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Ethnicity, Race, and Crime Exam 1

Terms in this set (63)

Social Demographics
all the different breakdowns of the population being studied
Ex: Age, Sex, Gender, Social Class, Race, Ethnicity
Socio-Economic Status (SES)
Money -> Income, Wealth, Debt
All combine into social class
Race
A group of human beings distinguished by physical traits, blood types, genetic code patterns or genetically inherited characteristics
(ex: skin color)
Ethnicity
Identity with a group of people that share distinct physical and mental traits as a product of common heredity and cultural traditions
(ex: language, customs)
Who said: "The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line..."?
W.E.B. DuBois
"Red-Lining"
Term used for Black people who were denied a mortgage in an area they "weren't supposed to be", and they were only denied based on their race
Who founded the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
W.E.B. DuBois
What did W.E.B. DuBois preach?
To whites: Give PoC an equal opportunity
To PoC: Stop feeding into the image of criminality white people painted of them
Social Institutions (and examples)
built by people for people
ex: education, politics, marriage/family, CJS
How do we know that Race/Ethnicity are sociopolitical constructs?
They have changed drastically overtime
ex: U.S. Census changing racial categories
American Anthropological Association found
There's more genetic variation within the racial categories than between them
Herrnstein and Murray's "The Bell Curve" "found" that
Race and IQ were related
Said that if crime is associated with IQ, and IQ is biologically based, then don't bother making special programs to help them because it's biological and cannot change
Interracial
between many different racial groups
Intraracial
Within the same racial group
Most Important Law on Descrimination
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act: Employers cannot discriminate based on Ethnicity and Race
Disparity
Difference in rates or outcomes than one might expect if things were proportionate
ex: under/over representation of a racial group in prision
Discrimination
Differential treatment of groups on the basis of some inappropriate characteristics
Negative ex: being harsher on a group of people based on a shared characteristic
Positive ex: being lenient towards a specific group of people
Legal Factors
Legitimate factors taken into account with charges
- criminal history
- premeditation
Extra Legal Factors
Illegitimate factors influencing charges
- Gender
- Race
- Age
Systematic Discrimination
Discrimination at all stages of the criminal justice system, at all times, and at all places
Institutional Discrimination
Racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes that are the result of the application of racially neutral factors, such as a prior criminal record, employment status, and demeanor
Contextual Discrimination
Discrimination found in particular contexts or circumstances (ex: regions, particular crimes, special victim-offender relationships)
Individual Acts of Discrimination
Discrimination that results from the acts of particular individuals but is not characteristic of entire agencies or the criminal justice system as a whole
Pure Justice Discrimination
No racial or ethnic discrimination at all
Blumstein demonstrated ___ discrimination
- "80% of the time we know what's going on, 20% of the time it's something unique (possibly R/E factors)"
Contextual
William Willbanks demonstrated ___ discrimination
-"some individuals may give harsher treatment to PoC while others give more leniency, so there's a 'cancelling out' effect"
Individual
Dan Georges-Abeyie demonstrated ___ discrimination
-"multiple small problematic contacts w/ CJS can build up and escalate into more than it needs to be"
Contextual
(also individual and institutional, but overall contextual)
Coramae Richey Mann demonstrated ___ discrimination
-"whole system is flawed"
Systematic
Micheal Tonry demonstrated ___ discrimination
-"racial differences in patterns of offending not caused by racist police/bias, but the fact that PoC are neglected"
Institutional
Heather MacDonald demonstrated ___ discrimination
-"Disparities and high % of PoC incarcerated reflect crime rates"
Pure Justice
Loic Wacquant demonstrated ___ discrimination
-Focused on class, race and hyper-incacertation in Revanchist America
Systematic Discrimination
Vernetta Young demonstrated ___ discrimination
-"criminalblackman in the carnival mirror"
Systematic Discrimination
6 Types of Crime
1. Violent
2. Property
3. Public order
4. White collar
5. Organized
6. High-tech (Cyber)
4 Categories of Violent Crime
1. Criminal Homicide
2. Sexual Assault
3. Assault and Battery
4. Robbery
4 Categories of Property Crime
1. Larceny (Theft)
2. Burglary
3. Motor-Vehicle Theft
