Keyword "Prisons and probation" - List of latest news (480 results)

21:53 Prison officers in England and Wales to use pepper spray at young offender institutions

Move to allow use of Pava spray on children follows plans to trial Tasers in adult prisons after demands from prison officers’ union

22/04 ‘Employment’s the best way to stop reoffending’: the boss of ready meals firm Cook on the ‘talent’ in prisons

The co-founder of the family-run frozen food maker says ethical practices pay dividends on top of financial returns for her business

22/04 I hate the idea of British prison officers carrying stun guns – but it may be our only option | Alex South

There’s little chance of rehabilitation in the UK’s dangerously depleted prison system. These weapons might at least keep staff and inmates safe, says former prison officer Alex South

21/04 Concern over asbis after report finds people jailed for sleeping rough and feeding birds

Exclusive: Analysis of antisocial behaviour injunctions found 57% of people had no legal representation at breach hearings that led to imprisonment

20/04 UK prison officers to demand electric stun guns for dangerous jails

Meeting called with justice secretary after attack on three guards at HMP Frankland

20/04 Liverpool academic’s scent workshops help prisoners remember their past

After smelling fragrances inmates create poems, prose or drawings that recall holidays, park walks and sweet shops

20/04 Doncaster prisoners could sue government over exposure to radon gas

Inmates complain of rashes and fever, echoing the events that led Dartmoor jail to close last year

17/04 Prison Service to assess need for protective vests after officers attacked

This comes after Hashem Abedi injured three officers with hot oil and homemade blades at HMP Frankland

17/04 How will UK judgment on legal definition of womanhood affect policy?

From the NHS, to sporting bodies and prisons, organisations will have to respond to supreme court ruling

16/04 Manchester Arena bomb plotter ‘moved to Belmarsh prison’ after attack on guards

Hashem Abedi is alleged to have attacked three prison officers with hot cooking oil in kitchen at HMP Frankland

16/04 Manchester bomb survivor: jail attack represents ‘catastrophic failure of duty’

Martin Hibbert tells justice secretary he is ‘absolutely disgusted’ to hear of alleged assault by Hashem Abedi

16/04 Muslim prisoners in England more likely to be subjected to force, charity finds

Freedom of information requests reveal disproportionate use of batons and rigid handcuffs for Muslims behind bars

15/04 Attack on officers raises questions about separation centres at jails in England

The country’s three special units at high-security prisons are in spotlight after Hashem Abedi’s assault against staff

14/04 Dangerous inmates should not have access to prison kitchen, union chair says

Prison Officers’ Association official says staff are furious after attack by Hashem Abedi

14/04 Prison Service bans dangerous inmates from kitchens after officers attacked

Move comes after Hashem Abedi injured three officers with hot oil and improvised blades at HMP Frankland

13/04 Ban inmates from cooking after Hashem Abedi assault, says prison union

Chair of prison workers body says copycat incidents must be prevented after attack by convicted terrorist

12/04 Manchester Arena bomb plotter attacks three prison officers

Hashem Abedi, brother of the bomber, threw hot cooking oil in ‘vicious’ assault at HMP Frankland in County Durham

12/04 A Dartmoor village is paying Prince William £1.5m-a-year for an abandoned prison - and former inmates say it gave them cancer

As ex-prisoners sue over claims that high levels of radon gas have led to serious illnesses, taxpayers continue to foot the rental bill

12/04 Classicists take ‘ancient philosophical wisdom’ into English jails

Inmates in several prisons given chance to study ethics and rhetoric ‘to inform contemporary life’ and skills

08/04 Minority groups have always faced two-tier justice in Britain | Letters

Letters: In response to the suspension of new sentencing rules, Cordella Bart-Stewart highlights the racial disparities that continue to dog the criminal justice system. Plus Francesca Cociani on the real-life consequences of the justice secretary’s culture war on sentencing

08/04 UK creating ‘murder prediction’ tool to identify people most likely to kill

Algorithms allegedly being used to study data of thousands of people, in project critics say is ‘chilling and dystopian’

08/04 Prison governor faces jail over relationship with Liverpool drug boss

Kerri Pegg, 42, of HMP Kirkham guilty of misconduct after inmate Anthony Saunderson gave her a Mercedes car

06/04 The Guardian view on sentencing guidelines: rightwing politicians must not call the tune | Editorial

Editorial: The justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, should reject false, inflammatory rhetoric and focus on the real issues

05/04 What next for climate activism now Just Stop Oil is ‘hanging up the hi-vis’?

