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UK: Blacks more than five times likely to be imprisoned in UK
22-05-2009
London, (IRNA): Black people are more than five times likely to be imprisoned in the UK than others, Justice Minister Lord Bach has revealed.
Prisoners classified as Black or Black British represent 11.1 per cent of the jail population in England and Wales compared to just 2.2 per cent of the general population.
In a written parliamentary reply published Friday, Bach also listed Asian or Asian British being disproportionally put in prison, making up 5.3 per cent of the total prisoners in comparison with 4.4 per cent of the country’s population.
Those of mixed race were also nearly three times more likely to be in jail, representing 3.2 per cent of the prison population compared with 1.3 per cent of the general population, while Chinese and other ethnic minorities were far less likely to be jailed.
The white population makes up 91.3 per cent of the population in England and Wales but 80.1 per cent of those imprisoned, according to the figures based on the known ethnicity of those aged over 15 in jail since the end of June last year.
Previous figures have shown that a disproportionate number of Black people and those from minority ethnic groups in prison have died as a result of excessive force, restraint or serious medical neglect.
According to Inquest support group, in 2007 alone Black and Minority Ethnic deaths made up 19 per cent of all deaths in prison in England and Wales.
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