![[Logo] The Howard League for Penal Reform](fileadmin/howard_league/template/resources/logo.gif "The Howard League for Penal Reform"){kind=logo}
Our legal department
The team
The Howard League for Penal Reform's legal team acts on behalf of young people under the age of 21 in custody and provides the only dedicated legal service for young people in custody in England and Wales.
The Howard League for Penal Reform's legal team was established in 2002 following the landmark victory in the Children Act case. It now has a criminal defence (prison law) contract with the Legal Services Commission, for which it has been awarded the Quality Mark.
Our clients
Young people in custody are amongst the most vulnerable groups in society in terms of accessing justice: they tend to have only come across criminal practitioners who may have limited knowledge of prison law or community care law and tend to remain unaware of their rights and potential legal remedies.
The work of The Howard League for Penal Reform’s legal department has provided access to justice for many young people in custody. Not only does the team deal with treatment and conditions inside prison but has increasingly dealt with issues concerning the provision of support and accommodation for children on release from custody, enabling children to leave custody with improved lives that are far less likely to accumulate a “cluster” of legal problems in the future.
Our expertise
- prison regime
- use of segregation
- medical treatment
- early release/parole
- sentence planning
- resettlement
The legal team makes representations on behalf of its clients and, where necessary, instigates legal challenges to ensure that young people in and leaving custody are protected by the law.
In addition to casework, the legal team advises members of the public, journalists, academics and practitioners on prison and criminal law, human rights, public, social welfare and mental health law relating to children. It regularly contributes to publications, conferences, committees and for a regarding youth justice and penal law issues.
The Howard League online