Rape victims and survivors still failed by the system say charities

Two years on from the government’s End-to-End Rape Review, far too many victims and survivors of rape continue to be failed, according to a new report released today by Centre for Women’s Justice, the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Imkaan and Rape Crisis England & Wales. The Government’s Rape Review… Despite marginal progress, charging, prosecution and conviction rates still fall short of the government’s own targets a review has found....

Importance of Pre-Sentence Reports

The research undertaken by Kristina Gray, Rachael Finn, Joanna Gent & Kezia Huttlestone examines the impact of a PSR oral or fast delivery report on the reason that a court order (or sentence) terminated. This analysis specifically looks at adults sentenced to a Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order (with… The Ministry of Justice has just published new research on the impact of oral and fast delivery pre-sentence reports (PSRs) on the completion of court orders. ...

Stress, workload and organisational change reasons to leave Probation

Former probation staff have cited lack of psychological support as well as management style as reasons for their resignation. It forms part of a study conducted by Laura Haggar and Michelle McDermott from the University of Portsmouth and published in Probation Quarterly into probation officers' reasons for resignation. 47 participants… A study has been completed by Laura Haggar and Michelle McDermott from the University of Portsmouth and published in Probation Quarterly. ...

Probation still failing on high risk SFO cases says inspectorate

The Probation Inspectorate has today published its second annual report of Serious Further Offence (SFO) reviews, with the headline conclusion being that assessments of the risk of harm people on probation pose remain inaccurate and incomplete. The report also says that not enough is being done to stop people on… Chief Probation Inspector Justin Russell has attributed the declining performance around risk assessment to low staffing levels....

New employers' guide to hiring people with criminal convictions

Hiring with conviction Working Chance, the employment charity for women with convictions, has just  published a new guide to recruiting and supporting people with a criminal record. The guide is split into four main sections: Why recruit people with convictions How to recruit people with convictions Dealing with disclosure of a criminal… In England and Wales, there are around 12.3 million people with a criminal record....

Concerns around Government’s changes to the parole system

A new briefing paper from the Prison Reform Trust sets out the concerns of many criminal justice commentators and lawyers around the proposed changes to the parole system put forward in the Victims and Prisoners Bill currently under consideration by parliament. The penal reform charity argues that Part Three of… The Prison Reform Trust says the Bill undermines the independence of the Parole Board and its function as a court like body....

Concerns for prisoner safety at HMP Lowdham Grange

Safety is a serious concern at HMP Lowdham Grange, for the second year running, with three apparently self-inflicted deaths in three weeks, says the independent monitoring board (IMB) in a report published last week. The IMB took the unusual step of publishing an annex to its 2022-3 report, alerting ministers… Drugs were a continuing problem, both affecting prisoner behaviour and encouraging illicit activity and debt...

Proposals for generic Intervention Units 'direct risk to public safety'

The National Association for Probation Officers is “vehemently opposed” to MoJ proposals to absorb specialist sex offender teams into generic Intervention hubs. The Ministry of Justice is currently in a formal consultation period with trade unions on changes which could see the creation of single Interventions Units within each of… The MoJ is looking to create single Interventions Units across the 12 probation regions....

Red Snapper Recruitment launches campaign to support offender rehabilitation

Many of us will remember fondly Norman Stanley Fletcher, Ronnie Barker’s role in the BBC comedy Porridge. His cheeky, stereotypical, older prisoner character enjoyed notoriety, kudos and the ability to make life inside far more manageable. Many members of the public still visualise prison life to be just the same… The RECOOP charity was set up over 8 years ago to specifically support the older prisoner population and meet their differing needs...

Prison spaces only in lower category open establishments

Andrea Albutt, President of the Prison Governors’ Association, made it clear in her speech to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Penal Affairs (APPGPA) yesterday that our prisons are rapidly running out of space. As you can see from our graphic below, the prison population has been on an upward… The projected rise to 94,000 is primarily due to an increase in receptions of determinate sentenced offenders....