Podcasts
Gavin Wilkinson on forensic psychology
In this week's podcast, Gavin Wilkinson discusses crime, prisons and his work with prisoners as a trainee forensic psychologist.
News
Fundamental rethink of prisons policy needed
Our Director, Richard Garside, yesterday called for a fundamental rethink of prisons policy after the release of a damning report from the National Audit Office.
Released today, the report concluded that the prison service was failing to provide a safe, secure and decent prison estate.
He said:
On just about every measure, the current
...
News
Our Director in The Times
Government proposals to scrap automatic release of prisoners halfway through their sentences is today being discussed in parliament.
The proposed legislation, if successful, will apply to offenders who have committed serious violent and sexual offences, who have been sentenced to life imprisonment and given a fixed term of seven years or more. These prisoners will serve two-thirds of their sentence before being automatically...
News
In the news this week
Our Director, Richard Garside, has been quoted in the New York Times and The Times this week.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on London Bridge last week by Usman Khan, The New York Times quoted Richard on sentencing policy. On the controversy surrounding Mr...
News
End child imprisonment video by Open University
Child Imprisonment: Why we should abolish imprisonment for children and young people, the latest from the campaign to end child imprisonment, is a short documentary about the harms of depriving children of their liberty.
Dr David Scott interviews campaigners who have been personally affected by the issue, and Carolyne Willow, Director of Article 39.
David closes the video saying:
We need to think again about what we mean by child prison as a
...
News
Treasury budget confirms new mega-prisons
October's Treasury Budget announcement confirmed the construction of two new mega prisons as part of the Prison Estates Transformation Programme, Corporate Watch reports.
The programme plans to build six new prisons altogether, whilst the two confirmed in the budget will be built on the HMP Wellinborough and HMP Glen Parva sites and will create 4,000 new prison places.
Our former Senior Policy Associate, Rebecca Roberts, has previously...
Comment
Lula in Prison: A pathway to justice reform?
Last week Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, aka ‘Lula’, ex-president of Brazil, was found guilty of corruption and money laundering and sentenced to nine years and six months in prison. He has been...
Publication
Perspectives from inside: A report from HMP Grendon and HMP Barlinnie
In this report Abigail Amey, Zoe Ellis and Will McMahon summarise the views of those who attended two events held at HMP Grendon, in June 2014, and HMP Barlinnie, in October 2014, as to how far UK...
News
Does prison work?
On 10 March, JM Moore wrote an article on the Reclaim Justice Network website titled 'Reframing the "Prison Works" debate. For whom and in what ways...
News
Warehousing children in prisons is wrong
A letter published today in The Daily Telegraph criticises government plans to build the largest children's prison in Europe, describing it as 'bad for...
News
'Safety' in custody figures released
According to Ministry of Justice figures released last Thursday, there has been a 69% rise in suicides in penal institutions in the 12 months ending in March 2014. ...
News
Prison governors told to slash costs
Back in November 2012, in his first major speech as Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling said that 'we have to focus on making the prison system cheaper not smaller'.
...