Is The Judicial System Racist?
Is The Judicial System Racist?
Introduction
In Britain today there are 55 million people, of this 5% are Afro Caribbean, and 2% are Asian. This would mean the prison population should be 2% Asian, and 25% Afro Caribbean, but it is not, the actual figures are 13% Afro Caribbean and 7% Asian. Why is the prison population not a reflection of the ethnicity of Britain? Is it because of society, the police, or the actual ethnic group? To find out what is the cause, I will carry out research of my own and use previously obtained figures. The difficulties that I might run into while carrying out my research are that figures that I collect may not be up to date. Other difficulties that I will run into are that people will not have answered truthfully as they do not want to be seen as the odd one so go along with the majority of answers, or do not want to say that they have committed crimes. Another problem will be that the government figures separate the ethnic groups into 'Asian', 'White', 'Afro Caribbean' and 'Other' which means I will have to use those categories to group people as well.
Secondary Research
Home Office figures
The Home Office figures show me that of the 55 million people in the country 2% are Asian and 5 % are Afro Caribbean. Of the 2 million people arrested 16% are Afro Caribbean, and 7% are Asian. Also the figures show me that more then half (58%) of all Afro Caribbean arrests come from the metropolitan police area. A reason for this could be that when people emigrate from a foreign country they may not speak the language or have any qualifications. When they arrive they normally settle around their own people near a port or river or in the centre, in this case London. This creates an ethnic ghetto, which often has high crime, unemployment and low educational standards and qualifications. As the white population has gone through this they are no longer in ethnic ghettos so they have lower unemployment, crime and higher educational standards and qualifications. The people in the centre of the ethnic ghetto normally live in the worst housing, and areas. This may drive them to crime. The Home Office figures also show that of the 2 million people arrested, 7% are Afro Caribbean, but the prison population is 10% Afro Caribbean. There is a much higher chance of an Afro Caribbean being stopped and searched (five times higher) then a person from any another ethnic group. This means that they are subjected to stereotypes of society (and the police are part of that society), so as they are being stopped more there is more chance of them being arrested. This would mean that in the police force they are not well represented. As every one will hold stereotype that Afro Caribbean or Asians commit crime all the time, the people in that ethnic group will do what they think is expected of tem. Also as they are already in high crime areas the young people do as they see the norm, which may be to commit crime.
Brent crime and disorder unit
The audit of crime shows all of the London borough's, which have the highest, and lowest crime rates per thousand people. The five highest are:
Westminster
Camden
Southwark
Chelsea
Hackney
The five lowest are:
Barnet
Havering
Bexley
Sutton
Richmond upon Thames
The areas that have the highest crime rate per thousand people are predominantly Asian and Afro Caribbean areas. Also the hot spots for the whole of London, mark places where there are large numbers of people from different ethnic minorities. The figures also show that there is very high crime among the poorest areas that have large numbers of people from different ethnic minorities. Is it that ethnic minorities are driven to crime because of poverty? As the ethnic minorities settle in a country they like to settle in and around there own ethnic group as previously mentioned. ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
The areas that have the highest crime rate per thousand people are predominantly Asian and Afro Caribbean areas. Also the hot spots for the whole of London, mark places where there are large numbers of people from different ethnic minorities. The figures also show that there is very high crime among the poorest areas that have large numbers of people from different ethnic minorities. Is it that ethnic minorities are driven to crime because of poverty? As the ethnic minorities settle in a country they like to settle in and around there own ethnic group as previously mentioned. This has a large impact on the people in the area. If there already a high crime rated in that area, people will see that is a norm for the area, so be allowed to do what people in the culture see as the norm, and that is to commit crime!
In Britain the Afro Caribbean and Asian population do the largest percentage of manual work. They are also likely to suffer long-term unemployment. It could be that when people from an ethnic minority are unemployed they may have no choice but to turn to crime due to stereotypes. This could be why there is such a high rate of crime among ethnic minorities. A factor that could account high crime rates in ethnic minorities is the lack of confidence in the police. Afro Caribbean's and especially Asian's are prone to racially motivated attacks. If the police are unable to do anything, then they will normally take the law into their own hands. This would cause them to most likely be arrested, thus raising the crime figures. This then reinforces people's stereotypes, which is also responsible for the high crime figures. Stereotyping is one of the biggest reasons why there is such a disproportional number of Asians and afro-Caribbean's in prison. This is because there are very few Afro-Caribbean or Asian police officers meaning the force I predominantly white. As they are white they will generally share the white communities stereotypes of Asians and Afro-Caribbean's.
