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BAME children are disproportionately remanded to custody and some of the children remanded to custody,...

Recommendation
BAME children are disproportionately remanded to custody and some of the children remanded to custody, will not then go on to receive a custodial sentence. The Youth Justice Board should update the Committee on the findings of their commissioned research. We agree with Transform Justice, that the disproportionate use of remand has not satisfactorily been explained, and we recommend that the Ministry of Justice provide an explanation of why the levels of BAME children being remanded to custody are disproportionately high. This explanation should include comparative data on the numbers of BAME children and other pleading guilty and differences in the types of offences of which BAME children and others are accused, in particular where they are likely to result in remand in custody. The Ministry should also set out the steps it is taking to prevent unconscious bias in decision-making. (Paragraph 83) Youth Courts and Sentencing
Government Response

A response document is linked to this report, dated 10 February 2021. Response attribution to this recommendation has not been verified. Read the response document.

Addressee Bodies
Ministry of Justice
Timeline
Recommendation age 5.8 yrs
Report published 12 Nov 2020