NCJ Number
70789
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 20 Issue: 3 Dated: (July 1980) Pages: 276-288
Date Published
1980
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Results are reported from a British study designed to determine the offenses for which arrests are made at football events, the characteristics of such offenders, and the characteristics of such offenders compared to a control group convicted of the same offenses, but not at games.
Abstract
Data were gathered on 652 offenses committed at football games in the metropolitan police (London, England) area from 1974 to 1976. The offenses were matched with a control sample of the same offenses (410 cases) committed in other contexts during the same period in the same area. Results showed that the use of threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behavior with intent to cause a breach of the peace, or whereby a breach of the peace may occur, was the most common offense for which arrests were made in football crowd disorders. Nearly all offenses were committed by males, with the mean average age of those arrested being 19 years. More than two-thirds of the offenses were committed by manual workers; the majority of the offenses were committed by persons without previous convictions. In the control sample, the proportion of females and manual workers was lower, the age of the offenders higher, and the proportion of persons with previous convictions higher. The popular image of 'football hooligans' being juvenile vandals was not supported, since most of those arrested were young adults who had not actually committed criminal damage or assault. Results give some support to the hypothesis that people in crowds commit offenses they would not commit in isolation; further, the theory that crowd behavior has a measure of internal control is also apparently supported. It could be argued, however, that the high proportion of offenses of using proportion of offenses of assault and property damage are due to the inhibiting presence of police at the games and prompt police intervention at a stage before threatening behavior produces criminal damage or assault. Tabular data, footnotes and six references are provided.