After three years, thousands of arrests and a state crackdown on protests, the group is ending direct action after a polarising campaign

04/04 Shabana Mahmood: lord chancellor with political nous unafraid to shake up system

Her introduction to politics began in Birmingham as the child of a Labour councillor and as justice secretary she’s made tough decisions from day one

01/04 Labour's populist pantomime over sentencing rules plays into the hands of the right | Janey Starling

Forcing the abandonment of new commonsense, evidence-based guidelines is a new low for a party that once prided itself on justice reform, says Janey Starling of campaign group Level Up

28/03 Downing Street happy to dip its toe into culture wars in row with Sentencing Council

No 10 concerns over sentencing guidelines are genuine but it also hopes to win admirers from its tough approach to quango

28/03 Sentencing Council for England and Wales rejects calls to review ‘two-tier’ justice rules

Justice secretary criticises response and threatens to change law over guidance to judges aimed at tackling bias

28/03 Government opens first-of-its-kind ‘green’ prison in East Yorkshire

HMP Millsike, described by critics as a ‘megaprison’, will add 1,500 places to prison estate in England and Wales

23/03 Just Stop Oil protester, 78, who was returned to jail as no tag fitted her, on her life inside

Gaie Delap on the shocking failures in healthcare and support she saw in jail, and how she coped with being there

20/03 ‘Lifer’ in HMP Woodhill planned to kill Tommy Robinson, high court told

Two other prisoners also plotted to attack far-right activist, who is challenging his segregation at jail

19/03 ‘The prison system is insanely broken’: a climate activist on his experience in jail

George Simonson says you learn about society by seeing how it treats its prisoners – and jail has strengthened his belief that change is crucial

18/03 Probation Service problems in England and Wales leaving public at risk, watchdog finds

The chief inspector’s annual report said attempts by staff to keep others safe is ‘consistently insufficient’

16/03 Alarm over early re-release of recalled prisoners as jail overcrowding crisis deepens

Whistleblower says over 1,000 inmates in England and Wales considered for the scheme which bypasses Parole Board

15/03 ‘As long he is breathing, I’m not safe’: romance fraud victim flees UK after jailed conman is freed

As cases of romance fraud soar by 27%, tricked woman tells of her £115,000 ordeal

12/03 Biased laws and poverty driving huge rise in female prisoners – report

First such study finds laws on abortion, debt and dress help increase rate of women being jailed twice as fast as for men

11/03 Labour used to give the needy the benefit of the doubt. Now they slash their benefits | John Crace

It’s no wonder many people on welfare are starting to look back on the last government with affection

10/03 Alarm at plan for less-qualified probation staff to deal with sex offenders in England and Wales

Watchdog warns that move, which also includes domestic abusers, must be closely watched to keep public safe

09/03 MoJ readies extra prison places in case summer riots happen again

Exclusive: Justice minister James Timpson says increased cell capacity means emergency early release schemes won’t be needed

06/03 Ministers criticise ‘two-tier’ sentencing changes in England and Wales

Sentencing Council plans to make offenders’ ethnic backgrounds a greater factor in deciding whether to jail them

05/03 Pregnant offenders in England and Wales could be spared jail under new guidelines

Changes to sentencing guidance will also apply to mothers of children under one year old

05/03 Bans from pubs and social events could be alternative to prison, minister says

Sports ground exclusions and mandatory work for offenders in England and Wales ‘part of mix’ under sentencing review

04/03 Soaring UK crime costing up to £250bn a year, says thinktank

Policy Exchange report blames austerity for breakdown in policing and criminal justice

02/03 My son’s killer and me: grief, pain and the power of forgiveness after a one-punch death

When Jacob Dunne hit James Hodgkinson, he had no idea the punch would kill him. He recounts how his victim’s mother, Joan, helped him, while she reveals why she confronted him

27/02 Woman could not stop husband’s suicide in London prison due to broken intercom

Wife drove two hours to try to alert prison after attempting to raise alarm on phone line that did not work

24/02 Prison should be the last resort of criminal justice | Letters

Letters: Readers share their perspectives on prisoner literacy, custodial sentencing and the objective of being ‘tough on crime’

23/02 ‘Alarming’ data reveals high diabetes risk for pregnant women in English jails

Freedom of information requests show that female prisoners are three times more likely to suffer gestational diabetes

