News

State is failing young people leaving custody

Youth resettlement – final report into work in the community, the latest report from HM Inspectorate of Probation and HM Inspectorate of Prisons, has prompted calls for more support for young people released from custody. Our Director, Richard Garside is amongst those calling for the state to address it failures. 

The report found that children leaving custody are not being given adequate support as they re-integrate back into life in the community. Both ITV News...

8 October 2019
News

Centre's Director in today's Times

Our Director, Richard Garside has been quoted in a Times article, 'More prison time for rapists and killers', on plans to toughen sentences for serious offenders. The plans, to be proposed at the Tory conference, will see an increase of 3,000 in prisons in England and Wales over the next decade.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland will propose to end the current automatic early release half-way through a sentence, so those convicted of serious violence and sexual offences will, in future serve, two-thirds of their sentence.

Richard was asked to comment, saying: 

...
1 October 2019
News

Is it a crime to be poor?

We are working with partners to plan an event next year on the theme: Is it a crime to be poor?

The aim would be to share knowledge and research, and to discuss how we, as academics, practitioners and penal reformers can act to end this endemic abuse of the criminal justice system.

There are many examples of ways in which the criminal justice system criminalises poverty.These...

1 October 2019
News

Centre's Director in the Mirror

Our Director, Richard Garside, was quoted in the Mirror on Saturday in an article about the costs of prisons, and in particular, Young Offender Institutions. 

Richard offered an alternative to the costly option of imprisoning young people, advising that: 

We should be investing in programmes to help young people stay out of trouble and reach their potential.

The article can be read...

30 September 2019
News

Joint statement on police and private company use of facial recognition in the UK

Last week, Big Brother Watch issued a Joint statement on police and private company use of facial recognition surveillance in the UK. The document called for the immediate halt of both police and private company use of facial recognition surveillance.

The Centre is one of the signatories, alongisde other rights, race equality and technology organisations, technology academics and experts, barristers and MPs. 

Read the statement and full list of signatories...

23 September 2019
News
Professor David Nutt

An evening with David Nutt

Our latest event - an evening with David Nutt - is on 30 October. The event is being held ten years to the day that Professor Nutt was fired from his role as chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs for standing for drugs policies grounded in science and evidence.

4 September 2019
News

Centre's director on Talk Radio

Our Director, Richard Garside, was interviewed on Talk Radio yesterday on far-right violence and the underlying causes of violence in society. 

On underlying causes of violence, Richard said: 

We know that societies that are more unequal in relation to power and money, are generally speaking more violent.

Watch the whole clip...

21 August 2019
News

Calling all budding design and marketing professionals

This autumn, we're going to be kicking off a new project on closing down prisons.

We are currently in the planning phase of this long-term and bold new project and are seeking interest from skilled individuals who can offer their time on a voluntary basis to help us get it off the ground. 

If you are experienced in the following, and are keen to share your skills and...

11 July 2019
News

Our response to Labour consultation

We recently submitted our response to Labour's Justice and Home Affairs consultation - Building an effective criminal justice system. 

The consultation requested expertise in the three following areas:

  • Early intervention
  • Courts
  • Offender management

Read the full response below.

11 July 2019
News

Latest from the campaign to end child imprisonment

In advance of today's Westminster Hall debate on the abolition of child imprisonment, the steering group of the End Child Imprisonment campaign have produced a joint briefing. 

The document is unequivocal that the child's best interests must always be a primary consideration and urges cross-party commitment to the immediate closure of young offender institutions and secure training centres.

The steering group call for investment in services and support for...

25 June 2019
News

Latest on retention and disclosure of criminal records

The latest briefing on the retention and disclosure of criminal records has been published in the House of Commons Library.

The note outlines the rules for managing the retention and disclosure of convictions which sits with the Police National Computer and the Police National Database. 

In January this year, the supreme court ruled that the criminal justice records disclosure ruegime for multiple convictions...

12 June 2019