Lammy Review starts uncomfortable but important conversation
As a black child growing up in one of the poorest parts of west London, I witnessed first-hand the daily struggles of minority communities, and the impact of over-policing and bias in the criminal justice system. I watched as many of my peers fell victim to the cycle of poverty, crime and mistreatment by a […]
After the Lammy Review: Gypsies, Roma and Irish Travellers in the justice system
David Lammy’s review offered a rare and welcome focus on the experiences of Gypsies, Roma and Irish Travellers (GRT). Too often, this group – which suffers extreme disadvantage across a range of outcomes – has been overlooked. Yet at the same time, the Lammy Review suggests that Gypsies, Roma and Travellers are over represented in […]
How are different ethnicities treated?
‘Ethnicity Facts and Figures’ is a government website designed to challenge society to ‘explain or change’ disparities in how people from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds are treated. It contains statistics covering more than 130 topics in areas including the criminal justice system, health, education, and employment. The website will be a permanent resource, […]
The State of Youth Justice 2017
The National Association for Youth Justice has published ‘The State of Youth Justice 2017’, a report which discusses the changes in the youth justice system since the publication of the Taylor review in December 2016. It offers an overview of the latest available data on youth crime, alongside how those statistics could be interpreted and […]
Use of stop and search
No respect: Young BAME men, the police and stop and search is a Criminal Justice Alliance report investigating the use of stop and search in England and Wales, using existing data and information from consultation with young black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people. It finds that BAME people are now three times more likely to […]
Conservative’s speech on prisons and the voluntary sector
Secretary of State for Justice David Lidington’s full speech from the Conservative party conference is online. In the speech, he emphasised that prisons should be places of rehabilitation, introduced new security measures to prevent drugs entering prions and announced a £64 million investment into the Youth Justice estate. He officially launched the New Futures Network […]
Ensuring race doesn’t slip back down the criminal justice agenda
Clinks has published a blog following roundtable events they hosted at both the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences to discuss the Lammy Review’s findings and recommendations. The first blog in the series provides a brief overview of what was discussed and key points of consensus across the two meetings. Read it here
Disproportionality for young black males most evident at arrest stage
Exploratory analysis of the youth secure estate by BAME groups, published by the Ministry of Justice, was commissioned by the Lammy Review of outcomes for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people in the criminal justice system. It explores factors that may explain the high proportion of young black people in youth custody. The analysis […]
Punishment in custody disproportionately affecting BAME prisoners
The Howard League for Penal Reform has published a report looking at the use of additional days of imprisonment as punishment for behavioural issues in prison. It finds that the number of additional days given as punishment increased by 34% from 2015 to 2016 and shows that use of additional days disproportionately affects children, young […]
Family ties at the heart of prison reform
In September 2016 Lord Farmer, in partnership with the membership charity Clinks, was commissioned by the government to investigate how connecting prisoners with their families can improve offender wellbeing, assist in keeping the public safe and reduce reoffending. The findings were published in August 2017, and found that close ties between prisoners and key family members […]
Prison health
Public Health England has published its Annual Review 2016/17. It provides some of the current data and evidence in relation to key public health concerns in our prison population including infectious diseases, substance use, and mental health needs. It has a focus on the fastest growing population in prison- older people (aged 50 and over). […]
The role of sport in criminal justice
The Ministry of Justice has commissioned Professor Rosie Meek (Royal Holloway University of London) to lead a review into sport in criminal justice. The review includes a consultation to gauge public opinion on the importance of the role of sport in rehabilitation and resettlement – the online consultation is now open. The review aims to […]