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Howard League Blog

Informal comment from our Chief Executive, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), and other contributors.

  • 28 Jun 2017
    The end of sex offender treatment programmes

    A few weeks ago I discovered that the prison service had quietly abandoned sex offender treatment programmes. These courses have been a mainstay of dealing with men convicted of a range of sex crimes and have been a prerequisite for securing transfer to open conditions and eventual release from prison.  Read more

  • 22 Jun 2017
    The Queen’s Speech and prison reform

    The first duty of government is to keep citizens safe. Over the past few years this has happened as crime has fallen. But there are still intractable problems and the Queen’s Speech singularly ignored one of the most corrosive and potentially explosive – prisons.  Read more

  • 5 Jun 2017
    Reform prisons – just a title

    There were reports in the media that Wandsworth prison has officially lost ‘reform' status. Actually it never really had it. Neither did any of the other prisons that were given the title. For, title was all it really was.  Read more

  • 31 May 2017
    Reviewing the Manifestos: Labour

    The last Labour government presided over an explosion in the number of men, women and children sent to prison and the length of time those people were incarcerated. People in prison are generally from economically poor families, with experience of mental health and social deprivation.   Read more

  • 25 May 2017
    Reviewing the Manifestos: Conservatives

    The Conservative Party manifesto broadly continues the direction the government has been taking over the past couple of years under Michael Gove and Liz Truss.  Read more

  • 18 May 2017
    Reviewing the Manifestos: Liberal Democrats

    The Conservative Party manifesto broadly continues the direction the government has been taking over the past couple of years under Michael Gove and Liz Truss.  Read more

  • 15 May 2017
    Safeguarding

    Our lawyers speak to children and young people in prison, as well as their loved ones and professionals who work with them every day. More and more often, what we are told causes us concern that they have either been harmed or are at risk of being seriously harmed.  Read more

  • 9 May 2017
    Healthcare in prisons

    The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has published a report into the death of Daniel Adewole, a 16-year-old boy who died at Cookham Wood prison in July 2015. The report raised concerns about the procedures and staff responses at the prison, which only holds children.  Read more

  • 3 May 2017
    Smoking in prisons

    More prisons are due to ban smoking over the summer. It is difficult to argue that anyone should continue smoking as we all know that it kills, and kills painfully and prematurely.  Read more

  • 28 Apr 2017
    Scotland’s plan to reform (and reduce) women’s imprisonment

    Yesterday I wrote about our visit to Scotland. We went to explore three particular issues: Scotland’s plan to reform (and reduce) women’s imprisonment, the punishment system that does not include imposing additional days, and the new structure for independent monitors of prisons.  Read more

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