We should learn from the US Republicans: we simply cannot afford to carry on spending on prison as we currently are, writes Ben Gummer.
Continue reading “Britain’s spending on ramming people in jail is lunacy at a time of austerity” »
You report that the government has no intention of raising the age of criminal responsibility (Were James Bulger’s killers too young to stand trial?, Society, 6 February). However, there is another way to achieve the same outcome.
Continue reading “Naughty children, criminal responsibility and mental illness” »
More problems reported at £278m privately-run Staffordshire jail
Continue reading “Paramedics called out twice a week to G4S prison HMP Oakwood” »
Crime rates among women suffering from poor mental health or substance misuse would be cut by offering medical support rather than handing out jail sentences, a poll suggests.
Continue reading “Medical support not jail sentences for women with mental illness or addictions, says poll – Evening Standard” »
The Duke attended a dinner in aid of the St Giles Trust, seeks to prevent offenders continuing their involvement in crime by helping people in trouble with the law resettle and break the cycle of offending.
Continue reading “Duke of Cambridge pays tribute to ‘inspiring’ anti-crime charity – The Telegraph” »
The man leading an independent inquiry into how the Metropolitan Police deals with mental health incidents has said it is “unacceptable” for officers to use police cells as holding facilities.
Last week The Independent shone a necessary light upon one of the most dark and depressing consequences of our retributive criminal justice system: the impacts upon the children and family of incarcerated mothers.
Continue reading “Prison’s forgotten victims: The other side to the story – The Independent” »
Clive Chatterton, former governor of HMP Styal was on BBC Radio 4′s Woman’s Hour this morning. You can listen again on the Woman’s Hour website.
“Three years ago, Clive Chatterton became the governor of HMP Styal – the notorious women’s prison in Cheshire. It was his first women’s prison in a career spanning more than three decades with the prison service and he was shocked by what he saw. Now retired, Clive Chatterton has recently written to Justice Secretary Ken Clarke describing disturbing cases of prisoner self-harm and attempted suicide. He joins Jenni to talk about his time in Styal and about why he believes that short sentences for female offenders should be abolished.”
“Clive Chatterton is still haunted by the sights and sounds he remembers from his time as governor of Styal, one of 13 women’s jails in England and Wales.
Continue reading “Women prisoners: self-harm, suicide attempts and the struggle for survival” »
