 |
| The Cry: Black Scottish defence lawyer for white suspect |
‘I appear on behalf of the panel, Joanna Louise Lindsay, who pleads not guilty to the indictment being a single charge of the murder of Alister Johnathan Robertson.’ These were the words of a Black Scottish lawyer representing a white murder suspect that closed the 3rd episode of the 2018 BBC miniseries The Cry.[1] The lauded show drew a large viewership with riveting themes making it ‘part confessional drama, part abduction thriller, part whodunit, part portrait of a marriage skidding off the rails.’[2] However, yet another perhaps more understated draw came from the depiction of a professional Black woman (played by actress Moyo Akandé) in a court of law respectably offering a defence to the accused white woman in the dock (I won’t spoil the plot line for you). Such scenes are fleeting in television, but even more so in real life. Note this is not because of the low numbers of Black lawyers in the UK (5 of my cousins alone are called to the bar), but rather so often structural racism throughout the legal system keeps people of African origin out of such roles, instead preferring us and other people of colour to be on the receiving end of the law rather than doling it out. Still, whether we are the perpetuator or victims of crime, there’s a strong intent for us to receive no justice at all. This is true of the legal system across the country, and it is particularly notable in Scotland.
Duplicitous Legal Representation
 |
| Senior Lecturer Dr Karolin Hijazi |
When citizens engage a lawyer’s services, considering the often hefty fee, it’s for no small life mishap. Something has gone wrong to the point that assistance is needed to re-achieve the justice status quo. That’s why it can be particularly unsettling when the presence of brazenly racist law advocates in Scotland is exposed. This includes in 2017 when then 30-year-old David McPherson called Matthew Berlow, a Jewish Glasgow-based criminal defence lawyer, a ‘freak’ and ‘inbred’ and threatened to ‘destroy him in a square go’[3] i.e. a fist fight. Matthew Berlow contacted the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC)…only to be referred there himself a year later when he abused a Palestinian Senior Lecturer at University of Aberdeen’s Institute of Dentistry, Dr Karolin Hijazi.[4] Also a member for the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC), she was branded a ‘snowflake’ and ‘scummy racist’ by Berlow in relation to her pro-Palestine work, which she found particularly disturbing ‘having campaigned against racism, discrimination and bigotry all [her] life’. A resulting investigation found the ‘derogatory and aggressive’ language Berlow used was ‘damaging to the reputation of both the profession as a whole and of the individual solicitor concerned’.
 |
| Lawyer Sanaa Shahid and her son Zayn |
This was taken to a whole other level when solicitor Alexander MacKinnon racially abused Glasgow-based Pakistani lawyer Sanaa Shahid and her then four-year-old son, Zayn.[5] Travelling first-class on a train from London to Glasgow, this 47-year-old man spontaneously started shouting aggressively at Zayn, telling him to shut up. Sanaa defended her little boy, saying he hadn’t done anything which triggered the racist further. He snarled, ‘How did you get into first class? You don’t deserve to be in first class. You should be in common class. In fact, you shouldn’t be in this country at all. You don’t deserve to be here. Bloody foreigners. Where were you even born?’ Sanaa retorted he was a racist to which he sneered, ‘I’m a racist, am I? You’re a racist!’ before aggressively cursing at the mother and child. Understandably shaken, she moved seats to feel safer, particularly as the other passengers in the carriage did not intervene and were thus silently complicit in the vileness unfolding before them. It later transpired that the brazenly racist MacKinnon had an affinity to Donald Trump, UKIP leader Nigel Farage, the English Defence League, the BNP, the Scottish BNP and various Scottish Conservative associations on social media, a further indication to the depth of his xenophobia. The abuse from the fellow advocate deeply affected Sanaa to the point that she ‘found [her]self crying a few times in the days afterwards’
 |
| Lawyer Maximus Asanté LLM |
Sanaa’s is just one example of how the bigotry white lawyers direct at the BAME public is also directed at their BAME colleagues in Scotland.[6] Many have spoken on the ‘overt and covert racist language and attitudes they still experience’ as well as systemic discrimination as featured in the Law Society of Scotland’s 2018 Profile of the Profession. Indeed, the significant disparity between the large number of graduating BAME law students versus those who secure a job in advocacy aptly demonstrates this. One such case illustrating this perfectly was Ghanaian former student Maximus Asanté who schooled in Scotland and studied law at Glasgow University, obtaining 2 LLMs. He then applied for 65 traineeships over the course of several years and was declined for all. Whilst job hunting, Maximus could only find employment at nightclubs to make ends meet (which is why seeing Moyo Akandé’s depiction of a Black defence lawyer with a Caledonian twang in The Cry was quite unique). The Ghanaian advocate eventually remembered something his Glasgow University professor told him, ‘If you want to get a job in law, you must leave Scotland.’ Finally realising his professor was correct, the Scottish educated, 2-degree holding Black lawyer did just that…subsequently securing a law job in France.
