Offenders given short prison sentences had a higher number of reconvictions than those who were sentenced to longer periods, Scottish Government statistics show. The figures showed that 43.8% of those released from custody in 2018-19 went on to reoffend – a 2.8 percentage point increase from the previous year’s total… Longer sentences or Community Payback orders have lower reconviction rates latest figures show ...
The Justice Select Committee has published its report on mental health in prisons. The report calls the current situation in prisons a crisis and says it will not improve unless root and branch reform takes place. The report says that a “disjointed and incoherent” approach to care has left many prisoners suffering from… Work with offenders on a Justice Committee report which is calling for root and branch reform ...
New research published today by the Sentencing Academy investigates a little discussed sentencing option, the Suspended Sentence Order (SSO), which is the sentence passed in about one in twenty cases convicted through the courts. A total of 39,885 SSOs were made in 2019. The Academy discusses the central challenge of… Work with offenders on new research from the Sentencing Academy...
On Friday the Howard League for Penal Reform launched a new project to tackle the surging use of remand among children in custody. The first report of the project summarises findings from initial research and highlights particular concerns around remand and race. Almost half of all the children in custody… Work with offenders on a new Howard League campaign...
The House of Commons Justice Committee has today published a new report from their inquiry into COVID-19 and the criminal law. This report examines what lessons can be learnt from the way in which new covid-19 related offences have been created and enforced throughout the pandemic. Specifically, MPs have considered… Work with offenders on a new Justice Committee report...
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO), Sue McAllister, has today published a devastating report into the death of a baby at HMP Bronzefield two years ago in September 2019. The PPO was extremely critical of the fact that an (un-named) vulnerable 18 year old woman (Ms A) was allowed to… Work with offenders looks at the detail of today’s report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman...
Almost three years ago – in November 2018, Nacro, the social justice charity, launched a campaign highlighting the problems caused by Friday prison releases. There are three main factors which contribute to additional problems with releasing people from prison on a Friday: 1. Increased number of releases National statistics, as… Work with offenders on a continuing campaign from Nacro...
The Prison Reform Trust (PRT) has published the fourth briefing from its CAPPTIVE initiative. The Covid-19 Action Prisons Project: Tracking Innovation, Valuing Experience (CAPPTIVE) builds on PRT’s Prisoner Policy Network (PPN). CAPPTIVE aims to listen to prisoners, their families, prison staff, and others to build a picture of how prisons… Work with offenders on an alarming new briefing from the Prison Reform Trust...
Ahead of their new review of prison education Amanda Spielman, the Chief Ofsted Inspector and her counterpart from HM Inspectorate of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, have published a joint commentary on the state of prison education. It doesn’t make for pretty reading. The Chief Inspectors say that in the last five… Work with offenders on the new prison education review...
Losing faith Victims are losing faith in the criminal justice system according to a new survey of victims, which suggests less than half of victims would report to the police again based on their experience of the justice system. Around 600 victims responded to the annual survey of victims’ experiences… Work with offenders on today’ annual survey of victims...