August 4, 2017 UK: prisons in crisis due to ‘perverse’ government overhaul News Europe Drugs Overcrowding Violence United Kingdom The president of the Prison Governors Association (PGA) has said prisons in England and Wales are in crisis due to a “perverse” government overhaul and a “toxic mix” of pressures.
June 21, 2017 United Kingdom: new probation services failing to improve re-offending rates, report finds News United Kingdom A key plank of controversial probation reforms shows no sign of improving re-offending rates and could be ditched immediately with little impact being felt, a highly critical report concludes. So-called Through the Gate services were introduced as part of a partial privatisation in 2015 to bridge t…
June 21, 2017 United Kingdom: ex-prisoners will receive support to start their own businesses with a new fund News United Kingdom James Furber, the high sheriff of Greater London, has thrown his weight behind a new fund that aims to help people leaving prison become entrepreneurs. The programme will provide inmates with peer and professional mentors who will assist them with business planning and personal development.
June 20, 2017 'Buried alive': the old men stuck in Britain’s prisons News United Kingdom They can’t manage the stairs, so they can’t exercise, or go to classes. They’re afraid to shower in case they fall. The ones with dementia don’t even know where they are. Is this any way to deal with elderly offenders?
June 20, 2017 United Kingdom: 'buried alive': the old men stuck in Britain’s prisons News United Kingdom Dave was 13 when he got his first custodial sentence. It was 1962 and he had been caught stealing from cars. That sentence was followed by others: he can’t quite remember how many. Gamely, he tried to count them: “I think it was 14 or 15,” he finally offered. He wasn’t always put away – at least se…
June 14, 2017 United Kingdom: youth prison deemed 'unsafe' less than two years after staff accused of physical abusing children News United Kingdom A youth prison that came under fire last year after allegations that staff had physically abused young offenders has been rated inadequate by inspectors. Medway Secure Training Centre, which was previously run by G4S but was taken over by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) last July, h…
June 3, 2017 United Kingdom: deferred sentences – used again but not used enough News United Kingdom News this month of two cases where Judges have used deferred sentences for a few months in relation to women offenders is nothing compared to the Oklahoma women whose sentence was deferred for 10 years after she killed her boyfriend by running him over. She was only 19 and his father spoke in her s…
May 26, 2017 UK: prison officer risks endangering lives of inmates, says coroner News United Kingdom Concerns raised about ‘understanding of safety procedures’ after evidence at inquest into suicide of inmate at HMP Foston Hall
May 22, 2017 United Kingdom: suicide jail failed to improve, says doctor News Health Suicide United Kingdom Safety improvements were not made at a prison with the highest suicide rate in England and Wales despite a spate of deaths, a psychiatrist has told the BBC.
May 22, 2017 United Kingdom: Wrexham super prison set to open another wing this month News Facilities United Kingdom The Alwen wing which will house more than 700 men at the £212m HMP Berwyn is on schedule for May opening*
May 18, 2017 UK: minister announces £3.4m to steer criminals away from reoffending News United Kingdom Four mentoring services that work with criminals to prevent re-offending are to receive £3.4m in grants from the Scottish government.
May 17, 2017 UK: what it’s like to be a transgender woman in a men’s prison News LGBTQI United Kingdom During the past 18 months, three openly transgender women have taken their own lives in custody in England: Vikki Thompson, Joanne Latham and Jenny Swift. Their deaths speak of the difficulties that transgender people face behind bars. The ongoing inquest into Thompson’s death sheds some light onto…
May 16, 2017 British prison is first to use 'disruptor' to create drone-proof 'shield' around jail News United Kingdom A British prison has become the world’s first to use a new system designed to stop drones flying over perimeter walls to drop contraband into jails.
May 15, 2017 UK: female Scots prisoners to have children to stay at weekend News Women United Kingdom Children of female prisoners will be able to spend nights and weekends with their mothers in Scotland’s new community jails.
May 15, 2017 UK: prison changes needed for older inmates, report suggests News United Kingdom Changes are likely to be required to the prison estate to accommodate the growing number of inmates with social care needs, a new report has suggested.
May 2, 2017 UK: call for inquiry over 'unbroken pattern' of deaths at prison News United Kingdom HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes comes under fire during inquest into death of inmate – the 18th to have died there in past four years
May 2, 2017 UK: transgender woman said she would leave male prison 'in a box' News LGBTQI United Kingdom Inquest hears Vikki Thompson died within a month of arriving at HMP Leeds where she was classed as being a suicide risk. A transgender woman sent to a male prison was found dead in her cell after repeatedly warning that she would leave “in a box”, a jury has heard.
April 27, 2017 United Kingdom: prison statistics reveal big rise in self-harm and assaults on staff News Suicide United Kingdom Latest Ministry of Justice data for England and Wales shows 38% rise in assaults on staff and 24% rise in self-harm incidents
April 26, 2017 United Kingdom: teen's detention breached prison rules, Liz Truss admits News Europe United Kingdom A 16-year-old boy held in solitary confinement for four months was a victim of procedural “failings”, Liz Truss has admitted.
April 21, 2017 United Kingdom: extremist prisoners to be held in 'separation centres' inside jails News United Kingdom Plan to separate ‘subversive prisoners’ follows official inquiry into the spread of Islamic extremism inside prisons
April 13, 2017 United Kingdom: prisons no longer place for punishment, ministers say News Justice United Kingdom Prisons are no longer places for punishment, ministers have said after the phrase was excluded from the first legal definition of the purpose of jails.
April 10, 2017 United Kingdom: cuts to legal aid for prisoners ruled unlawful News United Kingdom Campaigners win court of appeal battle against 2013 limits introduced by Chris Grayling in three out of five categories
March 28, 2017 UK: prison suicide rate more than doubles in four years, figures reveal News Suicide United Kingdom Assaults and self-harm in jails in England and Wales also reach record levels as politicians are urged to address the ‘shameful’ issues facing the penal system.
March 20, 2017 Royaume-Uni : Supreme court to consider appeal to enforce smoking ban in jails News United Kingdom Prisoner says rules on smoking in communal areas are not being upheld, exposing him to dangerous levels of secondhand smoke. The remaining rights of prisoners to smoke inside their cells are to be challenged at the supreme court in a case which, if successful, could inflame discipline problems in p…
