Analysis alone won't fix ethnic disparity in the justice system, but to move the dial, we need to work from the evidence, not around it.
Last year we found that fewer young adults (18–24) are reaching court for serious offences than before, but those who do are facing tougher outcomes. Prosecutions of White young adults have fallen faster than for other groups, and Black young adults are still the most likely to be given custodial sentences.
Behind the decline, published today, looks at what's driving these trends and what real reform could look like.
Speaking today, report author and our Policy and Research Manager, Dr Liat Tuv said:
Many will rightly note that the issues identified in this report are far from new – they have even been the subject of successive government reviews, from Corston to Lammy. Given this well-trodden ground, the report focuses on how disparity is produced (and reproduced) to work out what measures are needed to make a lasting change.
This report is intended as a starting point to engage with the already-existing and important efforts to tackle disparity across the sector.
If you're working in this area, we'd love to hear from you.
We are grateful to the Transition to Adulthood Alliance, convened by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, for supporting this work.
