‘Significant failings by prison and probation staff, and a policy of not recalling high risk prisoners to alleviate pressure on a growing prison population, saw serial rapist Joseph McCann mistakenly freed from jail to attack 11 women and children, a review has found.’
The Guardian, 30th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The prison service has launched an investigation following the death of a baby in prison, the Guardian has learned.’
The Guardian, 19th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘One month window to challenge convictions in England and Wales means women who have experienced trauma are unfairly criminalised, campaigners say.’
The Guardian, 17th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘More than 1,000 prisoners were released into homelessness at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in England and Wales, figures show, prompting the government to increase funding for accommodation for prison leavers.’
The Guardian, 15th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The government has scrapped plans to let private firms run behaviour programmes and unpaid work schemes for offenders in England and Wales.’
BBC News, 11th June 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The Justice Secretary is seeking to block the decision to release a rapist serving a life sentence from prison, after the victim’s family only learned of the plans through a journalist.’
Daily Telegraph, 5th June 2020
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘Families and friends are expected to be able to visit prisoners from July as part of a wider Covid-19 recovery plan for jails in England and Wales, which have been placed under a severely restrictive regime for nearly three months.’
The Guardian, 2nd June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The coronavirus pandemic (“Covid-19”) has significantly affected people across the world, in a seemingly indiscriminate fashion, with the devastating impact well publicised. However, one area that has not featured heavily in the mainstream media, is the impact that Covid -19 may have had on the sentencing exercise for Defendants. To that end, as the nation remains in lockdown, are the current conditions in the UK prison system a factor which should be considered by a tribunal when considering the appropriate sentence to impose? This article will outline and discuss the recent decision of the Court of Appeal in the R v Manning [2020] EWCA Crim 592 (“Manning”) and seek to answer that question.’
Church Court Chambers, May 2020
Source: churchcourtchambers.co.uk
‘As Britain faced an unprecedented lockdown, the situation for the 80,000 people in prison was even more stringent. David Adams was recently released from jail and describes how prisoners were confined to their tiny cells for more than 23 hours a day.’
The Guardian, 1st June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Serious concerns are emerging over the treatment of children in custody during the coronavirus pandemic, after evidence that some have been spending as little as 40 minutes a day out of their cell.’
The Guardian, 31st May 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Prisoners in England and Wales have been left confused by high-profile government announcements that led them to believe thousands of inmates would be temporarily released to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus behind bars, a prison deaths watchdog has said.’
The Guardian, 31st May 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Five suicides have been recorded in prisons in England and Wales in just six days, the Guardian understands, fuelling fears that a highly restrictive regime in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus is having a devastating impact on inmates.’
The Guardian, 28th May 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘While the Lord Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor have announced that jury trials will commence this month, we are far from the pandemic’s conclusion. This fear is felt all the more by defendants facing sentencing hearings. Regardless of whether an offence was committed prior to the crisis, or in the currency, it does not change the new threat that an immediate custodial sentence brings – one of health.’
St Philips Barristers, 13th May 2020
Source: st-philips.com
‘Proposals to release some offenders from prison earlier than planned have been shelved by the government.’
BBC News, 10th May 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Children at a young offenders institution have been let out of their cells for only 40 minutes a day due to coronavirus, a report has revealed.’
BBC News, 7th May 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A prisoner convicted of stirring up religious hatred has won the first round in his legal challenge to emergency legislation preventing early automatic release of terrorism offenders.’
The Guardian, 5th May 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Prison officers are allegedly punching compliant inmates who they suspect might misbehave in the future in a practice known as “preventive strikes”, a European human rights watchdog has said in a damning report on the state of jails in England.’
The Guardian, 30th April 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘COVID-19 is a dangerous reality for prisoners. As of 18 April 2020, confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in over half of prisons in England and Wales. There have been 13 suspected COVID-19 deaths among prisoners[1]. Amongst this wider concern, those who are pregnant and children in custody may be particularly anxious during this unprecedented time.’
One Pump Court, 21st April 2020
Source: onepumpcourt.co.uk
‘As of 1st of April 2020, the Government’s election pledge of delaying the release point of serious sexual and violent offenders came into force by way of the Release of Prisoners (Alteration of Relevant Proportion of Sentence) Order 2019.’
St Ives Chambers, 10th April 2020
Source: www.stiveschambers.co.uk
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