Guilt by Association: Race, Culture and Criminalisation

In a recent controversial conspiracy case in Manchester several Black teenagers were found ‘guilty by association’ after prosecutors used social media messages and references to drill lyrics to build a group case against them, claiming they were all affiliated to a ‘gang’. This case crystallises certain broader trends in group prosecutions, with a recent report from the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (‘The Usual Suspects’, 2022) on joint enterprise laws in England and Wales finding that young men of colour continue to be disproportionately swept into large group convictions. This event will reflect on the effects of conspiracy and joint enterprise laws in racializing and criminalizing particular communities and cultures, and on how these laws increasingly raise questions about fairness and justice as they relate to the prosecution of young Black and Asian men.

Chaired by Prof David Olusoga, our speakers will include Prof Eithne Quinn, University of Manchester Chancellor Nazir Afzal, founder of Kids of Colour, Roxy Legane and Jan Cunliffe, Director of JENGbA.

This event has been organised by the Creative Manchester Research Platform and is presented in partnership with the Global Inequalities research beacon.