2. MEN AND WOMEN
Across the UK, and the majority of other countries, men have higher arrest
rates than women in all areas of crimes, except prostitution. In the US, it is
reported that women only contribute to 20% of arrests in all crime
categories. All statistics point towards a huge difference in the amount of
crimes committed, and one study shown that around 4 in 5 arrests made
in England and Wales were committed by males. Another research shown
that by the age of 40, only 9% of females have a criminal conviction, in
comparison to males with 32%. Records show that females are more likely
to be convicted of in-property offences, whereas men are more often
arrested for violent and sexual offences. All statistics and records kept
show that there is a huge difference in the number of crimes committed
by males and females, with men far more frequently participating in
criminal acts.
3. DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS
In the UK, out of the 80,000 males in prison, 74% are white, 15% are Afro-
Caribbean, 3% are mixed and 1% Chinese. Despite the vast majority of
prisoners being white, 81% of people in the UK are white, so it is hard to
say if there are any huge differences in ethnic groups. In the US however,
despite only 14% of the population being non-Hispanic blacks, black
Americans make up a huge 50% of the prison population. This suggests
that in the US, black Americans commit a far greater proportion of crimes
than white people, but this is one of the US’s most debated subjects, as
racism within the police and legal system is still evident to this day. The
ministry of justice reported in 2008 that Afro-Caribbean's were the most
likely to be arrested for robbery, with Asians more likely to be stopped
and searched, and potentially arrested for possession of drugs. Also
Asians were reported to be most likely arrested for fraud.
4. SOCIAL CLASS AND YOUTH DEVIANCE
When considering youth deviance, patterns and trends can potentially be hard to
keep a record of, as deviance is often low-level meaning it doesn’t appear in
official statistics. Youth crime studies show that the majority of youths involved in
crime and deviant acts belong to the poorest 20% of the country, which suggests
belonging to lower working class or underclass. Research conducted has
concluded that less than 10% of crimes recorded are committed by the middle
class, which points towards working class and lower being the main source of
criminal acts. The Barnardo's youth charity said that children who are involved
within the justice system are from the poorest groups and social classes in society,
again suggesting a reoccurring theme of criminal acts from the working class and
lower. Despite all records pointing towards majority of crimes being committed by
the working class, it is understood a lot of this is more deviant and petty acts,
rather than serious criminal acts. Due to social disadvantages, working class people
are more likely to commit acts of criminality as a route to gain advantages and
stability.
