Explaining the differences in offending

Neo-Marxism: Gilroy + Hall

Gilroy: the myth of black criminality

Ethnic minority crime as form of political

resistance against racist society

Originated in former British colonies, under

oppression + rebelled through riots +

demonstrations so adopt same behaviour

here

Left Realism: Lea + Young

Official stats show differences between ethnic groups – 2 main explanations:

Left realism: stats represent real differences in rates of offending

Neo-Marxism: stats are a social construct resulting from racist labelling + discrimination

Criticisms:

Arrests rates lower for Asians than

blacks due to diff. stereotypes of races

i.e. Asians as passive

However... view may have changed

since 9/11

Hall et al: policing the crisis

Ruling class usually able to control subordinate

classes through consent, though in times of crisis

this is difficult

1970s – high inflation, rising unemployment, media

driven moral panic about supposed growth of new

crime of ‘mugging’

Myth of ‘black’ muggers used as scapegoat to

distract people from the true cause of problem;

government

Crisis of capitalism was marginalising young blacks,

driving them into a lifestyle of hustling + petty

crime, making public panic true

Criticisms of Hall:

Downes + Rock: inconsistent in claiming

that black street crime was rising

Don’t show how capitalist crisis led to

panic, or evidence that public were worried

about ‘black crime’

Left-Realists: inner-city resident’s panic

about mugging isn’t panicky but realistic

Lea + Young criticise Gilroy...

1st generation immigrants in 50s + 60s very

law abiding, so unlikely they passed down

anti-colonial struggle to kids

Most crime intra-ethnic so can’t be anti-

colonial – Gilroy romanticises street crime as

revolutionary when it’s not

Asian crime rates lower or similar to whites,

meaning police officers are only racist

towards blacks which seems highly unlikely

Ethnic diff. in stats reflects real diff. in

levels of offending

Racism led to marginalisation +

economic exclusion

Media emphasis on consumerism

highlights rel. deprivation

Leads to utilitarian crime as a means of

coping

Acknowledge that police often

react in racist ways resulting in

unjustified criminalisation of some

ethnic minorities

Cannot explain diff. between

minorities in terms of police

racism i.e. why blacks

considerably higher rate of crime

than Asians