Ethnic divide revealed over youth crime

CHILDREN from an ethnic minority are more likely to fall foul of the law in Birmingham than their white peers.

New data from the Ministry of Justice shows there were 283 white children aged between ten and 17 in the city who were given a caution or sentence in 2017/18. That works out as one in every 187 white children living in Birmingham, according to the latest population figures.

A further 396 black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) children were cautioned during the same period – or one in every 164 BAME children living in the city.

Sentences can include time in youth custody, community service orders, or fines.

Experts are calling on the government to implement a comprehensive “race strategy”.

The rates become even more skewed when looking at boys and girls specifically. One in every 33 boys of an ethnic minority in Birmingham was cautioned or sentenced in 2017/18.

That rate is nearly four times worse than the one in every 118 white boys also cautioned and sentenced in the same period.

The figures for girls tell a different story, with one in every 833 of an ethnic minority cautioned or sentenced. That is compared with one in every 498 white girls also cautioned or sentenced.

The findings come just a year after David Lammy’s review into the treatment and outcomes of people from an ethnic minority in the criminal justice system. The September 2017 report contained 35 recommendations to tackle ethnic disparities.

Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “To effectively tackle it we must look at the wider context including educational opportunities, role models and employment prospects. We know that the disjointed approach doesn’t work.”