In 2012, Action for Race Equality (then Black Training and Enterprise Group) and Clinks agreed to work together to propel the issue of the disproportionately high numbers of Black, Asian and minority ethnic offenders in the prison system up the Ministry of Justice’s (MOJ) agenda.
An independent review was established chaired by Baroness Young of Hornsey and supported by an Advisory Group.
One of the recommendations of the report was set up an independent advisory group which was established with experts from various fields of the criminal justice system. This group oversaw the implementations of the recommendations from the Young Review. Baroness Lola Young steered the national independent advisory group for six years before stepping down as Chair in 2018, when it rebranded and renamed as EQUAL. EQUAL continues to put race on the agenda with it comes to criminal justice policy and practice.