Report finds black offenders less likely to receive mentoring to help them avoid getting criminal record at early age
Black children detained by police are 15% more likely to be “criminalised”, that is charged and put into the criminal justice system, than white children detained for similar types of offences, a study has found.
The report by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF), which tackles youth violence, found that black children were 14.8% less likely to be offered diversion, which can include mentoring or counselling, that usually results in them avoiding getting a criminal record at an early age.
The authors of the study say they have taken into account the seriousness and prior offending record, and are thus comparing like with like. The racial gap pointed to “systemic inequities”, the report said.
The study examined almost 265,000 records of children aged 10 to 17 who were arrested by the Metropolitan police in London, or where a decision was made to take further action after a stop and search.
