Minorities, Crime, and Criminal Justice in Britain (From Minorities, Migrants, and Crime: Diversity and Similarity Across Europe and the United States, P 36-61, 1997, Ineke Haen Marshall, ed. - See NCJ-171072)

• NCJ Number: 171074
• Author(s): M Fitzgerald
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 26 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Research findings on minorities, crime, victimization, and criminal justice in Great Britain are discussed, with emphasis on the history of the issue, data on ethnic minorities as suspects and offenders, and data on ethnic minorities as victims of racial harassment and other crimes.

Abstract

The discussion notes that most of the minority groups studied in Great Britain have their origins in the postwar immigration of people from countries of the former British Empire, particularly the Asian groups from the Indian subcontinent and the black groups from the West Indies. The studies are patchy and unreliable. However, they have suggested three types of explanations for the apparent overinvolvement of black persons in offending in comparison to white persons and in contrast to the Asians. These explanations focus on (1) socioeconomic factors, (2) discrimination by the criminal justice system, and (3) ethnic-specific differences. Each of the three explanations should receive further research attention. Tables, notes, and 47 references