An article examined the way magistrates from ethnic minority backgrounds experienced the court environment and their role within it. Most of those interviewed had not encountered racist attitudes or behaviour in their dealings with fellow magistrates: but a substantial minority (28 per cent) had perceived instances of racism. 4 magistrates (out of 128) believed that they had been subject to unequal treatment at the institutional level.
Source: Gwynn Davis and Julie Vennard, 'Racism in court: the experience of ethnic minority magistrates', Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, Volume 45 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Dec
The number of defendants to charges of racially or religiously aggravated offences increased by 28 per cent between 2004-05 and 2005-06 - from 5,788 to 7,430.
Source: Racist and Religious Incident Monitoring: Annual Report 2005-2006, Crown Prosecution Service (020 7796 8000)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Dec
A study examined the possible value and usefulness of anti-social behaviour orders in tackling racial harassment; and their potential or actual negative impacts on black and minority ethnic groups. It said that data on ASBO recipients (and ASBOs generally) was not monitored, making it impossible to investigate whether black and minority ethnic communities were disproportionately represented in the numbers served with an ASBO.
Source: Sarah Isal, Equal Respect: ASBOs and race equality, Runnymede Trust (020 7377 9222)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Nov
The prosecution service inspectorate examined equality and diversity in employment practice. It said that 'steady progress' had been made in developing the culture of the CPS to one that positively embraced all sections of the community.
Source: Equalities Driving Justice, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (020 7210 1197)
Links: Report | Summary | HMCPSI press release
Date: 2006-Nov
An annual report summarized the most recent statistics available on race and criminal justice. (It replaced the version published and withdrawn on 30 March 2006, and followed a full check on all the data included.) Progress continued to be made in relation to the proportion of staff from black and minority ethnic groups working in the criminal justice system: but other areas remain largely unchanged, with BME groups continuing to be disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system.
Source: Batool Reza and Christine Magill, Race and the Criminal Justice System: An overview to the complete statistics 2004 2005, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Nov
A report examined black and minority ethnic groups experiences of crime and racially motivated crimes, and compared them with those of the white population. There were no differences in the overall risk of victimization between ethnic groups, with the exception that people from a mixed ethnic group (29 per cent) were at higher risk of victimization than white people (24 per cent).
Source: Krista Jansson, Black and Minority Ethnic Groups Experiences and Perceptions of Crime, Racially Motivated Crime and the Police: Findings from the 2004/05 British Crime Survey, Online Report 25/06, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Oct
The government published its response to the recommendations of an official inquiry report into the murder of a young Asian prisoner (Zahid Mubarek) by a racist cellmate.
Source: Zahid Mubarek Inquiry: The Government s Full Response to the Report, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Response | Report part 1 | Report part 2 | Personnel Today report
Date: 2006-Sep
A briefing paper said that two-thirds of black and ethnic minority prison staff felt that institutional racism was a problem in their workplace.
Source: Experiences of Minority Ethnic Employees in Prisons, Prison Reform Trust (020 7251 5070)
Links: Briefing | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Sep
A report examined the experience and support needs of people who suffered attacks because of their ethnic origin or sexual orientation. 'Hate crime' victims suffered major damage to the quality of their life, including the loss of their home or business due to arson or vandalism, and deterioration of emotional well-being.
Source: Crime and Prejudice: The support needs of victims of hate crime, Victim Support (020 7735 9166)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Aug
An article examined the messages about hate crime sent to perpetrators, and people from their local communities, by the category of 'racially aggravated offences'. It said that the supposedly clear deterrent and denunciatory messages contained in the 1998 Act were either drowned out or distorted by other signals coming from successive Labour governments about crime, immigration, nationality and community cohesion .
Source: Bill Dixon and David Gadd, 'Getting the message? New Labour and the criminalization of hate', Criminology and Criminal Justice, Volume 6 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jul
A taskforce report examined concerns about the way in which racist crimes were prosecuted. Although the report identified a number of gaps and failings in the system, it said that there had been "substantial progress" in the investigation and prosecution of both racist and religious crimes.
Source: Report of the Race for Justice Taskforce, Office for Criminal Justice Reform (cjsonline@cjit.gsi.gov.uk)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jun
An official inquiry report said that the murder of Asian prisoner Zahid Mubarek by a racist cellmate at Feltham Young Offenders' Institution could have been prevented. It criticized the prison service for "a bewildering catalogue" of failings; and it called on the Home Office to consider whether it should recognize a new concept of "institutional religious intolerance".
