Sending prisoners abroad to cost at least £200m and won’t happen until 2026, government’s own report warns Justice secretary Alex Chalk plans to send prisoners to jails abroad to ease overcrowding The Independent UK · Nov 22, 2023
Government grants permission for new prison despite council rejecting plans Michael Gove intervened and granted planning permission for the new prison near Market Harborough after an appeal from the Ministry of Justice. The Independent UK · Nov 16, 2023
Ministers cut the amount of time offenders have to declare convictions Offenders who have committed serious sexual, violent, or terrorist offences are excluded from the changes. The Independent UK · Oct 30, 2023
Revealed: one in three jailed pregnant women in England and Wales still to face trial New data on prisons has added to calls by campaigners to end custodial sentences for expectant mothers The Guardian - UK · Oct 28, 2023
Prison suicides in England and Wales rise by nearly a quarter Campaigners lament ‘appalling statistics’ that also show steep rise in female prisoners self-harming The Guardian - UK · Oct 26, 2023
Senior judge to chair inquiry into wrongful rape conviction of Andrew Malkinson Mr Malkinson had his 2003 conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal in July. The Independent UK · Oct 26, 2023
Probation officers fear repeat of failings in murder case as pressures mount Moves to free up prison places in England and Wales have prompted panic in already overstretched probation service The Guardian - UK · Oct 23, 2023
RAAC: Courts affected by unsafe concrete revealed for the first time Seven courts were originally identified as containing potentially dangerous concrete Evening Standard · Oct 20, 2023
MoJ ‘put public at risk’ after quietly transferring inmates to open prisons Leaked document emerges as domestic abuse survivors seek clarification over plans to cut sentences for ‘low-level’ offenders The Guardian - UK · Oct 17, 2023
Ex-victims’ commissioner reappointed to role for one-year term Baroness Helen Newlove, whose husband was killed in 2007, previously held the post between 2013 and 2019. The Independent UK · Oct 16, 2023
UK strategy for preventing repeat deaths ’a systemic scandal’ After inquests, coroners can make recommendations to prevent similar deaths from happening. But their suggestions are not being implemented and the system needs urgent reform, say campaigners The Independent UK · Oct 16, 2023
Coroners’ warning loophole branded a ‘systemic scandal’ amid calls for overhaul The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody had made a host of recommendations to improve the use of Prevention of Future Death reports. The Independent UK · Oct 15, 2023
Two-thirds of prisons officially overcrowded in England and Wales HMP Wandsworth holding more extra prisoners than any other jail despite recent high-profile problems The Guardian - UK · Oct 15, 2023
Minister to set out reforms as prison overcrowding reaches ‘critical point’ Health Secretary Steve Barclay acknowledged there is ‘huge pressure’ on the prison system. The Independent UK · Oct 12, 2023
The Guardian - UK · Oct 12, 2023 England and Wales judges told not to jail criminals as prisons full – report Senior judge quoted by the Times says ‘biggest concern’ over guidance is those convicted of sexual assault likely to stay on bail
The Independent UK · Oct 11, 2023 Killer pilot’s release from prison blocked by Justice Secretary BA captain Robert Brown beat his wife Joanna Simpson to death with a claw hammer in their family home in October 2010.
The Independent UK · Oct 3, 2023 Jade’s Law: Killer parents will have parental rights taken away, justice secretary to announce Alex Chalk will outline plans to introduce the law before parliament by end of year at Tory party conference
The Independent UK · Oct 2, 2023 Killer parents to have parental rights taken away, Justice Secretary to announce At the Tory party conference, Alex Chalk will outline plans to introduce ‘Jade’s Law’ before Parliament by the end of the year.
The Guardian - UK · Sep 29, 2023 Plan for 20,000 more prison places in England and Wales won’t be complete until 2030 The £4bn project was due to be finished by mid 2020s but delays mean it will not be able to head off current capacity crisis
The Guardian - UK · Sep 28, 2023 Criminals in England and Wales spared jail sentences because of overcrowding Judges and magistrates told to consider high prison population opting for suspended sentences instead of immediate jail terms
The Guardian - UK · Sep 26, 2023 Pepper spray could be used at young offender institutions in England and Wales Exclusive: Whitehall sources say use of Pava to incapacitate children is under consideration amid sharp rise in violence
The Guardian - UK · Sep 26, 2023 The state of prisons in England and Wales – in numbers Prison populations and deaths are rising while staff numbers and funds are falling
The Week · Sep 11, 2023 Daniel Khalife escape: how secure are UK prisons? The escape of terror suspect Daniel Khalife from Wandsworth prison was hardly “The Shawshank Redemption”, said The Independent, but the “audacious” breakout invited a great deal of attention – and the “clamour for a scapegoat”.
The Guardian - UK · Sep 8, 2023 Friday briefing: An escaped suspect is far from the only crisis for the prison system In today’s newsletter: As a manhunt is underway for 21-year-old Daniel Khalife, prisons struggle with overcrowding, suicide and staff shortages
The Guardian - UK · Aug 30, 2023 Criminals to be forced to attend sentencing in England and Wales MoJ proposes new powers for judges, but caution raised over potentially disruptive behaviour by prisoners compelled to appear