20/02 My life as a prison officer: ‘It wasn’t just the smell that hit you. It was the noise’

I saw first hand how prisons are having to use segregation units for acutely mentally ill inmates who should not be in prison at all

19/02 Knife crime strategy needs to focus on stopping supply as well as possession, says policing minister – UK politics live

Diana Johnson defends Labour’s knife crime plan amid crisis in prison capacity in England and Wales

18/02 The Guardian view on the Gauke review: prison isn’t working | Editorial

Editorial: A performative ‘tough on crime’ approach by politicians has been both ineffective and ruinously expensive

18/02 Prison system crisis due to overreliance on long sentences, says Gauke review

Successive governments’ ‘penal populism’ has driven England and Wales justice system to brink of collapse, report finds

16/02 The punishment doesn’t fit the crime in Britain. That’s why our jails are overflowing | Samira Shackle

For 20 years, Britain has been inflating sentences despite little evidence it deters crime. But a new review offers a glimmer of hope, says journalist Samira Shackle

16/02 Why are women still being sent to prison as ‘a place of safety’?

Reports are revealing the true harm done by incarcerating women under the guise of protecting them, writes Eva Wiseman

15/02 Our inhumane jails are promoting a vicious cycle that is criminal in itself | Martha Gill

A medieval system is oiling the revolving door for reoffenders and seeing prison staff leave in droves

12/02 MoJ to pay Andrew Malkinson ‘significant’ sum over wrongful rape conviction

Exclusive: Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison, says he plans to use interim payment to visit family in Australia

12/02 MoJ apologises to woman subjected to racism in prison mother and baby unit

The woman, who is black, was told to go back to her country, while her baby boy was referred to as a ‘monkey’

08/02 Meet the young Musketeers, our unelected overlords employed by ‘Doge’

Elon Musk’s crew, most of whom can’t rent a car without paying the ‘under 25’ fee, have access to our sensitive personal data

07/02 ‘Repeated failures’ at Nottinghamshire prison where three inmates took their lives

Inquest into deaths of three prisoners within three weeks at HMP Lowdham Grange in 2023 criticises ‘poor leadership’

06/02 Make first-time, low-level offenders go to rehab instead of court, Bar Council suggests

Exclusive: Barristers also say offenders could pay compensation to victims, in effort to tackle court backlog

06/02 The idea of ‘welfare’ has lost all meaning. Just look at the cruel state of women’s prisons | Zoe Williams

A new report says there’s a ‘basic lack of decency’ in England’s jails. It’s a motif repeated across a nation stripped to the bone, says columnist Zoe Williams

05/02 ‘Basic lack of decency’ driving self-harm in women’s prisons, report says

Inspectorate points to challenges including ban on using washing machines for knickers and difficulties with family contact

03/02 Reinstate youth programmes to combat knife crime | Letters

Letters: Social education is fundamental to steering young people towards better lives, writes Dr Annette Rimmer. And Linda Theobald backs community schemes to tackle violence

03/02 Coercive control to be put on par with other types of domestic abuse in England and Wales

Police and probation services will be legally required to share with one another information that suggests offenders are risk to others

31/01 Just Stop Oil protester, 78, released to home detention after fitting tag found

Gaie Delap had prison term extended because contractors could not find wrist strap of right size

29/01 Hannah Arendt and Henry David Thoreau invoked in court by climate protesters

Tenets of prominent philosophers presented in appeal to quash longest sentences for UK non-violent protest

25/01 I was jailed for four years for a non-violent climate protest – this is my prison diary

I was one of a group of Just Stop Oil activists given the longest-ever UK sentences for peaceful protest after blocking a motorway. Six months into my incarceration, this is what I have learned

25/01 Just Stop Oil protester, 78, has jail term extended after no suitable tag found

Exclusive: Gaie Delap told she will have to serve 20 more days that correspond to period of time at home after recall

22/01 Organised crime unit expanded in prisons in England and Wales to fight escalating gang activity

Amid increasing drone use and drug-related violence, the prisons minister, James Timpson, is ‘beefing up’ measures

21/01 Prisons minister aims to close one women’s jail in England and Wales

Exclusive: Timpson says government plans to reverse rise in female inmates and use alternative forms of punishment

19/01 ‘Creative use of punishment’: Covid-style lockdowns proposed for criminals in England and Wales

Bar Council calls for pandemic restrictions to help reintegrate non-violent offenders into society and ease pressure on overcrowded jails

18/01 Nobody could help me with my psychosis. Then I was sent to jail for holding up a shop with a toy gun

I didn’t remember committing my crime but I knew I had fallen through the cracks of the system. Could prison really be my salvation?

18/01 ‘It’s got people questioning the value of prisons’: a pro-Palestine activist on his time inside

Stuart Bretherton says his prison sentence opened people’s eyes to the ‘severity and viciousness of state repression’

17/01 Deaths at young offenders institution in Scotland ‘could have been avoided’

Call for prisons to lose immunity from prosecution after report into suicides of Katie Allan, 20, and William Lindsay, 16, at Polmont

16/01 ‘Prison is not a place for rehabilitation’: jailed rapper Marnz Malone on confronting inmate suicide

The British MC has amassed millions of streams for his careworn catalogue, recorded on a prison phone. Now, his new single addresses prisoners’ mental health

15/01 Anti-drone cages, short corridors and small houses: how better design can solve British prison problems | Alex South

I’ve experienced the degrading conditions in UK prisons – for inmates and staff alike. More humanising buildings yield results, says former prison officer Alex South

14/01 Keeping Gaie Delap in jail is a travesty of justice | Letters

Letters: Readers respond to the recall to prison of a 78-year-old woman who was convicted of causing a public nuisance in a protest on the M25

14/01 Drones flying into jails are national security threat, says prisons watchdog

Chief inspector of prisons issues warning after surge in weapons and drugs flown into high-security facilities in England and Wales

13/01 Tory police cuts are only part of the ongoing crisis affecting victims of crime

Austerity affected courts, prisons and public services while rates of poverty surged, creating the conditions for more crime

10/01 Almost 900 weapons seized in a year at Yorkshire young offender institute

Weapons such as sharpened objects and rocks taken from children aged 15-18 at YOI Wetherby

06/01 Prison officer jailed for having sex with inmate at HMP Wandsworth

Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, of south-west London was charged after video of activity was shared on social media

06/01 Record numbers of children in England jailed many miles from their families

Exclusive: More than one in 10 young people in custody are held at least 75 miles from their homes

05/01 Prisoner who took MoJ to court says he remains in isolation 20 months later

Kevan Thakrar still awaits judgment after case alleging unlawful solitary confinement was heard in April 2023

04/01 Fears of unrest as PM considers open prisons for more offenders

Unions concerned about potential rise in violence, drug abuse and the threat of riots at low-security facilities in England and Wales

03/01 Police investigate reports of prison attack on Sara Sharif’s father

Urfan Sharif said to have received neck and face injuries in Belmarsh where he is serving life for daughter’s murder

03/01 A day in the life of a prison officer at HMP Maidstone

Chibuike Ekeiwu has worked at the Kent prison since 2022. The photographer Tom Pilston recounts a day spent with him keeping order in a tough environment

01/01 Prisons in England and Wales record rapid rise in drones delivering drugs

Exclusive: tenfold increase in drone incidents since 2020 leads MPs to call for urgent action over security concerns

01/01 Man on the run after being recalled to UK prison indefinitely makes plea to minister

Matthew Booth, from Bolton, is facing further time in jail after claims he has restarted a relationship with an ex

28/12 Assaults in prisons in England and Wales rise to average of 74 a day

Research for Lib Dems shows nearly 27,000 assaults were recorded last year, with about 3,200 deemed serious

25/12 ‘90 people have taken their own lives already. How many more do they want?’ The Labour peer taking on the scandal of ‘99-year’ sentences

Indeterminate sentences were scrapped in 2012 – but thousands of prisoners are still serving them, often for petty crimes, with no hope of release. Could there now be hope of resentencing?

23/12 Cut sentences in half to tackle prisons crisis | Letters

Letters: Paul Collins on how to improve the criminal justice system, and Ellie Dwight on an understaffed and ineffective probation service

22/12 Funding gap for women’s centres will mean more prison sentences, experts warn

About 50 centres for women in crisis in England and Wales face deficit of £5.1m after funding ends in March

21/12 Elderly activist to spend Christmas in prison because tag does not fit

Woman jailed for M25 protest not allowed to continue home detention because electronic tags are too big

20/12 ‘You won’t find the real criminals here’: a Just Stop Oil activist in jail at Christmas

Protester Anna Holland says her shock at being behind bars was quickly followed by a stronger feeling of power

20/12 Record number of protesters will be in UK prisons this Christmas

Forty people, aged 22 to 58, incarcerated for direct actions on climate and Gaza actions amid crackdown on dissent

18/12 Life inside a therapeutic prison: ‘Look, we’ve done some terrible things ...’

