Georgia Barnett is a psychologist and researcher, and partner at KTA Research and Consulting who specialise in bringing evidence into criminal justice practice. Georgia worked for HMPPS for 22 years, and spent the last 10 years working in the HMPPS Evidence-Based Practice Team. Georgia has written a series of shorts blogs for T2A, providing a snapshot of the young adult evidence base.

People from ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented at all points of contact with the criminal justice system and this is most pronounced among children and young adults.¹

What do young adults from ethnic minorities tell us about their experience in prisons and with probation services?

Research capturing the voices of black and ethnic minority people in prisons and on probation in England and Wales tells us that:

• Young adult men have more negative experiences of prisons and have poorer well-being in prison compared to older prisoners; young black men report the worst experience of all young adults.²
• In a 2020 study, young black men with experience of the justice system felt the decisions made about them did not feel appropriate, and that authority figures assumed they were involved in gangs. They said their behaviour was often interpreted as aggressive, and they were offered fewer opportunities for rehabilitation compared to their white peers in prison.³
• Young black men reported a range of barriers to accessing care and support in prison, for example, being more likely to be perceived as dangerous than white men, which also meant they were more likely to have force used against them.⁴
• In a report published by HMI Probation in 2021, many ethnic minority people on probation did not feel that probation staff had a good understanding of their culture, religion, heritage or experiences and were reluctant to enter discussion about these issues or discuss their experiences of racism and discrimination.⁵
• The same HMIP report found that young adults from Gypsy, Roma, or Traveller (GRT) ethnic groups face distinct challenges in the criminal justice system and are routinely misidentified in prison.⁶ GRT prisoners reported needing more help to stay in contact with friends and family when in custody than prisoners from other backgrounds.⁷
• Female prisoners from GRT communities were more likely than other female prisoners to have complex needs, to experience bullying/victimisation from other prisoners and were more likely to report feeling unsafe.⁸

What can we do to improve the experience and outcomes of young adults from ethnic minorities?

There isn’t much evaluation of interventions and services for people from ethnic minorities in prison and probation settings. In a small study of a prison-based personality disorder service, young black and minority ethnic men identified several barriers to engagement with the service.⁹ Many had a concern that others – peers, family, and staff – would think badly of them for engaging with the service. The young men felt that their unique needs would not be fully understood by staff working there, a view that was influenced by negative experiences of contact with other services. The young men said that peer encouragement, staff investment in relationships with ethnic minority prisoners, and being offered choice within the service, would help improve their experience.

More recently, a report by Spark Inside, based on interviews with young adult prisoners, made a number of suggestions for better responding to the needs of young black men in custody including:

• Recognition by staff of the different backgrounds, cultures, inequalities and experiences (including experiences of racism and discrimination) of young black men.
• Making sure young black men have a voice and are heard in custody.
• A focus on identity, to help build a positive, prosocial sense of self and challenge negative perceptions linked to race, culture, faith and masculinity.
• Using black-led or black specialist organisations to deliver services and support to this group.¹⁰

1. David Lammy MP (2017). The Lammy Review. UK Government. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lammy-review-final-report ↩︎
2. Spark Inside (2023). Being Well, Being Equal. BWBE Report Final V.2 – DIGITAL Spreads REDUCED 21-02_1.pdf (sparkinside.org) ↩︎
3. Leaders Unlocked. (2020). Young Adult Advisors On Criminal Justice: Hearing from Young Adults in the Criminal Justice System. Available at: http://leaders-unlocked.org/luwp/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/YoungAdvisorsonCriminalJustice_final-pdf.pdf ↩︎
4. Spark Inside. (2023). Being Well, Being Equal: Prioritising the wellbeing of young men and young Black men in the criminal justice system. Barrow Cadbury Trust. Available at: https://barrowcadbury.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/BWBE-Report-Final-V.2-DIGITAL-Spreads-REDUCED-21-02-1.pdf ↩︎
5. HMIP (2021). Race equality in probation: the experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic probation service users and staff. Race equality in probation: the experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic probation service users and staff (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk) ↩︎
6. HMIP (2020). Minority Ethnic Prisoners’ Experience of Rehabilitation and Release Planning. Minority ethnic prisoners’ experiences of rehabilitation and release planning: A thematic review by HM Inspectorate of Prisons (October 2020) (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk) ↩︎
7. Ibid. ↩︎
8. HMIP (2020). Minority Ethnic Prisoners’ Experience of Rehabilitation and Release Planning. Minority ethnic prisoners’ experiences of rehabilitation and release planning: A thematic review by HM Inspectorate of Prisons (October 2020) (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk) ↩︎
9. Hunter, S., Craig, E. and Shaw, J. (2018). “Give it a Try”: experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic young men in a prison-based offender personality disorder service. Journal of forensic practice. Vol 21. No 1. pp. 14-26 ↩︎
10. Spark Inside (2023). Being Well, Being Equal: Prioritising the wellbeing of young men and young Black men in the criminal justice system. Barrow Cadbury Trust. Available at: https://barrowcadbury.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/BWBE-Report-Final-V.2-DIGITAL-Spreads-REDUCED-21-02-1.pdf ↩︎

Young Adult Evidence Snapshot

What does research tell us about building positive relationships with young adults?

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