Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Archives | Criminal Justice Alliance

Odds stacked against us: A film by the Criminal Justice Alliance

criminaljusticealliance — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 10:38:02 +0000

Odds Stacked Against Us explores the cumulative disadvantage that has built up for Black, Asian and racially minoritised communities over years of discriminatory criminal justice policies and practices being introduced; stop and search is just one of many. Through interviews with academics, charity campaigners, public service workers and people with lived experience, the film explores different policies within policing and the wider justice system that disproportionately impact racially minoritised people, and calls on the Government for action. It was produced alongside an academic toolkit to measure and reduce the impact of these policies. It contains material of a sensitive nature, including racism, discrimination and police violence.

This film contains material of a sensitive nature, including racism, discrimination and police violence.

Film made by Lilka Szerszynska
Directed by Hannah Pittaway and Kenya Lamb
Voice over by Lilka Szerszynska
Spoken word introduction by George the Poet
Stephen Lawrence footage provided by The Open University
Special thanks to the Baring Foundation for funding the CJA’s Tackling Racial Inequality Project.
Acknowledgements: Emmanuelle Andrews, Liberty Katrina Ffrench, UNJUST CIC Kenya Lamb, The Criminal Justice Alliance Leroy Logan MBE, Reallity Security Solutions Saqib Deshmukh, Alliance for Youth Justice Jun Pang, Liberty Tyrell Davis-Douglin, The Hope Collective.

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The Tackling Racial Inequality Toolkit: Empowering Civil Society

criminaljusticealliance — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 13:01:05 +0000

This toolkit sets out the ways in which CSOs can identify and challenge racially discriminatory criminal justice policies using the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). The toolkit will support organisations to feel confident in working with lawyers and how to take preliminary steps prior to a legal challenge. By building the confidence of CSOs in challenging public bodies through this practical toolkit, we hope this will increase transparency and accountability of public bodies, ultimately improving adherence to the PSED and reducing racial inequalities in the criminal justice system.

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What is in the toolkit?

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The toolkit is made up of five individual guides, which help demystify the language and processes that CSOs may face when challenging a public bodies’ lack of adherence to the PSED.

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The guides also contain case studies of recent successes where CSOs have challenged criminal justice policies based on a public bodies’ lack of adherence to the PSED. Examples include the historical case that led to the removal of the Metropolitan Police’s Gangs Matrix database that targeted young Black men, led by UNJUST and Liberty and the successful challenge of South Wales Police’s facial recognition technology on the basis that there was a risk that the software might indirectly discriminate against individuals on the basis of race and sex.

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National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing’s draft Police Race Action Plan response

criminaljusticealliance — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 13:22:13 +0000

In this response to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing (CoP)’s Police Race Action Plan, we welcome the commitment of the police to becoming an anti-racist police service that is trusted by Black people, and the positive direction set out in the Plan. However, we have also highlighted our overall and fundamental concerns that the Plan overlooks key areas that would improve policing for Black people, such as a specific focus on improving Black detainees’ experiences of police custody and addressing Black women and girls’ experiences of policing. We also state that the Plan’s ambitions are undermined by recent policy decisions to extend some police powers that disproportionately affect Black people. Our members are also concerned that the plan has not been co-produced with Black communities.

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Towards Race Equality

criminaljusticealliance — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 23:01:46 +0000

In this report, we explore the effectiveness of independent monitoring boards (IMBs) at monitoring outcomes for Black, Asian and minority ethnic women in prison. We surveyed IMB Chairs and board members with responsibility for monitoring equalities issues in prisons holding women. We found some examples of IMBs assisting in improving conditions for and treatment of Black, Asian and minority ethnic women. However, there are still key challenges for Board members to effectively monitor outcomes for women from minority ethnic backgrounds, such as cultural and language barriers, inconsistent equalities data and the limited resources and expertise of IMBs.

This report is part of a three-part collaborative project, Towards Race Equality, between the CJA and IMBs.

Report 1 outlines the findings of over 260 survey responses from Black, Asian and minority ethnic women, including Gypsy, Roma and Traveller women and foreign nationals, held in prison about their experiences.

Report 2 outlines the challenges that equality staff working in prisons holding women face, and the solutions they have implemented in their respective prisons.

The Executive Summary of the Towards Race Equality project contains our overarching conclusions and 26 recommendations for urgent change.

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10 ways the PCSC Bill will entrench racial inequality in the criminal justice system

jamie.morrell — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 14:45:31 +0000

This joint briefing from a coalition of criminal justice organisations outlines how 10 clauses in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will deepen racial inequality in the criminal justice system, and without evidence that they will reduce crime or improve public safety. We draw on the government’s own equality assessments, which acknowledge that most of the provisions reviewed in this briefing are indirectly discriminatory. We also highlight the government’s lack of evidence that they are a ‘proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim’ and the lack of sufficient mitigation of their impact on Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

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Government response to open letter on PCSC Bill

jamie.morrell — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 09:22:49 +0000

In March, the CJA and a coalition of organisations wrote to the Prime Minister, warning that the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will deepen existing racial inequality in the criminal justice system, leading to more Black, Asian and minority ethnic people being swept into the criminal justice system for ever increasing periods of their lives. We have now received a response from the government.

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How the PCSC Bill will entrench racial disparity

jamie.morrell — Thu, 20 May 2021 13:40:34 +0000

This briefing from a coalition of criminal justice and race equality organisations explores how the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill could deepen racial inequality in the criminal justice system. It analyses the equality impact assessments behind the Bill, and calls for the government to withdraw the discriminatory measures and launch a proper public consultation.

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Response from Ministry of Justice on policing and sentencing bill

jamie.morrell — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 12:26:31 +0000

We wrote to the Ministry of Justice in March, setting out our concerns that the government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will deepen racial inequality in the criminal justice system and asking for further details on how the government has assessed the disproportionate impact of the legislation. We have received a response from the justice secretary providing more detail.

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Unequal Impact: COVID-19 and the impact on people with protected

jamie.morrell — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 14:32:50 +0000

In this briefing for the Women and Equalities Select Committee, the CJA discusses the impact of COVID-19 on those with protected characteristics within the criminal justice system.

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Public Safety, Public Trust

jamie.morrell — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 09:21:32 +0000

Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) play a crucial role in tackling crime, addressing the needs of their communities, and ensuring the justice system is fair and effective. In this role, PCCs can stimulate local innovative practice, bring together organisations and individuals from across the criminal justice system to make these initiatives a success and make substantial change to the lives of people affected by crime.

This document highlights some of the main challenges facing the criminal justice system and provides practical innovative solutions that prospective PCCs could include in their manifestos for the 2020 elections.

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