The moral panics the media creates may also be responsible for the high crime figures between Afro-Caribbean's and Asians. The reason is that one ethnic group will be branded as bad, and then the police as a part of society will also brand ethnic groups. This means that as the main bulk police force is white, they will stop more Afro-Caribbean's and Asians, and this will mean as they are being stopped more, there is more chance they will be arrested.
Also it is well that ethnic minorities tend to do the worst in the British education system. This means they would have the least qualifications, and the least prospects for employment, because of this and stereotyping they will turn to crime.
Class also pays a major role in the crime figures as most criminals are working class. Working class a set of very distinct beliefs, values and norms, these are normally, education isn't important, being tough and strong, and that crime is accepted. Also there do not manage to go through the socialization process as well as other classes. The working classes normally have the least numbers of opportunities this means if they are unable to find work they will turn to crime to make ends meet. Class can be measured by occupation so this is how the questionnaire will find out about people's class.
Table A
Class Type Of Job
Upper Higher Management
Middle Professionals like teachers
Working Unskilled labour, and skilled labour
The table above shows how people's class were grouped from the response to what type of job they or their parents do. If a person were to say that there parents worked in a factory checking product quality as it went along a conveyor, they were put as working class.
Secondary Research
Questionnaire
Key: Afro Caribbean, White, Asian, Other
What ethnic group do you belong to?
Afro Caribbean 15%
White 30%
Asian 50%
Other 5%
Total= 100%
What ethnic group is the majority of your family? (More then ?)
Afro Caribbean 70% 3% 37% 4%
White 4% 85% 13% 10%
Asian 10% 10% 35% 80%
Other 16% 2% 15% 6%
Total= 100% 100% 100% 100%
Which best describes your family background? (You do not have to answer)
Nuclear 30% 40% 80% 92%
Lone parent 67% 25% 1% 1%
Extended 1% 4% 1% 5%
Reconstituted 1% 1% 8% 1%
Other 1% 30% 10% 1%
Total= 100% 100% 100% 100%
Is at least one of you parent/carers in full time employment? (You do not have to answer)
Yes 20% 69% 45% 28%
No 80% 31% 55% 72%
Total= 100% 100% 100% 100%
Have they ever being unemployed for longer then 2 months? (You do not have to answer)
Yes 87% 14% 20% 60%
No 13% 86% 80% 40%
Total= 100% 100% 100% 100%
What are the educational qualifications of one of your parent/cares?
GCSE 84% 3% 10% 33%
A Level 4% 2% 30% 2%
Degree 6% 80% 40% 25%
PHD 1% 5% 19% 0%
Other 5% 10% 1% 40%
Total= 100% 100% 100% 100%
What is the ethnicity of the majority of your peers?
Afro Caribbean 30% 4% 2% 15%
White 60% 1% 88% 50%
Asian 2% 90% 6% 30%
Other 8% 5% 4% 5%
Total= 100% 100% 100% 100%
Have your peers ever committed a crime?
Yes 90% 85% 69% 71%
No 10% 15% 31% 29%
Total= 100% 100% 100% 100%
Which ethnic group do you think commits the most crime in the UK?
Afro Caribbean 40% 60% 90% 88%
White 10% 30% 4% 2%
Asian 28% 5% 1% 8%
Other 22% 5% 5% 2%
Total= 100% 100% 100% 100%
What best describes your parents or your job?
Professional 20% 40% 30% 15%
Intermediate prof 30% 45% 60% 45%
Unskilled labourer 50% 5% 10% 40%
Analysis
From this research it is clear that there are many factors that affect the crime figures for different ethnic groups. The factors are:
Class
Education
Place
Family and Peers
Punishments
All my research was secondary, as I did not have the means to conduct a questionnaire myself; I felt I was too young and would not get truthful answers if any if I conducted the survey on the streets, as many questions are very personal. So I used a previously created questionnaire. I collected all the figures from the home office statistics. I feel if I had been able to use primary research it would have benefited my research as I would have got my research first-hand and may have been given some assurance that the figures were real. But I used somebody else's primary, un-official research, this means the subjects may give more truthful answers as they could not get into any trouble over it, and the person who conducted the questionnaire used many questions that I would have if I had conducted a questionnaire. I emailed the person who conducted the questionnaire and she gave me a little more information, which I will use in the rest of my analysis.
The home office figures for crime and then I used the questionnaire to explain the official statistics.
