Key findings
Speakers of English as a second or additional language (ESL) face a range of language barriers in the criminal justice system (CJS), including:
- Patchy provision of language support, impacted by factors such as time and resource pressures.
- Inconsistent collection and sharing of information on individuals' language needs across agencies.
- Largely monolingual nature of services (aside from provision in Welsh, which is protected in law).
- No standard approach or guidance about the level of English language proficiency needed to participate effectively in criminal justice processes.
- Lack of training provided to practitioners on how to support those who speak ESL.
These language barriers significantly impact the ability of ESL speakers to participate fully in criminal justice processes, undermining their ability to achieve fair justice and rehabilitation outcomes.
Recommendations
Policy and practice reforms are urgently needed across five key areas:
- Collecting data to build understanding and raise awareness of language barriers in the CJS.
- Upholding and strengthening the rights and entitlements of ESL speakers.
- Improving services and widening access.
- Empowering practitioners to support service users.
- Deploying innovative solutions.
Explore the report to find out more.
