Agreement Reached in the Multi-Party Negotiations - Transitional ...

• Females are more likely than males to feel unsafe when out alone after dark or
at home alone at night.
• Females are more worried than males about being burgled, mugged or robbed,
having their car stolen, being the victim of a racial or sectarian attack or being
raped.
Imprisonment
• 98% of inmates in NI prisons are male and 2% female (around 20 on an
average day)
The Criminal Justice Review recommended the development of ‘a strategy for equity
monitoring the criminal justice system, as it effects categories of people, in particular by
community background, gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation and disability, while
ensuring that this is done in a way that does not compromise judicial independence’ 210 and
deemed it generally desirable that data from equity monitoring should be made publicly
available. 211 The Criminal Justice Review Implementation Plan November 2001 states that
the Government ‘is fully committed to developing an equity monitoring process for the
criminal justice system.’ An equality screening of proposals deemed them ‘fully consistent
with the Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act obligation’. 212 The question, however, is
one of enforcement and whether there is a penalty for non-enforcement. A Sub-Group of
the Criminal Justice Board has undertaken a project to ensure that the initial specification
for the Causeway Programme (due for completion in November 2006) met the agencies
requirements in terms of equity monitoring. The Causeway Programme is to produce
anonymised statistical data on defendants processed to enable equity monitoring
information. The equity monitoring process will begin with the administrative data that is
already collected as part of the prosecution process (data on age and gender of defendants)
and progressing to other equality categories not already recorded, such as marital status
and racial group. 213 An Internal Working Group with PSNI is looking at the monitoring of
categories, with particular reference to ensuring that section 75 needs are appropriately met
and is in contact with the Equality Commission to seek to ensure that police systems are
fully compliant.
8.3.3 Gender Disaggregated Statistics
A report 214 on key indicators for gender disaggregated statistics recommended that crime
statistics should show: Incidence of domestic violence; incidents of rape, and other sexual
offences and the conviction rate; fear of crime. The report makes no reference to crimes
that may predominantly involve women, such as shoplifting, prostitution or the growing
business of trafficking. Such statistics would be useful if the government is to fulfil its
obligation under Article 6 of CEDAW to take ‘all appropriate measures, including
legislation, to suppress all forms of traffic in women and exploitation of prostitution of
women.’
8.4 The Judiciary
The judiciary is a key area in transitional societies. In stating the importance of a judiciary
‘reflective of the community’, the review explained its use of the word reflective, rather
210 Review of the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland, 1 March 2000, para 3.38
211 Ibid. para.3.39
212 Equality Screening of Criminal Justice Review
213 Implementation Plan Update, 2003
214 OFMDM, Gender Equality Indicators for Northern Ireland: A Discussion Document, January 2004
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