ABSTRACT
Poor people make up the overwhelming majority of offenders in the criminal justice system (Prison Reform Trust 2007; Social Exclusion Unit 2002). This is troubling. Either poor people commit more crime or poor people are more likely to be convicted. Either of these perspectives can be understood in terms of discrimination. There is a wealth of material which has attempted to demonstrate that poor people commit more crime, poor people are more likely to have their behaviour criminalised and poor people are more like to be convicted for their crimes. Why then are poor people the forgotten people of anti-discriminatory practice? What, if anything, should be done to address this?
