25/01/2012 00:01:00
Locking up impressionable young men and women in adult jails with nothing to do risks creating a disaffected generation more likely to turn to crime, according to a new report by the Prison Reform Trust.
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14/12/2011 00:01:00
Those responsible for the justice system know only too well that one dreadful event, or a high profile court case, can have a devastating impact on prison numbers. The latest edition of the Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile reveals how the August riots, as well as causing harm and distress in communities, propelled an extra 846 people into our already overcrowded jails. This hit the prison service hard when it was already trying to cope with severe budget cuts and overcrowding largely driven by inflation in sentencing.
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08/12/2011 00:01:00
New research from the Prison Reform Trust and National Children’s Bureau (NCB), indicates that “looked after” may be a misnomer when it comes to some children in care. Most children are taken into care because they have been abused, neglected or experienced family breakdown. The state is supposed to look after them and protect them from further harm. Yet looked after children are far more likely to be convicted of a crime and end up in custody than other children.
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16/05/2011 08:21:00
As the Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has stated, currently many people in prison are not encouraged to take responsibility and are compelled to live a life of “enforced, bored idleness”. The Prison Reform Trust report demonstrates that encouraging active citizenship in prisons should play an important part in achieving the government’s aims for a “rehabilitation revolution” and developing the wider concept of the Big Society. It could help achieve the coalition’s plans, outlined in the Ministry of Justice’s green paper Breaking the Cycle, for making prisons places of hard work and purposeful activity.
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22/02/2011 11:39:00
This joint briefing was sent to MPs ahead of the House of Commons prisoner voting debate on 10 February and urges “the government and Parliament to now put aside delaying tactics, respect the judgment of the Court and overturn the outdated ban on prisoners voting.”
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14/12/2010 13:45:00
This report by Clinks and Prison Reform Trust sets out the findings of research into the resettlement needs and experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic prisoners and ex-prisoners.
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06/12/2010 12:26:00
Prison has a poor record for reducing reoffending – 49% of adults are reconvicted within one year of release – for those serving sentences of less than 12 months this increases to 61%. The average cost of each prison place is now £45,000.
The newly announced green paper should use all available evidence to create a fairer, more effective, more efficient criminal justice system.
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24/11/2010 09:43:00
Children with learning disabilities and other impairments are more likely to go to prison than other young people because the youth justice system is failing to recognise their needs, according to a major survey of youth offending team (YOT) staff.
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27/10/2010 11:39:00
This report explores the impact of the criminal justice system on banking, credit, debt, savings, financial capability, benefits, and insurance. The role of advice and the practical implications of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act are also considered. The key findings inform practical, cost effective recommendations to achieve financial inclusion for people in prison, former offenders and their families, improve resettlement and reduce reoffending.
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