1. Social Inequality in the USA Crime

2. “ …all men are created equal…” Do you agree with this statement? Note your thoughts in your jotter. If you know any examples of inequality note them down.

3. Crime and Justice Everyone is meant to be equal before the law and is entitled to a fair trial. However many argue this is not the case. Poorer people find it very hard to get representation in court – lawyers are very expensive. There is concern that the different racial groups in the US are not treated equally by the legal system. Black and Hispanics feel that they face discrimination and prejudice from the police and courts.

4. Inequality in Crime….  In the states where the death penalty is used (e.g. Texas, poor black men are more likely to be executed).  Blacks and hispanics are also more likely to be the victims of crime as most crime is concentrated in the inner-cities where they live.  Racial hate crimes are also a problem – anti-black is the most common racial motivation, accounting for 30% of all hate crimes reported.

5. More Blacks are in prison compared to Whites. In 2008 Blacks made up 38% of the prison population while White was 34% Black people are imprisoned 6 times the rate of White people and are 4.5 times more likely to get the death penalty than White people. Many ethnic minorities live in the ghettos where there are high crime rates, a lot of gang culture, violence, drug abuse and homicides

6. Death row The ethnicity and gender of the persons under sentence of death in 2012: 1358 White 1319 Black 390 Hispanic 34 Native American 44 Asian 1 of unknown race 63 women

7. Family Structure Married Couples Lone ParentOther White66.5%15.6%17.9% Black37.8%46.4%15.8% Hispanic59.5%31.1%19.4% API72.3%16%11.7% Some argue that lack of family structure leads to crime. Often said Black youths lack positive male role models, boys more likely to join a gang. Gang issues tend to be over drugs, and territorial issues.

8. Questions Explain, why so ghettos suffer greater crime problems than vanilla suburbs. Explain, why many Blacks are concerned with their treatment within the USA justice system

9. Questions Some areas of the USA suffer badly from crime problems. Explain, in detail, why some areas of the USA suffer badly from crime problems. 6 marks