Justice Secretary seeks to block decision to release rapist serving life sentence – Daily Telegraph

‘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.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 5th June 2020

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Prison visits could resume in July in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘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.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 2nd June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Mitigating Covid-19 – Church Court Chambers

Posted June 2nd, 2020 in coronavirus, criminal justice, imprisonment, news, prisons, sentencing by sally

‘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.’

Full Story

Church Court Chambers, May 2020

Source: churchcourtchambers.co.uk

The coronavirus crisis in Britain’s prisons – The Guardian

Posted June 2nd, 2020 in coronavirus, news, prisons by sally

‘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.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 1st June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Covid causes child detention crisis, and a ‘timebomb’ in adult prisons – The Guardian

‘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.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 31st May 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Prison release schemes almost impossible to deliver, says watchdog – The Guardian

‘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.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 31st May 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Alarm over five suicides in six days at prisons in England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted May 28th, 2020 in coronavirus, death in custody, mental health, news, prisons, statistics, suicide by sally

‘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.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 28th May 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Covid-19 and Suspended Sentences – A Court of Appeal Judgment: R v Christopher Manning [2020] EWCA Crim 592 – St Philips Barristers

‘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.’

Full Story

St Philips Barristers, 13th May 2020

Source: st-philips.com

Plans for early prisoner release shelved by government – BBC News

Posted May 11th, 2020 in coronavirus, early release, news, prisons, statistics by sally

‘Proposals to release some offenders from prison earlier than planned have been shelved by the government.’

Full Story

BBC News, 10th May 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

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?’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

Garden Court Chambers, 17th March 2020

Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk