During 2004, West Midlands Local Criminal Justice Board commissioned MORI to carry out a survey of local communities, and particularly black and minority ethnic communities, in order to assess their knowledge of, and confidence in individual criminal justice agencies and the Criminal Justice System as a whole. The survey was funded by the Home Office, and subsequently replicated an earlier one undertaken by MORI in 2001, thereby enabling comparisons to be made between the findings.

In the most recent survey, a total of 1,032 people aged 16 years and over were interviewed between December 2004 and March 2005.

a) Knowledge of/ Confidence in Criminal Justice Agencies.

Familiarity with criminal justice agencies has improved amongst respondents of all backgrounds since 2001.

Familiarity remains significantly higher in relation to the police than other criminal justice agencies, with 47% of respondents saying that they know a great deal or a fair amount about the police and only 18% saying the same about the Probation Service.

There is a correlation between knowing a great deal or a fair amount about an agency and rating that agency as good or excellent.

b) Fairness of Treatment : by Criminal Justice Agencies

Respondents overall remain more likely to agree than disagree that criminal justice agencies treat ethnic minorities as fairly as they treat white people. Black and Asian people, however, are generally less likely than others to agree, and black respondents in particular are consistently less positive than other ethnic groups.

There has been a real improvement in perceptions of some agencies, most notably West Midlands Police, where the improvement relates to all ethnic groups.

The majority or respondents (68% overall) attribute their victims to the influence of the media. About half as many say that their views are based on personal experience. The proportions saying that their views are based on personal experience are higher amongst black and Asian respondents (40% and 45% respectively), but the media is still their main source of information.

c) Confidence in the Criminal Justice System

i) Overall

Less respondents have confidence in the Criminal Justice System than those who say they have not, except amongst Asian respondents, twice as many of whom agree that they are confident than disagree. Black respondents have the lowest levels of confidence (26%).

Nonetheless, there has been an improvement in overall levels of confidence amongst all respondents, and most significantly amongst black respondents.

Those respondents who have had contact with a criminal justice agency in the last 2 years are more likely to say that they are not confident in the Criminal Justice System. This may reflect the fact that many of the contacts will have been in a negative context, but can be positively influenced by the quality of individual customer care which they have received.

ii) Specific Measures

More respondents overall are confident than not in this measure (53% compared to 20%).

The proportion of black respondents who disagree that the Criminal Justice System treats those accused of committing a crime fairly is twice that of white or Asian respondents (44% compared to 20% and 18% respectively). However, all ethnic groups are significantly more confident in this respect than they were in 2001.

Levels of confidence in this measure have improved amongst all ethnic backgrounds, with Asian respondents now more likely than white or black respondents to agree that the Criminal Justice System is effective in this regard.

As is the case nationally, larger proportions of respondents continue to lack confidence in the Criminal Justice System bringing people to justice than those who are confident (the exception being Asian respondents in this survey).

The majority of respondents do not agree that the Criminal Justice System deals with cases promptly and efficiently (35% compared to 20%). Asian respondents are more likely than white or black residents to report confidence in the aspect of the Criminal Justice System (31% compared to 20%).

A higher proportion of respondents than previously agree that the Criminal Justice System is prompt and efficient.

Asian and black respondents are more likely than white respondents to agree that the Criminal Justice System is effective in reducing crime (33% and 30% respectively, compared to 21%).

The Asian population is the only group out of the three where more respondents agree than disagree that the Criminal Justice System is effective in reducing crime.

Few respondents overall agree that the Criminal Justice System meets the needs of victims compared to those who disagree (15% compared to 56%). White respondents are less likely to agree that the Criminal Justice System meets the needs of victims of crime than either black or Asian respondents (16% compared to 25% and 29% respectively).

Levels of agreement amongst black and Asian respondents have, however, increased significantly since 2001.

More respondents disagree than agree that the Criminal Justice System is effective in dealing with young people accused of crime (50% compared to 22%). Asian respondents are the most confident with 34% saying that they agree that the Criminal Justice System is effective in this regard, compared to 26% of black respondents and 21% of white respondents.

In response to the findings of this most recent survey, the West Midlands Local Criminal Justice Board is drawing up an Action Plan focusing upon a programme of community consultation and engagement.