NCJ Number
213636
Date Published
2006
Length
19 pages
Annotation
Based on findings from a national survey of 483 Black and Asian male probationers in Great Britain, this chapter examines the extent of economic, educational, and geographic exclusion they had experienced, as well as their attitudes toward the criminal justice system.
Abstract
Regarding economic exclusion, 69.2 percent of respondents were receiving welfare benefits, and 3.6 percent had no source of income, less than one-fourth reported that employment wages were their main source of income. Many of the respondents blamed racial discrimination in the job market for their employment status and unemployment. Almost half of the respondents reported negative experiences in school. Black-African respondents were significantly more likely to give positive accounts of school compared with all other ethnic groups; however, only 25 percent of Black-Caribbean and Black "other" probationers reported positive schooling experiences. It is reasonable to assume that negative experiences in school lead to truancy and low educational achievement, followed by unemployment and possible future offending. The low number of probationers with no fixed address suggested homelessness and geographic isolation. Those who did have housing lived in poor, inner city, crime-ridden areas. Most perceived that their treatment by criminal justice agencies had been generally fair, with the exception of the police. Examples of unfair treatment included being treated with less respect and more harshly compared to their White counterparts. 7 tables and 60 references