Gilroy's explanation of crime among young black people

Feelings of alienation and anger

Young Black boys often feel disconnected from mainstream society due to everyday experiences of racism in a predominantly white environment. This alienation is compounded when they learn about historical injustices, such as slavery and colonialism, which were carried out by white societies. As a result, they may become frustrated with the capitalist system that perpetuates these inequalities.

Crime as protest and resistance

Gilroy argues that crimes committed by these young people are not random acts but forms of protest against a racist capitalist society. For example, street disorders, like those seen in a major city in 2011, are seen as political uprisings rather than mere riots. This occurs because they represent collective anger against systemic oppression.

Revolutionary intent

Other types of crime, such as theft or vandalism, are viewed as revolutionary acts intended to challenge and eventually overthrow white domination. Gilroy describes the police as a mostly white force that acts like an invading military, occupying Black communities and enforcing control.

Stuart Hall's views on media and moral panics

Stereotyping and the criminal underclass

Hall claims that the mass media, which often serves the interests of the capitalist class, portrays working-class and Black people as part of a dangerous criminal underclass.

Creation of moral panics

By exaggerating threats from these groups, the media generates moral panics, leading to calls for stronger government action. As a result, these panics justify introducing more laws and increasing police presence to control them.

Evaluating neo-Marxist theories of crime

Strengths of neo-Marxism

Neo-Marxists argue that some crimes are indeed political and aimed at changing society.

Examples of political crimes:

• Terrorism - The Irish Republican Army (IRA) undertook actions to achieve a united Ireland and remove British control from Northern Ireland.
• Religious extremism - Groups like ISIS aim to establish a caliphate – a religious state – through violent actions.

Weaknesses and criticisms

Victim patterns do not match the theory:

• Neo-Marxism suggests that crimes by working-class or Black youth target the powerful, such as the rich or white people, as acts of rebellion. However, evidence shows otherwise.
• The main victims of working-class crimes are often other working-class individuals.
• Crimes committed by young Black people primarily affect other Black people, not the middle or upper classes or white communities.
• This undermines the idea of crime as targeted protest against oppressors.

Not all crimes are political:

• Many serious offences, such as murder, rape, and child abuse, cannot easily be framed as revolutionary or political acts.
• These crimes often stem from personal motives rather than a desire to challenge societal wrongs, making it hard to apply neo-Marxist explanations universally.