BAME
Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic
This is a collaborative project, bringing together key agencies with the aim of improving relationships between Criminal Justice System agencies and BAME offenders in order to encourage reform and increase trust in the system. It will improve support for BAME offenders in the community, particularly with young offenders and care leavers; and ensure the needs of BAME offenders are recognised, understood and met at all stages of the criminal justice process.
An independent review into the treatment of, and outcomes for BAME individuals in the Criminal Justice System found that BAME individuals make up over a quarter of prisoners compared to the wider prison population of England and Wales. They make up a disproportionate amount of Crown Court defendants and those who are found guilty are more likely to receive a custodial sentence than white offenders. Fewer young people are offending, reoffending and entering custody, however the proportion of BAME youth offenders has risen significantly over the last decade.
In response to the review, the aim is to signal a cultural change around race disparity by building a fairer system in which every group and individual can have confidence.
