Minister criticize “two -stage” changes in convictions in England and Wales | Great Britain criminal justice

Minister have criticized plans to make the ethnic background of the criminals a greater factor in finding whether they should be detained and said they had given a “two -stage system” of justice.

Sarah Jones, the industry minister, said the government was against the guidelines published on Wednesday by the State Council for England and Wales, an independent weapon length.

The instructions that aim to combat prejudices and reduce the revival places more emphasis on the need for reports before abandonment, contain the details of the background, the motifs and personal life of the perpetrator before the conviction.

As part of the change that would come into force on April 1, judges and judges would be asked to consult a report before leaving before he found whether someone should lock an ethnic or religious minority as well as young adults, abuse and pregnant women.

At the moment, ethnic black and minorities are overrepresented in almost all phases of the criminal justice process in England and Wales and are more frequently imprisoned and receive longer punishments than whites.

When asked about the new guidelines for LBC radio, Jones said: “We do not agree to this decision. I think it is really important in the country that people trust the judicial system that we have, and that means that they don't have a two -stage system, it has to be fair, it must be the same, and therefore we asked you to think about this instruction again. “

Shabana Mahmood, the Minister of Justice, said overnight that she would write to the court council to “register my displeasure and reverse this change to the instructions”.

She added: “As someone who comes from an ethnic minority, I do not stand for different treatment before the law for anyone. “

The note from the ministers on “two -stage justice” will pull up the eyebrows. The term “two-stage Keir” was used by critics, including Elon Musk, to accuse the Prime Minister, to pursue a disproportionately difficult approach to the rights and anti-immigration randaliers after the stinging of Southport.

Robert Jenrick, the secretary of the shadow justice, also emphasized the guidelines and said that he was concerned that they described a “general approach”, in which women and ethnic minorities are less likely to receive prison terms.

“These conviction guidelines are pursuing a flat-rate approach,” Jenrick told the BBC Radio 4. “Today's program.” You say if you are a woman if you are a trans diversum if you are an ethnic minority if you are someone out of a minority belief group … Then the judge is obliged to hire a report before concerns, a report that is in many cases to be less punishable leads. “

In conversation with Times Radio, Jenrick said that under the changes “essentially Christian and straight white men among other groups are treated differently than the rest of society”.

The consultation process in the convictions ended last February, while the conservatives were still in the government. An earlier version of the guidelines published last spring was criticized by the then Minister of Justice Alex Chalk as a “patronized”.

Jones said Sky News that “Minister was not told or part of the decision -making process for it”.

“We have to have a fair justice system. Everyone has to be treated immediately. We must not have two -stage judicial systems … I don't think someone would not agree with it. So we ask the conviction council to deal again according to these instructions that you can get out. “

Some of the instructions are aimed at stopping pregnant criminals, or mothers of children under one year that are detained. After the latest official data, there were 215 pregnant women in English prisons between April 2023 and March 2024, and in the same period 53 children were born as for mothers.