 |
| Corrupt regulatory body for Scottish Law |
The fallout of few lawyers of colour in Scotland means that people of colour so often have no option but to engage with white lawyers whose own racist bias bleeds into the services they are being paid for. A source affiliated with the West of Scotland Regional Equality Council (WSREC)[7], which amongst other things supports ethnic minorities in cases of discrimination, recounted scenarios where rather than helping the BAME clients who retain them, white lawyers instead assist their fellow white opposition against their BAME clients(!) Upon filing a grievance of professional misconduct with the Law Society, many are then met with more systemic racism as the ‘old white men’s club’ closed ranks to ‘protect their own’. In some cases, documents submitted to support the grievance were mysteriously ‘lost’ or apparently ‘not received’ by the regulatory body, meaning the grievance was dismissed, in my view, with extreme prejudice. This is the ongoing legacy of corruption exposed during the 2006 Investigation into the Legal Profession by the Scottish Parliament[8] which among other things, demonstrated the Law Society’s then chief executive would ‘halt complaints against fellow solicitors, even when there were serious allegations of fraud, embezzlement, falsification of files and concerted attempts to pervert the course of justice.’[9] He also ‘shielded them from transparency, accountability, honesty, customer demands for higher standards, and prevented the need to pay adequate compensation to those poor clients ruined by the legal profession’.
The clear prejudice amongst Scottish lawyers has also spilled into the courtroom. Whether it’s BAME victims of crime seeking justice or BAME perpetrators of crime seeking fair treatment, more often than not people of colour come up short with Scotland’s judiciary, again most probably fuelled by its lack of non-white members[10] and keeping talent like Maximus Asanté out the door.
 |
| Murder victim Surjit Singh Chhokar |
BAME victims of crime: Perhaps the most notorious example echoing similar legal failings of the Stephen Lawrence case which sent shockwaves throughout the UK was that of Surjit Singh Chhokar.[11] On the 4th of November 1998, the Indian waiter was murdered outside his home in Wishaw, crying out ‘they’ve stabbed me’ as he collapsed to the ground. His attackers were David Montgomery, Andrew Coulter, and his uncle Ronnie Coulter, all of whom were arrested within days of killing Surjit in front of his partner, Liz Bryce. With her eyewitness testimony, all three should have been charged with murder. But only Ronnie Coulter was brought to trial for ‘assault’ in November 2000. Lord McCluskey, one of Scotland's then longest-serving judges, presided over the trial and was indignant that the two other attackers were not also being prosecuted, an assertion that was rebuffed by the Lord Advocate. Though 4 months later in February 2001, all three attackers were indeed tried for murder. Their tactic was to point the finger at each other, which was apparently enough to override all the forensic evidence and the testimony of a white woman, hence these 3 white men were acquitted after both trials.
BAME perpetrators of crime: So, to what extent do similar unfavourable outcomes carry over when a BAME defendant is facing trial? Data from the Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research into Scotland's prison population consistently shows the proportion of BAME individuals convicted in court and imprisoned are ‘numerically proportionate to the general population’[14] thus not over-representative of the incarcerated as down in England or over in the USA. However, within that distribution, Black people are incarcerated higher than their proportion of the Scottish population,[15] an odd static considering the disproportionately high number of law graduates from the same community broadly indicating a deep respect for the law.
 |
| Shadow Secretary for Justice, David Lammy MP |
But what penalties do the convicted incur? Whilst previously there has been no Scottish data gathered documenting the crimes/reasons for these convictions and the sentences conferred[16], the likelihood is that the pattern follows that of England & Wales. The September 2017 Operation Turning Point Ministry of Justice report conducted by Shadow Secretary of Justice David Lammy drew him to the clear conclusion that ‘BAME individuals still face bias, including overt discrimination, in parts of the justice system.’[17] This was an ongoing trend that he deemed by March 2019 had already become ‘considerably worse’.[18] The Lammy report’s findings were further reinforced by the Sentencing Council’s 2020 research[19] stating (1) Black offenders receive an immediate custodial sentence 1.4 times higher more than white offenders (2) Asian offenders receive custodial sentences approx. 4% longer than those for white offenders. Again, a ‘stark disparity’ most probably mirrored in Scottish courtrooms.
