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
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 (It replaced the version published and withdrawn on 30 March 2006, and followed a full check on all the data included.)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 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
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 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
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
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
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