ABSTRACT
This chapter is designed to pick up on the themes, models and issues outlined in the earlier sections of the book and breathe some more life into them. Equal opportunities legislation and policy provide a really nice case when looked at through the lens of the criminal justice system. In order to keep it manageable, we will focus on the period New Labour were in office, 1997–2010, largely because they placed equality of opportunity at the centre of their political agenda, but also because they had the perfect vehicle to apply their principles in the criminal justice system in the shape of the Macpherson Report (1999). The report became a much larger critique of the system and the deep-rooted problems of institutional racism, but it started life as an investigation into police processes and for this reason (coupled with the desire to remain realistic) we will concentrate on equal opportunities and policing. What this example gives us is an insight into the real-world problems that impact upon policy making in practice.