Compromised Correctional System
 |
| Craiginches Prison in Aberdeen |
Prison Service: So, what happens to BAME offenders once sentence, disproportionate or otherwise, is passed? Well, turns out that the constraints of racism are present both outside and inside prison. This was apparent when in December 2009 HMP Craiginches prison officers in Aberdeen did not act on racist inmate Keith Porter’s threat to smash Polish national Daniel Kaizer’s ‘f***ing head in’. [20] A week later, Porter indeed attempted to murder Daniel by striking his head with a steel bar bell in the gym, fracturing his skull. On the same day, 3 other attackers assaulted another Polish inmate Lukasz Rusek in the gym[21], punching his head repeatedly. Lessons had clearly not been learnt by March 2018 when prison officers at HMP Inverness put a non-smoking Muslim prisoner into the same cell as a racist inmate who smoked.[22] An HM Inspectorate for Prisons in Scotland report said the matching was a ‘concerning, high-risk decision’, considering the Muslim prisoner could have been ‘seriously assaulted’ by the cellmate he slept in close quarters with every day. Barely a year later in February 2019 at HMP Kilmarnock, racist convict Graham Elrick abused a Black cellmate, shouting ‘Get it f*****g up you, you black b*****d’ and ‘monkeys have bald heads and are black’.[23] One study into hate crime amongst Scottish prisoners exposed the differences between those committed in a prison context compared to a community context[24] and thus the need for different solutions to address such behaviour and enhance inmate safety. After all, whilst offenders have temporarily lost their right to liberty, they should not lose their permanent human rights, especially in relation to personal protection, as per equality thinktank Runnymede Trust Research Associate Dr Zubaida Haque.
Though to what extent can these be genuinely implemented when the prison officers themselves are openly racist? This was apparent when the Senior Custody Officer at HMP Addiewell made ‘inappropriate and offensive comments about Muslims and the Muslim religion’[25] quoting renowned xenophobe Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon aka Tommy Robinson. Such attitudes facilitating racist incidents in prisons fit with a Runnymede Trust & Greenwich University’s joint 2017 investigation finding BAME inmates were ‘more likely to be badly treated, leading to poorer outcomes and mental health concerns,’[26] also in keeping with the Lammy report findings. In particular, Black and Muslim prisoners were twice as likely to ‘have restraints used against them and be put into segregation’ than their white counterparts, as well as being the lowest beneficiaries of prison reward and punishment schemes. A similar pattern emerges with 29% of Muslim convicts not having
prison jobs or attending education courses versus 17% of Christian prisoners. Such conditions were witnessed first-hand by Children's Rights Practice & Policy Officer Zaki El-Salahi when visiting HMP Polmont Youth Offenders Institute in the Falkirk area. In our interview, he revealed extensive neglectful behaviour towards Black youth offenders in learning services, peer services and mental health services. During a 2013 visit, the racial divide was such that the ‘us vs them’ dynamic that usually forms between prisoner inmates and officers instead morphed into a ‘us vs them’ between whites and non-whites inmates & officers alike. This meant that BAME youth often weren’t featured in ‘wider’ offender projects like a pre-release ‘end of term’ showcase. When the BAME youth therefore opted to do their own performance project, it was only the sole Black prison officer in the facility that came to see their work.
 |
| Inmates at HMP Polmont Youth Offenders Institute |
 |
| Under-supported BAME ex-offenders rearrested |
Rehabilitation Service: Upon release, the correctional interventions ex-offenders need access to 3 cornerstones of rehabilitation, including (1) a safe place to stay (2) a programme for voluntary/salaried work opportunities (3) substance abuse support to challenge further possible criminal exploitation. However, institutional racism and classism regarding housing is still very much in play from organisations whose mandate is to facilitate this. When Zaki El-Salahi proposed a ‘supported lodgings model’ to one such organisation, it was rejected as not being a ‘sustainable business model’ and ‘too high cost’, despite supposed organisational commitment to assist the most vulnerable. This results in many BAME ex-offenders either couch surfing or homeless on streets. In this vulnerable state, youth offenders in particular ‘already in trouble with the law’ become the target of police brutality. There are reports of such youth getting beaten up on a dark street or in the back of police cars with their criminal background giving them less believability should they complain of their subsequent criminal treatment. This then leads to them reoffending against others or offending against themselves i.e. self harm, starting the whole vicious cycle of running the racist legal system gauntlet again.
