Effect of Social Class on Criminal Justice

• Social class, generally defined by factors like income, education level, and occupation, can significantly influence experiences within the criminal justice system.
• Those from a lower social class may be more likely to engage in crime due to factors such as financial stress, lack of opportunities, or limited social resources.
• In contrast, individuals from higher social classes might engage in white-collar crime or corporate crime, which often goes undetected or unpunished.
• This can lead to a class bias where the working-class are overrepresented in crime statistics and the criminal justice system.
• Some sociologists argue that laws are often designed to protect the interests of the upper classes, indirectly criminalising the less privileged.
• Research also suggests that individuals of lower social classes may be more likely to receive harsher punishments, be denied bail, or be wrongfully convicted.

Effect of Gender on Criminal Justice

• Gender plays a significant role in criminal behaviour and the treatment of individuals within the criminal justice system.
• Men are more likely than women to commit and be convicted of crime, a tendency reflected in both crime statistics and prison populations.
• Crimes committed by men are often more visible and more likely to be reported, while women's involvement in crime may be hidden or underestimated.
• Chivalry thesis suggests that the criminal justice system tends to be lenient towards women because of societal attitudes about female behaviour.
• On the contrary, the double deviance theory argues that women who commit crimes are doubly deviant and stigmatised – once for breaking the law and again for breaking gender norms.
• The nature and extent of gender bias in the criminal justice system is a subject of ongoing debate among sociologists and criminologists.

Effect of Ethnicity on Criminal Justice

• Ethnicity influences crime rates and the treatment of individuals within the criminal justice system.
• Racial disparity can be seen in crime statistics, with certain ethnic minorities being overly represented in convictions and the prison population.
• This may result from a range of factors including socio-economic status, geographical location, family structures, or cultural factors.
• There are concerns about racial bias or discrimination in the criminal justice system, from police tactics to court decisions.
• Institutional racism is a significant issue, where structures and practices within the justice system disadvantage ethnic minorities.
• Some sociologists argue that the criminal justice system, consciously or not, may perpetuate racial stereotypes, influencing how crime is defined and who is labelled as criminal.