Diversity: The Voluntary Sector’s Vision in Criminal Justice

Abstract

Since the late 1990s in particular, issues relating to equality, diversity and anti-discrimination have had increasing influence in relation to policy development and the construction of legislation (Mitchell, 2010). Diversity has certainly been a key part of the criminal justice discourse, with a significant amount of political and media attention towards issues relating to immigration and multiculturalism (Spalek and El-Hassan, 2007). Beyond this, there have been pressures from within the European Union, shaping directives of anti-discrimination and equal opportunities that go beyond race and ethnicity – including gender/sex, religion, disability, age and sexual orientation (European Commission, 2008; Equality Act, 2010). However, it has been argued that these positive policy and legislation changes as well as commitments to address diversity have suffered from a lack of commitment and loss of enthusiasm, with some agencies instead resorting to actions which equate to general ‘tick box’ exercises and do little more than satisfy statutory requirements (Mitchell, 2010).

‘Diversity’ as a concept and as a strategy for change can easily be hijacked by the imperatives of managerialism, losing its force as a means of promoting social justice, and becoming rather a means of achieving narrower organisational aims and objectives which provide the surface appearance rather than the deeper essentials of diversity. (Bhui, 2003: 196)