Most people prosecuted under joint enterprise from minority ethnic background

Data shows black people are 16 times more likely than white people to be prosecuted under the doctrine, according to CPS figures

More than half of people prosecuted under joint enterprise are from minority ethnic backgrounds and black people are 16 times more likely than white people to be prosecuted, according to data from the Crown Prosecution Service.

Under the joint enterprise doctrine, an individual can be jointly charged with the crime of another if the court decides they foresaw the other person was likely to commit that crime and intended to encourage or assist them. This has resulted in bystanders, or people involved in much lesser criminal offences, being convicted of murder or manslaughter.