February 13, 2017 Inmates have 'effectively taken over' one of Britain's biggest prisons News United Kingdom Inmates have effectively taken over at one of Britain’s biggest prisons, an undercover investigation has found.
February 13, 2017 UK: prison 'culture change' needed to prevent suicides News Suicide United Kingdom A culture change in the penal system is needed to stop the rising number of suicides in prisons, according to a new report. Campaigners say a “profound” shift is needed to move from a primarily punitive approach to one centred around rehabilitation and recovery.
February 12, 2017 UK: government to enshrine ministerial duty to rehabilitate prisoners into law for the first time News United Kingdom Liz Truss says she wants the prison population to go down but ‘for the right reasons’. The Government will for the first time enshrine into law an explicit duty for the Justice Secretary to ensure that prisons are places of rehabilitation rather than just punishment.
February 12, 2017 UK: HMP Northumberland prison officer: 'We have lost control of the jail' News United Kingdom A prison officer at HMP Northumberland has told an undercover reporter ‘we have lost control of the jail’, as shocking footage reveals major lapses of security, intoxicated prisoners and beleaguered staff. In tonight’s episode of BBC Panorama, a journalist experiences life inside the Acklington-bas…
February 4, 2017 United Kingdom: New law to help prisoners after release used once in a year News United Kingdom The law aims to help offenders access services such as housing, healthcare and addiction support.
February 1, 2017 UK: Exeter prison struggling with drugs and rising violence, say inspectors News Drugs Violence United Kingdom Assault and self-harm figures at Devon jail are revealed as justice secretary prepares to publish prison reform bill. Prison inspectors have warned that the situation at Exeter jail is “fragile”, with drugs thrown over the wall on a daily basis and only 29 officers on duty for 490 prisoners.
January 31, 2017 UK: prison suicides and how to stop them News Suicide United Kingdom Once upon a time, in 2013, in England and Wales, there were 76 people known to have died by suicide in prison. This was a higher rate of such deaths than in the general population. It concerned everyone who tried to make prisons safe. We have evidence of a higher than average rate of mental disorde…
January 31, 2017 United Kingdom: jails unsafe and 'full of drugs', says Chief Inspector of Prisons News Drugs United Kingdom Peter Clarke said recommendations made on the back of inspections appear to ‘fall on deaf ears’ in some instances
January 31, 2017 United Kingdom: prisons watchdog blames ‘failure of leadership’ for dire state of jails in England and Wales News Europe United Kingdom Prisons in England and Wales are struggling due to a “failure of leadership” on behalf of ministers, the watchdog said today.
January 30, 2017 UK: prisoner dies after 'drug overdose' at HMP Forest Bank in Salford News Drugs United Kingdom Death at prison which was under pressure to tackle use of new psychoactive substances is 16th in England and Wales in a month. A prisoner has died after a suspected drug overdose at Forest Bank prison in Greater Manchester.
January 28, 2017 UK: Inside tracks, life at the UK’s prison radio station News United Kingdom Every week, more than 75% of prisoners tune in to National Prison Radio. We meet the team at Brixton and Styal prisons and learn just how important the station is to this most captive of audiences.
January 28, 2017 Inside tracks: life at the UK’s prison radio station News Culture United Kingdom Every week, more than 75% of prisoners tune in to National Prison Radio. We meet the team at Brixton and Styal prisons and learn just how important the station is to this most captive of audiences
January 26, 2017 UK : prison suicides in England and Wales reach record high News Suicide United Kingdom Ministry of Justice figures show 119 inmates killed themselves last year, and assaults and self-harm also rose. A record 119 people killed themselves in prisons in England and Wales in 2016 – an increase of 29 (32%) on the previous year, according to Ministry of Justice figures. The record number o…
January 26, 2017 UK: Dartmoor Prison, an insider's story News United Kingdom The prison system is in crisis, with riots, drug abuse and record levels of suicide. But what is life really like for the 85,000 prisoners in our jails? Jessica Berens was writer-in-residence at HMP Dartmoor for three years and has the inside story.
January 26, 2017 United Kingdom: record number of prison inmates killed themselves in England and Wales in 2016 News United Kingdom A record number of people killed themselves in prisons in England and Wales in 2016, official figures show.
January 25, 2017 United Kingdom: Minister of Justice launches inquiry after record number of prison suicides in 2016 News Suicide United Kingdom Review to look into mental health history of fatalities in England and Wales as number of self-inflicted deaths rises to 113
January 24, 2017 Britain’s prison suicide crisis: ‘There’s no political will. Dead prisoners do not win votes’ News Health Suicide United Kingdom Almost 10 prisoners a month kill themselves in UK jails, with much of the blame placed on neglect and costcutting. That is what led to the death of Dean Saunders, according to his family – and a jury has agreed.
January 18, 2017 United Kingdom: Jersey prisoners granted the right to vote News United Kingdom Giving Jersey prisoners the right to vote is ‘the right thing to do’, according to the head of Jersey’s Probation Service.
January 10, 2017 United Kingdom: almost 80 Northern Ireland prison officers assaulted in a year, figures reveal News United Kingdom Nearly 80 prison officers were attacked in Northern Ireland during the past year, new figures have revealed.
January 5, 2017 UK : Thorn Cross open prison praised by inspectors News Facilities United Kingdom An open prison in Cheshire is well-led, with very good outcomes for prisoners and few violent incidents, according to Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke. HMP and YOI Thorn Cross in Warrington, which houses about 380 inmates, was inspected in October last year.
January 4, 2017 United Kingdom: Northern Ireland prison system fatalities double in a year News United Kingdom The number of deaths in the prison system has doubled in the past year.
January 3, 2017 Wales : Christmas Day 'incident' at Cardiff prison News United Kingdom Officers at Cardiff prison had to resolve a Christmas Day disturbance, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.
January 2, 2017 United Kingdom: prisons shakeup to give governors more control over rehabilitation News United Kingdom Legislation to tackle jails crisis will hand staff greater powers over education, employment and health budgets.
December 19, 2016 UK : government was warned two months earlier Birmingham prison riot News Violence United Kingdom Ministers were told urgent action was needed to protect staff and prisoners amid growing violence in prisons. The government was warned two months before a riot at HMP Birmingham involving hundreds of prisoners that the prevalence of psychoactive drugs meant urgent action was needed to prevent atta…