Stuart Hall - Policing the crisis

'Black Muggers' in London

In the 1970s Britain faced an economic crisis and a hegemony crisis. Before the 1970s there was and 'inter-class truce' (as per Hall) this was where there was little conflict between the ruling and working class as the conditions of living were relatively good. But when unemployment rose and living conditons were bad the inter-class truce became a threat. The ruling class could no longer govern consent of the people. People began to challenge the state which led to the state using force to get back the consent from the public.This is where black mugging came in. Mugging was presented as a symbol of the breakdown of law ans order. Violence was a threat to the stability of society and it was the black mugger that who was the epitiome of the treat of violence.

The black muggers crisis was considered a moral panic because the situation was exaggerated by creating false figures,129% was the said to be the increase in muggings in London in the last 4 years by the Home Sec. in the House of Commons. Hall makes the point that Mugging is not a legal crime so therefore the Home Sec. could not operaionalise and accurately measure how much mugging had really taken place. Hall could see no evidence in the…