At pioneering HMP Grendon, a range of psychology professionals aim to ‘re-child’ some of Britain’s most serious offenders in relatively relaxed conditions. Does the treatment work?

18/12 Delays and neglect led to death of prisoner serving IPP sentence, jury finds

Inquest concludes that Haydar Jefferies took his own life after Surrey prison’s ‘serious failure’ to put him in place of safety

17/12 The role of courts in tackling addiction | Letters

Letters: Stuart Harrington says decriminalising drugs would be more productive than specialist courts, while Jane Lawson remembers a pioneering court that kept families together

12/12 The Guardian view on Labour and prisons: sustained courage is needed for rational reform

Circumstances have forced the government into a more rational penal policy but it will take time to show results

11/12 Shabana Mahmood suggests ministers will override objections to new prisons

Justice secretary says lack of cells ‘is of more concern’ than people’s worries about jails being built near their homes

11/12 Four new prisons to be built but space could still run out, minister warns – UK politics live

Demand rising faster than any supply ‘could possibly catch up with’, justice secretary says

11/12 Specialist courts proposed to break addictions of prolific offenders in England and Wales

Exclusive: Pilots of scheme to tackle drug-driven crimes have been encouraging, says head of sentencing review

09/12 The Guardian view on the courts in crisis: long waits are a route to injustice | Editorial

Editorial: Delayed trials don’t get enough attention. But they are harmful both to individuals and society

09/12 Court delays ‘driving innocent prisoners to plead guilty’ in England and Wales

Exclusive: Some inmates being advised to change plea to secure earlier release as backlog spirals, watchdogs say

07/12 Just Stop Oil activist, 77, faces jail recall as wrists too small for electronic tag

Gaie Delap was sent to prison in August for her part in disruptive protests on M25 in November

06/12 The crisis in the courts in England and Wales: how did we get here?

Official data paints bleak picture of justice system, with large backlog of cases and record numbers on remand

06/12 Murderers who use strangulation or kill ex-partners face longer jail terms

New laws to come in in England and Wales in attempt to reduce violence against women and girls

05/12 Prison population in England and Wales set to exceed 100,000 by 2029

Rising prosecutions, higher maximum sentences and soaring number of people on remand driving growth from 86,000 today

04/12 Tory plan for 20,000 new jail places ‘will be years late and £4bn over budget’ – report

NAO blames failures in Boris Johnson plan on successive governments’ policies and ‘unrealistic timelines’

02/12 Public services complaints in England soar by more than a third since 2016 – study

Written complaints about DWP double, while prisons, the NHS and higher education experience big increase

30/11 Daniel Khalife: the spy who blew his own cover – and exposed gaping holes in UK security

When the ex-British army soldier was found guilty last week of passing secrets to Iran, it set off alarm bells over the military’s vulnerability to the threat of infiltration

28/11 Prisoners denied dignity while receiving NHS care, watchdog finds

Health Services Safety Investigation Body reveals difficulties inmates have when they leave jail for treatment

24/11 For now, let’s revel in Bluesky’s promised land and kid ourselves it will never get like X | Tim Adams

Watching the numbers migrate from Elon Musk’s toxic platform is addictive, but the best social media is finite

22/11 Leaked prison blueprints prompt fears of drug smuggling and escape attempts

Prison staff alerted to security breach after layouts marking location of cameras shared on dark web, the Times reports

22/11 Drones could bring guns into prisons in England and Wales, watchdog fears

Exclusive: Chief inspector says drones are ‘number one concern’ amid ‘inadequate’ Prison Service response

16/11 More than a third of assaults on UK prison officers are not fully investigated

Staff says reports of abuse by inmates are not taken seriously by management, leaving them feeling vulnerable

16/11 Tech firm Palantir spoke with MoJ about calculating prisoners’ ‘reoffending risks’

Exclusive: Rights group expresses concerns as it emerges US spy tech company has been lobbying UK ministers

15/11 Peers warn not reforming IPP sentences could cause another Post Office scandal

Ministers told they risk more miscarriages of justice by not backing bill to replace indefinite jail terms with fixed ones

14/11 Andrew Malkinson says he has been ‘left to rot’ after wrongful conviction quashed

Exclusive: Malkinson, who spent 17 years in jail, told he must wait months to learn if he is even eligible for compensation

12/11 Hundreds of English schools still at risk from crumbling concrete

Exclusive: Previously unpublished official data shows Raac found at 235 DfE sites

12/11 Hundreds of English primary schools still at risk from crumbling concrete

Exclusive: Previously unpublished official data shows Raac found at 235 DfE sites, most of which are primaries

05/11 Stolen mops and brooms used to collect drugs from drones at Lancashire prison

One inmate says stream of drones at HMP Garth is like ‘an airport’, according to chief inspector of prisons

04/11 The IPP sentencing scandal has left hundreds locked up without hope. When will Labour free them? | Francisco Garcia

England and Wales abolished these draconian sentences in 2012 – but our crumbling prisons still hold offenders trapped in horrifying stasis , says journalist Francisco Garcia

31/10 Grandfather jailed for rioting outside asylum seekers’ hotel ‘died by hanging’, inquest hears

Peter Lynch, 61, was convicted after a riot broke out in Manvers, Rotherham and given two years, eight months

29/10 For rioters like Peter Lynch, jail was never the answer | Owen Jones

Prison sentences are mere gestures when frontline politicians and media outlets freely inflame tensions on a daily basis, says Guardian columnist Owen Jones

29/10 Five still in jail 16 years after being given IPP sentences of below six months, data shows

Exclusive: ‘Horrendous’ MoJ figures show some prisoners given indeterminate sentences in England and Wales before 2008 still behind bars

26/10 ‘Mum was ill, not bad’: family call for reform of England’s justice system after prison suicide

Exclusive: family say case of Kay Melhuish is stark reminder of the dangers of criminalising vulnerable women

25/10 More than 1,000 drone incidents at jails in England and Wales last year

Exclusive: MoJ attempts to fight back against brazen deliveries that often include household items like ketchup alongside drugs

25/10 Prison officers dismissed for joking about inmate’s suicide

Two officers at HMP Wandsworth sent messages in staff WhatsApp group celebrating death of 21-year-old

24/10 Justice secretary urged to place Winchester prison into emergency measures

Inspectorate wrote to Shabana Mahmood citing violence, drug and security problems at Hampshire jail

24/10 Gangs recruit skilled drone pilots to fly drugs and even ketchup into UK prisons

Police say specialists headhunted for lucrative missions, sometimes delivering several kilograms at a time

22/10 Tories feign innocence as Labour give more prisoners early release | John Crace

Tough-on-crime brigade look scarce as convicts win a break from crumbling prison system

22/10 Scenes of celebration as prisoners released early in England and Wales

PM says he shares public’s anger but claims there would have been ‘paralysis’ if government had not acted

22/10 1,100 more prisoners set for early release as minister admits recall rate ‘very high’

Shabana Mahmood says she wants latest emergency release amid overcrowding in England and Wales jails to be the last

22/10 David Gauke calls for end to ‘bidding war’ between parties as he is appointed to sentencing review – UK politics live

Former Conservative justice sectary to carry out review by Ministry of Justice considering alternatives to sending people to jail

20/10 Fewer women may go to jail in England and Wales in sentencing review

Review to examine scrapping short sentences and treating more offenders in the community, with prisons set to be full again by next summer

18/10 The Guardian view on prison reform: Labour must champion alternatives | Editorial

Editorial: Jails are squalid and the number of incarcerated people keeps rising. Investing in probation is part of the answer

17/10 Ministers to give magistrates in England and Wales more sentencing powers

Exclusive: Plan to cut backlogs by doubling maximum term from six to 12 months was tried before by Tories

14/10 In the Netherlands, we’re closing our emptying prisons. What can other countries learn from how we did it? | Renate van der Zee

The Dutch prison population has fallen by more than 40% – and awareness of the harms of harsh sentencing could explain why, says Dutch writer and journalist Renate van der Zee

11/10 Children being traumatised at Gatwick deportation centre, finds watchdog

Assessment finds detention unit is subjecting families to ‘unnecessary suffering’ amid lengthy Home Office delays

02/10 Children in youth offender institutions in England denied access to education, report finds

Joint review by chief of Ofsted and prisons chief inspector discovers children kept in cells to avoid conflict

