Howard League Blog

Today, 1 November 2024, is a day that approximately 1,800 people serving the sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) have been waiting for. Changes introduced under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, the first of which have now come into effect, mean that, if it has been at least five years since your first release …  Read more

The prison system has made headlines again this week. Winchester became the third prison in four weeks to receive an Urgent Notification from HM Inspectorate of Prisons. The Times published a shocking investigation into WhatsApp messages shared by staff at Wandsworth. And TV crews reported live from outside jails as more than 1,000 people were freed under the emergency early release scheme in an attempt to ease overcrowding.  Read more

This week saw the publications of two reports on children in custody: a review of progress by HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) on the use of separation in young offender institutions (YOIs) and a joint report from HMIP and Ofsted on the declining quality of education. Both reports reiterated what the Howard League has been saying for many years – that prison is no place for a child.    Read more

Last week, we shared the thoughts of our members in prison on the day-to-day issues behind bars that the government ought to focus on. This blogpost looks at what their responses tell us about wider issues, including the work of the probation service, maintaining family ties, and sentencing, particularly sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPP). It closes with some reflections on the need for reform of the entire criminal justice system.  Read more

After the general election was called in May, we asked our members in prison what they thought the incoming government should prioritise, and any solutions they would suggest. Responses ranged from broad-stroke justice reforms, through to the daily mechanics of prison life. Insights such as these are at the centre of our work with politicians, the media, the judiciary, and the public.   Read more

We have heard a lot about prison overcrowding over recent weeks, not least because of the Howard League’s own efforts, but there is overcrowding in probation too. And that matters, because the probation service is going to be asked to do more in the future.  Read more

The announcement that there will be a general election on 4 July kickstarted a legislative ‘wash up’ process to deal with some of the laws being debated, before Parliament was dissolved. Some Bills were hurried through, but most ran out of time and were dropped.  One law that did receive Royal Assent was the Victims and Prisoners Act, which – among other reforms – contains measures around people in prison and particularly those serving IPP sentences who are in the community or on licence.   Read more

The Independent Monitoring Boards’ (IMBs) annual report, published yesterday, provides yet more evidence that the physical state of our prisons is getting worse.  Read more