Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Hate Crime Sentences

Thursday 5 November 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Nicola Richards questioned the effectiveness of the CPS in securing sentence uplifts in hate crime cases.
  • The Minister acknowledged the impact of hate crimes and noted the CPS's commitment to training prosecutors.
  • Nicola Richards asked for a commitment to work with the CPS and police to support victims in reporting hate crimes.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Nicola Richards
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

No specific context or statistics provided, the question seeks an assessment of the CPS's effectiveness.

Question

What assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the CPS in securing sentence uplifts in hate crime cases?

Answer from Michael Ellis

I recognise the devastating impact that hate crimes have on victims and communities, and the CPS is committed to bringing offenders to justice. Training for prosecutors draws on input from key community groups, helping to improve the prosecution response to hate crime. In the 12 months to the end of June this year, the proportion of convictions for hate crime with a recorded sentence uplift increased to 78.4%, which is the highest rate yet.

Answered
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Q2 Nicola Richards
Crime & Law Enforcement Community Security
Context

The MP heard from victims during a virtual session hosted by Jay Singh-Sohal, highlighting the need for better support at all stages of the judicial process.

Question

Having heard directly from victims of hate crime in the west midlands about their experiences and needs throughout the judicial process, will my right hon. and learned Friend commit to working with the CPS and police to ensure that victims feel supported enough to report incidents?

Answer from Michael Ellis

I thank my hon. Friend for her work with the Holocaust Educational Trust and on tackling antisemitism. I visited the CPS East of England yesterday, and heard about its great work on tackling hate crime. The CPS works closely around the country with members of the community to ensure that the approach to hate crime prosecutions is sensitive and provides sufficient support to victims. For example, the CPS recently met key groups representing the Jewish community to discuss antisemitism, and it delivered a webinar for Chinese and south-east Asian communities.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to specific actions or timelines to improve victim support

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