Real work in prison

We had a very interesting meeting with the new minister for prisons, Crispin Blunt, and subsequently sent him a briefing on work in prisons. Our conversation ranged broadly across penal policy and I am optimistic that Mr Blunt could turn out to be one of the most progressive and effective prisons minister I have [...]

July 16, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Government policy, Prisons, Uncategorized  2 Comments

Three good things

Yesterday was a good day. I went to hear Kenneth Clarke, the new secretary of state for justice, deliver his lecture to the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies in King’s College. It has been well covered in the media so I won’t go over it again, just to say that we welcome his rational [...]

July 1, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Government policy, International  One Comment

Viva la rehabilitation revolution?

There has been a lot of talk in the criminal justice sector about a ‘rehabilitation revolution’.  This is the coalition government’s catchy phrase for its forthcoming justice reforms and many professionals are puzzling out what exactly a rehabilitation revolution might look like.  The coalition’s programme of government says:
We will [...]

June 22, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Government policy, Prisons, Rehabilitation, Sentencing  No Comments

Ken Clarke asks the question

I don’t often read the Daily Mail and cheer, but today the report that Kenneth Clarke is planning to cut the prison budget by slashing jail sentences was the best news I have heard in a long time. Also welcome was his comment that public fears over crime were overblown, although I am not sure [...]

June 14, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Government policy, Prisons, Sentencing  One Comment

Making real savings

So Nick Clegg says he is going to bring in “a new approach to penal reform” which will end “mass criminalisation of young people” and Labour’s “build and fill ‘em approach to prisons”. He told the Guardian at the weekend that: “I’ll be doing this with Ken Clarke in the weeks ahead.” Good [...]

June 7, 2010  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Children and young people, Government policy, Uncategorized  2 Comments

Stupid cuts, smart cuts

The ministry of justice has announced that it will deliver £343 million cuts, although the ministry is calling it savings following the budget announcement that the deficit will be halved over four years.  The statement says that the aim is to protect front line priorities.  There is a huge contradiction here, as prison budgets have [...]

March 30, 2010  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Prisons, Public Services  2 Comments

Another announcement about victims

Jack Straw has announced a new national victims’ service. It won’t be a statutory service, but a sort of unit with a paltry £8 million funding. This comes seven years after legislation was passed to set up a commissioner for victims office. This has not happened, despite being announced several times, until Sara Payne was [...]

January 27, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Government policy, Victims  No Comments

A new face at the top

Phil Wheatley, director general of the national offender management service (NOMS), has announced he is to retire later this year.  I wish him well in his retirement.
This offers a tremendous opportunity for change in the criminal justice system.  A new person at the top could inject some energy into a programme of reform based on [...]

January 18, 2010  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Government policy, Prisons, Public Services  2 Comments

Some good news

For once there is some good news.
Dominic Grieve, the shadow secretary of state for justice, announced a Conservative government would not now build 5,000 new prison places if elected but would focus on regulating the prison population.
The government justice secretary, Jack Straw, announced on Thursday that women should be sentenced in the community and no [...]

December 8, 2009  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Government policy, Prisons, Women in custody  One Comment

Plans for a new prison

The Ministry of Justice plans to build a new prison on a hospital site in Essex and is conducting a local consultation. There is a pattern here. In South London the hospital at Banstead was closed and guess what, two prisons were built on the site, Highdown and Downview. Now another mental hospital is closing [...]

October 26, 2009  Tags: ,   Posted in: Government policy, Prisons  3 Comments