Coronavirus: Young offenders out of cells for 40 minutes a day – BBC News

‘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.’

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BBC News, 7th May 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prisoner wins first round in challenge to terrorism law – The Guardian

‘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.’

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The Guardian, 5th May 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK prison officers punching compliant inmates, report says – The Guardian

‘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.’

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The Guardian, 30th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Coronavirus could cause ‘unprecedented’ backlog of court cases – The Guardian

Posted April 29th, 2020 in barristers, budgets, coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, delay, news, prisons, statistics by sally

‘The coronavirus outbreak could lead to court case delays of up to six months and record prisoner numbers once the lockdown has been lifted, according to a leading Whitehall thinktank.’

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The Guardian, 29th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

COVID-19 and Prisons: The Coronavirus Restricted Temporary Release Scheme, Pregnant Prisoners and Children in Custody – One Pump Court

‘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.’

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One Pump Court, 21st April 2020

Source: onepumpcourt.co.uk

The Release of Prisoners (Alteration of Relevant Proportion of Sentence) Order 2019 – An Update – St Ives Chambers

‘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.’

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St Ives Chambers, 10th April 2020

Source: www.stiveschambers.co.uk

Inquests into deaths in custody during the COVID-19 pandemic – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Following the sad news of the first death in custody from COVID-19, a question arises: what are likely to be the issues at inquests into the deaths in custody from COVID-19?’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 6th April 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Up to 4,000 inmates to be temporarily released in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘As many as 4,000 prisoners in England and Wales are to be temporarily released from jail in an effort to try and control the spread of coronavirus, the government has announced.’

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The Guardian, 4th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Releasing the Pressure on Prisons – Nexus Chambers

Posted April 3rd, 2020 in chambers articles, coronavirus, health, health & safety, news, prisons by sally

‘The Covid 19 pandemic has led to lock-downs of populations the world over. The global has become the local. For our safety we are subject to unprecedented restrictions on our movement. So, it is cruelly ironic that Government inaction has created the situation where Covid-19 has taken a hold on those in our prisons.’

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Nexus Chambers, 3rd April 2020

Source: www.nexuschambers.com

Is Covid-19 Changing How We Think About Criminal Justice Reform? – Each Other

‘Barrister Tim Kiely examines the unexpected changes taking place within the criminal justice system amid the Covid-19 outbreak.’

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Each Other, 26th March 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Multiple failures contributed to death of Dean George at HMP Swansea – Garden Court Chambers

Posted March 27th, 2020 in chambers articles, death in custody, inquests, news, prisons, suicide by sally

‘The inquest into the self-inflicted death of Dean George in HMP Swansea concluded yesterday, with the jury identifying multiple critical failures that contributed to his death on 10 April 2016.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 17th March 2020

Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk

Lord Chancellor praises lawyers’ “heroic” efforts – Legal Futures

‘The Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland yesterday praised lawyers for their “heroic efforts” in trying to keep trials going during the coronavirus pandemic.’

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Legal Futures, 25th March 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Defendant jailed for five years after defrauding council of nearly £32k through Grenfell subletting claim – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 25th, 2020 in accidents, fire, fraud, housing, imprisonment, local government, news, prisons, sentencing by sally

‘A man who claimed to be a Grenfell Tower resident who was in hospital recovering from surgery when he was actually in prison at the time, has been convicted of fraud and jailed.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 23rd March 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Coronavirus: Inmates could be freed to ease virus pressure on jails – BBC News

‘The government is considering releasing some offenders from prisons in England and Wales to ease pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic.’

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BBC News, 25th March 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Inquest jury concludes multiple failures at HMP Nottingham contributed to self-inflicted death of Ben Ireson – Garden Court Chambers

Posted March 23rd, 2020 in death in custody, inquests, juries, news, prisons, standards, suicide by sally

‘Benjamin Ireson, known as Ben, was a much-loved son, brother, uncle and friend to many. He was found hanged in his cell at HMP Nottingham on 13 December 2018. He was 31 years old.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 9th March 2020

Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk

Prisons ‘could see 800 deaths’ from coronavirus without protective measures – The Guardian

Posted March 23rd, 2020 in coronavirus, death in custody, early release, health, health & safety, news, prisons by sally

‘Failure to protect the most vulnerable inmates in the UK prison system from coronavirus could result in more than 800 avoidable deaths, experts have warned.’

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The Guardian, 21st March 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Coronavirus: What Happens To Prisoners? – Each Other

‘The UK government has urged the country to maintain “social distancing” as the coronavirus death toll rises. How does this work for the more than 83,000 people in Britain’s often overcrowded prisons?’

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Each Other, 19th March 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Plan to extend early prisoner release scheme – BBC News

Posted March 17th, 2020 in early release, news, prisons, rehabilitation by sally

‘The government is planning to extend a scheme which allows some prisoners to be freed early to ease pressures in jails across England and Wales.’

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BBC News, 17th March 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Lacklustre’ response to suicides at London jail despite warnings, report finds – The Independent

Posted March 13th, 2020 in drug abuse, news, ombudsmen, prisons, standards, statistics, suicide by tracey

‘A prison in London has shown a “lacklustre” response to self-inflicted deaths despite major warnings that it must improve and widespread concerns over failures across the penal estate to respond to inmate suicides.’

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The Independent, 12th March 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

De-radicalisation approach needs ‘fundamental review’ – Prison Officers’ Association – BBC News

Posted March 10th, 2020 in news, parole, prison officers, prisons, rehabilitation, terrorism by tracey

‘The Prison Officers’ Association has called for a “fundamental review” of the UK’s de-radicalisation programmes.’

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BBC News, 10th March 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk