Yesterday, the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published the findings of its review.
Responding to the report, Nina Champion, Director of the Criminal Justice Alliance, said:
‘Change is not possible without first admitting that there is a problem. It is deeply concerning that the Commission rejects the lived experience of so many Black, Asian and minority ethnic people and pays little attention to the mounting evidence of structural racism and discrimination embedded in the criminal justice system.
‘We do, however, welcome the Commission referring to good practice identified in our Stop and Scrutinise report and making recommendations to improve community scrutiny of policing. But we’re disappointed the Commission did not recommend that the government repeal section 60 stop and search, a highly discriminatory and ineffective power which harms communities and damages trust in the police.
‘Overall, the report represents a devastating missed opportunity, coming at a time when the government has just introduced a policing and sentencing bill which it admits will further deepen racial inequality in the criminal justice system.’
The CJA will work with members to respond more fully and formally to this report. The CJA will also continue its work on the new Bill and other areas to end the scourge of racial inequality in our criminal justice system and beyond.
