Richard Garside

Far too many vulnerable people are being drawn into the justice system, the Northern Ireland Justice Minister, Claire Sugden, told our conference on the UK justice systems on Wednesday.

Caution is needed over plans to extend the use of so-called 'problem-solving courts', if they are not to become problem-creating courts, our Director Richard Garside said today.

Almost every contract to provide probation services in England and Wales is lossmaking, according to a report in today's Financial Times (£).

The government's reforms of probation in England and Wales appear to be sabotaging, rather than transforming, the rehabilitation and resettlement of prisoners, our Director Richard Garside says today.

Richard was reacting to a new report by the Inspectorates of Probation and Prison on resettlement services for prisoners on short sentences. The report found that services were 'poor' and that 'there was little to commend' about them.

Richard said:

Our Director, Richard Garside, expressed alarm at the findings of a new report from the Probation Inspectorate on community-based services for criminalised women.

The report identifies a dramatic decline in the quality and provision of services. Richard said,

Our Director Richard Garside today welcomed a new report by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee on the transforming rehabilitation programme.

Richard said:

Reacting to new research suggesting that police body-worn cameras reduce complaints against the police, our Director Richard Garside said,

'I welcome this research, which adds to the growing evidence in support of the use of police body-worn cameras.

Commenting on the appointment of Liz Truss as Justice Secretary our Director, Richard Garside, said:

Liz Truss' predecessor, Michael Gove, seems destined to go down as the great prison reformer whose career was ended before he had time to disappoint prison reformers.

Regardless of the balance sheet on his time in office, the appointment of Liz Truss affords a welcome opportunity for a rethink of his plans for "Reform Prisons".

Our Director Richard Garside has welcomed the news that Mayor of London Sadiq Khan will invest the money made from selling three second-hand water cannons in youth services.

The three cannons, bought by Mr Khan's predecessor Boris Johnson, have been sitting unused in storage since they were bought.

Speaking today, Richard said: