Flashcards
Soc 225 Week 12
Cards in this deck (51)
- 1Introduction to Race and Criminology - Race- Human differences historically recognized (role of differentiating and identifying groups)
- Physical and cultural traits indicating someone's place of origin or national affiliation - 2Introduction to Race and Criminology - Modern understanding of race- Racial discourses emphasized differences and categorized human groups according into a social hierarchy - racism
- Biology, inherited characteristics, people from different "nature"
- Colonialism justified the dominance over "primitive" groups - 3Introduction to Race and Criminology - Associations of race with mental characteristicsIntellect, habits, morality
- 4Introduction to Race and Criminology - Theory of subspeciesDifferent human "breeds" - proven false because the genetic differences (gene mapping) between races is not significant
- 5Introduction to Race and Criminology - Racial studies in the mid-20th C- Biological understanding of race is false
- Race does not provide an accurate representation of human biological variation (...) Humans are not divided biologically into distinct continental types or racial genetic clusters; Instead, the Western concept of race must be understood as a classification system that emerged from, and in support of, European colonialism, oppression, and discrimination (American Association of Physical Anthropologists, 2019) - 6Introduction to Race and Criminology - Emergence of criminology as a scientific discipline- 19th C
- Positivist criminology attempted to study the biological and physical differences between humans and associate them w behaviours
- Promise of scientific explanations of crime and effective policies of crime control - 7Introduction to Race and Criminology - Auxiliary science to colonialismSocial control of the racialized other
- 8Introduction to Race and Criminology - Criminology, whiteness and the study of crime- Eurocentrism, white supremacy
- Whiteness upholding the values of civilization, civility, humanism, cordiality, peace, control of impulses
- Whites who committed crimes deviated from their "Whiteness" - 9Introduction to Race and Criminology - (Dominant) Criminology and racism- Many theories defend the biological behavioural differences between races
- Justified the differential treatment of non-white groups
- Treated non-white races as "objects of study"
- Rejected the knowledge and perspective of non-white groups
- Valued the Western criminological knowledge as the scientific truth - 10Introduction to Race and Criminology - Objection of critical race studies and critical criminology- Challenged the racist assumptions of mainstream criminology
- Raised attention to racial inequalities in the social construction of crime (labeling)
- Challenged the collaboration between criminology, colonialism, and the White dominance in the political system - knowledge as power, construction of reality - 11Introduction to Race and Criminology - ContextCivil rights movement (1960s and 70s), social movements demanding racial justice, decolonization wave and independence of former colonized nations in Africa and Asia, critical studies about imperialism
- 12Introduction to Race and Criminology - Race and criminology in NASlavery, segregation, modern "colour-blind" racism
- 13Introduction to Race and Criminology - Slave regimeCriminalization punished those who resisted, revolted or escaped
- 14Introduction to Race and Criminology - SegregationCriminalization upheld exclusion
- 15Introduction to Race and Criminology - "Colour-blind racism"- Criminalization allegedly equal, but over-policing, surveillance and punishment
- Restriction of civil rights and socioeconomic opportunities for convicts - 16Racialization of Crime- CJS as the rarticulation of the State-enforced control over Black ppl after slavery
- Discriminatory treatment included over-surveillance, more likely to be stopped and questioned, charged, more severely sentenced and disproportionately incarcerated
- Vulnerability to harm and death
- Demonization and association of Blackness and criminality - 17Racialization of Crime - Officer Darren Wilson's testimony for the killing of Michael Brown, 2014- Compares Michael Brown, a black 18 y/o, to Hulk Hogan, a demon and describes him with animal-like terminology
- Talks about feeling small and felt threatened and scared - 18Racialization of Crime - Popular justification for racial disparities in the CJSBlacks commit more crimes
- 19Racialization of Crime - Historical association between Blackness and criminality and its social function- Slavery, the presence of Black people in public spaces raised suspicion of "runaway"
- Maintenance of the "racial order" - subalternization of Black communities
- Criminalization of migration from non-white nations - 20Racialization of Crime - Filtering of crime- Criminal behaviour is distributed across race anf class
