Race and Criminal Justice in Malaysia

Race is a politically sensitive topic in Malaysia, as it is inextricably linked to partisan politics as well as contentious politics. The socio‐cultural composition and demographics of the state indicates Malays as the majority race, Chinese, Indians and “Others” as the minorities. Race and racialization of post‐colonial Malaysia, dominates the social, political and legal narratives in both scholarly and non‐scholarly writings. Despite the dominant role of race in Malaysia, the link between race and criminal justice in Malaysia is understudied and often ignored. This article reviews the research and recent debates surrounding the links between race and criminal justice in Malaysia, by drawing from scholarly literature, human rights reports produced by civil society organizations and international organizations, as well as media reports. The article observes how scholars have not addressed the role of race and racialization within the criminal justice system in Malaysia ‐ indicating a lack of studies on issues such as overrepresentation of racial minorities in drug crimes and death row, despite key data released by human rights organizations.