Dear IRR News subscriber,

The recent Lammy report has revealed the extent of disproportionality of BAME people in the criminal justice system, but how, asks IRR Director Liz Fekete can one look at this issue without examining institutional racism? In a future IRR News bulletin Professor Emeritus Lee Bridges will examine in detail specific recommendations for changes in the criminal justice system.

Another iniquitous system is under scrutiny by John Grayson – that of Direct Provision in Ireland and its impact on asylum-seeker families forced to live in a system ‘worse than prison’ with no power over any aspect of their lives and an indefinite ‘sentence’. In ‘Direct Provision in Ireland: the holding pen for asylum seekers‘ he reveals what this ‘holding pen’ means for despairing individuals. He will go on to examine the role of private companies in Direct Provision in a future article.

Detention in the UK is also taking its psychological toll, we examine two recent deaths in UK detention centres over twelve days in September. It is likely in the febrile pre-Brexit climate in which EEA nationals are being detained (even with the cooperation of various charities) that we will witness yet more such deaths.

Finally, our regular calendar of racism and resistance, a fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, is available here.

IRR News Team