Black Children in London Face Higher Charges
(MENAFN) Black minors held by law enforcement in London are 15 percent more prone than white minors to be formally prosecuted and enter the legal system for comparable infractions, according to fresh findings.
The research, commissioned by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) and carried out with support from the Behavioral Insights Team and the Metropolitan Police, examined statistics over a seven-year span.
The study covered close to 265,000 minors and adolescents who interacted with police in London between 2015 and 2022.
“Diversion” – a substitute for traditional legal action aimed at minors who have committed less severe or initial offences, or who are unlikely to commit crimes again – has been found to lessen the chance of repeat offences.
This recent evaluation by the YEF further supports this claim, indicating that the percentage of repeat offences within half a year was nearly cut in half among those diverted (dropping from 8.2 percent to 4.5 percent).
Among minors engaged in violent acts, the recurrence of crime fell by 59.8 percent, and for those connected to knife-related crimes, the decline was 70 percent.
“These results do not demonstrate conclusively that being diverted causes a reduction in reoffending,” the report cautioned, “but this nonetheless adds to the growing body of evidence about the likely effectiveness of diversion as a way of preventing violence.”
Nonetheless, despite these encouraging statistics, the report reveals serious concerns about how diversion is actually implemented.
It emphasizes that results vary widely depending on a child’s geographic location, past involvement with law enforcement – and their racial background.
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