Number Of Muslims In Prison Doubles In Decade To 12,000

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/number-of-muslims-in-prison-doubles-in-decade-to-12000-9222237.html

It would seem that everyone and everything is to blame apart from the criminals themselves.

/// The shadow Justice Secretary, Sadiq Khan, said the Government’s “complacency [on the issue] is breath-taking”. ///

/// Muzammil Quraishi, a senior lecturer in criminology and criminal justice at Salford University, said: “Young Muslim men are under the official gaze from their school days onwards ///

/// Amal Imad, of the charity Muslim Aid, suggested that poor educational performance, problems finding fulfilling jobs and family breakdown were factors in the increasing numbers of Muslims behind bars. ///

/// Mizanur Rahman, a spokesman for the organisation Muslim Prisoners, blamed the spike on Islamophobia and racism among police officers. ///

[DTCwordfan]

Muslims = 4.8% of the population, and 14.2% of the prison population. That is the issue and what are the drivers to that distortion? Plain and simple.

Age of the respective populations perhaps in that, as an immigrant society (largely), the age distribution is skewed to the left.....would be interesting to see what the respective percentages are for sub30 in the population at large and then the prison stats.

[LazyGun]

Sadiq Khan is obviously attempting to use the figures to make some kind of political statement, although the article does not really articulate precisely what point he is attempting to make. One can infer that the narrative he is working towards is that the disparity between numbers of muslims in the general population and the numbers of muslims within the prison population are at variance, and the (unstated) reason for this must be some kind of discrimination against muslims, hence the comment about government complacency - and those advocacy groups lobbying on behalf of muslim communities would no doubt agree, because that is what advocacy groups tend to do. It looks like an attempt at political point-scoring to me, and one that is attempting to play the victim card.

But the data presented is insufficient to properly analyse that.

For a start, it only gives us the barebones data of the collective total of those inmates self-identifying as muslims within the prison population and then compares it with the number of muslims within the general population, presumably taken from census figures.

But, despite the fact that those of muslim faith will often talk about their brother or sister muslims from other nations, subsuming their national or sectional identity within an umbrella of muslim belief, this figure tells us nothing especially useful. How many of those muslims within the UK prison population are actually 2nd or 3rd generation UK muslims, rather than recent arrivals? How many are devout, practicing muslims, rather than occasional,"cultural" muslims? What is the breakdown of the kind of offences that we are talking about here?

Without this kind of breakdown of the figures, Mr. Khans analysis and inferred accusations are both baseless and self-evidently political in nature.

[DTCwordfan]

//Mr. Khans analysis and inferred accusations are both baseless and self-evidently political in nature.// And why AOG published this perhaps as it's baseless?

[naomi24]

LG, //But the data presented is insufficient to properly analyse that.//

The data isn’t intended to analyse all of that.

DT, //And why AOG published this perhaps as it's baseless?//

It isn’t baseless – and I presume AOG posted it because it’s news.

[anotheoldgit]

naomi24

/// It isn’t baseless – and I presume AOG posted it because it’s news. ///

That is perfectly correct naomi and thank you for that, but there are some that only wish one to post on news that they themselves wish to be posted on.

[DTCwordfan]

Total twaddle, AOG, as usual.

[sandyRoe]

More than just community leaders. In the past many members of ethnic minorities have felt that the police were more than a tad heavy handed in their stop and search tactics.

[sandyRoe]

But is the colour of a chap's face sufficient reason to stop and search him?

[douglas9401]

Will moslem prisoners be able to receive parcels containing books, specifically their koran?

[jomifl]

I would appear that if you were constable plod and wanted to improve your 'hit' rate then stopping and searching ethnic minorities wearing hoodies and cruising in areas known to be popular with drug dealers would yield quicker results than hanging around outside the local conservative club (they have better lawyers).

[DTCwordfan]

If the percentage of crime within a given demographics then yes. Immigrant groups = high percentage of youngsters = high rate of unemployment at the moment = higher rate of crime = police interest. I can understand their community concern and the police are, by no means, innocent of wrongful stop and search. However, if it ensures our safety and security, so be it. The objectors could always emigrate if they wish. I am sure that they could find a more benign country to policing such as .......... scratches head Oh yes, Russia.

[DTCwordfan]

Only if they are censored and the offensive bits removed, douglas.

[Gromit]

Not sure what the point of you posting this article was AOG? I cannot work out from your replies whether you agree with it or disagree with it, perhaps it is both?

You seem to be taking something from this article, but you claim to be not agreeing with Mr Khan. He seems to think there are too many Muslims in prison and so do you.

What is this article telling you AOG?

[DTCwordfan]

My view, Gromit, is that he wants to see if this stirs up the Muslim debate in whatever acidic way it takes; he would love if it got onto one of his favourite 'themes,' like the Asian youth (criminal) treatment of white women.......

[EDDIE51]

douglas9401 ALL prisoners can recieve parcels as long as they do not contain prohibited items. The Koran and the bible are premitted. ALL parcels for prisoners MUST be sent 'c/o The prison govener' and include the prisoners name and prison number they will all be opened by the prison staff and checked before being handed over to the named prisoner.

[LazyGun]

"The data isn’t intended to analyse all of that. "

Sadiq Khan has taken one set of figures - the rise of the total number of self-identified muslims behind bars, and compared it with the rise of muslims in the general population, derived from the census figures, one imagines, and from that is suggesting that there is some kind of bias against muslims, leading to a disproportionate number of muslims behind bars. Several muslim advocacy groups appear to agree.

The data he offers is insufficient to even begin to analyse this. Thank you for confirming my initial post!