- Most people commit crime, but few are caught, arrested, charged, prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned
- Labeling and race: Blacks are disproportionately policed and more likely to be considereed guilty of a crime - 21Racialization of Crime - Racial Profiling- Police officers have discretion to decide how and where to seek out crime based on ideas about who is suspicious
- However, there are stereotypes and popular beliefs about race that can influence their judgement and make them biased towards certain groups - 22Racialization of Crime - Profiling as a self0fulfilling prophecy"The more a group is targeted, the greater the likelihood that criminality will be discovered"
- 23Racialization of Crime - Over-policing as a form of violenceState of constant fear and anxiety, feeling unsafe to walk in public spaces
- 24Racialization of Crime - Surveillance vs privacy- Collection of personal information for a police database
- Carding is an example, which involves identity checks, searches, seizures and car stops
- Young Black males are "carded at a rate of 3.4 times that of their ppn in th city [Toronto], and these rates are where even higher for Black ppl stopped in predominantly white neighbourhoods"
- 2013, public outrage, reduction of carding in 75% - however, the prop of Black individuals carded increased - 25Racialization of Crime - Police profiling- Police profiling targeting Black youth, despite youth not being representative in violent crimes and public danger
- Justification: the public perception, "fabricated profile of young Black ppl as possible dangerous gang members" (p.91) - 26Racialization of Crime - Militarization and over-surveillance of Black neighbourhoodsImpacts to the day-to-day lives of residents - impacts on the psychological well-being, ptsd, and alienation from society
- 27The War on Drugs - Predator 2- Movie released in 1990, the story is set in 1997
- Two gangs (Colombian and Jamaican) disputing over the control of drug traffic in Los Angeles
- Fear of racialized gangs and violence stemming from the drug business
- Violence out of control, gangs are stronger than the police - 28The War on Drugs - Relation and context of drugs and CJS with racial communities- The criminalization of drugs was instrumental for the police control over racialized communities
- 1970: Nixon declaired war on drugs; 1987: Prime Minister Mulroney's first five-year National Drug Strategy
- 1980s, moral panic about drugs (crack cocaine) and the Black communities
- The use of drugs had been decreasing since the end of the 1970s
- War: police campaign to eradicate illegal substances that were believed to be ravaging communities - 29The War on Drugs - Law enforcement- Strengthened the powers of law enforcement officers to intervene over suspected individuals - stereotypical association between Blackness and drugs
- State divestment from welfare and assistance programs to invest in the law enforcement
- Support for disenfranchised neughbourhoods replaced by police intervention
- Backlash against social and racial justice movements of the 1960s and 70s - Black activism seen as a threat to Canada's national security
- Crime repression agenda mobilized popular support for conservative policies - 30The War on Drugs - Popular discourse on drugs- "Drugs were a threat to Canadian society itself [...] tearing a gaping hole in the fabric of society" (p. 94)
- However, instead of investing in the needs of ppl affected by drugs, the govt resorted to hostility and repression - 31The War on Drugs - Association between drug and violence with Caribbean immigrants (Jamaican)- Racialized profiles of likely drug traffickers based in ethnic stereotypes
- Police training programs (ex. Operation Pipeline) made specific mentions of such profiles - institutionalizing racist police practices - 32The War on Drugs - Impacts of the War on Drugs- Increased Black incarceration
- Rate of incarceration of Blacks increased by over 200% (20% for white persons)
- Prison admission for Black persons accused of drug crimes increased by 1164% (151% for white persons) - 33The War on Drugs - Evolution of incarceration of Black communities under Liberal Prime Ministers (1993-2006)- Continued to grow
- 1997: Controlled Drugs and Substances Act allowed police officers discretionary powers for minor drugs offenses - more than the powers allotted to rape, murder, and arson - 34The War on Drugs - Conservative Prime Minister S. Harper (2006-2015)- Brought back the visibility of the War on Drugs, "tough-on-crime" rhetoric
- Investment in building and filling prisons
- Black prison ppn increased 70%
- Austerity measures: "social investments were cut across nearly every other sector besides prison and the military" (p. 97) - 35The War on Drugs - National Anti-Drug Strategy (NADS)More than 3/4 of federal funding going for policing efforts rather than treatment and support programs
- 36The War on Drugs - How it is handled- Drug buying is a consensual activity - rarely denounced, police officers must proactively seek out the cases
