Lammy Review - Government Response
The Government’s response to the review by Rt Hon David Lammy MP into the treatment of BAME individuals in the criminal justice system.
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The Government has responded to the review of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people’s treatment and outcomes in the criminal justice system, outlining the actions it has taken or will take in relation to each recommendation.
The review, chaired by Rt Hon David Lammy MP, was commissioned by the Government in 2016 and published in September 2017.
The response has sought to respond directly to the problems that Lammy’s report identifies and his recommendations. As a key principle from the review, the Government has adopted “explain or change” as an approach to identify and objectively assess disparities, and then decide whether and how changes need to be applied.
In the response, the Government has committed to publishing more and better data on race and ethnicity, including on the working of the courts, victims and offender management.
On a small number of the recommendations the Government has indicated that it will proceed with caution, were significant barriers exist that prevent it from implementing a recommendation as it stands. Where this is the case, it will aim to be transparent about the reasons and open to change, as circumstances alter.
As part of the response the Government is announcing that it will set up a Race and Ethnicity Board with similar scope to David Lammy’s review. This will be chaired at the level of Director General within the Ministry of Justice and will monitor the implementation of recommendations as well as contributing to the Government’s wider work around tackling disparities recently highlighted by the work of the Race Disparity Unit and its innovative Ethnicity Facts and Figures.