“Radical proposals to examine a US-style system of sentencing intended to control the number of offenders sent to overcrowded jails will be outlined by ministers today, The Times has learnt.”
The Times, 5th December 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Britain’s longest-serving prisoner, John Straffen, who was sentenced to hang more than half a century ago, has died in prison. Straffen, aged 77, was convicted of murdering a schoolgirl in 1952 and admitted killing two others, but his death sentence was commuted because he was ‘feeble-minded’. The Ministry of Justice said last night that Straffen had died in Frankland prison, County Durham, yesterday after an illness. He was believed to be on a list of around 20 prisoners, which includes the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, who were never to be released.”
The Guardian, 20th November 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A dramatic plan to slash the number of prison officers and streamline courts in England and Wales is being drawn up by the government in an attempt to deliver £1bn in savings.”
The Observer, 18th November 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Britain’s most senior judge has given warning that the shortage of prison spaces was now ‘critical’ as a result of ministers’ failure to take account of the cost implications of their sentencing policies.”
The Times, 16th November 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“The prison system is in a ‘critical situation’ and there must be a debate on linking sentencing to the resources available for punishing offenders the most senior judge in England and Wales, the lord chief justice, said last night.”
The Guardian, 16th November 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Prison reformers have called for more support for new inmates in order to prevent suicides.”
BBC News, 14th November 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The Government has almost doubled to £1,500 the ‘bribe’ offered to foreign national prisoners to persuade them to return home and ease prison overcrowding, The Times has learnt.”
The Times, 6th November 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Criminals facing short prison sentences are to be kept out of jail and given community service because the system is so overcrowded, according to plans being drawn up by the Home Office.”
The Observer, 4th November 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Thousands of criminals could have their jail terms cut after one of Britain’s most senior judges said that courts were justified in giving lower sentences where prisoners faced overcrowded jails.”
The Times, 5th November 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“More than 16,000 crimes were committed in a year by offenders released early from jail, the Government has disclosed.”
The Independent, 27th October 2007
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“Two prisons are exclusively holding foreign nationals serving less than four years with the expectation that they will then face deportation, it emerged yesterday.”
The Guardian, 24th October 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Two jails in England and Wales are occupied fully by foreign inmates as the Prison Service tries to cope with a large number of criminals from abroad.”
The Times, 24th October 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Too many people with mental health problems are ending up in prison when what they need is specialist care, a Prisons Inspectorate report suggests.”
BBC News, 23rd October 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Gordon Brown faces his first legal challenge under the new EU Charter of Fundamental Rights days after claiming to have won a watertight opt-out from the document for Britain.”
The Times, 22nd October 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“The Ministry of Justice has drawn up emergency plans to house prisoners in court cells in what the Conservatives last night claimed was ‘a cynical attempt’ to manage the jails crisis and buy Gordon Brown more time after a week of bad news.”
The Observer, 14th October 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Jack Straw is preparing to announce emergency measures to release hundreds more offenders early in the face of record levels of prison overcrowding.”
The Times, 10th October 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“One of the most troubled privately-run jails in Britain urgently needs a team of public sector managers to come in and bail it out, according to a report by the chief inspector of prisons published today.”
The Guardian, 9th October 2007
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Fifteen women’s jails in England and Wales would close and be replaced with small custodial units in the biggest prison shake-up under consideration by the Justice Ministry.”
The Times, 1st October 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Ministers are investigating reducing the length of time that prisoners spend in jail by 20 per cent as an emergency measure to cut the total number of inmates, which yesterday reached a record 81,135.”
The Times, 29th September 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Young offenders are being forcibly strip searched according to a report by prison inspectors.”
BBC News, 27th September 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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