Page 36 - JUSTICE Tackling Racial Injustice - Children and the Youth Justice System

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lower) than those who do not participate in the scheme. Importantly, victim
satisfaction also seems to be higher than traditional prosecution, due to the
focus on preventing reoffending. This trend has been found in similar
97
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schemes.
Although only available to adults, we are aware of an MoJ pilot, ‘Chance 2
Change’, based on the experience from Checkpoint, in the MPS’ North East
Basic Command Unit and West Yorkshire. We therefore see no reason why
best practice and positive findings from this programme cannot be deployed
more widely for similar schemes aimed at children.

Violent Crime

2.30 Stop and search is also used in anticipation of serious violence – particularly
99
where Black boys and young men are concerned. For instance, stop and
search under section 60 – which does not require any reasonable suspicion on
the part of the police to stop an individual – is regularly deployed at the Notting
Hill Carnival, purportedly in response to an increased risk of knife crime at the
event. In the year ending March 2019, the power was used 13,175 100 times and
in the year ending March 2020 it was used 18,081 times. 101 This increase was
driven by the MPS, who accounted for over 63% of section 60 stops.
102
Moreover, in 2019, Black people were 40 times more likely to be stopped and

96 K. Weir, G. Routledge, S.Kilili, ‘Checkpoint: An Innovative Programme to Navigate People Away
from the Cycle of Reoffending: Implementation Phase Evaluation’, Policing: A Journal of Policy and
Practice, 2019.
97 House of Lords Debate, Offender Management: Checkpoint Programme, Lord Bates, column 339.
98 Centre for Justice Innovation, ‘Briefing – Pre-court diversion for adults: an evidence briefing’, 2019,
p. 7.
99 S. Cushion, K. Moore and J. Jewell, Media representations of Black young men and boys, Report of
the Reach media monitoring project, (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2011).
100 Home Office ‘Police powers and procedures, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2019’,
(October 2019), p.1.
101 Home Office ‘Police powers and procedures, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2020’,
(October 2020), p.5.
102 Ibid, p.12.

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