Strangeways riot: Ex-inmates recall siege, 25 years on – BBC News

‘The Strangeways riot was the longest in British penal history and dramatically changed the way UK prisons were run. Twenty-five years on, four people at the centre of the siege explain their part in the drawn-out drama.’

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BBC News, 23rd March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

What should we do with violent children? One secure home may have the answer – The Guardian

‘The young people locked up in Clayfields House have been convicted of serious crimes, from assault to murder. Under close supervision, many have turned their lives around – but now this unusual prison may be under threat.’

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The Guardian, 18th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Specialist Family Drug and Alcohol Court is going nationwide – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘The Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC), introduced by District Judge Crichton in 2007, has been piloted in London and successfully rolled out to Milton Keynes and Gloucestershire. The court aims to help parents struggling with alcohol or drug abuse where this features as a key element in a local authority’s decision to bring care proceedings.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 17th March 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Young offender rehabilitation staff criticised – BBC News

Posted March 12th, 2015 in news, prison officers, probation, rehabilitation, reports, young offenders by sally

‘Work to stop young offenders committing more crimes after their release from custody is hampered by “distrust” among the staff responsible, inspectors say.’

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BBC News, 12th March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Their crimes provoke repulsion but it is our duty to rehabilitate sex offenders – The Guadian

Posted March 2nd, 2015 in news, prisons, probation, recidivists, rehabilitation, sexual offences, statistics by sally

‘In the wake of Stoke Mandeville’s report on Jimmy Savile, an award-winning project that works with prisoners has cut reoffending rates by 83%.’

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The Guardian, 1st March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Rehabilitation code “needs to deliver faster results” – Litigation Futures

Posted February 3rd, 2015 in codes of practice, delay, mental health, news, personal injuries, rehabilitation by tracey

‘There should be tight deadlines on all parties to an injury claim – solicitors, insurers and rehabilitation providers – to ensure that rehabilitation achieves as much as it can, according to one well-known rehabilitation case management company.’

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Litigation Futures, 3rd February 2015

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Presumed guilty? Ministry of Justice is forced to withdraw advice leaflet – The Guardian

‘Red-faced Ministry of Justice (MoJ) officials have been forced to deny claims that they had dismantled a centuries-old cornerstone of British law in advice that the ministry gave to people facing criminal trials.’

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The Guardian, 1st February 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Sex therapy in prisons does not stop rapists reoffending, warns expert – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 29th, 2015 in news, prisons, recidivists, rehabilitation, sexual offences by sally

‘David Ho, a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, said there was no evidence to show that therapy prevented further offending.’

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Daily Telegraph, 28th January 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

One in 4 inmates at youth ‘prison’ held in virtual solitary confinement, say inspectors – The Independent

‘Boys as young as 15 are being held in virtual solitary confinement in a youth prison plagued by gang violence, inspectors warn today.’

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The Independent, 13th January 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The legal issues in the Ched Evans case – BBC News

‘Footballer Ched Evans is still looking for a new club after being released from prison last October, having served half of a five-year sentence for the rape of a 19-year-old woman in a hotel in May 2011.’

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BBC News, 6th January 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Charities in front seat of new reoffending drive – Ministry of Justice

Posted December 19th, 2014 in charities, contracting out, news, probation, recidivists, rehabilitation by sally

‘The government fired the starting gun today [18 December] on making key reforms to the way ex-offenders are looked after in the community, in an effort to tackle stubbornly high reoffending rates in England and Wales.’

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Ministry of Justice, 18th December 2014

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

Regina (Gordon-Jones) v Secretary of State for Justice and another – WLR Daily

Posted December 18th, 2014 in education, human rights, law reports, prisons, rehabilitation by sally

Regina (Gordon-Jones) v Secretary of State for Justice and another [2014] EWHC 3997 (Admin); [2014] WLR (D) 528

‘Prison Service Instruction (“PSI”) 30/2013 was unlawful in so far as it included books as earnable within the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme and excluded them from items that could be sent to or received by prisoners.’

WLR Daily, 5th December 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Supreme Court finds third way between Strasbourg and House of Lords – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted December 12th, 2014 in human rights, imprisonment, news, rehabilitation, sentencing, Supreme Court by sally

‘Indeterminate sentences and the inadequate funding of rehabilitation during them has posed problems since Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences hamstrung the system. The courts here and in Strasbourg have been in two minds what to do about cases where prisoners have not received the assistance they ought to have received – and hence are not, by domestic standards, ready for release.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 11th December 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Restrictions on books in prisons declared unlawful by the High Court – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted December 11th, 2014 in human rights, news, prisons, rehabilitation by sally

‘Contrary to what some media reports would have us believe, Prison Service Instruction (“PSI”) 30/2013 did not impose an absolute ban on books in prisons. It did, however, impose severe restrictions on the possession or acquisition of books which a prisoner can treat as his or her own. The High Court has found that those restrictions could not be justified by the limited provision of prison library services and are therefore unlawful.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 11th December 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

R (on applications of Haney, Kaiyam, Massey and Robinson) v The Secretary of State for Justice – Supreme Court

Posted December 11th, 2014 in appeals, damages, human rights, law reports, rehabilitation, sentencing, Supreme Court by sally

R (on the application of Faisal Kaiyam) (Appellant) v Secretary of State for Justice (Respondent)
On appeal from the Court of Appeal (Civil Division) (England and Wales) [2014] UKSC 66
(YouTube)

Supreme Court, 10th December 2014

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Prison book ban is unlawful, court rules – The Guardian

Posted December 8th, 2014 in libraries, news, prisons, rehabilitation by sally

‘The blanket ban on sending books to prisoners in England and Wales has been declared unlawful by the high court.’

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The Guardian, 5th December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ched Evans: Release, Retribution and Rehabilitation – Littleton Chambers

‘In April 2012 Ched Evans, the former Wales and Sheffield United striker, was convicted of raping a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room in Rhyl, Denbighshire. It is a shocking and a wholly unacceptable crime for him to have committed.’

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Littleton Chambers, 1st December 2014

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

Chris Grayling to press ahead with probation service privatisation – The Guardian

Posted December 3rd, 2014 in murder, news, probation, public private partnerships, rehabilitation, trade unions by sally

‘The justice secretary, Chris Grayling, has told MPs he will press ahead with a decision on Wednesday to privatise the probation service, despite renewed public safety concerns and before the outcome of a high court challenge next week.’

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The Guardian, 2nd December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The jail that has reduced violence by helping inmates escape from the gang – The Guardian

Posted November 19th, 2014 in crime, families, gangs, murder, news, prisons, rehabilitation, young offenders by sally

‘Gang rivalries are driving up assaults in custody, but one prison has cut violent incidents by 75%.’

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The Guardian, 19th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Women in prison: interviews with ex-offenders – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted November 17th, 2014 in criminal justice, news, prisons, rehabilitation, sentencing, women by sally

‘Halsbury’s Law Exchange carried out interviews with six female ex-offenders as part of wider research into women in prison and the penal system. This video was first premiered at the panel discussion: Women in prison: is the penal system fit for purpose? on 11 November 2014.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 12th November 2014

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk