THE LAMMY REVIEW

WHAT IS THE LAMMY REVIEW?

The Lammy Review is "an independent review into the treatment of, and outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the criminal justice system". It was conducted by David Lammy MP over the course of 18 months, and was published in September 2017. 

Commissioned to "make recommendations for improvement with the ultimate aim of reducing the proportion of BAME offenders in the criminal justice system", Lammy proposes 35 recommendations for addressing the racial disparity prevalent in the criminal justice system in England and Wales.

Recommendations

The 35 recommendations can be found on pages 7-9 of the Lammy Review, but a press release accompanying the report lists some of the most notable:

- "The Crown Prosecution Service should revisit its approach to gang prosecutions, including reviewing its role in protecting vulnerable children and women who are often coerced into gang activity.

- The government should set a national target to achieve a representative judiciary and magistracy by 2025.

- The prison governors should ensure Use of Force Committees are not ethnically homogeneous, with consequences for officers misusing force on more than one occasion.

- The Prison Service should set public targets for moving a cadre of BAME staff through into leadership positions over the next 5 years.

- A new approach should be agreed to record and publish ethnicity data."

KEY THEMES

In the open letter to the Prime Minister which accompanies the publication, Lammy describes its 3 key themes; the need to improve scrutiny, trust and responsibility.

Scrutiny of the CJS is necessary because it improves "equitable decision-making" and "allows for bad decisions to be corrected if there is a problem". 

On trust, Lammy explains how "the CJS has a trust deficit with BAME communities and it is causing problems" such as creating an "atmosphere of ‘us’ and ‘them’" with "many BAME men and women believing they are actively discriminated against".

Responsibility is the third, in particular concerning "the role of the adults in the lives of children" caught up in the CJS. He argues youth justice should be "much more rooted in local communities" especially in those where "BAME children are being drawn into street crime”.

In summary

On his recommendations as a whole, Lammy wrote:

"My review clearly shows BAME individuals still face bias - including overt discrimination - in parts of the justice system. It is only through delivering fairness, rebuilding trust, and sharing responsibility that we will build the equal and just society so often spoken about. As the Prime Minister said, if you’re black, you’re treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you’re white. Now is the time to stop talking and take action."

He emphasises the need to take a holistic approach to the issues raised in the review, urging communities to "take greater responsibility for the care and development of their people" if we are to see change at all levels of society.

"I do not believe that all the causes of BAME overrepresentation lie in the CJS, or that all the answers do either. Prisons may be walled off from society, but they are products of it."

Impact

Since 2017 the Government have released follow up reports outlining what action has been taken, the latest is from 2020. Some recommendations have seen progress, others were not accepted. But, overall, not much has changed. In fact, in March 2019, to the Justice Committee, Lammy stated that in many respects "things have got worse since completion of the review".

Lammy is still working hard to ensure the Government does not forget the findings of the review. He recently spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, challenging the Prime Minister’s response to the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd by the police in the US. Following the PM's plan for a new inequality commission, Lammy reminded listeners that there have already been plenty of reports and recommendations; now is the time for action not more research.

“I made 35 specific recommendations in the Lammy review [into the treatment of BAME individuals in the criminal justice system]. Implement them."

what next?

Read the Lammy Review in full on the Government website to learn about the specifics of race disproportionality in the UK's criminal justice system.

Write to the Ministry of Justice asking how many of Lammy's recommendations they have put in place.

Take part in local community initiatives that promote racial equality and justice, donating to them where possible or by volunteering time, in particular those that are concerned with improving opportunities for young people.

Follow @DavidLammy MP on Twitter — he is still working hard to ensure the government do not forget the findings of his review and continues to work for racial justice in his work.