A Tolerant Nation? Race, discrimination and criminal justice in Wales

The project will carry out the first empirical study of race and criminal justice in Wales. The reasons for the existing gap in this area are two-fold. Firstly, research into the distinct arrangements of criminal justice in post-devolution Wales remains relatively underdeveloped. Although there are a growing number of studies in this area (e.g. Newman and Dehaghani, 2022), the topic of race remains relatively unexplored. Indeed, although Jones and Wyn Jones (2022: 53) present top-line data to reveal the extent of racial disproportionality within the Welsh CJS, the authors concede that there are 'limitations' to their approach and that a 'great deal of complexity' would be uncovered should future research be able to 'delve deeper' into the issue.

Secondly, while sociological studies have attempted to theorise and challenge the dominant 'race-blind' construction of Wales and Welsh identity, research exploring the accounts of BAME Communities in Wales have largely neglected criminal justice (e.g. Williams et al. 2015). This project will look to act as a bridge between these two pillars of critical thought and contribute to an emerging and developing field of socio-legal study.