Young black people and the juvenile justice system1

This article presents selected findings of a recent study on young black people and the juvenile justice system. The main aim was to discover how statutory and voluntary agencies have responded to recent concerns over the inequitable position of young black people within the system. The findings show that while some progress has been made in the areas of ethnic monitoring and anti‐racist practice in ‘Alternative to Custody’ schemes, the implementation of such practices has been patchy and regional variations are evident. A ‘colour‐blind’ philosophy was found to be largely responsible for the failure to introduce anti‐racist practices. Further findings relate to the employment practices of agencies within the juvenile justice system, where a general lack of commitment to the implementation of equal opportunities policies was found. Disillusion was apparent among black workers in the system about aspects of their employment and the allocation of resources. Recommendations made by the study include the implementation of ethnic monitoring and equal opportunities practice and the employment of ethnic minority liaison officers. Notes Here ‘black’ refers to Asian and Afro‐Caribbean young people. However, in general the issue of young black people and the juvenile justice system has predominately been associated with Afro‐Caribbean people

Criminology · Economic Justice · Ethnic group · Juvenile · Political science · Sociology · Statutory law · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Education Discipline and Inequality · Gender Studies · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law

• There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack

  Paul Gilroy•There Ain't No Black in the Union…•2013

  Add to list