So, coming back to how all this drama was captured for the TV screen, it explains why actress Moyo Akandé’s fictional depiction of the Scottish Black defence lawyer in The Cry stands out as the reality is quite another story. When we put the legal system up north on trial, it seems that justice is not blind, and certainly not colour blind, often giving BAME individuals something real to cry about…
Course of Action
So now we know of the racism against BAME people within the Scottish legal system, what can be done about it? Let’s break it down step by step.
 |
| Sanaa Shahid and train manager Matt Linton |
Regarding racism amongst lawyers, an example should be made so they themselves know they are not above the law. This was the case with bigot Alexander MacKinnon who was confronted by train manager Matt Linton. He then called the British Transport Police and stayed with Sanaa Shahid and her son until the next stop where MacKinnon was arrested[27], still spewing his racist tirade when interviewed. One of the case officers PC Mark Mellenthin remarked that ‘people like MacKinnon must understand that abusive, racist behaviour has no place on the railway. Everyone has the right to travel without fear of abuse like this.’ MacKinnon later appeared at Carlisle Magistrates Court where he was convicted of a ‘racially aggravated public order offence’, fined £1,154, plus £50 compensation, a £150 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs. As for racial prejudice towards actual BAME clients and BAME lawyers alike, Scottish lawyers should adhere to the standards of conduct that they (1) must not discriminate (2) must have an ‘appropriate awareness and understanding of the issues surrounding equal opportunities, unlawful discrimination, equality and diversity’.[28] These ideals are certainly in the 2011 Practice Rules of the Law Society of Scotland, however seemingly just as window dressing considering the exposed corruption of white male cronyism rooted within, protecting each other from accountability. To root out such institutional prejudice and ensure similar travesties don’t reoccur, more independent governmental oversight should be put in place with routine inspections to see the regulatory law body is working to standard.[29]
Regarding racism in court proceedings, in the wake of the Surjit Singh Chhokar case, there were proposals to initiate training schemes for procurators fiscal and sheriffs in regard to race related cases[30] although expected to be met with some pushback. Furthermore, training provision for senior counsel and judges to ‘learn the essentials of this form of forensic science’ i.e. knowledge of ethnic patterns in crime were yet to be mandated. Ultimately, the judiciary needs to accept the existence and nature of everyday racism. In doing so, experience is gained in processing the facts of race-involved crimes with less conscious or unconscious bias and can then be applied to criminal trials. As stated by the Runnymede Trust, ‘the commitment of a dedicated few [should be] matched by the understanding and skill of many more, only then leading to a more enlightened justice environment.’ This ethos seemed to at least been partly adopted over the years as in
October 2019 Ronnie Coulter was tried again for Surjit’s murder, finally convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.[31] An what of cases where BAME individuals appear in the dock? Society of Black Lawyers Chair Peter Herbert voiced some of the pushback he’s received with regards to sentencing guidelines taking ethnicity into account. When raising this possible solution, the counter response has often been ‘Are you saying we should give Black offenders an easier sentence?’ No, he insists, ‘but we need to have a fair sentence.’[32] In addition, David Lammy suggests that as well as bias training, the government should ‘revisit the need for a target to improve diversity on the bench’.[33]
 |
| Society of Black Lawyers Chair Peter Herbert |
 |
| Community Justice Scotland, Gael Cochrane |
Regarding racism in prisons & rehabilitation, as hate crimes are penalised outside of prison, they must be penalised inside prisons too, as was the case with racist HMP Kilmarnock inmate Graham Elrick who received a further 21-week custodial sentence[34] to run concurrently from the one he was already serving. Furthermore, when prisons deliberately turn a blind eye to threats of violence, affected inmates should take legal action against the establishment, as did Daniel Kaizer in the wake of his attempted murder at HMP Craiginches, eventually being awarded £900,000 in damages.[35] Of course, avoiding such scenarios in the first place would be beneficial, hence any prison officer found to endorse racism should be summarily dismissed[36], as was the case with the HMP Addiewell senior custody officer in July 2018. The institution has since run ‘Hate Crime & Restorative Justice’ anti-racist training in the prison context for their officers delivered by Rania Hamad and Gael Cochrane of Community Justice Scotland[37] as part of their ongoing commitment to overturn past mistakes. Still, when finding the replacement of the dismissed racist officer, the government should fulfil their pledge to hire more BAME officers[38] in proportions that reflect prison populations.
