Category: prisons

Why are pregnant women in prison? – Coventry University

Posted January 31st, 2022 in criminal justice, imprisonment, news, pregnancy, prisons, women by sally

‘The aim of this study is to find out why pregnant women spend time in prison, on remand, on recall from licence conditions and on sentence. Research shows that women very rarely commit violent or serious crime, and very few women present any kind of danger to the public. Research also identifies that pregnant women are especially vulnerable and in need of extra care – so this raises critical questions about the incarceration of pregnant women. ‘

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Coventry University, November 2021

Source: www.coventry.ac.uk

Calls for urgent action as deaths in prisons hit record levels – The Independent

Posted January 28th, 2022 in death in custody, mental health, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, statistics, suicide by tracey

‘The government has been urged to change its “harmful and dangerous” prison system after the number of deaths among inmates hit record levels.’

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The Independent, 28th January 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Peter Sutcliffe: Yorkshire Ripper ‘should have been able to call ex-wife before he died’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 13th, 2022 in murder, news, ombudsmen, prisons, restraint by tracey

‘An independent report into the serial killer’s death also criticises the use of restraints on him while being taken to hospital.’

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Daily Telegraph, 12th January 2022

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

HMP Hewell: Troubled prison improving but problems persist – BBC News

Posted January 12th, 2022 in news, prisons by tracey

‘A prison previously described as “unfit for the 21st century” has improved.’

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BBC News, 12th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

HMP Styal: Prisoner who had stillborn baby ‘will never forgive jail’ – BBC News

Posted January 11th, 2022 in birth, news, ombudsmen, pregnancy, prisons by tracey

‘A prisoner who gave birth to a stillborn baby in the toilet of a cell has said she “will never forgive the prison” for the “horror death”. Louise Powell, 31, who did not know she was pregnant, said she begged for an ambulance before her baby died at HMP Styal in Cheshire in 2020. She told BBC Newsnight she was left alone when she was “crying for help”.
The Prisons and Probations Ombudsman found there were “missed opportunities” to identify her urgent clinical needs.’

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BBC News, 11th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Jailed women in UK five times more likely to suffer stillbirths, data shows – The Guardian

Posted December 6th, 2021 in bail, bills, birth, imprisonment, news, pregnancy, prisons, sentencing, statistics, women by sally

‘Women in prison are five times more likely to have a stillbirth and twice as likely to give birth to a premature baby that needs special care, new data collected by the Observer shows.’

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The Guardian, December 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Colin Pitchfork: Double child killer arrested and recalled to prison two months after release – The Independent

Posted November 22nd, 2021 in children, murder, news, parole, prisons, probation, rape, sexual offences by tracey

‘Colin Pitchfork has been arrested and sent back to prison just two months after being released, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced on Friday. He was let out in September after spending 33 years in jail for murdering two teenage girls in the 1980s.’

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The Independent, 20th November 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

People with mental illness in criminal justice system failed ‘at every stage’ – The Independent

Posted November 17th, 2021 in criminal justice, Crown Prosecution Service, imprisonment, mental health, news, police, prisons, probation, self-harm, statistics, suicide by sally

‘The criminal justice system is “failing” people with a mental illness “at every stage”, a major report has found has found.’

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The Independent, 17h November 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘No evidence’ that longer prison sentences will deter terrorists, watchdog warns – The Independent

Posted November 11th, 2021 in crime prevention, government departments, imprisonment, news, ombudsmen, prisons, sentencing, terrorism by sally

‘There is “no evidence” that jailing terrorists for longer will deter them from planning terror attacks, a watchdog has warned.’

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The Independent, 10th November 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

HMP Leeds death could have been prevented by information sharing – BBC News

Posted October 25th, 2021 in coroners, death in custody, inquests, law firms, mental health, news, prisons, solicitors, suicide by tracey

‘A prisoner may not have died if information was passed on about his suicidal thoughts, a coroner has said.’

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BBC News, 24th October 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Family of vulnerable man found dead in Dorset prison demand reforms – The Guardian

Posted October 21st, 2021 in inquests, mental health, news, post-traumatic stress disorder, prisons, suicide by sally

‘The family of a vulnerable prisoner found hanged in his cell have called for improvements in how inmates with mental health issues are cared for after an inquest jury concluded there was a string of failings in his care.’

