BLM UK to fund ‘people’s tribunal’ for deaths in custody – The Guardian

Posted February 18th, 2021 in death in custody, news, police, prisons, tribunals by sally

‘Black Lives Matter UK has announced £45,000 of funding to the United Families and Friends Campaign to set up a “people’s tribunal” for deaths in custody.’

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The Guardian, 17th February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Number of prisoners in England and Wales on suicide watch rises steeply – The Guardian

Posted February 11th, 2021 in mental health, news, prisons, statistics, suicide by sally

‘The number of prisoners put on suicide or self-harm watch has risen dramatically over the past decade, a Guardian investigation has found, as experts warn the scale of the mental health crisis in prisons has escalated during the coronavirus pandemic.’

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The Guardian, 10th February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Terrorism watchdog to open inquiry into radicalisation in prison – The Guardian

Posted January 25th, 2021 in inquiries, Islam, Ministry of Justice, news, ombudsmen, prison officers, prisons, terrorism by tracey

‘An inquiry into the way prisons deal with convicted terrorists is being launched by the independent terror watchdog amid concerns of growing radicalisation behind bars.’

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The Guardian, 24th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Case backlog threatens UK criminal justice system, say inspectors – The Guardian

Posted January 19th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, delay, news, prisons, reports, young offenders by sally

‘Urgent action is needed to tackle an “unprecedented backlog” of court cases built up during the pandemic that has “severe implications” for victims, the UK’s four justice chief inspectors have warned.’

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The Guardian, 19th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

A duty of care – what does the new standard of proof in inquests mean? – 5SAH

‘On the 11th of July 2016 a prisoner Mr James Maughan was found dead in his prison cell having hanged himself. The investigation into the factual circumstances surrounding his death found that he had a history of mental health issues and had previously made threats of self-harm. The evening before his death he had been in an agitated state.’

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5SAH, 7th January 2021

Source: www.5sah.co.uk

‘Deep crisis’ in British prisons as use of force against inmates doubles – The Guardian

Posted January 4th, 2021 in news, prison officers, prisons, standards, statistics, violence by sally

‘The use of force against inmates has doubled over the past decade, amid continuing concern over high levels of violence and disorder in prisons. A loss of experienced prison staff, overcrowding and a subsequent growth in violence against both prisoners and staff has been blamed for force being used 49,111 times in England and Wales in the 12 months before the Covid pandemic began.’

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The Guardian, 3rd January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK youth jail rebuked for keeping new inmates in solitary for two weeks – The Independent

Posted December 10th, 2020 in children, coronavirus, news, prisons, young offenders by tracey

‘A children’s prison has been criticised by inspectors after they found that new arrivals as young as 15 were being locked in solitary confinement in their rooms for a fortnight and allowed out for just 30 minutes a day because of concerns about coronavirus.’

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The Independent, 9th December 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

New Judgment: R (on the application of Gourlay) v Parole Board [2020] UKSC 50 – UKSC Blog

Posted December 7th, 2020 in appeals, costs, judicial review, news, parole, prisons, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed this appeal concerning the role of the Court in relation to the principles governing the award of costs in lower courts.’

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UKSC Blog, 4th December 2020

Source: ukscblog.com

UK government pays out to family of IPP prisoner who killed himself – The Guardian

Posted December 1st, 2020 in bereavement, compensation, families, mental health, news, prisons, sentencing, suicide by sally

‘The family of a prisoner who killed himself after being handed a controversial “never-ending” sentence has received damages from the government in an out-of-court settlement, the Guardian has learned.’

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The Guardian, 30th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Supreme Court reduces standard of proof for suicide and unlawful killing in inquest conclusions – Park Square Barristers

‘The Supreme Court has on 13 November 2020 handed down the judgment in this case concerning the appropriate standard of proof for conclusions at inquests.’

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Park Square Barristers, 13th November 2020

Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk

Richard Huckle: Prisoner jailed over ‘poetic justice’ murder – BBC News

Posted November 25th, 2020 in child abuse, imprisonment, murder, news, prisons, sentencing, sexual offences by sally

‘A psychopathic prisoner who murdered paedophile Richard Huckle in an act of “poetic justice” has been sentenced to a minimum of 34 years in jail.’

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BBC, 24th November 2020

Source: www.bbc.com

Helen’s Law receives Royal Assent – Ministry of Justice

‘Killers who withhold information on their victims could spend longer behind bars.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 4th November 2020

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

New Act – legislation.gov.uk

Posted November 6th, 2020 in criminal justice, disclosure, legislation, prisons, victims by tracey

Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Act 2020

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Jeremy Bamber’s prison category status appeal rejected – BBC News

Posted October 30th, 2020 in appeals, families, murder, news, prisons by sally

‘Murderer Jeremy Bamber has lost his attempt to bring legal action over his maximum security prisoner status.’

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BBC News, 30th October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ex-prisoner challenges MoJ policy after alleged sexual assault by trans woman – The Guardian

‘A prisoner who was allegedly sexually assaulted behind bars by another inmate has challenged the Ministry of Justice over its policy on placing transgender women in women’s prisons.’

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The Guardian, 28th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Covid: prisoner mental health at risk of ‘irreparable damage’ – The Guardian

Posted October 21st, 2020 in coronavirus, health, mental health, news, prisons, recidivists, rehabilitation by sally

‘Locking up prisoners in what amounts to solitary confinement under Covid restrictions risks causing “irreparable damage” to their mental health and does nothing to reduce reoffending, the chief inspector of prisons in England and Wales has said.’

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The Guardian, 20th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Parole system in England and Wales ‘secretive’ – BBC News

Posted October 21st, 2020 in closed material, news, parole, prisons, victims by sally

‘A man whose grandfather has just been released from prison – after killing his wife 35 years ago – has told the BBC the parole process in England and Wales is “secretive” and “coy”.’

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BBC News, 20th October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prisoners locked up for 23 hours due to Covid rules is ‘dangerous’ – BBC News

Posted October 20th, 2020 in coronavirus, mental health, news, prisons by sally

‘Prisoners being locked in their cells for 23 hours a day under Covid restrictions is dangerous, the chief inspector of prisons has warned.’

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BBC News, 20th October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prisoners convicted of attempting to murder prison officer in HMP Whitemoor terror attack – The Independent

Posted October 8th, 2020 in attempted murder, news, prison officers, prisons, terrorism by tracey

‘Two prisoners have been found guilty of trying to kill a prison officer in a terror attack inside a maximum-security jail.’

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The Independent, 7th October 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Youth jail plans therapy rather than steel doors – BBC News

Posted October 6th, 2020 in education, news, prisons, recidivists, rehabilitation, reports, young offenders by tracey

‘”Once you’re caught in the grip of the system you are doomed,” says the founder of a radically different approach to jailing young offenders. Steve Chalke aims to stop a revolving door of criminality that at present sees 69% of young prisoners reoffending within a year of release.’

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BBC News, 6th Ocotber 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk