Study suggests race variation in jail sentences

The results from the Guardian’s analysis of court records this weekend aren’t really surprising.

The paper's analysis of over more than a million court records found that offenders from ethnic minorities were more likely than their white counterparts to be sentenced to prison for certain categories of crime such as driving offences, possession of a weapon and drugs possession.

According to the results, it found that Black offenders were 44 percent more likely than white offenders to be sentenced for driving offences and 38 percent more likely to be imprisoned for public disorder or possession of a weapon while Asian offenders were 41 percent more likely to be sent to prison for drugs offence.

According to Frances Done, chair of the Youth Justice Board, the disproportionality seems to be getting worse. There is already a mistrust of the justice system amongst the Black and Minority Ethnic communities, who say there is a difference in sentencing between different groups.

This has been a subject of academic debate for a long time with some people suggesting that offenders from certain ethnic minorities commit more serious offences or have longer criminal histories while campaigners say prejudice exists in the criminal justice system.

To read the full report in the Guardian, click here.