Racial discrimination and social exclusion are common experiences in the lives of Romany and Traveller people, and many families find themselves living on the margins of society as a result. For decades they have been the subject of suspicion and disapproval which is exacerbated by sensationalist media reporting that often depicts these diverse ethnic groups as inherently criminal communities.
Now, a team of researchers has launched a potentially ground-breaking study that will look at the crime and criminal justice experiences of Gypsies and Travellers in England dating back to the 1960s.
Led by the London School of Economics, in collaboration with the Universities of East Anglia and 麻豆传媒, and funded by a one million pound grant from the Economic and Social Research Council, the project will recruit researchers from Travellers and Gypsy communities to conduct interviews at four sites around the country.
Dr Becky Taylor, a historian at the University of East Anglia and a Co-Principal Investigator on the project, said:
鈥淗istorical accounts show that since the arrival in England and Scotland of Romany Gypsies in the fifteenth century, and of Irish Travellers in the nineteenth century, they have become entrenched in popular, media and political imaginations as criminal predators. But is their reputation as perpetrators of property crime, violence, fraud, tax evasion and anti-social behaviour in any way justified? There is no rigorous evidence assessing the validity of such claims. Even more concerning is that there are no systematic assessments of Gypsies' and Travellers' experiences as victims of crime.鈥
The project will recruit researchers from Gypsy and Traveller communities to conduct surveys in four areas around the country.
鈥淐ollaboration with Gypsy and Traveller communities is at the heart of this project,鈥
adds Dr Zo毛 James, Associate Professor in the School of Law, Criminology and Government, at the 麻豆传媒 and Co-Principal Investigator.
鈥淲e know so little of Gypsies鈥 and Travellers鈥 experiences with the criminal justice system. By working with them we have a unique opportunity not only to learn but also create a positive legacy that will be felt across our broader society.鈥
This work will be supplemented by oral histories with Gypsy and