Ethnic minority suspects given priority for bail

From the Telegraph

Ethnic minority criminal suspects are being given priority by judges considering bail under new two-tier justice guidelines drawn up by the Ministry of Justice.

Judges and magistrates have been told they should “prioritise” the cases of ethnic minorities, women and transgender suspects because they may be at “disproportionately higher risk” of being remanded into custody.

The guidance also advises judges to take account of trauma suffered by suspects whose relatives experienced racism or discrimination, and cites “important historical events which may have had a greater impact on those from specific groups and cultures”.

Judges are urged to consider “additional support” and reports on such groups in deciding whether to free people on bail or detain them, according to guidance issued by the Ministry of Justice in January for courts and probation staff.

The document, seen by The Telegraph, is likely to inflame the row over two-tier justice sparked by sentencing guidelines due to take effect on Tuesday. They require judges to consider an offender’s racial, cultural and religious background when deciding whether to impose a custodial or community punishment.

The Sentencing Council, which drew up the controversial guidelines, has refused to bow to demands by Sir Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, to ditch them on the basis that they would lead to offenders being treated differently according to their ethnicity.

This week, Ms Mahmood is expected to introduce emergency legislation to “surgically” block the guidelines and announce that she will consider new laws to reform the role and powers of the council.

But the bail guidance, issued by her department and HM Prison and Probation Service, which is part of the Ministry of Justice, suggests the controversy over two-tier justice runs far deeper than sentencing.

Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: “Labour tried to hoodwink the public that they opposed ‘two-tier justice’, but this proves they are peddling it. From bail through to sentencing, Two-Tier Keir is presiding over a justice system determined to treat ethnic minorities more leniently.

“Instead of equality before the law, the Justice Secretary’s department believes in cultural relativism. This is a flagrant attack on the rule of law, and will put the British public at risk.”

This is the natural progression of work that has been going on for over 20 years, which can be traced since that day in 2004 when Tony Blair abolished the honest Lord Chancellor’s Department overnight, sacked his former pupik master Lord Irvine and put his former flatmate Lord Falconer in charge as Lord Chancellor with orders to abolish his ancient role. It couldn’t be abolished but was relegated to a sub role of the overtly political and grandious Secretary of State for Justice, taken first by Jack Straw then by a series of career politicians moved about at will during every cabinet reshuffle. 

I was ‘retired’ in 2008 in what was disguised as cost-cutting but was really to increase diversity. Retire or give redundancy to the British (mostly white) honest and capable old-school officials to be replaced by cheap malleable youngsters recruited according to diversity principles. Even before I left I had got used inured to being the only white woman in the tube carriage, the only white person in the hospital waiting room, and now I was starting to notice that at times white officials were outnumbered in the office lift, or the canteen tables. 

In 2008 it was noticable that the department was being run by Muslims and black women. 

The only section that wasn’t ‘culled’ in that sweep (that I saw) was the one responsible for recruitment of the judiciary. One official had a nice little number travelling round the country talking to legal groups and encouraging ‘minorities’ to apply for the judical posts. Many a disillusioned solicitor applied to be an Immigration judge or a tribunal member. Good steady wage and kudos back home – “My grandson the judge in England!”

And now we have it. And so entrenched that even a Muslim woman Lord Chancellor who has realised it is too blatant can’t easily stop it.

It won’t end well.

Scales are falling from eyes.  Southport proved that.