Spotlights: Probation under pressure

• Date: 29 Sep 2025

• Location: Online

The government has high expectations for its Sentencing Bill, now being scrutinised in Parliament, claiming that its measures will ensure prisons in England and Wales never run out of space again.

But what will this legislation mean for the probation service, which has faced many turbulent challenges over the course of the last decade and must now brace itself for more change?

With proposals that could see people being released from prison earlier in their sentences, combined with more electronic monitoring, changes to unpaid work, the imposition of restriction zones, and curbs on driving and attending public events, the Bill puts an even greater burden on a vital public service already grappling with huge caseloads. Will the promise of £700 million in additional funding be enough? 

Join us and take part in the discussion as we dissect the Bill with a panel of experts.

This online event will be hosted by our Director of Campaigns, Andrew Neilson. The panel will include: 

• Martin Jones, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation.
• Helen Schofield, Chief Executive of the Probation Institute.
• Tania Bassett, Napo National Official.
• Gaie Delap, a retired teacher who was jailed for her part in a Just Stop Oil protest and later recalled to prison because none of the electronic tracking devices available to the Ministry of Justice were small enough to fit her wrist.

This free event will be held on Monday 29 September, 2pm to 3.15pm, online via Zoom webinar.

Online booking is now closed. To request a place, please email [email protected].

For anyone who cannot make it, this event will be recorded and made available on our YouTube channel. 

About the Howard League Spotlights series 

Howard League Spotlights is a series of events aimed at lifting the lid on prisons and finding more effective ways to reduce crime. Each event focuses on a particular theme and brings together experts to approach the issue from different perspectives.

Spotlights events are free of charge, but if you would like to support our work, please consider becoming a Howard League member.

Recordings of all Spotlights events can be viewed here.