Comment
30 July 2021

Over the past decade, for instance, we have supported the creation of three organisations: DrugScience, One Small Thing and The Community Plan. All three, in different ways, are taking forward work initially hosted, incubated or developed by us.

Comment
28 July 2021

The book is richly drawn from his East End roots and brings together his insights on crime and criminality through the lived experiences of many of those involved in law breaking and skulduggery he had known and caroused with. The sub-heading of the book - Talking with thieves, gangsters and dealers - prompted me to jump back in time to recall two clients steeped in offending, who I had supervisory responsibility for when working as a probation officer in London.

Comment
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26 July 2021

In 2012 I (Rona) published research on the rights of the child when mothers are sentenced in the UK criminal courts. In this research I pointed out that under the Human Rights Act the rights of the child to a private life - which must include the right to the care of her/his parent - were engaged when a parent with care is sentenced.

Comment
22 July 2021

The map has been developed as part of our After Prison project. Through After Prison, we are working with local communities around prisons, raising awareness and supporting action about how prison sites can be used differently to meet people’s needs.   

Comment
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20 July 2021

In this piece, we explore whether traumatic experiences are always destined to be traumatic and how it appears helpful to suggest they are.

Comment
16 July 2021

In the autumn we will begin work on a new strategy. We are keen to draw on the experience, knowledge and ideas of our many stakeholders as we develop our plans.

In the meantime, we have agreed the main coordinates of our work, both to sharpen our focus in the short-term, and to help guide the development of the new strategy over the coming months.

Comment
15 July 2021

Prisons should not be filled up with even more people who experience most acutely the social problems governments don’t want to solve. Our communities should not be left without the support and resources they need.  

Now that we're coming out of the worst of the pandemic, we're taking this forward. We are building a movement for the redevelopment of land currently occupied by prisons, for the benefit of local communities. 

Comment
13 July 2021

Joint enterprise is a legal tool which allows for multiple individuals to be prosecuted and convicted for the same crime, without taking into account their differing roles or even whether they were present at the scene.

Comment
8 July 2021

'The many life stories I have heard in the course of my work,' she remarked, 'have given me an infinite respect for the mind's complexity.'

Comment
1 July 2021

Tabled by the MPs Alex Cunningham and Sarah Champion, the new clause intends to support a move from short prison sentences to community based interventions. 

Here I summarise the approach the Centre has taken, and the progress of the amendment thus far. 

Comment
23 June 2021

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has seen applications for Universal Credit soar since lockdown was imposed in March 2020. As of the start of May 2020, 1.8 million claims had been received since 16 March – six times the usual claimant rate. Local news reports have also shown that more people than ever are applying for council tax reductions and are struggling to keep up with payments. For example, reportedly one in eight Solihull residents are behind on council tax payments.

Comment
21 June 2021

Melanie, a single mother from Porthcawl in Wales, who was in poor health and in financial difficulties, read the article while she was in prison. She was serving a sentence of 81 days of imprisonment for owing council tax.