Episode 12 – Being Black in Criminal Justice – is the Profession Racist?

The statistics on judicial diversity released by the Ministry of in July were stark, showing that only 1.2% of judges across England and Wales are Black. What’s more, that figure has remained static for the past 10 years, and there is currently only one High Court Judge who is black, appointed last year.

In this episode Riel Karmy-Jones KC, Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, speaks to three prominent Black Barristers, Keir Monteith KC, Laurie-Anne Power KC, and Stephen Akinsanya OBE about the under representation of black criminal barristers and judges, and asks whether the lack of diversity at the criminal bar and in the judiciary strikes at the heart of fairness in our criminal justice system.

Keir, Laurie-Anne and Stephen share their personal experiences, and offer explanations as to why even in 2026, despite training and high level commitments to address racism, the problem persists, despite David Lammy, MP, appointed in 2025 as the first Black Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, who also held the post of Deputy Prime Minister, having previously highlighted the issue in 2017.

Riel, Keir, Laurie-Anne, and Stephen all work in serious and complex criminal cases across the country. Their profiles can be found here: Riel Karmy-Jones KC | Red Lion Chambers; Keir Monteith KC | Garden Court Chambers; Laurie-Anne Power KC – 25 Bedford Row; Stephen Akinsanya – 15NBS Chambers.

The episode also contains extracts from a speech made by a black member of the junior bar, Leon-Nathan Lynch in 2022. Leon’s profile can be found here: ⁠Leon-Nathan Lynch⁠.

Criminal Justice Matters is produced and edited on behalf of the Criminal Bar Association by Adam Batstone Media & Communications.