More than 500 black and ethnic minority people died at the hands of the state over the last 24 years. And no one has been successfully prosecuted for their deaths.
A report into institutional racism published by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) revealed the figures this week—and it says the situation is getting worse.
The Dying for Justice report examined deaths in police custody, prison and immigration detention since 1991.
It found that although narrative verdicts at inquests have often returned criticisms of procedures, lessons are not being learned.Instead, issues such as privatisation of services have made it even harder to hold the system to account.
The report also exposes the gauntlet bereaved families are made to run after a loved one has died in state custody.
Chair of IRR Colin Prescod writes about the families’ experience, “First you are wronged, then you are wrong footed.
“The processes for getting justice are all smoke and mirrors.
“But the wronged will not rest. The families’ movement, in particular, will not go away.”
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