Source: Report of the Zahid Mubarek Inquiry, HC 1082, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report part 1 | Report part 2 | Statement by Inquiry Chairman | Hansard | HLPR press release | INQUEST press release | MHF press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Times report
Date: 2006-Jun
Three linked reports examined young black people's experiences of the criminal justice system. Young black people experienced racism after coming into contact with criminal justice agencies. But some agencies - particularly youth offending team workers - were generally trusted.
Source: David Wilson and Gwyther Rees (eds.), Just Justice: A study into black young people s experiences of the youth justice system, Children s Society (020 7841 4415) | Douglas Sharpe, Serve and Protect?: Black young people s experiences of policing in the community, Children s Society | David Wilson and Sharon Moore, Playing the Game : The experiences of young black men in custody, Children s Society
Links: Just Justice | Serve and Protect | Playing the Game | Children's Society press release | Young People Now report
Date: 2006-Mar
An article examined the main findings of a survey of black, Asian and mixed-heritage men supervised by the probation service in 2001-2003. Minority ethnic offenders in the sample had received the same community sentences as white offenders guilty of more serious offences.
Source: Adam Calverley et al., 'Black and Asian probationers: implications of the Home Office study', Probation Journal, Volume 53 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Mar
An article examined the extent to which prisoners viewed race relations in prison as problematic. Ethnic minority prisoners tended to rate the quality of race relations in prison more poorly than their white counterparts. Large proportions among all ethnic minority groups felt that they were subject to unfair treatment compared to the white majority.
Source: Leonidas Cheliotis and Alison Liebling, 'Race matters in British prisons: towards a research agenda', British Journal of Criminology, Volume 46 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Mar
The number of racially motivated crimes recorded by police in England and Wales went up by 12 per cent to 59,257 in 2004-05. Black people were six times more likely to be stopped and searched in the street by the police than white people.
Source: Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System - 2005: A Home Office publication under section 95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report | Hansard | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Mar
A study examined the attitudes to policing of people within black and minority ethnic communities in Northern Ireland. Perceptions were mostly favourable: over half of respondents regarded the police as helpful, acceptable, professional, and there for their protection. But respondents who had had contact with the police were more likely to say the police were racist.
Source: Katy Radford, Jennifer Betts and Malcolm Ostermeyer, Policing, Accountability and the Black and Minority Ethnic Communities in Northern Ireland, Institute for Conflict Research (028 9074 2682)
Links: Report | Police Ombudsman press release
Date: 2006-Feb
The Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 was given Royal assent. The Act provided for a new offence of incitement to religious hatred - applying where threatening words or behaviour were used by someone who intended to stir up hatred against a group of people defined by reference to religious belief or lack of religious belief.
Source: Racial and Religious Hatred Act, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act | MCB press release
Date: 2006-Feb
An annual report said that the number of women and people from minority ethnic groups appointed as judges and tribunal members in England and Wales had continued to rise. Between 1 April 2004 and 30 September 2005, 549 appointments had been made, of which 37 per cent were to women and 12 per cent to people from ethnic minorities.
Source: Judicial Appointments 7th Annual Report 2004-2005, Department for Constitutional Affairs (020 7210 8500)
Links: Report | DCA press release
Date: 2006-Jan
A literature review examined the experiences and outcomes of tribunal hearings from the perspective of tribunal users. It was designed specifically to establish whether black and minority ethnic users experienced any direct or indirect disadvantage in accessing and using tribunal services.
Source: Hazel Genn, Ben Lever, Lauren Gray with Nigel Balmer, Tribunals for Diverse Users, Department for Constitutional Affairs (020 7210 8500)
Date: 2006-Jan
A report said that action was needed to tackle the over-representation of people from black and minority-ethnic communities in the criminal justice system. Efforts to divert and rehabilitate offenders with mental health problems needed to be appropriate to the needs of people from black and minority-ethnic communities.
Source: Less Equal Than Others: Ethnic minorities and the criminal justice system, Race for Justice (01904 673970)
Links: Report | SCMH press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jan
A paper (written by the Minister for the police) said that police forces were doing good work to aid minority-ethnic recruitment, retention, and progression in the police – with minority-ethnic officer representation in the police service doubling over the previous ten years. But there was still more to do, and it made a series of detailed recommendations for action.
Source: Vernon Coaker MP (Minister of State for Police, Security and Community Safety), Policing Minister's Assessment of Minority Ethnic Recruitment, Retention and Progression in the Police Service, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Paper | Hansard | Home Office press release | ACPO press release | Police Federation press release | People Management report
Date: 2006-Jan
A report examined ways in which the Gypsy and Traveller communities could be more engaged to improve policing performance.
Source: John Coxhead, Moving Forward, Active Citizenship Centre/Home Office (duncan.prime@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan