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Article Subject: Prison
Jail or bail? We can learn from the USA
People who follow this blog know that I am slightly obsessed by the difference between… Read more
Everyone admits short prison sentences are ineffective, so why do the courts still use them?
Hallelujah! A government minister is openly saying that short prison sentences are a waste of… Read more
The children of mothers in prison – how can we avoid the collateral damage?
“Emotionally, it’s terrible. It’s like they’ve changed so much, they’ve got behavioural problems. They… Read more
The question is not why the Scottish prison population has fallen, but why it hasn’t fallen further
If crime falls significantly you’d expect the prison population to fall too. That has happened in… Read more
The blame game: who bears responsibility for the rise in the prison population?
I tread incredibly warily in this space. Greater minds than mine turned on Andrew Adonis… Read more
The only way to reduce the prison population is to recognise that prison is a dead end
The clarion call to reduce the numbers in prison is being heard. Yesterday the Centre… Read more
If we don’t know why the prison population is rising, we have little hope of halting the rise
Who am I to comment on Ministry of Justice sentencing statistics? I am neither a… Read more
Why are do we imprison mothers for crimes like tampering with an electricity meter?
Mostly I retain faith in the humanity of all who work in the criminal justice… Read more
Are we imprisoning too many innocent people?
There are many people in prison who insist they are innocent. I’m very concerned about… Read more
Failing to turn up to meetings does not deserve imprisonment
Only in our mad, mad criminal justice system would you punish someone more severely for… Read more
Tacking teenage knife crime – is prison the answer?
“Once two boys tried to rob me. They were bigger than me, but when I… Read more
The modern ballad of Reading Gaol – a guest blog from Roma Hooper
“In the great prison where I was incarcerated, I was merely the figure and the… Read more
How do we reduce the number of women in prison?
The latest twist of the Archers story has highlighted the plight of women in the… Read more
Can we curb our addiction to the short prison sentence?
Prison is a dead end, whatever length of time you are there. The courts in… Read more
Setting women prisoners up to fail?
Its great to read a positive prison inspection report, as the one for Bronzefield was… Read more
Are magistrates using prison because they don’t know enough about community alternatives?
Its reassuring in a way to see how concerned magistrates themselves are about deficiencies in… Read more
Why do we have so many prisoners who are not convicted?
It is one of the cardinal principles of our justice system that people are innocent… Read more
What is the point of a child serving 108 days in prison?
Youth justice is my passion, and the reason I remain optimistic about the criminal justice… Read more
Can Gove change the prison debate single handed?
“It is because I am a Conservative that I believe in the rule of law… Read more
How many prisoners are languishing in prison who legally shouldn’t be there?
Around 100 people are imprisoned in England and Wales every year for non payment of… Read more
Devolution revolution – would it help reduce prison numbers?
England and Wales has one of the most centralised criminal justice systems and one of… Read more
Can we afford an extra 1140 recalls to prison?
Our prison population is too high and predicted to increase. The main driver is sentence… Read more
Can we afford an extra 1140 recalls to prison?
Our prison population is too high and predicted to increase. The main driver is sentence… Read more
why we still prosecute too many people
The number of prosecutions has gone down in recent years, but when I talk to… Read more
The power of a financial incentive in reducing imprisonment
The Lord Chancellor has given CRCs a financial incentive to reduce offending under a payment… Read more
“Man is born free, but is everywhere in chains”
The symbolism of chains is very strong – for me it evokes slavery and a… Read more
Reduction in child custody- a US success story
Its easy to get gloomy about mass incarceration in USA. The numbers are so huge… Read more
How single-minded should those campaigning against the death penalty be?
Sometimes campaigners can stab each other in the back unwittingly. In England and Wales, there… Read more
the continuous “arms race” in criminal justice
One of the reasons why our prisons are full to bursting is because our sentencing… Read more
How punitive can you be? The criminal justice arms race
How punitive is the man on the Clapham omnibus? It is a subject that divides… Read more