The Debate: should we release female prisoners to make space for men? Opinion Could an answer to the prison overcrowding crisis be to let out women offenders? Two writers go head to head Yes: We are locking up women who’ve been failed by the system Right now, prisons contain women who shouldn’t be there. Prison doesn’t work and it harms women. Almost 70 per cent of women in [...]
Labour to curb jail terms for shoplifters as retail crime fears grow News Labour’s plans to scrap most prison sentences of under a year will see thousands of prolific shoplifters avoid jail, in a move that risks intensifying pressure on retailers already warning of rising violence and disorder. The changes, introduced under the Sentencing Act, mean around 98 per cent of shoplifters currently in custody would instead qualify [...]
Emergency move to avoid jail overcrowding may be used soon as rioters sentenced Politics The government could trigger an emergency plan to avoid prison overcrowding “at some point next week” as rioters are sentenced, according to the Prison Officers’ Association. It followed reports in The Observer that the government could be about to trigger Operation Early Dawn. The long-standing contingency measure allows defendants to be held in police cells [...]
Do long prison sentences work? Economics has the answer August 15, 2024 Sentences deter different groups in different ways - and behavioural economics shows how, says Paul Ormerod
Life after prison: Battling homelessness and unemployment July 25, 2024 “People do come out of prison, that’s the whole point. So what’s next?” Lucy Kenningham speaks to ex-offender Jason Barnfather
Freeing Britain’s ‘ghost prisoners’ is the first step towards prison reform July 11, 2024 "Torturous" indeterminate sentences have led prisoners to lead decades of their lives in jail, writes Lucy Kenningham
Filth, violence and vermin – what life is really like at Wandsworth Prison May 23, 2024 Wandsworth Prison is a national disgrace, with 80 per cent of prisoners sharing a cell and most men staying in their rooms for 22 hours a day.