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Events · Howard League events

The problem with remand

  • Date: 31 Jan 2024

  • Location: London and online

Almost one in five people in prison are on remand – awaiting trial or sentence – and the number has been rising fast. At the end of 2023, it stood at more than 16,000 – the highest level for at least half a century.

People on remand ought to spend no longer than six months waiting for their trial to be heard, but a backlog in the courts means that many are being held for much longer, in some of the worst conditions in the prison system.

During that time, they are away from their family. They may lose their home. They are likely to lose their job. And they are unable to engage in a full regime in the prison, which can add to their uncertainty and impair their physical and mental health.

When, eventually, their case is heard, they may be acquitted or receive a non-custodial sentence.

This is the background to official figures that show people on remand have the highest suicide rate of all people in prison. It is time for change.

Join our panel of experts and ask questions as we lift the lid on prisons and discuss the impact of the overuse of remand, and what should be done to address it.

Join us in person or online on the evening of Wednesday 31 January.

In person

This event will be generously hosted by City, University of London. Arrive at City Law School Building (165 Goswell Road, London, EC1V 7DH) for registration from 5.30pm. The discussion will start at 6pm. A drinks reception will be held from 7:30pm. Please include dietary requirements in the box marked ‘special requirements’.

If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact Helen Churcher by email.

Online

This event will be streamed via Zoom webinar. If you decide to watch online, you will be sent a link to click to join the event. The link will be sent on Monday 29 January – and sent again as a reminder an hour before the event begins. The webinar will start at 6pm.

Bookings through the website for this event have now closed. To book a place, please email Katie Logue.

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