Black offenders in UK more likely to be jailed than Whites: Study

Black people in Britain are more likely to be sentenced to prison for certain categories of crimes than their white counterparts, an analysis has revealed.

According to a study conducted by The Guardian, black offenders were 44% more likely than white offenders to be sentenced for driving offences, 38% more likely to be imprisoned for public disorder or possession of a weapon and 27% more likely for drugs possession.

The study also showed that Asian offenders were 41% more likely to be sent to prison for drugs offences than their white counterparts and 19% more likely to go to jail for shoplifting.

The difference in racial sentencing between courts was also considerable, the report said.

Haringey magistrates court, which dealt with many of the Tottenham riot cases, sentenced 11 of the 54 black defendants for public disorder or weapons offences to prison, as compared to 5 of 73 white defendants.

While West London magistrates court sentenced 17 of 107 black defendents to jail, versus 21 of 237 who were white, meaning at that court black defendents were 79% more likely to be jailed, the report revealed.

According to the paper, differences in sentencing between ethnic groups have been a subject of academic contention for a while.

Some explanations suggest offenders from different ethnic minorities commit more serious offences in particular categories or have longer criminal histories, others speculate they could be indicative of prejudice in the criminal justice system.