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The Guardian, 20th October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Domestic violence: Scheme stops abusers writing to victims from jail – BBC News

Posted October 7th, 2021 in coercive & controlling behaviour, domestic violence, news, prisons, victims by sally

‘A scheme to stop jailed domestic abusers terrorising their victims from prison should be rolled out nationwide, a senior figure has said.’

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BBC News, 7th October 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Jail terms of 20+ years ‘quadruple’ in England and Wales over past decade – The Guardian

Posted October 4th, 2021 in bills, criminal justice, imprisonment, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, sentencing, statistics, violence by tracey

‘The number of people sentenced to more than 20 years in prison has quadrupled over the last decade, figures have shown. Given the increase in average tariff lengths handed down by courts, this figure is expected to continue to rise substantially over coming years.’

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The Guardian, 3rd October 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Fear of more baby deaths as ministers stand firm on jailing pregnant women – The Guardian

Posted September 24th, 2021 in bereavement, birth, children, criminal justice, government departments, health & safety, imprisonment, news, ombudsmen, pregnancy, prisons by sally

‘Experts have warned that more babies could die in prison owing to the government’s expansion of female prison places and ministers’ refusal to grant multiple requests to end the incarceration of pregnant women.’

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The Guardian, 23rd September 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ministry of Justice overhaul as prison population predicted to hit nearly 100,000 – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 20th, 2021 in coronavirus, Ministry of Justice, news, police, prisons, sentencing, statistics by tracey

‘The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is being overhauled in anticipation of a “bow wave” of more than 20,000 extra jailed criminals who will push the prison population to a post-war high of nearly 100,000 by 2026.’

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Daily Telegraph, 19th September 2021

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Human Rights for Working Prisoners – by Virginia Mantouvalou – UK Labour Law

Posted September 10th, 2021 in employment, human rights, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons by sally

‘A few days ago it was highlighted in the press that the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers was in discussions with the Ministry of Justice. The aim of these was to explore how prisoners could be used to cover labour shortages, one of the many reported effects of Brexit. The scheme under which this could be done is the “Release under Temporary License”, which permits certain categories of prisoners who are on day release to work. Another group of prisoners who could work in this context are those with long sentences that are coming towards the end of these and who are idle for years while in prison.’

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UK Labour Law, 8th September 2021

Source: uklabourlawblog.com

Misconduct in public office – ECtHR reviews foreseeability of common law offence – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted September 6th, 2021 in appeals, disclosure, freedom of expression, human rights, media, misfeasance in public office, news, prison officers, prisons, professional conduct by tracey

‘On 6 July 2021 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) published its judgment in the case of Norman v UK (Application no. 41387/17). The case concerned Mr Robert Norman, an officer at Belmarsh prison, who in 2015 was convicted of misconduct in public office for passing a variety of information to a tabloid journalist in exchange for money. The ECtHR found that, in Mr Norman’s case, the offence itself did not constitute a breach of Article 7 ECHR (no punishment without law): Mr Norman’s conduct was sufficiently serious for it to have been foreseeable that it would constitute a criminal offence. The ECtHR also found that the newspaper’s disclosure of Mr Norman’s activities to the police, and his subsequent prosecution and conviction, did not breach his rights under Article 10 ECtHR (freedom of expression).’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 6th September 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Striking the Balance – Carmelite Chambers

Posted August 26th, 2021 in judicial review, news, prisons, sex discrimination, transgender persons by sally

‘Criminal justice practitioners will be well versed on the difficulties overcrowding, gang affiliation and substance misuse pose to the safe management of prisons. However, as society gradually opens its eyes to the fluidity and diversity of gender the prison estate has been forced to confront a new challenge. In July 2019 “The Care and Management of Individuals who are Transgender” Policy (“the Care Management Policy”) was published.’

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Carmelite Chambers, 19th August 2021

Source: www.carmelitechambers.co.uk

Leeds prison punished inmates by restricting showers, report finds – The Guardian

Posted August 13th, 2021 in disciplinary procedures, mental health, news, prison officers, prisons, self-harm, statistics, suicide, violence by tracey

‘Prisoners were unlawfully prevented from showering daily as punishment for poor behaviour, with shielding and self-isolating inmates also unable to do so, according to a damning report.’

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The Guardian, 12th August 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Smitten prison officer helped inmate lover escape – BBC News

Posted August 11th, 2021 in escape from custody, imprisonment, misfeasance in public office, news, prison officers, prisons, professional conduct, sentencing by tracey

‘A former prison officer has been jailed for forming a relationship with an inmate and helping him escape.’

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BBC News, 10th August 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk