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Inquiry into former armed service personnel in prison.
The Howard League for Penal Reform has launched an independent inquiry into former armed service personnel in prison. The inquiry will seek to discover the reasons why veterans enter the penal system, investigate how former armed service personnel can be given appropriate support to prevent offending and look for good practice and new ideas.
The inquiry is chaired by Sir John Nutting QC, one of the country’s leading barristers.
The inquiry is being held at the instigation of Lord Carlile QC, President of the Howard League for Penal Reform, after he received representations concerning the numbers of former armed service personnel in the prison system. As the oldest penal reform charity in the world, and with United Nations consultative status, the Howard League for Penal Reform is well placed to launch such an important inquiry.
The inquiry will involve primary research to elicit:
• How many male prisoners have formerly been in the armed services
• The sorts of offences they have committed
• The problems they faced on leaving the armed services
• The support they received
The inquiry will make detailed recommendations on its findings. It will review the support offered by the various voluntary sector organisations and that provided by the armed services. It will consider more structured approaches following active service.
The inquiry is expected to last a year, in which time the inquiry will hold consultation sessions with key stakeholders, visit prisons and go to the United States to examine new developments such as the introduction of Veterans’ Courts. The final report will be published on Armistice Day in 2010.
The issue
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