We are very pleased and excited to announce that Paula Harriott has been appointed to the role of head of prisoner engagement at the Prison Reform Trust. This new senior management position reflects our desire to give a louder voice to prisoners and their families both in meeting the challenges of prison reform and in how PRT itself operates.
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one day ago
Over the last 18 months Prison Reform Trust has been encouraged to discover a variety of peer led services which provide information to prisoners about rules and procedures in custody and which complement the work that our Advice and Information service delivers. These services help people understand the experiences they are having in prison, who they can go to for support and how to challenge any treatment which they think is not fair or decent.
By visiting and speaking to the staff and prisoners who are running these services we have collated examples of good practice and devised a step by step toolkit for setting up a peer led service information service in a prison. This has been supported by input from Prisoners' Advice Service and St Giles Trust who have a wealth of experience and expertise in this field.
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14/09/2017 10:30:00
Today the BBC Radio 4 Today programme covered the decision by the Parole Board to release James Ward. In 2006 James was given an IPP sentence with a 10 month tariff. 11 years later he remains in custody.
The Parole Board’s decision will come as an immense relief to James and his family who have fought tirelessly to highlight the injustice of his continued detention. His case highlights the devastating impact of the IPP on them and thousands of people serving the discredited IPP sentence, imprisoned not for what offences they did commit but for what they might do.
Click 'read more' for the full story and to read our comment.
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14/09/2017 00:01:00
Commenting on today's positive inspection report on HMP Grendon, Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust said:
“This excellent report shows what a stable prison with adequate resources, consistent focus and leadership can achieve. Reserving prison for only those people who really need to be there would give other prisons the breathing space to perform equally well. The answer to our prisons crisis lies in reducing demand and the new justice secretary seems to have understood that. What is needed is a plan to make it happen.”
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08/09/2017 00:01:00
Commenting on David Lammy's independent review into the treatment and outcomes for black, Asian and minority ethnic individuals in the criminal justice system, published today (8 September), director of the Prison Reform Trust, Peter Dawson said:
“This is a seminal report. It shows through dispassionate factual analysis our criminal justice system still discriminates when it comes to ethnicity. But it also shows that the solutions lie in accountable, fair practice which every part of the system could achieve, and which would benefit every person caught up in the system, regardless of their race or background.
“On her first day in office, the Prime Minister highlighted systemic disadvantage as a priority. David Lammy has delivered an unanswerable case for change with a practical set of recommendations to achieve it. The government has an opportunity to right a deep seated wrong at the heart of our justice system. The time for analysis is past—the time to act is now"
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05/09/2017 16:17:00
Commenting on today's (5 September) announcement that the Scottish Government will introduce a presumption against the use of custodial sentences of less than 12 months, Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust said:
“There is much for England and Wales to learn from the progressive approach to punishment outlined today by Nicola Sturgeon. In particular, extending the presumption against short prison sentences from 3 to 12 months is a sensible way of reserving prison for those that really need it. In 2016 there were over 38,000 prison sentences of under 12 months in England and Wales, served in dangerous conditions and with the highest likelihood of the person reoffending on release. What a difference a similar presumption in England and Wales could make – safer communities and safer prisons.”
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31/08/2017 00:01:00
Black and mixed ethnicity women are more than twice as likely as white women in the general population to be arrested, according to a new report published today (31 August) by the Prison Reform Trust.
Black women are also more likely than other women to be remanded or sentenced to custody, and are 25% more likely than white women to receive a custodial sentence following a conviction, the report reveals. Black, Asian and minority ethnic women make up 11.9% of the women’s population in England and Wales, but account for 18% of the women’s prison population.
This report, Counted Out, is timely and has been submitted to the Lammy review ahead of its launch in September, to highlight the overlooked inequalities experienced by many Black, Asian and minority ethnic women in the criminal justice system.
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Entries for nominations for this year's Robin Corbett Award for Prisoner Rehabilitation are now open.
The award, kindly supported by the Worshipful Company of Weavers and the Chrysalis Programme, is for outstanding rehabilitative work with prisoners done by a charity or community group. It champions work that fosters personal responsibility. Robin Corbett had a developed interest in prisoners' education and people in prison 'learning through doing'.
Click 'read more' to find out more and for details on the application process.
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17/08/2017 00:01:00
Commenting on HM Inspectorate of Prisons report on HMYOI Aylesbury published today (Thursday 17 August), Mark Day, Head of Policy and Communications at the Prison Reform Trust, said:
"Young adults are among the most vulnerable, troubled individuals in custody, and yet this report into the Justice Secretary David Lidington's local constituency prison shows that their needs are being neglected at every stage. It is particularly concerning that little progress has been made since the last inspection in 2015, and in some areas the prison has deteriorated further. The Justice Secretary this week committed to improving the accountability of prisons for responding to inspectorate recommendations. This cannot come soon enough, and must be matched by a commitment to ensure vulnerable young adults in the justice system get the distinct and tailored support they need."
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15/08/2017 11:05:00
The Prison Reform Trust’s Head of Policy and Communications, Mark Day, yesterday took part in a discussion on the BBC Two Victoria Derbyshire programme on the damaging legacy of the Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection (IPP). The BBC’s story, which was also covered by the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, considered the case of James Ward, who in 2006 was given an IPP sentence with a 10-month tariff, but who 11 years later remains in custody. Commenting on the Today programme, the Chair of the Parole Board, Nick Hardwick, urged the government to “get a grip” on the issue by bringing forward measures to expedite the release of the remaining post-tariff IPP prisoners.
You can watch the feature on the Victoria Derbyshire programme here [starts 16.10]
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