NCJ Number
206049
Date Published
2004
Length
113 pages
Annotation
This report presents statistical information about the representation of Black and minority ethnic groups as suspects, offenders, victims, and employees within the criminal justice system (CJS) of the United Kingdom.
Abstract
This report is one of a series that examines the representation of minority ethnic groups within the CJS of England and Wales. Following the introduction in chapter 1, chapter 2 reports on developments in ethnic monitoring within the CJS. While the CJS has been collecting collect information regarding ethnicity for the past 30 years, progress has slowed in recent years. Chapter 3 reports on victims and homicides, revealing racist incidents reported to police decreased 11 percent from 54,370 in 2001/02 to 48,525 in 2002/03. Chapter 4 presents information about race for those involved in “stop and searches” by police. Of the 869,164 “stop and searches” recorded by police in 2002/03, 14 percent involved Blacks, 7 percent involved Asians, and 1 percent involved individuals of “Other” ethnicity. Chapter 5 presents data concerning arrests and cautions. Of the 1,313,100 individuals arrested in 2002/03, 9 percent were Black, 5 percent were Asian, and 1 percent were individuals of “Other” ethnicity. Chapter 6 considers the ethnicity of those prosecuted and sentenced during 2002/03. Main findings show that 24 percent of Black and Asian defendants are prosecuted compared to only 14 percent of White defendants. Sentencing patters reveal a slightly higher use of custody for Black offenders. Chapter 7 reports on juvenile offenders and reveals that in 2002, 5.5 percent of juvenile offenders in contact with Youth Offending Teams were Black and 3.0 percent were Asian. Chapter 8 explains that there is not enough information to offer conclusive data on race from the National Probation Service. Chapter 9 offers data on ethnicity within prisons and reports that as of June 30, 2002, 22 percent of the prison population was Black or other minority. Chapter 10 reviews police complaints; 8 percent of complaints of police were made by Black individuals and 5 percent by Asian individuals. Chapter 11 reports on deaths in custody, revealing that 16 of the 104 recorded death in custody during 2002/03 were of Black offenders. Finally, chapter 12 reports that 2.9 percent of police officers within the Police Service in 2002/03 were Black or individuals of other ethnicity. Tables, appendix