When Theresa May became prime minister in July 2016, she placed fighting “burning injustice” at the heart of her vision to put the “union” back into the politics of the Conservative and Unionist party. Among a litany of examples of such injustices, she included: “If you’re black, you’re treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you’re white.”
Meanwhile, the Labour MP David Lammy was conducting a landmark review of the treatment of and outcomes for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BME) individuals in the criminal justice system. At that time around 40% of inmates in youth jails – young offender institutions (YOIs) and secure training centres (STCs) – were from BME backgrounds, a figure Lammy felt was shockingly high.
On Tuesday it emerged that the situation had worsened: now 51% of inmates in YOIs identified as being from a BME background – nearly four times the 14% BME proportion in the wider UK population.
Observatoire International de Justice Juvénile (OIJJ). Fondation Belge d'utilité Publique
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