Category: prisons

Gove admits the UK sentencing framework needs to be more sensitive, & 7 more things we learned at the 2015 Howard League AGM – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted November 9th, 2015 in consultations, crime prevention, criminal justice, death in custody, disclosure, education, health & safety, law firms, learning difficulties, legal aid, lord chancellor, media, mental health, Ministry of Justice, news, prison officers, prisons, recidivists, rehabilitation, sentencing, social services, standards, statistics, suicide, video recordings by sally

‘Since his appointment as Justice Secretary & Lord Chancellor in May this year, the Rt Hon Michael Gove has maintained a fairly low profile. Aside from his Making Prisons Work speech in July, Mr Gove’s plans for the future of the Criminal Justice System have not been very clearly outlined. Although since his swearing in, to the delight of many, Gove has managed to overturn the previous Lord Chancellor, Chris Grayling’s ban on books for prisoners; scrapped plans to create a super youth prison; and halted massively controversial plans for the UK to undertake Saudi Arabian prison training contracts.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 6th November 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Spending review: Nine new prisons to replace Victorian jails – BBC News

Posted November 9th, 2015 in budgets, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, rehabilitation, statistics by sally

‘Nine new prisons will open in England and Wales – five by 2020 – under plans to close Victorian jails and sell them for housing, the government has said.’

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BBC News, 9th November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

England and Wales court cells ‘squalid and dangerous’ – BBC News

Posted November 6th, 2015 in courts, detention, health & safety, news, prisons by tracey

‘Conditions at cells in courts in England and Wales are an “accident waiting to happen”, a report has said.’

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BBC News, 6th November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ex-prison officer jailed for selling George Michael stories to the Sun – The Guardian

Posted November 4th, 2015 in abuse of position of trust, confidentiality, confiscation, costs, disclosure, media, misfeasance in public office, news, prison officers, prisons, privacy, sentencing by sally

‘A former prison officer has been jailed for 12 months for selling stories about George Michael’s time behind bars to the Sun.’

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The Guardian, 3rd November 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Soho nail bomber David Copeland sentenced for prison attack – BBC News

Posted October 29th, 2015 in assault, hate crime, news, prisons, sentencing by sally

‘One of the UK’s most dangerous hate-crime killers has been sentenced to three additional years in prison for attacking a fellow inmate.’

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BBC News, 28th October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prisoner deaths: Warning over young inmates – BBC News

Posted October 29th, 2015 in news, prisons, reports, suicide, young offenders by sally

‘Young people will “continue to die unnecessarily” in jail unless ministers act on recommendations in a report into self-inflicted deaths, its author says.’

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BBC News, 29th October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Calls for transgender woman to be moved from male prison – BBC News

Posted October 28th, 2015 in assault, gender, health & safety, news, prisons, sentencing by sally

‘A petition calling for a transgender woman to serve a prison sentence in a female prison has attracted more than 10,000 signatures in under 24 hours.’

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BBC News, 27th October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Violent offenders: Fears over management after release – BBC News

Posted October 26th, 2015 in homelessness, mental health, Ministry of Justice, murder, news, police, prisons, probation, recidivists, rehabilitation, statistics, violent offenders by sally

‘Is the system in place to manage dangerous offenders when they are released from prison keeping people safe?’

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BBC News, 25th October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Britain’s most dangerous prisoners to get meditation lessons – The Guardian

Posted October 20th, 2015 in mental health, news, prisons, rehabilitation, violent offenders by sally

‘Prison staff are to teach meditation to Britain’s most dangerous criminals in an attempt to aid their rehabilitation and quell their violent impulses.’

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The Guardian, 19th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Former Serbian general awarded £50,000 over Wakefield prison attack – The Guardian

Posted October 19th, 2015 in assault, compensation, costs, genocide, grievous bodily harm, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons by sally

‘A former Serbian general convicted of genocide for his part in the Srebrenica massacre has been awarded more than £50,000 in compensation from the Ministry of Justice after his throat was cut in a British prison.’

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the Guardian, 16th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Unauthorised solitary confinement incompatible with prisoner’s rights – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted October 15th, 2015 in appeals, human rights, news, prisons, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Supreme Court has held that the continuation of a prisoner’s solitary confinement for safety reasons was not authorised under domestic rules and incompatible with the right to private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”).’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 15th October 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

CJEU ruling on prisoner voting – open door for successful UK challenge? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted October 9th, 2015 in EC law, elections, France, news, prisons, proportionality by tracey

‘Delvigne (Judgment), [2015] EUECJ C-650/13. In a judgment much anticipated on both sides of the Channel, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) has held that French restrictions on the eligibility of prisoners to vote are lawful under EU law.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 9th October 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

EU court ruling favours UK prisoner vote ban – BBC News

Posted October 6th, 2015 in EC law, elections, human rights, news, prisons, proportionality by sally

‘The UK’s ban on prisoners’ rights to vote looks set to continue after a ruling by the European Court of Justice on a case in France.’

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BBC News, 6th October 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK’s prisoner voting ban likely to be ruled illegal by EU court – The Guardian

Posted October 6th, 2015 in EC law, elections, human rights, news, prisons by sally

‘Britain’s blanket ban on prisoners being allowed to vote is expected to be ruled unlawful on Tuesday morning by the EU’s highest court, challenging David Cameron’s long defiance of similar human rights rulings.’

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The Guardian, 6th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Gove plans to give prison governors more powers to educate and reform – The Guardian

Posted October 5th, 2015 in budgets, education, news, prisons, recidivists, rehabilitation, release on licence by sally

‘Prison governors could be given greater powers to educate, punish and reform inmates under plans being considered by Michael Gove to relax the grip of Whitehall on the penal system.’

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The Guardian, 3rd October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

David Cameron rules out slavery reparation during Jamaica visit – BBC News

Posted October 1st, 2015 in compensation, international relations, news, prisons, trafficking in human beings by sally

‘David Cameron has ruled out making reparations for Britain’s role in the historic slave trade and urged Caribbean countries to “move on”.’

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BBC News, 30th September 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prison smoking ban begins in 2016 despite fears of unrest – The Guardian

Posted September 30th, 2015 in health & safety, news, prison officers, prisons, smoking, statistics by sally

‘A complete ban on smoking in prisons in England and Wales is to be phased in from January, despite warnings from prison governors that it risked making jails more unstable.’

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The Guardian, 29th September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prisoners’ legal letters opened by prison staff, admits ombudsman – The Guardian

Posted September 29th, 2015 in confidentiality, news, ombudsmen, postal service, prisons, privacy, privilege by sally

‘Prisoners’ confidential legal letters to and from their lawyers and the courts have been wrongly opened by prison staff in half of cases investigated by the prisons ombudsman in the past year.’

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The Guardian, 29th September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

UK Guantanamo detainee Shaker Aamer to be released – BBC News

Posted September 28th, 2015 in detention, news, prisons, rendition, terrorism, torture by sally

‘The last British resident being held in Guantanamo Bay is to be returned to the UK, the government has said.’

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BBC News, 25th September 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Cookham Wood: chief prisons inspector finds ‘systemic problems’ – The Guardian

Posted September 22nd, 2015 in news, prisons, reports, violence, young offenders by sally

‘A high level of violence inside Cookham Wood youth jail, including 61 assaults and 92 fights within just six months, reflects systemic problems in young offenders institutions across England, prison inspectors have warned.’

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The Guardian, 22nd September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk