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The Lammy Review will fail to explain why black people are far more frequently criminalised if it only starts at the Crown Prosecution Service stage, Will McMahon argues
The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies has responded to the announcement that the Prime Minister, David Cameron, has asked David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham, to lead a review into 'racial bias' in the criminal justice system.
The Centre's deputy director, Will McMahon said,
'This review is long overdue, as is the implied acknowledgement that racism and discrimination is a problem in the criminal justice system.'
On Friday, 29 January Chuka Umunna MP led a debate in parliament on gangs and youth violence in London where he referenced our recent report on Joint Enterprise, gangs and racism. Reflecting on the findings, he agreed the term 'gang' was problematic.
He said:
The disproportionate sentencing of young black men under the joint enterprise doctrine is part of a wider ethnic penalty they face in society, argues our Deputy Director Will McMahon
A new report by the Runnymede Trust brings together academics, practitioners and activists to examine the state of policing and its effects on black and minority ethnic communities in contemporary Britain.
Will McMahon highlights the embedded nature of racism. Reflecting on the US 'black lives matter' social movement, he argues the UK is yet to come to terms with the aftermath of colonialism.
Matt Ford brings together data highlighting areas of life where people are penalised for the colour of their skin.
It's common to hear people talk about how we now live in a ‘post-racial’ society, where merit and effort determine the extent to which people are able to meet their basic needs and achieve their potential. Indeed, this argument is often invoked to counter proponents of positive discrimination. Here I am going to use data to show that it isn't true.
Rebekah Delsol discusses profiling across the USA and Europe
Jules Holroyd discusses recent psychological findings and how better to understand the practice within institutional settings
