Speech
Lord Ramsbotham Memorial Lecture
The first annual lecture, in memory of Lord Ramsbotham, held on 29 November 2023
Comment
The creation of mixed-sex prisons by stealth
There are no single sex prisons in the UK anymore.
Comment
David Ramsbotham: a tribute
The first message I received this morning was a text to inform me David Ramsbotham had died.
Publication
Criminal records checks: Are disclosures proportionate?
The disclosure of information about previous criminal convictions has long been considered an important safeguard for employers and various organisations seeking individuals to serve in positions of trust.
News
Welcome for Ramsbotham's prison comments
Our Director, Richard Garside, today welcomed comments by the former Chief Inspector of Prisons, Lord Ramsbotham, on the crisis in the prisons system.
In remarks reported by the i, Lord Ramsbotham said that the 'avoidable crisis' in prisons had 'been made a great deal worse by the deliberate actions of ministers and their...
Publication
Imprisonment in the 21st Century
But prospects for the treatment and conditions of prisoners are already so different from what they were only four years ago, that I feel in a position to at least comment on them from my privileged viewpoint as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. Had independent inspection not been restored in 1981,...
Publication
Team Player
Sir David, what do you see as the major issues and concerns of prisons today? Well I think there are issues on three levels. The first one is the problem of over-crowding. The second is the issue of security; there are two parts to the Prison Service Mission Statement: one is about keeping people...
News
Now is the time to cut prisoner numbers
Our Director, Richard Garside, today welcomed calls for a cut in the high number of people locked up in prisons across England and Wales.
The Conservative Chair of the House of Commons Justice Committee, Bob Neill MP, is one of a growing number of figures calling for a reduction in the prison population.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Neill said that he was looking for a...
News
The House Magazine reviews probation plans
Our Director Richard Garside has written for a House Magazine policy review of the government's plans to privatise probation and introduce 'payment by results' (PbR).
Richard writes:
'Whether PbR will work in the terms the Government expects is impossible to
...
News
Imminent crisis behind bars?
Ministry of Justice figures show that callouts of the National Tactical Response Group in prisons grew by 50 per cent between 2012 and 2013.
The former Chief Inspector of Prisons, Lord Ramsbotham, told The Independent of his growing concerns over prison conditions:...