TNAG-2156-FCO40-3076-International-Covenant-on-Civil-and-Political-Rights-(ICCPR)-1990 — Page 38

CCPR/C/58/Add.6 page 6

28.

It has been argued that sentences should be comprehensively monitored on a basis of ethnic origin in order to establish whether or not discrimination is in fact taking place. The Government believes, however, that comprehensive monitoring of sentencing on its own (even if it were practicable) would only add confusion and reinforce the prejudices which already exist. What is needed is a clear understanding of the way in which the system affects members of ethnic minority groups at each stage in the process, and the determination to ensure sensitivity and fairness and to create confidence at every point in the system.

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29. It is now accepted that all the operational services in England and Wales police, courts, prosecution, probation and prisons - need a clearly stated policy on race issues, a top management which is fully and publicly committed to it, and a structure and procedures for putting it into effect. The policy and procedures have to cover recruitment, training, the deployment of staff, the delivery of the service and a system for monitoring performance.

30. Comprehensive policies for dealing with all these issues are now being developed in each of the services. The prison service in England and Wales has a well developed system of accountability for race issues which operates at all levels in the system. The prison service's commitment to a policy of racial equality and to the elimination of racial discrimination is set out in a public policy statement issued in 1986 which has been disseminated widely to staff and others. Every prison has now appointed a race relations liaison officer and most now have a race relations management team. Training for new officers, refresher courses for existing staff and courses for certain specialists all contain a race relations element. New arrangements have been introduced to monitor the implementation of race relations policies.

31. The probation service also has a national statement of policy and a checklist on good practice, which area probation services are developing in their own local statements. The Metropolitan Police and some other police forces have written statements of the race relations policies and a national statement is being prepared. A similar statement has been circulated for discussion in the magistrates' courts service.

32. In Scotland, a report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland into conditions and arrangements for accommodating persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971 and members of ethnic minority groups was published on 5 July 1989. The Secretary of State for Scotland has accepted in principle its six main recommendations. A comprehensive policy statement on race relations within Scottish prisons is being drawn up. Guidance on other recommendations, relating to diet, information on prisoners' rights, complaints procedures and appointment of ethnic minority liaison officers, will be issued

soon as possible.

as

33. Progress in recruiting staff from the ethnic minorities is still disappointing. Most such staff are in the lower grades of their respective services, but the numbers are growing steadily both in the services themselves and in the range of voluntary activities which are associated with this system, for example as lay magistrates, or as members of executive or advisory committees of various kinds (see para. 367 below).