11.

Learning table on crime, deviance & ethnicity

Key assumptions –

1. Blacks are over-represented in official crime statistics given their proportion in the population.
2. Asian groups are underrepresented in official crime statistics.
3. Self-report study data shows that black, white and Asian young people have similar rates of offending.
4. The BCS shows that blacks and Asians are more likely to be victims of a range of crimes than whites and that they also fear more crime than whites.
Interactionist/labelling theory Evaluation -   (eet) New criminology Evaluation -   (eet) Left realism Evaluation -   (eet) Synoptic links
Response to OCS Strength Response to OCS Strength Response to official crime statistics Strength Research methods/methodology

Interactionists reject the official 1. Interactionist theories have gained New criminologists largely reject 1. The new criminology has gained Left realists largely accept official 1. Left realist theories have gained Interactionists reject ocs. Would
statistics, seeing them as little more empirical support. Smith (1986) notes official statistics, seeing them as a empirical support. Various Home crime statistics and therefore do not empirical support. Jones et al.’s therefore stress the limitations of OCS.
than a social construction. They point that areas of high ethnic minority social construction. They point out Office research studies have shown believe that blacks are significantly (1986) local Islington crime survey New criminologists largely reject ocs.
out that Afro-Caribbean’s are over- concentration often get labelled and that Afro-Caribbean’s are over- that black males are 5x more likely to over-represented in them. They shows that crime is real problem for Would therefore stress the limitations
represented in the statistics and consequently receive more police represented in the statistics because be stopped and searched than white recognise that the statistics have many inner city residents. They found of OCS.
therefore the statistics do not present patrols than comparable areas. This of police bias. However, they do males. This suggests there is some problems (e.g. in terms of police bias) that levels of victimisation and fear of Left realists largely accept ocs. Would
an accurate picture of the social suggests there is some validity in the accept that black crime and deviance validity in new criminology ideas. but that this should not lead to their crime were high, especially amongst therefore stress the advantages of
distribution of criminality. interactionist ideas. needs to be explained in terms of rejection. They suggest that black and Asian groups. They OCS.
causal processes as well. Weaknesses sociologists should supplement official attribute this too their locality and
The extent of ethnic minority crime Weaknesses crime statistics with local victim racism. This suggests there is some Theories/perspectives
and deviance is socially The causes and social construction 1. The new criminology has been surveys as they have the advantage of validity in the left realist ideas. Interactionism, new criminology, and
constructed 1. Interactionist theories have been of ethnic minority crime and questioned on empirical grounds. revealing social patterns in left realism.
questioned on empirical grounds. deviance Hirschi (1975) argues that it is victimisation and fear of crime (which Weaknesses
Interactionists abandon attempts to Steven’s and Willis (1979) question debatable how far the criminal justice they believe is highest amongst ethnic Other topics
offer causal explanations of black the potential biasing effect of the New criminologists such as Hall et al. system has an effect on whether the minority communities). 1. Left realist theories have been
crime and deviance. Instead they police on crime statistics. This is (1978) have attempted to explain labelled continue in their criminal questioned on empirical grounds. Links can be made to power and
examine the social processes that because they point out that the police ‘black mugging’ and the Toxteth riots careers. He feels that other factors The causes of ethnic minority crime Hughes (1991) suggests that left politics.
lead certain ethnic minority groups to initiate only 8% of recorded crimes. in terms of wider causes (e.g. long such as age are seen to be more and deviance realists have little empirical research
be over-represented in official crime This suggests that the validity of term unemployment. Immediate important. This suggests that the to back up their causal explanations of Interactionists – selective labelling by
statistics. interactionist causes (e.g. police racism). In validity of new criminology ideas have Left realists such as Young (1997) black (and even white or Asian) powerful agents of social control
addition they also look at processes to be questioned. attempt to explain the real problem of offending. This is because they have against powerless groups such as
Contemporary interactionists share 2. Interactionist theories have been of social construction (e.g. moral black street crime (but also white and largely relied on victim surveys and blacks. Leads to more crime amongst
Becker’s (1963) idea that the social criticised on a theoretical level. The panics and media amplification, 2. The new criminology has been Asian too) in terms of three related therefore have little information on powerless groups – sfp etc.
distribution of crime and deviance is New Criminology argues that the selective law enforcement, and the criticised on a theoretical level. Black causal factors. what motivates criminals to offend.
dependent on processes of social theory has a weak view of power and consequences of labelling). feminists criticise the theory for failing This suggests that the validity of left New criminology
interaction between the deviant and social control. For example, the to consider issues surrounding black Marginalisation realist ideas have to be questioned.
powerful agencies of social control. theory fails to explain why the extent women’s experience of crime. For Explain crimes committed by
Interactionists suggest that powerless of black crime and deviance is socially example, Player (1989) notes that Young suggests that fundamental 2. Left realist theories have been powerless groups such as blacks in
groups such as blacks are more likely constructed. They also argue that black women are treated more harshly changes have occurred in the social criticised on a theoretical level. Right terms of unemployment/police racism
to be policed and labelled deviant than interactionists fail to consider the wider by the courts than white women. This structure since the 1980s and as a realists reject the focus on social and etc.
other ethnic groups. For example structural origins of black crime and suggests that the new criminology consequence a growing number of economic causes of ethnic minority
blacks are more likely to be stopped deviance. This suggests that labelling only offers a partial view of crime and black, (and white and Asian) youths crime and concentrate instead on Look at selective labelling by powerful
and searched by the police than theory only offers a partial view on deviance. are finding themselves marginalised or inadequate social control. For agents of social control against
whites. Interactionists go on to argue crime and deviance. socially excluded. For left realists this example, the decline in the moral powerless groups such as blacks.
that labelling can serve to amplify marginalisation is an underlying fabric of society. This suggests that Leads to more crime amongst
black deviance as a ‘master status’ pressure for crime and deviance, but left realist theories only offer a partial powerless groups – sfp etc.
can be gained, which can lead to a not in itself a direct cause. view on crime and deviance.
self-fulfilling prophecy.
Relative deprivation Left realism

Young argues that crime is most likely Explain crime committed by powerless
to follow when individuals or groups groups such as blacks in terms of:
feel relatively deprived. They maintain marginalisation, relative deprivation
that some blacks (and some whites and subcultures.
and Asians) often feel worse off than
comparable groups and that these
feelings of social injustice sometimes
result in crime and deviance.

Subcultures

Left realists claim that criminal and

deviant subcultures emerge in all
ethnic communities (but especially
black) as response to marginalisation
and relative deprivation. Criminal and
deviant subcultures allow groups of
individuals to feel socially included and
serve to facilitate crime and deviance
by making such behaviour seem
acceptable.

In conclusion left realism offers a strong theory. This is because it recognises that official statistics on ethnicity and crime have problems, but they do not just dismiss them. Left realism can and has been used to account for recent growths in Asian street crime. Furthermore the theory does not
just consider offenders but also victims and formal and informal social control. However, all sociological theories need to look more closely at Asian crime and deviance. Recent media documentaries such as Unreported Britain (2002), suggest that crime and deviancy is growing in some Asian
communities and locate the causes in terms of feelings of relative deprivation, boredom, loss of respect for religion and changes in cultural identity.