‘Keeping it real’: the experiences of black youth beyond criminal (in)justice statistics

Official government figures continually inform us that a disproportionate and increasing number of black males, including those aged 18 and under, are being stopped and searched by the police and imprisoned. This article will attempt to move beyond these insightful and depressing statistics, in order to highlight the real lived experiences of black young people with regards to the justice system; particularly their daily interactions with the police and other official agents of authority. Throughout this discussion I will draw on my own ethnographic research, and my experiences as a community and youth work practitioner, in East London during the past 20 years