Black, Asian defendants more likely to be jailed in UK, says study

An official analysis has suggested that Black and ethnic minority defendants are more likely to be jailed for some crimes than whites.

Researchers have found that for every 100 white women handed custodial sentences at crown courts for drug offences, 227 black women were given prison terms and for black men, the figure was 141 for every 100 white men, reports the Nation.

Among those found guilty at crown courts in 2014, the study found that 112 black men were given a custodial punishment for every 100 white men. And of those convicted at magistrates' courts for sexual offences, 208 black men and 193 Asian men received jail terms for every 100 white men.

The findings were outlined in a study compiled for a landmark review into race and the criminal justice system ordered by former British Prime Minister David Cameron earlier this year.

Labour MP David Lammy, who is leading the probe, said: "These emerging findings raise difficult questions about whether ethnic minority communities are getting a fair deal in our justice system."

"We need to fully understand why, for example, ethnic minority defendants are more likely to receive prison sentences than white defendants. These are complex issues and I will dig deeper to in the coming months to establish whether bias is a factor."

According to the study, Black women were about 25 percent more likely than white women to be sent to prison at crown court - while custodial sentencing was proportionate for all other black, Asian and minority ethnic women (BAME).

However, Black men were greater than three times more likely to be arrested than white men and BAME men were more likely than white men to be remanded in custody.

The study finds that in prisons, BAME males are almost five times more likely to be housed in high security for public order offences than white men.