Geneva — Systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent in criminal justice systems around the world is pervasive and deeply entrenched, a group of UN experts said Wednesday.
The UN International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement published a new report that identifies 12 key elements needed for criminal justice systems to eliminate racism and discrimination against Africans and people of African descent.
“The overrepresentation of people of African descent in prisons and detention facilities across multiple countries is both a consequence and a symptom of systemic biases in criminal legal systems,” the report said.
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“Racial stereotypes falsely portraying Africans and people of African descent as inherently criminal not only influence individual decisions by police, judges, and prosecutors but also distort entire justice systems.”
The elements identified in the report include the elimination of violations such as racial profiling and discrimination in access to bail and parole, as well as primary issues like training, and include disaggregated data and the diversity and fair representation of Africans and people of African descent throughout the justice system.
Other highlighted promising practices include racial and cultural impact assessments, sentence reviews, and restorative justice measures with alternatives to incarceration.
Established during colonial rule
The report says that the historical origins of many legal and law enforcement institutions – established during colonial rule or rooted in racially oppressive systems – continue to shape contemporary practices.
Such disparities are part of a pattern of institutional racism rooted in the enduring legacies of “colonialism, enslavement and segregation.”
Akua Kuenyehia, the chair of the Expert Mechanism, said. “All these violations are at high risk of continuing to increase in the current global context.
“We call on all States to implement these recommendations. We need to work together to overcome systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent in the criminal justice system.”
The Expert Mechanism will present its report to the Human Rights Council on October 1 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
The International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement was established in July 2021 by the Human Rights Council to make recommendations.
The recommendations include concrete steps needed to ensure access to justice, accountability, and redress for excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officials against Africans and people of African descent.
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