BAME offenders 'far more likely than others' to be jailed for drug offencesBlack and minority ethnic offenders are far more likely to be sent to prison for drug offences than other defendants, according to groundbreaking research commissioned by the Sentencing Council. Asian offenders received custodial sentences on average 4% longer than the sentences imposed for white offenders, the research found. The council is proposing to update five drug offences guidelines that came into force in 2012 and cover offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) 1971. In the same example but with a class A drug, 93 male offenders and 85 female offenders would be expected to be sentenced to immediate custody. Male offenders were found to have received sentences on average five months (or 14%) longer than those imposed for female offenders.

Source: The Guardian January 15, 2020 12:54 UTC