Howard League Blog

This is the second instalment of a two-part blog series, which charts the fall and rise of the prison population over the 20th century, from a low of under 10,000 to over 80,000 people, and highlights some of the key factors determining just how many people were incarcerated in England and Wales.  Read more

This two-part blog series charts the fall and rise of the prison population over the 20th century, from a low of under 10,000 to over 80,000 people, and highlights some of the key factors determining just how many people were incarcerated in England and Wales.  Read more

It can’t be stated enough that the story of youth justice in the last two decades has largely been one of real progress. When I started working at the Howard League in 2007, under the last Labour government, there were 3,000 children in custody in England and Wales. In March of this year, there were 345.  Read more

On 20 February, the Rt Hon. the Lord Burnett of Maldon gave a lecture on the impact of sentence inflation at the Neill Law Lecture at All Souls College, Oxford. Lord Burnett, alongside the three other surviving Lords Chief of Justice England and Wales and Sir Brian Leveson, published ‘Sentence inflation: a judicial critique’ in …  Read more

In January 2026, the Sentencing Act received Royal Assent after swift passage through Parliament. This Act represents the culmination of government’s attempts to reduce the demand on the prison population and is based in part on the recommendations of the Independent Sentencing Review.  Read more

Yesterday I gave oral evidence at a public hearing of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. I spoke alongside Pia Sinha, Chief Executive of the Prison Reform Trust, and later that afternoon the Inquiry also heard from Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. The hearing was one of a series on Module 10 of the Inquiry, which covers the impact of the pandemic on society. It has a particular focus on key workers, the most vulnerable, the bereaved, and on mental health and wellbeing.   Read more

This week we have been in the High Court to challenge the government’s decision to authorise PAVA spray for use against children in prison in England.  The Court heard two days of submissions, including our evidence that:  Far from making young offender institutions (YOIs) safer for children and staff, the introduction of PAVA spray is likely …  Read more

The overriding ambition of the Howard League is to move the dial on punishment away from cruelty and towards building a more humane and effective response to crime that provides justice to all and helps to reduce reoffending.  Read more