1. 05 June 2008 Equal Respect? Asbos and ethnic minorities Equal respect? ASBOs and Ethnic Minorities Sarah Isal Senior Research and Policy Analyst Runnymede Trust

2. Equal Respect? Asbos and ethnic minorities This presentation Background, aims & methodology Findings Recommendations Follow-up since publication

3. Equal Respect? Asbos and ethnic minorities Project background and aims Earlier research on racist violence prevention Are ASBOs used/useful to tackle racial harassment? Are ASBOs served disproportionately to ethnic minorities?

4. Equal Respect? Asbos and ethnic minorities Methodology Focus on 6 Criminal Justice Areas: Greater London Greater Manchester Leicestershire Thames Valley West Midlands West Yorkshire Survey Questionnaire aimed to collect data on: Number of ASBOs served and where Recipients of ASBOs by racial, ethnic and religious origin, gender and age Behaviour for which ASBOs were served 24 Interviews with practitioners

5. Equal Respect? Asbos and ethnic minorities Findings on ASBOs and Racial Harassment Information on the use of ASBOs to deal with racial harassment NOT monitored at central level and rarely or inconsistently at local level Hard to single out the racist element of the behaviour that might have led to the ASBO Support for using ASBOs in cases of racial harassment generally came from those that support the use of ASBOs for a wide range of behaviours ASBO seen as an alternative to failing criminal justice system unable to deal robustly with racism Lack of monitoring and data makes it hard to support the use of ASBOs in dealing with racial harassment

6. Equal Respect? Asbos and ethnic minorities Findings on Impact of ASBOs on Ethnic Minorities No central government figures on ethnicity of ASBO recipients Inconsistent monitoring at local level. Why? Agencies applying for the ASBO did not think the information is required of them by central government Technical barriers to the monitoring

7. Equal Respect? Asbos and ethnic minorities Recommendations A thorough general review of ASBOs Guidance to Local Authorities on ethnic monitoring of ASBOs Improved data collection to determine the ethnicity of ASBO recipients.

8. Equal Respect? Asbos and ethnic minorities What impact? Reluctance to act on the recommendations from the ASB Unit “Government should provide a breakdown of the application of ASBOs and fixed penalty notices to different ethnic groups.” Home Affairs Select Committee Report Recommendation

9. Equal Respect? Asbos and ethnic minorities THANK YOU For more information or copies of the report: Tel: 020 7377 9222 s.isal@runnymedetrust.org www.runnymedetrust.org