 |
| BAME young offenders engage more with BAME officers |
The importance of ethnic proportional representation was outlined in a July 2018 Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA)[39] conducted by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). Firstly, correctional programmes in prison would benefit BAME inmates more if they are ‘culturally aware, sensitive and inclusive; and delivered by culturally aware and sensitive staff ideally from similar ethnic backgrounds,’ thus reducing any anxiety of being stereotyped or resistance from feeling ‘isolated or misunderstood’. In particular, ‘a strong sense of cultural identity and pride is associated with greater reductions in substance misuse among juveniles.’ The correctional intervention materials themselves should be relevant to BAME groups, lest the ongoing assumption that therapy/treatment is a ‘white construct’ with no cross-cultural equivalent. Secondly, BAME offenders will be more relaxed as the threat of racism or discrimination from a BAME officer is perceived as much lower, and respect for cultural experiences and differences as much higher, hence the youths open up more. All of this would ‘improve participation and engagement in, and retention and reoffending outcomes, of BAME individuals in prison and on probation.’
Empowering
the BAME Communities
 |
| Solicitor Wálé Ọlábámijí LLM |
Whilst waiting for all these procedures to be instigated, BAME people’s racist experiences when engaging the Scottish legal system currently means that, despite certain strides when seeking justice, many still feel uneasy about approaching the authorities for legal support. This means many more miscarriages of justice going unreported, ultimately making for a less civilised society. Glasgow-based Nigerian solicitor Wálé Ọlábámijí is all too conscious of this, thus starting his own practice, DMO Olabamiji Solicitors, specialising in immigration, asylum and human rights law. Other organisations BAME clients can also feel comfortable approaching include the Ethnic Minority Law Centre (EMLC)[41] in Glasgow who offer legal services on a range of issues such as immigration and nationality, asylum, employment and discrimination amongst others. There are also advocacy services offered in various BAME community organisations across Scotland like the Minority Ethnic Advocacy Project[42] in Glasgow; Strengthening Communities for Racial Equality (SCORE)[43] in Edinburgh; the Fair Justice System for Scotland (FJSS) Group in West Calder; the Fife Law Centre [44]; Shetland Islands Council[45] and more, many with speakers of other languages.
 |
| Scottish Ethnic Minorities Lawyers' Association (SEMLA) meeting |
BAME solicitors themselves have banded together to form the Scottish Ethnic Minorities Lawyers' Association (SEMLA)[46] to provide support for ethnic minority advocates and law students in Scotland. Similar to the Ethnic Minority Lawyers Division (EMLD)[47] in England and Wales, SEMLA strives to empower its members to ‘overcome structural, procedural and attitudinal barriers within the profession’.
Yes, Scotland has a long way to go before resolving its issues with racism in the legal system, and only with a concerted effort will progress be made.