4. Arson
Public Order Crime definition
Behavior outlawed because it goes against social norms/values/customs
Ex: Illegal gambling, Prostitution, Illicit Drugs, Public Intoxication
White Collar Crime definition
Nonviolent crimes committed by legal businesses/entities/individuals to gain an illegal personal/business advantage
Ex: Fraud, Embezzlement, Ponzi schemes, Illegal Waste Dumping, Tax Evasion, Insider Trading
Organized Crime definition
Illegal actions of illegal organizations with an organized structure of command designed to gain profit or control over an area
High-Tech Crime definition
Crime involving the use of advanced technology
Ex: Cyber crime, Hacking/Tracking to steal identities, Sale/purchase/distribution of illegal services online, Counterfeiting currency
Felonies vs Misdemeanors vs Citations
Felonies: most serious offenses with sentences of at least 1 year in prison
Misdemeanor: less serious charge with sentences usually < 1 year (in jail)
Citations: money you have to pay for committing a crime
Uniform Crime Report (UCR)
-Official data/Police Data
-Data collected is on # of persons arrested, # of crimes reported by victims, witnesses, and police, and Police employee data
-Goal: standardizing data on major offenses over time
UCR Index Part 1 Crimes
-Crimes known to the police
-Focuses on 4 violent crimes: Homicide, Rape, Robbery, and Aggravated Assault
-Focuses on 4 property crimes: Burglary, Larceny, Motor vehicle theft, arson
-2 NEW offenses added: Human Trafficking w/ sex acts, Human Trafficking involuntary
What is the most common crime in the UCR index part 1 crimes?
Larceny, at 62%
UCR Index Part 2 Crimes
-Must be arrested to count in this part
- # of arrests not # of convictions/charges
-20 crimes total covered and 1 summary category
-Generally less serious than Part 1 crimes and carry lighter punishments
-Ex: Drug abuse violations, Simple Assaults, DUI's, Disorderly conduct
Limitations of UCR
1. Not all crime is reported to police
2. Not all reported crimes are recorded
3. Not all known crimes make it into UCR reports
4. Police participation is sort of voluntary
5. Hierarchy rule for crime
6. Different states have different definitions for crime
7. Excludes Juvenile data
8. Excludes Traffic Violation data
SHR
Supplementary Homicide Reports
NIBRS (National Incident-Based Reporting System)
- Developed in response to criticisms of UCR
- Provides more comprehensive incident-based statistics
How is NIBRS different from the UCR?
1. 52 offenses recorded
2. 10 more "arrest only" offenses
3. Detail on attempted + completed crimes
4. Detail on victim-offender relationship
5. More case details
6. No hierarchy rule, ALL crimes reported
NCVS (National Crime Victimization Survey)
-Supposed to shed light on "Dark Figure of Crime"
-Based on self-reports of victimization
-Includes attempted and completed crimes
-More details collected on certain types of crime (S.A.)
-More details on victim0offender relationships
NCVS Weaknesses
-Household survey (phone calls), excludes homeless people, military housing, institutionalized people
-Must be older than 12
-Subject to Victim Memory (reporting E/R/G)
-No data collected on criminal homicide
-Went through major redesign in 2006
All Crime Data Systems Are
Flawed
R/E trends in crime data are...
incomplete
-there's an inconsistent definition of R/E categories
-Most reporting systems are useless with R/E
What race is more likely to be the victim of a violent crime?
Black people
For Urban and Rural settings, victimization rates are the highest for which race?
Urban: Higher for PoC than Whites
Rural (+Suburban): Higher for Whites than PoC
Homicide Victimization is the greatest for what race and gender?
Black Males
Offending Rates vs Raw Numbers/Count
-Typical offender is white by Count
-PoC are disproportionately arrested/charge/incarcerated/harsher sentenced
Most crime is an ___ racial event (inter or intra?)
Intra
Hate Crime
Offense that contains an element of prejudice based on R/E, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability status (some include gender + mental illness)
-Data collected by UCR starting in 1990
Most Hate Crimes are against
1. A person (60%)
2. Property (39%)
3. Society (<1%)
Most Common Hate Crime Categories
1. Race
2. Religion
3. Ethnicity/National Origin
Most Hate Crime Offenders are
Male, White, and unknown to the victim
Racial Hoaxes
1. When someone fakes a crime a crime and blames it on another person because of their race
2. When an actual crime occurs and the victim falsely accuses someone because of their race
Racial Hoaxes Examples
1. Susan Smith: Blamed a black man stole her car and drowned her kids when she really did it
2. Central Park Jogger: Group of Black teenagers accused of injuring people in Central Park
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