Treatment of, and Outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Individuals in the Criminal Justice System Independent Review

(asked on 29th June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Tackling Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System: 2020 Update, published in February 2020, what recent assessment he has made of the degree of implementation of Lammy Review recommendations (a) 28 and (b) 29 in private prisons in England and Wales.


Answered by
Alex Chalk Portrait
Alex Chalk
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
This question was answered on 7th July 2020

The Government is committed to advancing each recommendation of the Review in some way. Where a recommendation cannot be implemented in full or exactly as set out, alternative approaches have been sought to achieve the same aim. The Government’s response has also identified actions going beyond the Review’s recommendations. Progress on recommendations and additional actions, and decisions on other areas of disparity where the principle of “explain or change” needs to apply, are overseen by a CJS Race and Ethnicity Board. The Board was created in response to the Review.

The Government provided a detailed public update on progress against each of the 35 recommendations of the Lammy Review, and the other related activities, in February 2020 in the “Tackling racial disparity in the Criminal Justice System” update: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-racial-disparity-in-the-criminal-justice-system-2020.

Private prison providers are conscious of the importance of a representative work force. Local demographics are individual to each establishment depending on their location. Providers continue to consider BAME opportunities in recruitment drives and onsite race and diversity committees are consulted in relation to BAME issues. As with all report recommendations, the controller teams on site, who manage performance at each privately managed prison, continue to monitor the progress of provider action in this area.

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