Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 22
22
Accepted
When asked about its plans, the Home Office acknowledged that nobody should be targeted by...
Recommendation
When asked about its plans, the Home Office acknowledged that nobody should be targeted by the police on the basis of their ethnicity, or any other factor linked to their background. It told us that it works with communities to make sure that communities have a framework for scrutinising the use of police powers where “that would be useful and necessary”.58 The Ministry of Justice told us that it is working to reduce disparities by improving the clarity of decisions about whether to remand someone in custody ahead of their trial, and increasing the legal advice that children are provided when in police custody. It also said that it is pushing to ensure that local partnerships have the data they need to understand local disparities and are acting locally to address these.59 When asked about whether it felt confident it had the resources to address the issue, the Ministry of Justice told us the complexity of the issues causing the disproportionality, and the need for action across many different policy areas, makes it difficult to guarantee success.60 Data sharing
Government Response Summary
The Ministry of Justice and Home Office will provide an analysis of the over-representation of ethnic minority children in custody and the steps government is taking to address it within six months.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6: PAC conclusion: The Ministry of Justice and Home Office seem to lack curiosity about the increase in the proportion of children from ethnic minority background in youth custody and appear to have no current plan to address the situation. 6: PAC recommendation: Ministry of Justice and Home Office should report back within six months on what they understand about ‘what works’, and what action they will take to understand why ethnic minority children make up over half of all children in custody. They should also set out how they will use the understanding to address the issues. 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target Implementation date: August 2023 6.2 The Ministry of Justice and Home Office recognise concerns about the over- representation of children from ethnic minority backgrounds in the criminal justice system and are working alongside Government partners and other stakeholders to address these disparities. 6.3 Both departments will update the Committee within six months with an analysis of the issue and the steps that government are taking to address the over-representation of ethnic minority children in custody.