due to the resentment
they feel.
Poverty, social exclusion, and the search for identity
Bowling & Philips (2002) - Higher levels of black robberies due to poverty & social exclusion. This
form of crime is undertaken to gain status among their respective subcultures. This is the same for
Pakistani & Bangladeshi members of the population however lower crime rates, this could be due to
(a) A stronger cultural identity (b) a stronger control over individuals from their family.
Labelling & Stereotyping
Crime statistics actually show selective law enforcement instead of the number of people committing
those crimes. This is due to a possible 'canteen culture' among the police force, they support macho
values, suspicion, and racism. This in turn supports racist stereotyping among the police force.
Neo-Marxist approaches
Black crime as resistance
Gilroy (1982) - Black crime is a form of rebellion, a way of standing up against an inequality filled
society. Gilroy also mentions that black crime was a myth created by the police & media outlets
Black crime & scapegoating
During the economic and political crisis of the 1970's, black crime and more particularly the 'black
mugger' stereotype was used as a scapegoat. This was a moral panic created by the media and
exaggerated the problem of black crime. This was used to justify and excuse more aggressive policing
towards young black men.
Evaluation
1. The idea of black crime being a scapegoat for society during the 1970's is outdated. Conflict
between BAME and the police still exists even now when there is no longer a hegemonic
crisis. This means this explanation is outdated and inadequate.
2. The vast majority of BAME crime is intra-ethnic, this means the victims and criminals are
both of the same ethnicity. This disproves the idea of BAME crime being a form of resistance
as it makes no sense to damage their own community as a way to fight back.
3. Lea & Young (1984) point out that the majority of crime is reported by the public, not found
by police, this makes it difficult to use police racism as the explanation.
Left realism
Lea & Young accept black crime is higher than white crime for some offences. They provide three
reasons for this:
1. Marginality - The underachievement of BAME groups in all areas of life e.g., education,
employment, opportunities, low pay etc. Create a sense of powerlessness among BAME
communities.
2. Relative deprivation - This is likely to be felt among people among deprived social situations.
3. Subculture - Marginality and relative deprivation contribute to the creation of BAME
subcultures, these have alternate values and norms to that of mainstream society. They seem
to have an emphasis on 'gang culture', violence, street crime. This is due to the resentment
they feel.
Poverty, social exclusion, and the search for identity
Bowling & Philips (2002) - Higher levels of black robberies due to poverty & social exclusion. This
form of crime is undertaken to gain status among their respective subcultures. This is the same for
Pakistani & Bangladeshi members of the population however lower crime rates, this could be due to
(a) A stronger cultural identity (b) a stronger control over individuals from their family.
Labelling & Stereotyping
Crime statistics actually show selective law enforcement instead of the number of people committing
those crimes. This is due to a possible 'canteen culture' among the police force, they support macho
values, suspicion, and racism. This in turn supports racist stereotyping among the police force.
