Commenting on the findings of the HM Inspectorate of Prisons report on HMP Eastwood Park, Dr Jenny Earle, Prison Reform Trust lead for reducing women’s imprisonment said:

“The cause of at least some of Eastwood Park prison’s failings lie outside its walls in the lack of housing and mental health support for women in the community. It is shocking that inspectors found that more than two in five women were being released homeless

RESULTS OF 10 PRISONS PROJECT

Commenting on the publication of the results from the 10 prisons project by the Ministry of Justice today, Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust said:

“Any reduction in violence in any prison is welcome. But the 10 prisons project and the fate of a prisons minister always risked being a distraction from the real issue facing the government. That is about overcrowding—still running at over 20% despite three decades of prison building. It has always been possible to yank a very poor prison back from the abyss for a while, but the strategic problem of prisons holding too many people has never been properly addressed. Any glimmers of systemic improvement will be quickly snuffed out if we return to the failed ‘prison works’ policies that have created this calamity in the first place.”

The Prison Reform Trust wants to understand what long sentences mean for the people serving them, the families and friends left behind, and the system that is responsible for their care. Then we want to make a difference – to the way of life in prison for people serving very long sentences and to their ability to build a future in the community to which almost all will return.

The Building Futures will be an innovative prisoner-led project. It will give long term prisoners the opportunity and skills to influence the policies and practices that affect them, and to build the bridges between prison and community on which their futures depend.

Young people have been let down and failed by the Government resulting in a social emergency and a devastating loss of life according to a new report by the Home Affairs Select Committee.

The report, published today (31 July), points to the Government’s Serious Violence Strategy as a completely inadequate response to the wave of violence currently blighting our communities. The hard-hitting report calls for:

• Stronger focus, leadership and direction from the Government and Prime Minister, and an accountable leader in every local area reporting to the Prime Minister on action to bring serious violence down

CNL Software, a world leader in Physical Security Information management (PSIM) software, will be demonstrating the latest features of its IPSecurityCenter™ PSIM software at the GSX. These demonstrations will help those responsible for the security of major cities, government agencies, public & private critical infrastructure, public & private corporations, and transportation facilities & networks to better understand and more efficiently react to security incidents. Recent IPSecurityCenter developments include enhanced interactive dashboards, improved web and mobile accessibility, plugin support for embedded analytics, machine learning, predictive insight tools and improved three-dimensional (3D) mapping.

Prisons need to promote personal growth as an end in itself, not just a means to reduced reoffending, according to a new report published by the Prison Reform Trust today (9 July 2019).

The report, ‘What do you need to make best use of your time in prison?’ is the result of an extensive consultation exercise with over 1,250 people with experience of prison.

The report is the second of the Prison Reform Trust’s Prisoner Policy Network—a group of current serving prisoners, ex-prisoners and connected organisations who want to share their expertise and experience with policy makers. 

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Rt Hon David Gauke MP, has described the Prisoner Policy Network as “a very welcome initiative”. “No-one is likely to understand the issues [in prison] more clearly than the people who live and work in them,” he said.

Commenting on the latest safety in custody statistics published today by the Ministry of Justice, Peter Dawson, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, said:

“The faint hope that our prison system might have turned a corner has been dashed by these numbers. Prisons are still getting more dangerous as places where people have to live and work.  More people than last year chose to take their own life rather than endure it. When an individual prison hits rock bottom, the government reduces the number of prisoners it holds – but it continues to ignore the obvious truth that it is the prison system as a whole that is grossly overcrowded. Ministers talk about having recruited more staff, but the problem will only be solved by having fewer prisoners.”

Commenting on the urgent notification issued by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons at HMYOI Feltham A, Peter Dawson, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, said:

“This distressing report stands in stark contrast both to previous evidence of some improvement at Feltham and to a very positive report issued only last week about a larger but otherwise similar Young Offender Institution in the north of England.

Commenting on HM Inspectorate of Prisons Annual Report 2018-19 published today (9 July 2019), Mark Day, Head of Policy and Communications at the Prison Reform Trust, said:

“Mechanisms to ensure greater transparency and accountability are welcome and may help to drive some improvements in our overstretched prisons. But unless ministers are also held to account for decisions which have led to the UK having amongst the highest incarceration rates in western Europe, and a prison system which is chronically overcrowded and where too many establishments are simply not fit for purpose, many of our prisons will continue to fall short of even basic standards of safety and decency.”

All four National Police Air Service (NPAS) aeroplanes are now in the UK.

Two new aircraft were delivered last week from Austria, joining two that received their UK registration markings in April. 

Work is underway for all four aircraft to achieve air worthiness and police operational certification - a process expected to take several months - before they can begin flying in support of police forces in England and Wales.