The questionnaire showed me that most people have peers that commit crime. The ethnic group that has the people with the peers that commit the most crime was Afro Caribbean 90%, and I found out that of the Afro Caribbean's asked 60% of their peers are of the same ethnic group. This by itself does not explain why there is such a high number of Afro Caribbean's in prison. I was also told that 68% of Afro Caribbean's that were asked lived in single parent households. This means that instead of getting their beliefs, values and norms from home they get them from peers who will be committing crime. This maybe because your peers are a secondary method of socialisation, so if there are no parents to be the agents of primary socialisation the peers will take their place, As the peers would be committing crime it would mean to fit into their culture they must commit crime, this may be a reason why 5% of the population of Britain is Afro Caribbean but 13% of the prison population is Afro Caribbean. Another surprising figure was that of the people asked:
40% Afro Caribbean
60% White
90% Other
85% Asian
said that they thought Afro Caribbean's commit the most crime in England. This is very surprising as the figures from the Home Office show that whites commit the most crime in England. As the police are a reflection of society they will view this stereotype, which is, that Afro Caribbean's commit the most crime. This means they will stop more Afro Caribbean's than whites, then as 90% of Afro Caribbean's admitted to committing a crime, and are five times more likely to be stopped by police it means there will be more Afro Caribbean arrests. This may explain why the population in prisons does not match the population outside of prison.
The questionnaire shows that the ethnic group that has the lowest educational qualifications is Afro Caribbean's. Normally the people who commit crime have the lowest educational qualifications, as they are unable to find work so they turn to crime. As the parents are role models if they have no educational qualifications it may be likely their children will not either. This will cause alienation.
A very surprising figure was the number of people who admitted that their parents/carers had committed a crime. The highest number was from the white people asked, 70%, and the lowest was Afro Caribbean's at 33%. The figure is not very surprising as the original figures show that Whites commit the most crime. This would reinforce the idea that instead of Afro Caribbean's getting their beliefs, values and norms from their family they come from their peers, as, of all the Afro Caribbean's asked, 85% are in single parent families.
A pattern that emerged was that there was a link between those who admitted committing a crime, and their family background. There may be two reasons for this, the first may be that there is a link or that there is a flaw in the research as there are only 4 ethnic groups.
Table B
Number of lone parent families from people askedPeople who admitted committing a crimeAfro Caribbean 68%Afro Caribbean 90%White 55%White 85%Asian 35%Asian 55Other 20%Other 62%Class also turned out to be n underlying factor, this is because more then 50% of Afro Caribbean's asked are working class. This would mean that they have some of the lowest educational qualifications and prospects. This would mean that they would turn to crime. They may turn to crime, as they have no prospects of work.
Another factor was the place. This is because the areas that are mainly populated by ethnic minorities have high crime rates. This would mean that the younger generation would think that crime is the norm.
This shows that there may be a link between crimes and family, so if there is a single parent family their beliefs, values and norms will come from their friends.
The questionnaire compared to the statistics shows that it is not down to racism why there are such high figures among ethnic minorities. The actual reasons are that the police are part of the society and have the same kinds of beliefs as that society that Afro Caribbean and or Asian's commit the most crime which as wrong as my figures would show that whites commit the most crime. Also that as there is high unemployment, lowest educational qualifications, and one of the highest single parent families. All of these factors contribute to the high crime figures. The factors that I think contribute the most to the crime figures are high unemployment, low educational figures and single parent families.
Evaluation
Overall I think that there are some ways in which I could improve my work. Firstly my statistics were a little old (1999) and as times have changed the statistics may have too. The questionnaire that was carried out could have targeted equal numbers from each ethnic group so that it would given much clearer results, but I did not conduct it so I cannot complain. Also the fact there was no primary research was a little disappointing, but somebody else's primary research (questionnaire) was fine. As the person was comparing the questionnaire results with home office statistics the 4 ethnic groups Afro Caribbean, Asians, White, Other had to be used. This is because home office uses these. This limited my research too as I had to use those 4 groups when I found information. I think I used enough statistics and the questionnaire was of ample size. I believe I explained my beliefs and the facts in a good combination to answer the question 'Is the Judicial System Racist' And if I had to give an answer I would say yes, but it is not so much racism as a combination of other things with racism (in my mind) being the biggest part. However it is not traditional racism as the Judicial Force does not 'hate' any race they just follow the stereotypes of their society and they are that Afro Caribbean's commit the most crime, so they are stopped more often, meaning they are arrested more often.
Bibliography
www.statistics.gov.uk <http://www.statistics.gov.uk/>
www.courseworkhelp.co.uk <http://www.courseworkhelp.co.uk/>
www.homeoffice.gov.uk <http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/>
Sociology Alive
By Leo Matlock 10MP
Top of Form 1
Search the Database
Search our entire database of documents:
Bottom of Form 1
(c) 2003 Student Central
Top of page | Privacy | Disclaimer | Contact </help/contact>