The experiences of young Black men as victims of crime
Published on 1 January, 2006.
Background The study was carried out into the experiences of young Black men who had been victims of crime.The project was carried out for two reasons. First, it is a contribution to ensuring that Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) people receive equal treatment from the Criminal Justice System (CJS). Second, it will inform the Government’s initiatives to improve services to victims. Both these strands are key to raising levels of confidence, in particular that of BME people, in the CJS.There is little in-depth knowledge about the experiences of BME people as victims of crime.This study dealt specifically with young Black men. A major reason for this choice was their poor confidence that the CJS treats them fairly. The research Twenty-five in-depth interviews and two focus groups were held with Black Caribbean and Black African young men aged from 16 to 24 in Birmingham and London.The research aimed to explore views and attitudes in detail, rather than to generate statistical findings.The young men had all been victims of crimes such as robberies of mobile phones, thefts from vehicles, assaults and burglaries. The objective was to inform the development of services so that they better meet the needs of young Black men and to explore factors associated with their confidence in the CJS. Key Findings Experiences of crime and the young men’s response ● Most of the young men lived in high crime areas.There was a lack of confidence in the police’s ability to deal effectively with crime, sometimes linked to a belief that the police did not take crime against Black people seriously. ● All victims reported some emotional effects as a result of the crime, most commonly anger, although the degree and duration of the effects varied. Some sought to play down the emotional impact on the grounds that crime was a familiar experience. ● Family and friends were an extremely important source of support with emotional and practical needs; this may be associated with the youth of these victims and the fact that about two-thirds lived with their families. ● The young men rarely had contact with any formal agencies that might be able to provide support or help, or even told organisations such as schools, colleges or employers about the crime. Such lack of contact is common to the experience of victims more generally.