The Importance of Qualitative Research in Understanding the Disproportionate Black Presence in Crime Figures in the United Kingdom (UK)

Abstract

This paper is a critique of the usefulness of quantitative research in illuminating our understanding of the over-representation of black people in crime figures including prison statistics. With reference to the United Kingdom, the paper offers a critical review of some of the narratives of quantitative research and its search for direct discrimination in accounting for the disproportionate presence of black people in UK crime data. In doing so, the paper fundamentally argues for a deeper understanding of encounters between black people and the criminal justice system from a perspective which prioritises qualitative research into the role of indirect discrimination in the formation of crime data.