~ by Abiọ́dún Ọlátòkunbọ̀ Abdul
[1] The Cry, Series 1: Episode 3
[2] The Cry is a brilliant,
gobsmacking drama – and a must-watch (2nd Feb 2019)
[3] Kilmarnock lawyer accused of racist
remarks after claims he mocked Jewish solicitor saying ‘your imagination is
almost as big as your nose’ (6 May 2017)
[4]
Diversity
training for Jewish lawyer who called pro-Palestinian campaigners 'scummy
racists' (21 Oct 2018)
Lawyer
fined and ordered to undergo diversity training for calling anti-Israel
campaign group 'scummy racists' (23 Oct 2018)
[5] 'You
don't belong here': Solicitor caught on camera in racist train rant against
mother and child over first class seats (4 Feb 2017)
[6] White Privilege: what should
we do? (13 July 2020)
https://www.lawscot.org.uk/members/journal/issues/vol-65-issue-07/white-privilege-what-should-we-do/
The Experience of Ethnic Minority Lawyers in
Scotland (April 2011)
Black Lawyers On Working In The UK’s Criminal Justice System (9 June
2020)
[7] West of
Scotland Regional Equality Centre (WSREC)
[8] Would granny
swear by the Law Society? (5th June 2006)
[9] Breaking News: Law Society Chief
Executive Douglas Mill who lied to Parliament, pursued 'personal vendetta'
against critics - to resign (25 Jan 2008)
[10] White Privilege: what should
we do? (13 July 2020)
[11] Racism, Police, and Courts in Scotland (Dec 2000)
[12] Scottish
justice system faces charge of racism (22nd Oct 2001)
[13] Police admit failure to treat Chinese man's murder as racist (23rd August 2011)
[14] The Scottish Centre for
Crime & Justice Research: Scotland's
prison population (7th Oct 2019)
Black Lawyers on Working in the UK’s Criminal Justice System (9th
June 2020)
[15] UK Prison Population Statistics (2013/2014)
[16] Offender Demographics and Sentencing Patterns in
Scotland and the UK (24th Dec 2010)
[18] David Lammy says treatment of BAME groups in criminal justice
system has got 'considerably worse' since his review (26th March
2019)
[19] BAME
offenders 'far more likely than others' to be jailed for drug offences (15 Jan
2020)
[20]
Ministers
to pay damages after racist attack in jail (30 May 2018)
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ministers-to-pay-damages-after-racist-attack-in-jail-rs0tn202b
[21] Man 'attacked for being Polish' in Aberdeen prison (15th
June 2010)
[22]
Jail
paired Muslim inmate with racist cellmate (14 March 2018)
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16084567.jail-paired-muslim-inmate-with-racist-cellmate/
[23] Kilmarnock prisoner has
jail time increased after shouting vile racist abuse at cell mate (11 Sept
2019)
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/kilmarnock-prisoner-jail-time-increased-20005914
https://search.proquest.com/openview/03b9d09b3631c5a85a714e7e9a826f92/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2050541
https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/publications/exploring-hate-crime-amongst-a-cohort-of-scottish-prisoners-an-ex
[25] Prison
officer sacked for racist Facebook comments fails in ‘unfair dismissal’ claim
(3 Sept 2019)
https://www.scottishlegal.com/article/prison-officer-sacked-for-racist-facebook-comments-fails-in-unfair-dismissal-claim
[26] Black
and Muslim prisoners suffer worse treatment, study finds (19th Oct
2017)
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/19/black-and-muslim-prisoners-suffer-worse-treatment-study-finds
[27] Preston train guard honoured for standing up to racist
attack (21st June 2017)
[28] White Privilege: what should
we do? (13 July 2020)
[29] Would
granny swear by the Law Society? (5th June 2006)
[30] Racism, Police, and Courts in Scotland (Dec 2000)
[31] Murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar, wiki page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Surjit_Singh_Chhokar
[32] BAME offenders
'far more likely than others' to be jailed for drug offences (15 Jan 2020)
[33] BAME
offenders 'far more likely than others' to be jailed for drug offences (15 Jan
2020)
Judges and non-legal
members of the judiciary by ethnicity in England, Wales and Scotland (2019)
[34] Ministers
to pay damages after racist attack in jail (30 May 2018)
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ministers-to-pay-damages-after-racist-attack-in-jail-rs0tn202b
[35]
Attacked Aberdeen prisoner to win payout (22nd
August 2017)
Former
prisoner to receive £900k compo after judge rules jail staff were negligent and
failed to protect him from attack (30th May 2018)
[36] Prison officer
sacked for racist Facebook comments fails in ‘unfair dismissal’ claim (3rd
Sept 2019)
https://www.scottishlegal.com/article/prison-officer-sacked-for-racist-facebook-comments-fails-in-unfair-dismissal-claim
[37] Community Justice Scotland
[38]
Black
and Muslim prisoners suffer worse treatment, study finds (19th Oct
2017)
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/oct/19/black-and-muslim-prisoners-suffer-worse-treatment-study-finds
[39] Rehabilitative
Services For Black, Asian And Minority Ethnic People (July 10, 2018)
http://www.russellwebster.com/rehabreabame/
[40] Student-led pro-bono work in the community
[41] Ethnic Minority Law Centre (EMLC)
[42] Minority Ethnic Advocacy Project (West of Scotland Regional Equality Council & Govan
Community Project)
https://www.wsrec.co.uk/pastprojects/meap/
[43] Strengthening Communities for Racial Equality
(SCORE)
[44] Fife Law Centre
[45] Shetland Islands Council
[46] Scottish Ethnic Minorities Lawyers' Association (SEMLA)
No comments:
Post a Comment