Using a critical race theory (CRT) framework, this paper analyses Black and Black mixed- race people’s experiences of reporting crime. It is based on qualitative interviews with 20 participants. The analysis finds that the process of becoming the (un)victim is mediated through the intersection of race with gender and masculinity, class and migrant status. Ultimately, Black and Black mixed-race men are the ‘ideal offender’ rather than the ‘ideal victim’ (Christie, 1986). The research finds that the (un)victim experiences racial re-victimization and develops an altered perception of the police as a trusted body. The racialized affect of being the (un)victim is greater than the effects of minor crime on the victim. The challenges that this poses to the relationship between Black communities and the police are explored and the implications for future practice discussed.
This chapter argues for the necessity of intersectional analyses of Black women's experiences of criminal justice in the UK. Black women are over-represented in policing and the criminal justice system and are more likely to be victimized than White women; however, there is a dearth of evidence about their experiences. Through an intersectional analysis of the evidence pertaining to Black women's experiences of policing, victimization and imprisonment, this chapter shows that racialized and gendered constructions of Black masculinity and femininity shape criminal justice responses to Black women both as suspects and victims. In some contexts, Black women can mitigate the excesses of contemporary criminal (in)justice through displaying respectability aligned to desirable [White] femininity. Nevertheless, when Black women are poor, 'angry' or criminal, they embody, like the Black man, the ultimate criminal threat and are subject to the excesses of White criminal (in)justice.
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