Category: prisons

Regina (Black) v Secretary of State for Justice – Times Law Reports

Posted April 18th, 2008 in human rights, law reports, parole, prisons by sally

Regina (Black) v Secretary of State for Justice

Court of Appeal

“Section 35 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, giving the Secretary of State for Justice power to block the release on licence of prisoners sentenced between 1991 and 2003 to prison terms of more than 15 years, was not compatible with article 5.4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, providing that anyone deprived of his liberty had the right to have the lawfulness of his detention decided speedily by a court.”

The Times, 18th April 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21days from the date of publication.

Inmates win ‘cold turkey’ payout – The Times

Posted April 18th, 2008 in compensation, human rights, news, prisons by sally

“Taxpayers have footed a £1 million compensation bill after almost 200 drug-addicted prisoners sued the Government, claiming that denying them a heroin substitute breached their human rights.”

Full story

The Times, 18th April 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Justice Secretary Jack Straw loses right to block release for prisoners – The Times

Posted April 16th, 2008 in dangerous offenders, human rights, news, prisons by sally

“The Justice Secretary lost his last power to block the release of dangerous prisoners from jail yesterday when the Court of Appeal ruled that it was a breach of human rights.”

Full story

The Times, 16th April 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Jail staff failing to counter extremism, warns inspector – The Guardian

Posted April 15th, 2008 in Islam, news, prisons by sally

“Inadequately trained staff inside Belmarsh high security prison are failing to challenge extremism and are in danger of feeding radicalisation by alienating Muslim inmates, the chief inspector of prisons warns. Anne Owers says staff at the London jail, which holds nearly 200 Muslims, face a danger of fuelling anti-western attitudes.”

Full story

The Guardian, 15th April 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Big rise in rate of self-harm in jail, says charity – The Guardian

Posted April 14th, 2008 in news, prisons, self-harm by sally

“Rates of self-harm in jail have rocketed in the last four years, a prison reform charity claims today. The Howard League for Penal Reform says the number of prisoners deliberately injuring themselves had risen at four times the rate of the jail population increase.”

Full story

The Guardian, 14th April 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Religious rule may let Muslim sex offenders off jail therapy – The Times

Posted April 9th, 2008 in Islam, news, prisons, sexual offences by sally

“Muslims convicted of sex offences could opt out of treatment programmes intended to stop them offending because open discussion of their crimes is against their religion.”

Full story

The Times, 9th April 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Faith in legal system vanishing, says judge – The Times

Posted April 3rd, 2008 in news, prisons, sentencing by sally

“Britain’s most senior judge spoke out yesterday against the early release of prisoners, which he said undermined confidence in the judicial system.”

Full story

The Times, 3rd April 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Sick and suicidal: plight of women in UK jails – The Guardian

Posted March 31st, 2008 in prisons, self-harm, special report, women by sally

“Most women prisoners have mental health problems, and nine of out 10 were convicted of non-violent offences. Now a new study shows an alarming rise in suicides and self-harm – and behind the statistics lie ruined lives and shattered relatives. With four inquests about to open, Amelia Hill reports on the growing scandal in Britain’s penal system.”

Full story

The Guardian, 30th March 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Early release of terrorists prompts Straw to rethink prisons policy – The Independent

Posted March 29th, 2008 in news, prisons, terrorism by sally

“Ministers were forced into a rapid rethink of a controversial early-release scheme last night after it emerged that two prisoners convicted of terrorism-related offences had been freed earlier this year.”

Full story

The Independent, 29th March 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Islamist terrorist freed under early-release scheme – The Times

Posted March 28th, 2008 in news, prisons, terrorism by sally

“A convicted Islamist terrorist who was caught trying to smuggle blueprints into Britain showing how to build a missile has been released from prison early under the Government’s controversial plans to ease prison overcrowding.”

Full story

The Times, 28th March 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Prisons ‘to remain at bursting’ says Jack Straw – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 27th, 2008 in news, prisons by sally

“Prisons will be at bursting point for the next two years, Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, has admitted. His disclosure will prompt fears that emergency measures, such as the use of police cells to house prisoners and early release schemes are here to stay.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 27th March 2008

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Prisoners were paid £730,000 in university grants loophole – The Times

Posted March 26th, 2008 in education, news, prisons by sally

“Prisoners have been paid student grants and loans totalling £730,000 while taking university courses in jail, the Government admitted yesterday.”

Full story

The Times, 26th March 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Former lord chief justice condemns ministers over prison conditions – The Guardian

Posted March 17th, 2008 in criminal justice, news, prisons by sally

“The former lord chief justice, Lord Woolf, has launched a stinging attack on the government’s criminal justice and prison policy, blaming it for allowing prisons to get so crowded that offenders have little chance to reform and abandon crime.”

Full story

The Guardian, 17th March 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Drug addicts ‘should not be locked up’ – The Independent

Posted March 17th, 2008 in drug abuse, news, prisons by sally

“Too many minor criminals with drug problems are being jailed and then receive poor treatment in prison, a damning report warns today.”

Full story

The Independent, 17th March 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

NSPCC calls for end to abuse in custody – The Independent

Posted March 17th, 2008 in child abuse, news, prisons by sally

“Britain’s biggest children’s charity will tomorrow (17 March) launch a campaign demanding an end to ‘violent’ and ‘degrading’ assaults on children in custody.”

Full story

The Independent, 16th March 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Inspector urges temporary closure of child jail – The Guardian

Posted March 17th, 2008 in child abuse, news, prisons by sally

“An unprecendented call for the temporary closure of a privately run child jail because of its ‘staggeringly high level of use of force by staff’ is made today by the chief inspector of prisons.”

Full story

The Guardian, 17th March 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

R (Kelly) v Secretary of State for Justice; R (Bailey) v Secretary of State for Justice; R (Gibson) v Governor of Wymott Prison – WLR Daily

Posted March 14th, 2008 in law reports, prisons, probation by sally

R (Kelly) v Secretary of State for Justice; R (Bailey) v Secretary of State for Justice; R (Gibson) v Governor of Wymott Prison [2008] EWCA Civ 177; [2008] WLR (D) 84

“Long-term prisoners who had been convicted of offences committed after 29 September 1998 and before 4 April 2005, and who after 4 April 2005 had been released on licence, recalled and then re-released having served three-quarters of their sentences, remained subject to licence conditions for the remainder of their sentences.”

WLR Daily, 12th March 2008

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

£40m to help boost community orders and control jail numbers – The Guardian

Posted March 12th, 2008 in news, prisons, probation, sentencing by sally

“An urgent cash injection of £40m to promote the use of alternatives to short prison sentences was announced yesterday by the justice minister David Hanson in the face of a prison population which stands at record levels of nearly 82,000.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th March 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Bar Chairman Calls For Policy Change: Boost in Drugs Rehabilitation Programmes to Tackle Offending Before it Happens – The Bar Council

Posted March 11th, 2008 in drug abuse, news, prisons, rehabilitation by sally

“Extra resources should be ploughed into prisons’ drugs rehabilitation programmes, the Chairman of the Bar said today.”

Full story

The Bar Council, 11th March 2008

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Prisons, probation and the press under examination – Ministry of Justice

Posted March 10th, 2008 in media, prisons, probation, speeches by sally

“Jack Straw has given a speech to the Guardian Criminal Justice Summit on prisons, probation and the press.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 10th March 2008

Source: www.justice.gov.uk