The Latest Breaking News from David Gauke

Chemical castration of sex offenders to be piloted in 20 prisons, says Mahmood

The Government is exploring whether to enforce the chemical castration on offenders as mandatory, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs.

Evening Standard · May 22, 2025

What is chemical castration? Lord Chancellor considers procedure for serious sex offenders

Could chemical castration help ease overcrowding in UK prisons? What does it really entail?

Evening Standard · May 22, 2025

Voices: Everyone wants prison reformed – even Reform. Labour must be bold

COMMENT: There is widespread public support, even among Nigel Farage’s supporters, for increasing community sentences for non-violent crime, writes Andrea Coomber, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform

The Independent UK · May 22, 2025

Plans to use mandatory chemical castration on serious sexual offenders after prison review

Long-awaited review by former Tory justice secretary David Gauke says government must stop ‘overreliance’ on jail time to tackle overcrowding

The Independent UK · May 22, 2025

Fewer criminals to serve jail time under proposals to end prison overcrowding

Five key proposals put forward by the independent sentencing review are expected to cut the prison population by around 9,800.

Evening Standard · May 22, 2025

Shabana Mahmood considers chemical castration for serious sex offenders

Justice secretary expected to back radical sentencing reforms, including use of libido-suppressing drugs in England and Wales

The Guardian - UK · May 21, 2025

More community sentences in England and Wales could be ‘catastrophic’, warns watchdog

Chief inspector of probation says public at risk from greater use of prison alternatives unless service is better funded

The Guardian - UK · May 21, 2025

Judges told to favour community alternatives over short prison sentences

Sentencing review to be published on Thursday aims to ‘ease prison capacity crisis’ and reduce reoffending

The Guardian - UK · May 20, 2025

‘It’s a scandal’: Fury as inmates trapped on indefinite jail terms excluded from scheme to free up prison space

Exclusive: Seven in 10 recalled IPP prisoners have committed no further crime but are held for more than two years on average. Releasing them would free up a prison, but they have been left out of the government’s scheme to reduce the recall population

The Independent UK · May 18, 2025

Republican Texas is a surprising model for solving the UK’s prison crisis – but it just might work

Jails in England and Wales are in overcrowded meltdown, but justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has a rare chance to flip the script, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff

The Guardian - UK · May 16, 2025