Labour eager for progress on special tribunal to try Russia over Ukraine Exclusive: Lord chancellor says she wants to ‘inject energy’ into stalling efforts to set up Nuremberg-style trial The Guardian - UK · Sep 5, 2024
MoJ plan to free up prison spaces set to fail ‘because cells being filled by rioters’ Prison governors’ leader urges ministers to consider further measures to cut jail population or build new cells The Guardian - UK · Sep 4, 2024
Prison early release scheme to include some serious offenders, MoJ admits Prisoners serving time for lesser crime following serious one will be eligible under plan to free up jail space, officials confirm The Guardian - UK · Sep 3, 2024
Prison population hits record high in England and Wales Jail sentences handed to participants in recent riots thought to have exacerbated overcrowding The Guardian - UK · Aug 30, 2024
Why have England and Wales nearly run out of prison spaces? Fewer than 100 spaces remain in men’s prisons, reports say, and magistrates have been told to delay hearings. Al Jazeera · Aug 29, 2024
UN torture tsar calls on Starmer to review sentences of IPP prisoners trapped indefinitely behind bars Dr Alice Jill Edwards says cases raised by The Independent highlight need for ‘urgent’ action to end ‘terrible indictment’ on UK justice system The Independent UK · Aug 20, 2024
OPINION - The Standard View: Prisons were full and the criminal justice system in crisis long before the riots The move to jail swiftly those who took part in riots this month played a vital part in ending the violence. Yet it also had the unavoidable effect of adding further strain to this country’s overcrowded prisons and under-pressure criminal justice system. Evening Standard · Aug 19, 2024
Former prisons chief calls for rethink on jail expansion plan Former chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick has questioned if spending money on new jails is the right measure to end the justice system crisis The Independent UK · Aug 14, 2024
Archbishop of Canterbury warns Christians against membership of far-right groups Justin Welby condemns violent disorder of recent days as ‘unchristian’ The Guardian - UK · Aug 11, 2024
Cabinet minister insists rioters won’t be released early despite prison overcrowding Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned the impact of the violent scenes will be felt in the criminal justice system ‘for months and years’ The Independent UK · Aug 11, 2024
Minister warns justice system will feel impact of riots for years as offenders risk up to a decade in jail Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the violence had made the job of dealing with issues including a massive backlog in court cases and overcrowding in prisons harder The Independent UK · Aug 11, 2024
Impact of the riots will be felt 'for years to come', minister warns Shabana Mahmood warned that the riots will set back Labour’s plans to fix the criminal justice system. Evening Standard · Aug 11, 2024
Riots will set back efforts to rebuild Britain’s broken justice system, minister warns Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood says impact of disorder will last years as former social cohesion tsar urges review of events The Guardian - UK · Aug 10, 2024
Keir Starmer promises to protect communities amid fears of further riots Prime minister holds emergency Cobra meeting in face of escalation of disorder following Southport stabbings The Guardian - UK · Aug 6, 2024
The Independent UK · Aug 6, 2024 Scandal-hit HMP Wandsworth to receive £100m to tackle ‘shocking’ failings Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood warned that the report shows the ‘reality of a prison system in crisis’
The Guardian - UK · Aug 5, 2024 Ministers prepare extra 500 prison places to remand suspected rioters Former young offender institution repurposed and abandoned cells made safe, while scheme to free prisoners early continues
Evening Standard · Aug 4, 2024 Courts could open 24-hours to deal with rioters, says minister Ministers insist there is capacity in the prison system to deal with rioters
The Independent UK · Aug 1, 2024 Serial killer Levi Bellfield’s request to marry behind bars blocked as government enforces ban Killers convicted of the most severe crimes banned from marrying behind bars
The Guardian - UK · Jul 26, 2024 What needs to be done on probation Letter: Probation was always best delivered as a local service, with national oversight of standards and procedures, writes Mick Gough
The Guardian - UK · Jul 25, 2024 Sunak rejected advice to release prisoners early a year ago Discussions took place in June 2023 but aides thought backbenchers would reject proposal to ease overcrowding
The Independent UK · Jul 25, 2024 Violence, self-harm and drugs: Shock new figures lay bare crisis facing Britain’s prisons Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures on Thursday laid bare the scale of the chaos in UK prisons, days after the justice secretary announced emergency measures to ease the crisis
The Independent UK · Jul 24, 2024 Probation staffing crisis laid bare in damning reports as alarm sounded over public safety Inspectors warn of ‘unsustainable and counterproductive’ situation as one local probation unit found to be 55 per cent short of officers
The Guardian - UK · Jul 22, 2024 Cut ‘unsustainable’ probation workload in England and Wales, urges watchdog Inspector says monitoring after short sentences could be stopped and youth services could take on some cases
The Independent UK · Jul 20, 2024 Probation chief warns 97% of service already failing – even before launch of early release prison scheme Exclusive: Chief inspector warns new staff promised to help ailing service will need time to ‘bed down’
The Guardian - UK · Jul 18, 2024 CCRC chair rejects minister’s call to resign over Andrew Malkinson case Helen Pitcher says she is best person for job despite direct criticism in review of wrongful conviction case