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The controversial security company G4S should be stripped of its contract to run Oakhill secure training centre, the Director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Richard Garside, said today, following a damning Ofsted report on the institution.
Richard also called for the government to close the three secure training centres – Medway, Oakhill and Rainsbrook – as part of a plan to end the imprisonment of children.
We have today welcomed the intervention by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in the planned sale of the former Holloway prison site. News of his intervention came via the Mayor's twitter account this afternoon, after he posted a letter he sent to the Justice Secretary, David Lidington.
Thousands of people have now shown their support for a petition calling on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to purchase the former Holloway prison site and protect the land for council homes, community facilities and a women's building.
London Assembly Members from across the political spectrum have joined the call for the Mayor to step in. Conservative London Assembly member, Tony Devenish has joined the call for council homes;
As part of our Community Plan for Holloway project we have been working in partnership with local people and organisations in Islington to put forward a positive vision for the former prison site. Today, a petition has been launched, calling for London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to purchase the former Holloway prison site and protect the land for council homes, community facilities and a women's building.
Our Senior Associate, Helen Mills recently wrote for the National Union for Journalists' website, about our latest report, The undercover policing of political protest.
She writes,
The police are building a near 'impenetrable wall of silence' around some of their most secret and harmful practices, according to a new report out today (Tuesday 24 October). The report shows that over six years on from revelations about police infiltration of political activist groups, and more than two years since the establishment of a public inquiry to investigate their activity, little more has come to light about undercover policing practices.
Our Director Richard Garside today welcomed remarks by the Chair of the all-party group on knife crime that tackling knife violence was a health and education challenge, not a police issue.
The remarks by Sarah Jones, the MP for Croydon Central, came in an interview with The Guardian. She also called for a 10-year, cross-governmental strategy to tackle the problem.
We have written to London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, urging him to consider purchasing the Holloway prison site in Islington N7.
The ten acre site is currently being marketed for sale by GVA Bilfinger on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and the deadline for bids is 15 November.
The letter, signed by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Islington Hands Off Our Public Services, Islington Axe the Housing Act, Islington Trades Union Council, St George & All Saints Church, Reclaim Holloway, Women in Prison, and Unite Union Housing Workers Branch, says:
Our research on the toxic combination of racist 'gang' stereotyping by the police and unfair joint enterprise convictions, published last year, was referenced earlier this week by Lucy Powell, the MP for Manchester Central.
One of our trustees, Lee Bridges, has written an assessment of the Lammy Review for the Institute of Race Relations, where he is also a trustee.