Victims of Crime: The Criminal Justice System in the United Kingdom

Victims of Crime 1
The Criminal Justice System in the United Kingdom
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10th May 2019

Victims of Crime 2
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Background Study...........................................................................................................................3
Ethnicity and the United Kingdom Criminal Justice System..........................................................4
How law enforcement agencies and prosecution attorneys have failed victims of sexual assault. .6
Do victims of crime receive enough support?.................................................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................11
Articles, Books and Journals.....................................................................................................11
Legislation.................................................................................................................................11
Websites.....................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
The right to have a defense attorney has not been universal historically. In the United Kingdom
(England), treason suspects were not allowed to have a lawyer. Every country in the world is
troubled with problems in the criminal justice system. Biases and discrimination in terms of age,
ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status is a universal problem (Ponsaers and Devroe, 2012,
115-135). The defense and prosecution lawyers are subject to compromise by accused persons.
The police and witnesses have also fallen to the manipulative techniques of criminals. The
growing cases of manipulations within the criminal justice system have prompted research into
the matter that focuses on rooting out the evil culture. Inequalities and discrimination in the UK
criminal justice system that targets a specific group of people face several criticisms from the
public and concerned agencies. This essay seeks to uncover the discrimination based on a
victim’s identity (particularly ethnicity) in the UK criminal justice system, how the victims of
sexual assault have been let down during prosecutions and investigation, and the support given to
the victims.
Background Study
Criminal justice refers to the process where justice is delivered to criminals (those who have
engaged in crime. The government agencies and organizations tasked with identify and catching
criminals to inflict punishment are referred to as the criminal justice system (Rowe, 2012). The
aim of a criminal justice system is not only to punish offenders, but also to rehabilitate them,
prevent them from committing more crimes, and from giving moral support to those who have
suffered in the hands of criminals (victims) (Alexander, 2010, 272-277). The system consists of
three major parts: “
 Agencies in charge of enforcing the law (mostly the police)
 Courts (this consists of the prosecution and defense departments)
 Detainment and supervision agencies (prisons and probation services).”
The three institutions operate together in the maintenance of law in the society; the agencies are
distinct and independent from each other. The first step is law enforcement; the police
investigate a suspected crime, and the suspect is arrested (Llewellyn, Agu and Mercer, 2010). In
cases whereby the suspect is a national level threat such as a terrorist, a more creative agency

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takes over the situation. The second step is the court. Courts are avenues for settling disputes and
the administration of justice. The court has both professional and non-professionals who preside
over the administration of justice (Llewellyn, Agu and Mercer, 2010). The judge or magistrate is
a trained person who knows the law. He or she listens to the legal arguments provided by the
suspect’s and prosecution’s attorneys and provides the final decision. The prosecutor is a lawyer
tasked with tabling the charges and evidence against a suspect criminal or entity. However, the
prosecution act as the claimant’s attorney; he or she represents the state in a criminal proceeding
(Llewellyn, Agu and Mercer, 2010). The defense is made up of a qualified attorney who counsels
and stands up for the accused person.
Ethnicity and the United Kingdom Criminal Justice System
Ethnicity is the state of belonging to a particular group of people with specific cultural, religious
or racial traits (Alexander, 2010, 272-277). In the UK, the specific issue at hand is racial
discrimination in the CJS (criminal justice system). Historically, racial discrimination in the
UK’s CJS was rampant among the police. The police used the “sus law” which was a reference
term to “Section 4 of the Vagrancy Act” which was a racial discrimination tool (Rowe, 2012).
Britain’s police used “Section 4 of the Vagrancy Act” in 1824 to arrest innocent young men of a
particular color; no evidence was tabled before the court (Rowe, 2012). The law was used by the
police to justify the arrest of young black men who looked suspicious to them. The widespread
misuse of that law led to its removal in the 1970s. The law had given rise to mistrust between
Britain’s police and the black people in the country; it resulted in nationwide rioting in the 1980s
(Alexander, 2010, 272-277).
Media stations have also been instrumental in the social deconstruction of black communities
and terming them as “prone to crime” (Rowe, 2012). The media depicts “Black and Minority
Ethnic (BME)” communities as a social threat in society (Rowe, 2012). In the aftermath of the
“Milltown Disorder in 2001”, the media portrayed the Asian community as a rising threat to the
society and growing cases of crime. The Asian young men were reported to have several
criminal gangs that terrorized locals; something that was just cooked up by the media to