a briefing on a PRT survey of the views of black and minority ethnic prison staff

KEY FINDINGS
• Covert and structural racism were more widespread causes of concern than blatant racist discrimination.
• Two-thirds of those surveyed felt that race relations were valued in their place of work and nearly half believed that race relations have been improving in the Prison Service.
• 61% said that they had experienced direct racial discrimination while employed inprisons.
• Black and minority ethnic (BME) prison staff were more likely to have experienced direct racial discrimination from their colleagues than from prisoners or managers.
• In addition to direct personal experience, the BME staff surveyed saw persistent organisational and structural problems. Two-thirds felt that institutional racism was a problem in their workplace, with 15% feeling that the problem was severe.
• Over half of those who experienced racism chose not to report it.
• BME prison staff tended to turn to their colleagues for support following an experience of racism. About half of those who had experienced racism said they had received no support from RESPECT, the BME prison staff support network, from their trade unions or from managers, but only 17% said they had received no support from colleagues.

Background
Fair and equitable working conditions for black and minority ethnic staff are fundamental to building healthy race relations in prisons. In 2003, the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and HM Prison Service jointly established an action plan on race relations. The aim was to follow up a CRE investigation into race relations and to ensure compliance with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, which placed public agencies (including prisons) under the obligation to promote race equality. People from BME groups make up about 9% of the general population, 25% of the prison population, and less than 6% of those employed in prisons.

RESPECT, the Prison Service minority ethnic staff support network was launched in 2000. Full membership is open to anyone from a minority ethnic group who works for the Prison Service, and includes BME prison staff from the private sector. In 2004-5, PRT, with the support of the Barrow Cadbury Trust, conducted a survey of members of RESPECT. We received 117 responses from BME prison staff, and interviewed 29 of them, mostly in their place of work. This briefing presents a rare insight into the experience of BME prison staff and their views about race relations and racism in prisons.

It follows the publication of the report of the inquiry into the death of Zahid Mubarek, chaired by Mr Justice Keith. The inquiry found that the perceptions that BME and non-BME prison staff had of race relations were profoundly different and that the culture allowed race relations to be treated as separate from the basic operational duties of prison work. The Mubarek report recommended that each prison be required to develop its own race equality scheme. It also called on the Prison Service to explore the possibility of using outside, independent bodies to investigate complaints of racism and raised the urgent need to improve diversity training for officers.

The full briefing can be downloaded below