Disproportionate Sentencing of BAME Women

London: Double Disadvantage’ of Gender Inequality and Racism: Calls will be made to end disproportionate custodial sentencing of marginalised BAME women from a coalition of experts to tackle ‘persistent racism and gender inequality’ in the criminal justice system. Five years on from David Lammy’s review into race and the criminal justice system, campaigning groups comprising Agenda, Women in Prison, Hibiscus, Muslim Women in Prison,  Zahid Mubarek Trust, Criminal Justice Alliance and Women in Prison will launch a 10-point action plan calling for reforms to ‘stamp out systemic biases’ and publish data on racial disparities in women’s contact with the criminal justice system.

‘Too-often ignored, women face the “double disadvantage” of gender inequality and racism when they encounter the criminal justice system,’ the coalition argues. ‘This stops them from getting the support they need both within the system and when they try to rebuild their lives outside, leaving them at risk of reoffending.’ The groups call on the government to ensure use of diversion and out of court disposals and ‘end the use of disproportionate custodial sentencing and remands’ for BAME and migrant women; train criminal justice staff on culture, ethnicity, race, faith, gender and anti-racism; and recruit Black, Asian, minoritized and migrant women with lived experience of the CJS to become peer mentors.

Read more: Jon Robins, Justice Gap, https://rb.gy/crkzgs