Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what comparative assessment he has made of the number of young offenders of (a) BAME and (b) other ethnic groups who have been detained in youth custody in the last 8 years.

Nobody should face discrimination in the criminal justice system, or anywhere else. We have accepted the recommendations of the Lammy Review into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the criminal justice system and are committed to driving out discrimination wherever it exists.

Supplementary table 7.18 to the Youth Justice Annual Statistics contains comparative information on the average monthly youth custody population by region and ethnicity for those in custody during each year from 2012 to 2017. It relates to young people under 18:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/676069/youth_justice_statistics_2016_to_2017_supplementary_tables.zip

The Youth Custody Service has developed an Equality Plan which outlines a set of strategic objectives that are consistent with the aims of the Lammy Review to target disproportionality in youth custody. We will be commencing delivery of those objectives in due course.