10.2.1
Ethnicity
Institutional Racism
Institutional Racism
Lord MacPherson’s report into the Stephen Lawrence murder and police failings used the phrase ‘institutional racism’.
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Stop and search
Stop and search
- Black people are seven times more likely to be stopped and searched by a police officer in the UK.
- However, a very small amount of stop and searches lead to an arrest.
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Lord MacPherson
Lord MacPherson
- Lord MacPherson’s report into the Stephen Lawrence murder and police failings used the phrase ‘institutional racism’ when describing the actions of the police in that specific case.
- Macpherson accused the police of incompetency by not following up on important leads.
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Canteen culture
Canteen culture
- Holdaway claimed that there was a ‘canteen culture’ that existed within the police force.
- He claimed that many officers held prejudicial thoughts about members of the African Caribbean community and therefore told negative stories and shared derogatory jokes at their expense.
- Holdaway argued that many new recruits felt under pressure to conform to this ‘canteen culture’.
Theoretical Approaches to Ethnicity and Crime
Theoretical Approaches to Ethnicity and Crime
Realist and neo-marxist views of ethnicity and crime.
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Left realists
Left realists
- Lea and Young believe that crime is caused by relative deprivation, subcultures and marginalisation.
- When it comes to ethnic minority crime, they believe that the racism of our society leads to the ‘economic exclusion’ of ethnic minority communities.
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Right realists
Right realists
- Right realists view cultural deprivation as one of the main reasons for crime occurring.
- Moynihan claims that the main cause behind ethnic minority crime is poor socialisation caused by ineffective family structures.
- Moynihan suggests that cultural deprivation can become a cycle in single parent families as the children are likely to fail in education.
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Neo-marxists
Neo-marxists
- Hall suggests that the ruling class use racism as a tool to divide the proletariat and prevent a revolution.
- He refers to this as divide and rule.
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Hall
Hall
- Hall claims that, through the media, the bourgeoisie have used ‘moral panics’ about ethnic minority groups that have led to clear divisions due to racial tensions.
- He talks specifically about the 1970’s portrayal of the ‘black mugger’; a media representation of young black men that demonised them in the eyes of the public.
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
Jump to other topics
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
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