5th November 2020
A thematic review of Minority ethnic prisoners’ experiences of rehabilitation and release planning has been published by HM Inspectorate of Prisons.
The report found that black and minority ethnic groups (“BME”) are greatly overrepresented in the prison population in England and Wales, amounting to 27% of the prison population but only 13% of the general (outside prison) population as of March 2020. Specifically, those who identify as black account for 3% of the general population but 13% of adult prisoners.
Previous reports and research have displayed that BME prisoners have more negative experiences in prison and less faith in the justice system than other prisoners.
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) prisoners are also greatly overrepresented. While their experiences are still included in this report, issues with identification made it difficult to locate any extensive amount of GRT prisoners to interview.
Key findings:
Recommendations:
Read Minority ethnic prisoners’ experiences of rehabilitation and release planning on the HM Inspectorate website here.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.