Wales is taking the next step in its mission to build a truly anti-racist criminal justice system, with newly commissioned research outlining the realities faced by women, children and young people from ethnically diverse backgrounds and setting out practical recommendations for change.
The findings, published in the Racial Disparity in Pre-Court Diversion Report, highlight several factors contributing to the under-representation of ethnic minority people receiving Out of Court Resolutions, which means they may go on to receive heavier sentences. The research was carried out by Mark Jones, Director at Higher Plain and Honorary / Visiting Professor at Swansea University and University South Wales and reveals possible causes for racial disparity in accessing the criminal justice system, such as a lack of trust in the justice system and the need for more culturally competent services. It also calls for a nationally agreed model of anti-racist, trauma-informed practice across Wales. The report, which provides recommendations on how criminal justice agencies can work to increase the proportion of ethnic minority people accessing diversionary opportunities, builds on the Criminal Justice Anti-Racism Action Plan for Wales (2022), which is all part of a wider cross-government push to create an Anti-Racist Wales by 2030.
These new approaches aim to reduce the impact and trauma of arrest, promote restorative justice, and help individuals make positive life choices around education, employment, and wellbeing.
