Page 102 - JUSTICE Tackling Racial Injustice - Children and the Youth Justice System

mechanisms do not have a specific focus on race. As such, we recommend
that the CPS should place a specific focus on decisions concerning BAME
suspects within its internal scrutiny mechanism, particularly with regard
to charging decisions where evidence from the GVM is considered.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

• The police should embed independent navigators in custody suites which
receive high numbers of BAME children;
• Barristers and solicitors who represent children and young adults should
be recognised for their specialism, and required to undertake training. The
Legal Aid Agency must better remunerate such lawyers to reflect the
specialist expertise required for competent practice;
• If bail is refused at the first hearing, a child should be remanded to local
authority accommodation (rather than youth detention accommodation),
and the court should be provided with a refined and bespoke bail package
within 14 days. Where a bail package fails to provide secure
accommodation, magistrates should require social services to attend court
to explain why;
• All complaints relating to children should automatically meet the
threshold for an Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation; and
• The College of Policing’s Guidance on Community Scrutiny Panels
should become mandatory, combined with the establishment of a national
oversight body for Community Scrutiny Panels.

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