Young black people in British society are often linked with images of criminality and delinquency. This study aimed to investigate self-perception in young black male offenders. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants and included questions relating to family background and perceptions of society and themselves. A group discussion was also undertaken to elaborate further on topics raised in the interviews. A `grounded theory' approach was used to analyse the data and ten key themes emerged, which included: the importance of black history; ability to define their ethnic background; normal levels of self-esteem; negative representations of black people and lack of a role model. The methodological limitations in this study are discussed. Notwithstanding these, however, the findings suggest that racial identity is an important part of self-perception for black young offenders and it is recommended that this needs to be taken into consideration when working with young black people in the criminal justice system.
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