Community Conversations - 7th July 2020
On 7th July 2020, Maisie Cook, UK Programme Officer and Alice Copland, UK Programme Intern participated in an online meetings of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) North West ‘Community Conversations’ process.
Community Conversations consists of a series of dialogues between senior figures in the CPS and individuals from often marginalised communities, including those from Muslim backgrounds. The aim of these conversations is to identify and discuss perceived challenges with the CPS and broader criminal justice system and to formulate recommendations to address these.
Community members highlighted that in light of recent events surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, diversity and inclusion within organisations such as the CPS will come under increased scrutiny. The recruitment and retention of CPS staff from a BAME background was discussed and ways in which processes could be improved to promote further inclusion, particularly of those from a Muslim background, were also explored.
The Community Conversations programme was recognised as a positive step in the right direction that ensures communities are able to share their experiences. Community members stressed that these dialogues are creating positive change, including work experience for young people from BAME communities and a pilot initiative on hate crime in collaboration with the police. Participants were therefore supportive of these conversations continuing in the future.