Equality and diversity: How do protected characteristics and socio-demographic differences impact upon interactions with the justice system? How can we better understand and account for population-level differences, experiences and inequalities in our policies, particularly for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals?

Background

The overarching themes that structure this ARI are closely linked, with several questions and issues that cut across them. Some extend beyond MoJ and reflect the interests of other government departments. We want to encourage research that is tangential across multiple objectives and outcomes to develop a holistic approach to analysis that supports policy and operational decision-making. This section outlines cross-cutting themes and approaches that can be considered across our research priorities.

Next steps

We can be contacted at the following email address: evidence_partnerships@justice.gov.uk.

Source

This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:

Areas of research interest

Related UKRI funded projects

  • An investigation into racial bias in court case outcomes in England and Wales

    Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) citizens in England and Wales are overrepresented at almost every stage within the criminal justice system, this is particularly so for black citizens. The primary aim of the propo...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Sheffield

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project investigates racial bias in court case outcomes and aims to increase understanding of racial disparities within the criminal justice system, which directly addresses the question.

  • Cumulative Disadvantage in the Criminal Justice System

    Criminal justice punishment is unequally distributed. The UK has the highest rates of imprisonment in Western Europe, where ethnic minority people in prisons make up 27 per cent of prisoners compared to 13 per cent of th...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: Plymouth University

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project directly addresses the impact of protected characteristics and socio-demographic differences on interactions with the justice system, particularly for BAME individuals.

  • Ethnic Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System

    Ethnic inequalities in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) are well-documented and widespread. The 2017 Lammy Review, commissioned by two UK governments, presented evidence of stark ethnic disparities at all stages of the ...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: Manchester Metropolitan University

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project aims to deepen understanding about ethnic inequalities in court practices and outcomes, which directly addresses the question.

  • Understanding the Intersections between Care Experience and Ethnicity in Criminal Justice Involvement

    Currently, the government does not know how many of its looked after children (for example, children who have lived in foster care or children's homes) become involved with the youth justice system, or how many of those ...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: Manchester Metropolitan University

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project addresses gaps in knowledge regarding the intersections between ethnicity and looked after status in offending and criminal justice involvement, which partially addresses the question.

  • Exploring the Nature of Ethnic Disparities in Sentencing through Causal Inference

    Few principles are more fundamental to a liberal society than equality under the law, and few public acts epitomise that principle more clearly than sentencing hearings. Understandably, the study of ethnic disparities in...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Leeds

  • Scoping the Future Law and Social Justice - Listening & Hearing from the Frontline

    Our proposal is for an eight-month scoping project to identify research priorities for the AHRC in the area of law and social justice, a broad field of study with diverse points of focus (UKRI, 2021). It explores the rol...

    Funded by: AHRC

    Lead research organisation: Nottingham Trent University

  • Sentencing and diversity: how do ethnicity and gender impact on the content and outcomes of sentences served in the community?

    The proposed project will improve our understanding of ethnicity and gender in relation to the requirements of community-based sanctions. Better understanding of these relationships has been identified as crucial by Her ...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Sheffield

  • How can we create a more just society with A.I.?

    Justice can be viewed as "objective" or mediated through power [Chomsky & Foucault, 1971; Costanza-Chock, 2018]. Finding commonalities across different legal and ethical frameworks [Floridi & Cowls, 201...

    Funded by: FLF

    Lead research organisation: The Open University

  • Runnymede Academic Fora: End Racism This Generation.

    The Runnymede Academic Forum has been established since 2005, as a space for knowledge exchange and collaboration between academics working on issues of race equality. The Forum forms part of the work of the Runnymede Tr...

    Funded by: AHRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Manchester

  • MoJ/ADR UK Data First Programme Academic Lead

    The Data First programme is a Ministry of Justice (MoJ)-led investment funded by Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK), part of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). This is a ground-breaking and pioneering...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: Nottingham Trent University

Similar ARIs from other organisations

Public services How can public services contribute to reducing the ethnic disparities identified by the Race Disparity Audit’s website Ethnicity Facts and Figures? Cabinet Office, 2019
See details
Performance and efficiency What does good design and delivery of local public services to better meet the needs of those from different ethnic backgrounds look like? Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, 2022
See details