01/10 Prisons need more than an architecture of hope | Letters

Letters: Joe Sim on reforming prisoners through a compassionate philosophy, Malcolm Fowler on the sensory memories of his prison visits, and Sue Beaumont on the demoralising effect of stepping inside a jail

30/09 The Guardian view on this summer’s riots: courts can’t solve these problems alone | Editorial

Editorial: The UK’s counter-extremism strategy isn’t working – and prison sentences won’t change that

29/09 Britain’s prehistoric attitude to drugs isn’t working. Why not learn from Texas? | Simon Jenkins

Cherrypicking what has worked from decriminalisation abroad is far preferable to building more prisons, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins

26/09 Inmates could do classes to cut prison time under Texas-style reforms

Courses targeting the root cause of offending in England and Wales would be included in scheme

24/09 Prison isn’t working for women, Labour says, as it unveils plans for alternatives

Shabana Mahmood tells conference she wants more help in community for offenders and fewer cases going to court

24/09 ‘Places to heal, not to harm’: why brutal prison design kills off hope

The long read: From razor-wire fences and crumbling cells to no windows and overcrowding, conditions in most jails mean rehabilitation is a nonstarter. Here’s how we can create better spaces for prisoners

24/09 Nearly half of prisoners at HMP Brixton tell watchdog it is easy to obtain drugs

Report finds prison is failing to prepare inmates for release and hundreds of prisoners have substance abuse problems

21/09 Starmer eyes ex-Tory minister David Gauke for sentencing review role

The former Conservative justice secretary is on a shortlist to lead a policy review that could herald radical reforms

21/09 Burglar awarded £5m after being stabbed in Chelmsford prison kitchen

Steven Wilson was attacked after risk assessment failed to stop convicted murderer working in kitchen with access to knives

19/09 ‘Hundreds’ of prisoners freed early in England and Wales not fitted with tags

Serco says it is working to fit electronic devices, which were a condition of early release of 1,700 last week

17/09 If Keir Starmer wants to be braver than Tony Blair, this is how: be gentle on crime | Polly Toynbee

The rate of violent offences is plummeting but, thanks to rightwing dishonesty, much of the public still believes it is rising, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

14/09 Why are prisons so full in England and Wales?

In a week in which the government has been forced to release inmates early, experts point to a confluence of factors in the overcrowding

13/09 We must stop filling and building prisons | Letters

Letters: Dr Rod Earle calls for an end to the fixation with prison as an effective response to crime and Cassy Firth highlights the additional burden on probation staff

13/09 The early release of prisoners was unavoidable, but too many women in the UK are now living in fear | Gaby Hinsliff

Despite government assurances on the release of prisoners across England and Wales, the coming days will be filled with a familiar dread for some survivors of domestic violence, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff

13/09 UK prison population drops by record amount under early release scheme

The number of people in prisons dropped by 2,188 in seven days, a fall of about 2.5%

10/09 Police ‘left to deal with fallout’ of poorly planned early release of 1,700 prisoners

Police association chief says criminals potentially being freed in England and Wales without proper rehabilitation plans

10/09 ‘Inevitable some will get recalled’: concern as 1,700 prisoners released early

Lack of rehabilitation means many freed inmates in England and Wales will end up homeless and offending again, warn experts

10/09 Former prisoners: what support did you receive after your release?

We would like to hear from newly released prisoners about the support they have received

09/09 Parole Board’s move to release murderer is ‘betrayal’, says victim’s mother

Doreen Soulsby condemns recommendation that Steven Ling be freed 27 years after rape and murder of Joanne Tulip

09/09 Some crime victims ‘unaware’ of offenders’ early prison release in England and Wales

‘Sizeable minority’ of survivors of crime have not been informed that perpetrators will be freed on Tuesday

09/09 ‘People do awful things’: the Parole Board’s Rob McKeon on life among murderers, rapists and career criminals

McKeon has helped to decide the fate of more than 5,000 prisoners – including one who told him: ‘I quite like strangling people.’ He talks about the harder judgments

07/09 We can’t lock up ‘everyone we’re cross with’, says ex justice secretary

Former Tory MP Alex Chalk said focus should be on keeping ‘criminals we’re most scared of’ in prison, ahead of Labour’s early release scheme

06/09 Some probation officers given a week’s notice of serious offenders’ release, union says

Exclusive: Napo says officers do not feel protected as 2,000 offenders to be let out early to try to ease prison crisis

