Confidence in the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales: A Test of Ethnic Effects

Abstract

Ethnic minorities in England and Wales have a long history of difficult relationship with the Criminal Justice System (CJS). Yet, despite the availability of appropriate British Crime Survey (BCS) data, very few studies have examined the views of ethnic minorities of the CJS in England and Wales. Existing British research often oversimplifies the relationship by treating Black Minority Ethnic (BME) groups as interchangeable or failing to assess indirect effects. Moreover, most existing research focuses on public perceptions of the police, neglecting views on the wider CJS. This study remedies these deficiencies by employing recent (2001—2007) BCS data to independently examine the factors associated with views of the CJS for three general ethnicities (Asian, Black, and White). The results indicate that distinct combinations of factors influence respondent assessments of the CJS for each ethnic group. For instance, many perceived area-level disorder problems wield significant influence over views of only some ethnicities but not others. Likewise, level and type of contact with the CJS, such as being arrested versus being the accused in court, wield different impact on respondent perceptions of the CJS depending upon their ethnic group. Such results suggest that the various BME groups not only view the CJS differently from each other but also that a unique array of factors influences those views for each ethnicity. The implications of these findings for policy and research are discussed.