Prisoner resettlement scheme raises concerns – BBC News
‘A flagship government policy to support and supervise inmates leaving jail has been severely criticised by inspectors.’
BBC News, 4th October 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: prisons
MoJ told to comply with jailed drug baron’s kosher food FoI demands – Law Society’s Gazette
‘A man jailed for 25 years for his role in a drug-smuggling plot has scored a victory over the Ministry of Justice, which has been told it failed to carry out ‘reasonable research’ about imports of kosher food into prisons.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 28th September 2016
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
UK failing on many human rights measures, report claims – The Guardian
‘The UK has failed to meet many human rights recommendations made by the United Nations and should do more to prevent prison overcrowding, tackle hate crimes and restrict stop and search powers, a coalition of 175 civil society organisations claims.’
The Guardian, 22nd September 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Housing shortage means many women ‘feel safer behind bars’ – BBC News
‘A former inmate has told the BBC many women feel “safer in prison” due to a lack of suitable housing for female ex-offenders.’
BBC News, 22nd September 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Rise in prisoners moved to mental health hospitals – The Guardian
‘More prisoners are being diagnosed with mental health problems requiring hospital treatment, official figures obtained by the Guardian show. The number of male prisoners being transferred to hospital under the 1983 Mental Health Act grew by more than 20% between 2011 and 2014 in England and Wales, said the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in response to a freedom of information request.’
The Guardian, 14th September 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Young offender institutions: What is life like for inmates? – BBC News
‘Levels of violence in young offender institutions have been described as unacceptably high, with inmates and staff facing the daily threat of beatings and stabbings.’
BBC News, 12th September 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The terror of young offender institutions – BBC News
‘Levels of violence in young offender institutions have been described as unacceptably high, with inmates and staff facing the daily threat of beatings and stabbings. The government is promising a thorough review of the system. But what’s life like for young people who get locked up?’
BBC News, 12th September 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Justice Secretary Liz Truss casts doubt on prison reforms – BBC News
‘Justice Secretary Liz Truss has appeared to cast doubt on plans for a sweeping reform of prisons in England and Wales proposed by her predecessor, Michael Gove.’
BBC News, 7th September 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Jail staff lacked compassion for prisoner who took his life, inquest finds – The Guardian
‘An inquest jury has said a prisoner who took his own life was not shown enough compassion by staff at the jail.’
The Guardian, 2nd September 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Government sets out new measures to tackle extremism in prisons – Ministry of Justice
‘Extremists to be held in ‘specialist units’, a crackdown on extremist literature and tightened vetting of prison chaplains.’
Ministry of Justice, 22nd August 2016
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
Extremist prisoners ‘may be separated’ from other inmates – BBC News
‘Violent extremist prisoners could be held in separate special units inside jails under government plans to stop other inmates being radicalised.’
BBC News, 21st August 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
New doubts over human rights law reform – Law Society’s Gazette
‘A draft British bill of rights prepared by the former justice secretary Michael Gove has been rejected by the prime minister, a newspaper reported this morning – prompting speculation that the long-promised reform could be abandoned.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 10th August 2016
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
New powers to cut off illicit mobile phones used in prisons – The Guardian
‘New powers to cut off illicit mobile phones used by prisoners to run criminal operations have been introduced in jails across England and Wales.’
The Guardian, 11th August 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Yorkshire Ripper: tribunal rules Peter Sutcliffe can be sent to mainstream prison – The Guardian
‘The Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, who murdered 13 women during the 1970s, may be released from Broadmoor, the secure psychiatric hospital, and sent to a mainstream prison after a tribunal concluded his mental illness was under control.’
The Guardian, 12th August 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Illegal mobile phones in prisons to be cut off – Home Office
‘Inmates running criminal operations from behind bars will be targeted with new powers to cut off mobile phones being used illegally in prisons.’
Home Office, 11th August 2016
Source: www.gov.uk/home-office
London woman dies in possibly the first drone-related accidental death – The Independent
‘A young woman died in a car crash Tuesday after her vehicle was followed by police investigating reports of a drone being flown near Wandsworth Prison in London. The incident may be the first fatality linked to the non-military use of drones.’
The Independent, 9th August 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Women’s prison suicide rate soars as charity warns of ‘horrifying’ self-harm – The Independent
‘The number of women killing themselves in prison has “risen alarmingly”, new government figures have revealed – prompting warnings from top charity leaders over unsafe jail conditions. Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) show the total number of deaths classed as “self-inflicted” rose by 28 per cent over the past 12 months compared with the previous year.’
The Independent, 28th July 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Inside the UK’s biggest prison – BBC News
‘By the end of this year, HMP Oakwood in Staffordshire will be the largest prison in the UK, with more than 2,000 inmates. Run by private firm G4S, Oakwood’s reputation was dented in 2014 when a wing in the prison was taken over by inmates. Sima Kotecha has been inside.’
BBC News, 27th July 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Prison’s gross failures contributed to death of inmate, inquest finds – The Guardian
‘A catastrophic series of failures contributed to the death of a prisoner, who died after setting fire to his cell, an inquest jury ruled.’
The Guardian, 26th July 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
