Howard League Blog
Informal comment from our Chief Executive, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), and other contributors.
-
A one-off podcast on remand
We commissioned a one-off podcast produced by Transform Justice to explore the issue of remand, aimed at lawyers and criminal practitioners working with children. Read more
-
Dr Martin Wright: What’s wrong with criminal justice?
On 12 July 2023, we held a special event at City, University of London to celebrate the achievements of Dr Martin Wright, a former Director of the Howard League. Martin's speech at the event, titled 'What's wrong with criminal justice?' is reproduced with his permission. Read more
-
What do IMBs tell us about prison today?
As part of the Howard League’s work to lift the lid on prisons, we look at Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) reports to identify recurring themes or emerging trends across the estate. Recent reports offer evidence of shortcomings around personal property, regimes, and healthcare. Read more
-
HDC and solutions to prison overcrowding
The last 12 months have brought a population explosion in prisons in England and Wales. There are 5,060 more people in cells today than there were at this point last year. The crisis has become so extreme that police forces have been asked to make room for people who can no longer be kept in jails. And a long line of inspection reports has shown how overcrowding, combined with chronic staff shortages, has contributed to dire conditions behind bars. Read more
-
Problems at Cookham Wood
As Cookham Wood receives an Urgent Notification, the Howard League questions whether young offender institutions are ever the right response to children in trouble with the law. Read more
-
Racial disparities in youth justice – from policing to custody
It is only early April, but this year has already laid bare alarming trends in youth justice. Read more
-
People Are Not Things
It was sad news indeed to learn that the former chief inspector of prisons, Lord Ramsbotham, passed away in the lead up to Christmas at the age of 88. Long after his impressive tenure as chief inspector, he remained a tireless campaigner on improving prison conditions and a staunch voice for penal reform in the House of Lords. He will be much missed. Read more
-
What happens when young people in prison experience bereavement?
Earlier this year, our legal team was contacted by a young person in prison. His great-aunt, who had cared for him while his father was working, had passed away and he had been denied the right to attend her funeral. Read more
-
A speech at the Temple Church for Prisons Week
On 12 October 2022, during Prisons Week, Andrea Coomber was invited to give a speech at Choral Evensong at the Temple Church in London. Her words are transcribed here. Read more
-
“Stuck in a hole”: Fighting for family contact in the youth justice system
Earlier this year, a young person contacted the Howard League legal team for advice about getting a transfer to a prison closer to his home. He had spent more than two years of his sentence without any face-to-face contact with his loved ones, and felt intensely the alienating and lonely effects of this separation during his already challenging circumstances. Read more
-
Join the Howard League
We are the world's oldest prison charity, bringing people together to advocate for change.
Join us and make your voice heard -
Support our work
We safeguard our independence and do not accept any funding from government.
Make a donation