- Militaristic approach tactical squads and task forces, heavily armed interventions
- Resort to arbitrary searches, violent interventions, seizure of the assets of suspected offenders, violation of individual rights - 37The War on Drugs - No significant difference in terms of drug use or trade between Black and white people- Drug use and sale is more frequent in white neighbourhoods
- White youth used more cannabis and cocaine (2012)
- "Black youth, then, are far more likely to be arrested and jailed for a crime that is much more prevalent among white youth" (p.100) - 38The War on Drugs - Drug prohibitionIncreases the violence and issues related to drugs; deemed as collateral damage
- 39The War on Drugs - Public Health problems stemming from the War on DrugsStreet violence, strengthening of criminal networks, the spread of diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C, overdose deaths
- 40The War on Drugs - Consequences- Addicition is not only a physiological consequence of the substance, but is connected to social factors - isolation, childhood abuse, trauma, socioeconomic circumstances
- Rich and middle-class folk can afford to abuse drugs w/o being stigmatized - 41The War on Drugs - Moderate (non-abusive) use and harm-reduction approaches- The moderate (non-abusive) use of illegal substances cause little pharmacological harm
- Medical professionalos have advocated for harm-reduction approaches
- Calls for treating psychoactive substances w the same policies as tobacco and unhealthy food
- Urging a move towards the decriminalization of non-violent drug crimes and the regulation of illegal drugs - 42Racialized Police Violence - Who it affects- Black communities live in constant fear of bodily harm in the hands of police officers
- Police abuse and brutality have been studied by criminologists
- A study by Scot Wortley about cases of police use of force brought to the Special Investigations Unit in 2006 showed that Black people face police violebce at a rate of more than 5 times that of white ppn
- Police violence and killings have little or no consequence for the officers - impunity
- Lack of independent trials, often employing ex-officers to investigate current officers
- Shoot-to-kill policies - 43Racialized Police Violence - Racialization of police violence, especially against Black ppl- Ontario, Black folks are 10 times more likely to be shot by the police
- 27% of all deaths caused by police force 34,5% of deaths caused by police shootings
- Make up 3.6% of the Ontario ppn - 44Racialized Police Violence - Justification- Invoking stereotypes about Black criminality and dangerousness
- This allegation is false: Black and white ppl have similar rates of criminal behaviour
- Most Blacks victimized by police use of force does not have criminal records
- Many situations of police brutality could have been de-escalated by other means - 45Racism in the Justice System and w/in Prisons - Discriminatory treatment- Racial disparities continue in judicial courts
- National data is unavailable, but researchers have found evidence of racial discrimination in the courthouses
- Blacks are more likely to be detained pre-trial, to have more restrictive bail conditions, lower parole grant rates, and to receive longer sentences
- Blacks are more liekly to be held in maximum-security institutions despite having a lower risk of re-offending - 46Racism in the Justice System and w/in Prisons - ImprisonmentPrisons have been populated w "those have been deemed disposable" (p.109) - prison as a warehouse for problematic ppns, "undesirables"
- 47Racism in the Justice System and w/in Prisons - Explosion of Black incarceration- 2005-15, Black federal prisoner ppn grew almost 70%, among the highest of any racial group
- In 2015, Black ppl were 3% of the ppn, and 9% of prisoners in federal prisons and, specifically in Alberta, 1.4% of the ppn, and 5% of prison admissions - 48Racism in the Justice System and w/in Prisons - Consequences of ImprisonmentImprisonment cause ppl to lose their jobs, become homeless and destitute, and face social stigma - impairs the possibility of resocialization and reintegration
- 49Racism in the Justice System and w/in Prisons - Racialized groups face disproportionate violence in prisonBlacks are 9% of the prison ppn, and almost 15% of reports for the use-of-force incidents in 2014
- 50Racism in the Justice System and w/in Prisons - Outside of CJSRacial discrimination also affects the access to health services and employment opportunities
- 51Racism in the Justice System and w/in Prisons - Isolation Practices- Black inmates are vulnerable to psychological harms caused by isolation practices
- High rate of Black inmates under solitary confinement
- WHO and UN Human Rights Council: Canada was denounced for the use of prolonged solitary confinement, which exacerbates health problems and harms the chances of rehab - compared to torture by the HR Council