ORCID
- Kitty Lymperopoulou: 0000-0003-0796-5027
Abstract
Scholarship on ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system has predominantly focused on disparities at a single decision-making point, mainly at sentencing, while earlier decision points remain underexamined or are studied in isolation to sentencing decisions. Using linked Ministry of Justice Data First datasets from criminal courts in England and Wales, this study assesses ethnic disparities at multiple decision points—from pre-sentencing to sentencing. Findings from multilevel logistic regression models demonstrate ethnic disparities across decision points, evidencing more pronounced disparities at pre-sentencing stages. Black and mixed ethnicity defendants consistently experience more disadvantaged outcomes, being more likely to be detained prior to trial, plead not guilty and to receive a prison sentence than white British defendants. Defendants from ethnic minority groups are shown to have substantially higher probabilities of disadvantaged combinations of remand, plea and sentencing outcomes than their white British counterparts, suggesting they are more likely to experience cumulative disadvantage in the justice system.
DOI Link
Publication Date
2026-02-28
Publication Title
The British Journal of Criminology
ISSN
0007-0955
Acceptance Date
2025-11-24
Deposit Date
2025-12-03
Funding
This work is supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ES/Z502418/1)
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Lymperopoulou, K. (2026) 'Cumulative disadvantage: Ethnic inequalities in criminal court proceedings in England and Wales', The British Journal of Criminology, . Available at: 10.1093/bjc/azaf113
