In this study I shall be using a Neo Marxist approach, as taken by Gilroy and Hall. One theory used by the Neo Marxists is the labelling theory. This says that due to the over representation of the crimes committed by the ethnic minorities the people belonging to the minorities are being labelled as criminals, which is not always the case. This approach agrees that there is an over representation in the media towards groups, this is relevant to my aim and does offer an explanation for ethnic crime.
Marx argued that society has two classes: the exploited working class, or proletariat and the exploiters and owners of the means of production called the bourgeoisie. He said that working class would eventually revolt against the middle class. In the past there were slave owners and slaves, and racism served as a means to overpower the exploited class. Gilroy argues that if any crime is committed by black people it is to fight back at a white society that had them in slavery. This explains a possible reason for crime the committed by blacks.
Gilroy believes that in British society the ethnic minorities are becoming surplus labour and are therefore being used as scapegoats for the problems in the rest of society. In Hall et al’s ‘policing in crisis’ Gilroy’s view is backed up as he agrees that British capitalist society is the problem. The ethnic minorities often come from societies that are not capitalist and therefore they are often more unskilled than the majority and not used to the working ethic. These groups seen as less useful by the capitalist society are pin pointed and blamed for the problems in society. This can be done through the media, which may explain the over representation of ethnic minorities that I may find, this relates to my rationale as explains the possible racist over representation of the ethnic minorities that I expect to find.
Feldman (1992) says that the types of crimes that are committed by the different races are different. Whites commit more ‘high rate’ whereas ethnic minorities, in particular blacks, are more likely to choose ‘opportunist’ crimes. This shows that whites are more likely to be jailed for their crimes if they are committing more serious crimes, which relates to my rationale as it explains a potential flaw in my research method.
Hartman and Husband say that in areas without a very mixed population people tend to acquire their knowledge about ethnic minorities through the media. Due to the racist position of much of the media many of these areas are racist due to their exposure to these images. The kind of racism that the public are being exposed to has been named ‘new racism’, here the media points out that these people are from a different culture and therefore a threat to our own although most races share our ideals and ethics. This relates to my rationale as it explains the type of racism that I am likely to find while exploring my aim.
