The pandemic has been a catastrophe for people in prison. We must learn from it.
How to begin to sum up the last 12 months in prisons? Chronic overcrowding, violence, self-injury and high rates of staff turnover have been major concerns for years, but the Covid-19 pandemic has added another cruel layer of desperation for the tens of thousands of people behind bars. The Howard League for Penal Reform has […]
Assault, suicide and neglect: The reality of children behind bars
“Not enough has changed at HMYOI Hindley, two-and-a-half years on from my son Jake Hardy dying.”
‘Abandoned by society’: Young offender institute condemned
Inspectors have raised “serious concerns” about safety at one of the country’s young offender institutes.
Young offenders institutes are ‘modern day dungeons’
By Liz Stephens A damning audit of young offenders’ institutes (YOI’s) has revealed “extraordinary squalor and institutional brutality”. The audit, which was carried out by the Howard League for Penal Reform for a recent court case, deemed many institutions “seriously unsafe”. It found in many places, children are regularly denied access to showers, toilets and […]
Another blow as youth justice chief quits
The pressure on the home secretary increased today with news that the head of the Youth Justice Board (YJB), a strong critic of the government’s offender policies, has resigned. The news about Rod Morgan could not come at a worse time for John Reid, who is fighting off claims that his efforts to deal with […]
Cameron demands ‘social solution’ to crime
Crime is a “social phenomenon” and society must take responsibility for the drug and alcohol problems, abuse and family breakdowns that cause it, David Cameron has said. The Conservative leader said there must be a new approach to tackling youth offending, arguing that although the state could respond to crime with appropriate punishments, society must […]
Youth prisons in ‘meltdown’
The number of young people in custody is reaching crisis point and government must take urgent action to avoid a “meltdown”, the Youth Justice Board has warned. Board chairman Rod Morgan has today joined forces with the chief inspector of prisons and the children’s commissioner to call for fewer young offenders to be locked up. […]
Criminal age ‘should be raised to 14’
The age of criminal responsibility should be raised to 14 and new prosecutors appointed with the aim of keeping children out of jail, an expert has recommended. Rob Allen, who has just finished eight years as head of the Youth Justice Board, warns in a new report that too many children are being sent to […]
Shoplifters ‘should escape jail’
Shoplifters should only be sent to jail if they used violence during their crime, the Sentencing Advisory Panel has recommended. The body responsible for advising on sentencing guidelines said that people guilty of a “standard offence” of stealing from a shop should not get more than a community order unless there were “aggravating factors”. It […]
Mubarek death linked to prison overcrowding
Overcrowding and staff shortages were largely behind the death of teenager Zahid Mubarek at Feltham young offenders institution, a major inquiry has found. The 19-year-old was beaten to death by Robert Stewart just hours before he was due to be released from Feltham, where he was serving three months for theft. Stewart, who is now […]
