4th Annual Session of the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Ad

In examining how systemic racism affects Africans and people of African descent in the criminal justice system, speakers and participants are invited to discuss obstacles, challenges, lessons learnt and promising initiatives at different stages of the criminal justice proceedings, including before, during and after a trial. They will also explore how race and other intersecting factors contribute to discrimination against, and disproportionate outcomes for, Africans and people of African descent in the criminal justice system as well as the correlation between racial discrimination and the overrepresentation of Africans and people of African descent in detention.

In the fifth consultation (the root causes of systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent in the criminal justice system), participants are invited to discuss the root causes behind systemic racism against Africans and people of African in the criminal justice system. In this last panel, they are also invited to discuss the recruitment, retention and promotion of Africans and people of African descent among the different actors working in the criminal justice system (law enforcement, prosecutors, jurors, judges, etc), and how their underrepresentation may contribute to discriminatory practices within the system.

Guiding questions include:

1. How do the legacies of enslavement and the trade in enslaved Africans, and colonialism manifest in on current criminal justice systems and how do they contribute to racial bias and discrimination against Africans and people of African descent?

2. What, if any, influence do supremacist movements have on criminal justice actors, and does this play a role in the discrimination against Africans and people of African descent in criminal justice settings?

3. What is being done by States and other actors to address these legacies and tackle root causes, and what further measures are needed in this regard?

4. How does the underrepresentation of Africans and people of African descent among the different actors of the criminal justice system contribute to discriminatory practices within the criminal justice system?

5. What strategies can be implemented to improve the recruitment, retention, and promotion of people of African descent in the criminal justice system, and how effective are they in addressing racial disparities?