Written ministerial statement: Independent Review of the Forum for Preventing Deaths in Custody – Ministry of Justice

Posted February 26th, 2008 in police, press releases, prisons by sally

“Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Maria Eagle comments on the Independent Review of the Forum for Preventing Deaths in Custody. Copies of the review have been placed in the libraries of both Houses, the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office.”

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Ministry of Justice, 25th February 2008

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Magistrates hit back at call to jail fewer people – The Guardian

Posted February 25th, 2008 in magistrates, news, prisons by sally

“Magistrates reacted angrily yesterday to a call from the justice secretary, Jack Straw, to send fewer people to jail to ease pressure on prison places.”

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The Guardian, 23rd February 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Overcrowded jails ‘at panic stations’ – The Guardian

Posted February 25th, 2008 in news, prisons by sally

“Britain’s overfilled jails are at ‘panic stations’ as they lurch from crisis to crisis, the chief inspector of prisons warns in an Observer interview today that will make uncomfortable reading for the government.”

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The Guardian, 24th February 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

UK prisons now “over-capacity” – BBC News

Posted February 22nd, 2008 in news, prisons by sally

“The prison population in England and Wales has exceeded its highest normal level for the first time.”

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BBC News, 22nd February 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Send fewer to jail, Straw urges courts – The Guardian

Posted February 22nd, 2008 in news, prisons, sentencing by sally

“Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, last night made an urgent appeal to magistrates to send fewer people to jail as the prison population in England and Wales soared past 82,000 to an all-time high.”

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The Guardian, 22nd February 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Foreign prisoners face early deportation – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 21st, 2008 in deportation, news, prisons by sally

“The Government is to combat prison overcrowding by deporting foreign prisoners earlier than scheduled.”

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Daily Telegraph, 21st February 2008

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ban on children held in prisons – BBC News

Posted February 21st, 2008 in children, news, prisons, Scotland by sally

“The Scottish Government is to scrap laws which allow children under 16 to be held in jail without having been convicted of an offence.”

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BBC News, 21st February 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Jail move over open-ended terms – BBC News

Posted February 19th, 2008 in news, prisons by sally

“Prisoners on a type of open-ended sentence in England and Wales are being moved to lower-security prisons, to try to ease pressures in the system.”

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BBC News, 19th February 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Seeking solitary: prison gang wars force fearful inmates to plead for segregation – The Guardian

Posted February 18th, 2008 in gangs, news, prisons by sally

“The segregation units in Britain’s high security prisons used to be full of prisoners being punished for breaking the rules or being held in solitary because they were too dangerous to mix with others.”

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The Guardian, 18th February 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Get prisoners into open jails, governors told as cells fill up – The Guardian

Posted February 12th, 2008 in news, prisons by sally

“Prison governors have been told to move as many inmates as possible to open jails as an emergency response to the latest surge in prisoner numbers, which have reached a new record of 81,681 in England and Wales.”

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The Guardian, 12th Febraury  2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

R (Walker) v Secretary of State for Justice – WLR Daily

Posted February 6th, 2008 in law reports, parole, prisons, rehabilitation by sally

R (Walker) v Secretary of State for Justice; R (James) v Same [2008] EWCA Civ 30; [2008] WLR (D) 28

“The Secretary of State for Justice acted unlawfully in failing to provide courses which would allow prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection to demonstrate to the Parole Board by the expiry of their minimum terms that it was no longer necessary for the protection of the public for them to be confined.”

WLR Daily, 5th February 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.

Prisoners routinely bugged as jails fall in shadowy area of surveillance – The Times

Posted February 5th, 2008 in interception, news, prisons, telecommunications by sally

“Dozens of prisoners in British jails are routinely under covert electronic surveillance, security sources told The Times last night.”

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The Times, 5th February 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Oral statement on HMP Woodhill inquiry – Ministry of Justice

Posted February 5th, 2008 in press releases, prisons by sally

“Jack Straw has made an oral statement to the House of Commons on an inquiry into alleged events at Woodhill Prison.”

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Ministry of Justice, 4th February 2008

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Illegal bug uncovered in second UK prison – The Times

Posted February 5th, 2008 in interception, news, prisons, telecommunications by sally

“Bugging devices planted in a prison telephone were illegally used to record privileged conversations between an inmate and his solicitor, The Times has learnt.”

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The Times, 5th February 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

The short and desperate life of Petra, the girl nobody helped – The Observer

Posted February 4th, 2008 in news, prisons, suicide by sally

“Petra Blanksby killed herself aged 19 after she was jailed for arson – she had tried to burn herself following years of abuse. Now the coroner at her inquest is urging changes in the prison service.”

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The Observer, 3rd February 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Court rulings to force parole and prison changes – The Guardian

Posted February 4th, 2008 in news, parole, prisons by sally

“The justice minister, Jack Straw, suffered two embarrassing defeats in the court of appeal yesterday, which will force him to pour millions of pounds into the prison and parole system.”

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The Guardian, 2nd February 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prison policy update – briefing paper – Ministry of Justice

Posted February 1st, 2008 in news, prisons by sally

“This briefing paper on the government’s prison policy provides an update on the prison building programme announced in December 2007, and outlines the further steps we are taking in the specific areas of drugs, prison work and alternatives to custody.”

Prison policy update – briefing paper (PDF)

Ministry of Justice, 31st Janaury 2008

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Straw aims for cut in reoffending – BBC News

Posted January 31st, 2008 in news, prisons by sally

“The justice secretary has said fresh prison reforms will cut reoffending rates, reduce drug use in jails and give more skills to offenders.”

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BBC News, 31st January 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

16,000 prisoners freed early, ministry reveals – The Guardian

Posted January 31st, 2008 in news, prisons, violent offenders by sally

“More than 16,000 prisoners have been freed early – including 3,000 guilty of violent crimes – under a government scheme to cut jail overcrowding, the justice ministry revealed today.”

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The Guardian, 31st January 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Straw hesitates on prison plan after critical report – The Guardian

Posted January 30th, 2008 in news, prisons by sally

“Jack Straw today appeared to back away from plans to build a new generation of 2,500-person ‘Titan’ jails after criticism from the chief inspector of prisons.”

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The Guardian, 30th January 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk