Evaluate Explanations for Gender or Ethnic Differences in Crime Statistics

The relationship between ethnicity, gender difference and crime in the U.K is a subject matter for research, government surveys as well as public concern. Under section 95, of criminal justice Act 1991, the government has collected an annual statistics based on race, gender and crime rate as well.Ethnic difference According to the official statistics there is a very huge striking difference between the ethnic minority groups. For instance, the blacks make up a population of 2.8% while 11% of the remainder population make up the prison population. Asians tend to make up a population of 4.7% however 6% makes up the remainder of the population in prison (Uggen, and Kruttschnitt, 1998, p. 340).

On the contrary, the official statistics show that the white people are under-represented in all the stages of the criminal justice process. Apparently such official statistics dont state whether the members of a single ethnic community are more likely to committee an offence than any other member of another group. The statistics simply tell us about the involvement of the ethnic groups in criminal justice systems. For instance the difference between the rates of imprisonment maybe as a result of the courts handling down very harsh sentences to the minority group. This paper also calls on other important sources of statistics which will demonstrate a direct sense of light on ethnicity (McNulty, T.L. and Bellair, P.E., 2003, p. 15).

These sources include victim surveys and self-report studies. Victim surveys tend to ask different individuals to say what crimes they have been victims of within the past one year. Self-report studies tend to ask individuals to disclose their bad behaviours. Findings from such studies challenge the stereo types of blacks as being more likely to committee crime than white people.Gender difference Reports from the official statistics show that 80% of the crime in U.K as well as the U.S.A is committed by men. The crimes committed by women are more minor such as shop lifting, men tend to commit more crimes compared to women with an exception of shoplifting. Apparently, in the past decade the rate of female crime in U.K has raised to a very higher level.

However, even though women make up only 4% of the population in prison, the government experts in 1970 predicted that there would be no women in prison, something which is evidently not true (Tyler, 2005, p. 340). As study conducted on the causes of crime revealed that men who committed more were likely to have physical flaws which created an ape like appearance. By studying criminals in one Britain prison research reports revealed that more ape like features could be seen among the convicts rather than in the prison officers, this suggested that the convicts were less evolved that normal human creatures. Research studies also show that women are less likely to have physical flaws, this is one of the reasons why there are less female criminal activities that male. Apart from the above theory a further argument on the reasons why there are less female crimes the other reason why females are less likely to commit less crime is because females spend their whole lives under supervision at a very young age they are supervised by their parents while boys go out to play without supervision (LaGrange, T.C. and Silverman, R.A., 1999, p. 50).

Conclusion

In conclusion this paper gives a brief overview of gender or ethnic differences in the crime statistics in the United Kingdom. Even though they are limited in number, the ethnic minority group has the highest level of crime in the society. I believe, discrimination, stereotyping and labelling play a big role in rise in crime rates among the minority groups. This paper also reveals that males are more likely to commit crime activities compared to females.

The study also reveal that the population of males in prison is higher compared to the population of females in prison (Broidy, and Agnew, 1997, p. 279).

Reference

• Broidy, L. and Agnew, R., 1997. Gender and crime: A general strain theory perspective. Journal of research in crime and delinquency, 34(3), pp.275-306.
• LaGrange, T.C. and Silverman, R.A., 1999. Low selfcontrol and opportunity: Testing the general theory of crime as an explanation for gender differences in delinquency. Criminology, 37(1), pp.41-72.McNulty, T.L. and Bellair, P.E., 2003.
• Explaining racial and ethnic differences in adolescent violence: Structural disadvantage, family well-being, and social capital. Justice Quarterly, 20(1), pp.1-31.Tyler, T.R., 2005.
• Policing in black and white: Ethnic group differences in trust and confidence in the police. Police quarterly, 8(3), pp.322-342.Uggen, C. and Kruttschnitt, C., 1998.
• Crime in the breaking: Gender differences in desistance. Law and Society Review, pp.339-366.

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