06/09 Minister won’t deny UK government may rent prison space in Estonia

Justice ministry reportedly considering sending criminals in England and Wales to Baltic state

06/09 Prisons crisis needs ‘radical solutions’ in England and Wales, say former top judges

Earlier release of killers and rapists on licence among the options suggested to potentially ease overcrowding

04/09 MoJ plans to free up prison spaces set to fail ‘because cells being filled by rioters’

Prison governors’ leader urges ministers to consider further measures to cut jail population or build new cells

03/09 Prison early release scheme to include some serious offenders, MoJ admits

Officials previously said only those convicted of lesser crimes would be eligible under plan to free up jail space

02/09 Rochester prison given urgent notification after ‘systemic failure and decline’

It is the first time such notification has been given to a category C prison focusing on training and resettlement

01/09 What Keir Starmer’s rose garden speech tells us about his politics | Letters

Letters: Jeremy Cushing and Gideon Ben-Tovim respond to the prime minister’s rhetoric on the recent riots and immigration. Plus a letter from Alan Bancroft

01/09 ‘Broken’ prison system sets inmates up to fail, top Scottish inspector says

Lack of funding, resources and rehabilitation leads to ‘bored and angry’ prisoners, Wendy Sinclair-Gieben says

30/08 Prison population hits record high in England and Wales

Jail sentences handed to participants in recent riots thought to have exacerbated overcrowding

27/08 Only 100 spaces remaining in men’s prisons in England and Wales

Magistrates told to delay jailing criminals as weekly prison population reaches highest level since 2011

22/08 HMP Wandsworth living conditions are ‘inhumane’, finds report

Rat-infested London jail from which terror suspect escaped is unsafe and overcrowded, say independent monitors

21/08 MoJ refused to repay living costs to wrongly convicted partly to save money

Letter shows department wanted to avoid ‘significant administrative and other financial costs’

20/08 As an ex-prison officer, I know how to make space: let out drug offenders and low-level gang members | Alex South

Labour’s Operation Early Dawn will address overcrowding, but the problems that cause it need equal attention, says former prison officer Alex South

20/08 Union warns of probation officer shortage ahead of prisoners’ early releases

Up to 2,000 offenders due to be freed in England and Wales in September after serving 40% of sentence

20/08 Starmer highlights green measures on Welsh visit and attacks Tories’ ‘incoherent’ energy policies – UK politics live

PM pushes plans to make Britain an ‘energy superpower’ and makes first official visit with new Welsh first minister, Eluned Morgan

19/08 Rioters may not be deterred by criminal justice | Letters

Letters: Bill Dixon does not share Nazir Afzal’s belief that swift sentencing has quelled the disorder; Paul Wright emphasises the importance of local news outlets

19/08 ‘We inherited a system in crisis,’ says prison minister as emergency measures brought in – UK politics live

Lord Timpson says government ‘forced into making difficult but necessary decisions’ to ease overcrowding

19/08 England prison overcrowding emergency measures come into force

Ministers activate Operation Early Dawn allowing defendants to be held in police cells as more sentenced for role in riots

18/08 Crisis measures to tackle English prison overcrowding imminent, says union

POA chair says ministers could declare as soon as Monday that Operation Early Dawn is coming into force

17/08 Fresh UK prisons crisis as riots lead to fears of overcrowding

Exclusive: emergency plan set to be introduced that could see alleged criminals released and court cases delayed

15/08 Prisons don’t work – who will have the courage to say so? | Letters

Letter: Prison won’t work unless we, as a society, are prepared to have a serious conversation about punishment and what it is meant to achieve, writes Dr Drew Gray

14/08 Labour urged to scrap £4bn Tory mega-jails plan and fund rehabilitation

Exclusive: Former chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick says money would be better spent preventing crime

12/08 Jailed rioters could be freed early under overcrowded prison scheme, says No 10

Downing Street says there is no specific exclusion for those who took part in disorder after Southport knife attack

12/08 Justice review calls for end to child imprisonment in England

Rights organisations say child prisons remain inherently dangerous and result in poor outcomes on release

11/08 ‘The young offenders system worked for me’: the ex-convict turned chef

Jon Watts was sentenced to six years in prison, where he learned to cook. Now, at 35, he has legions of loyal fans, more than a million followers on social media and is about to publish his second cookbook

10/08 The justice system is rising to challenge of UK riots – despite dire Tory legacy | Shabana Mahmood

Those who have engaged in the recent wave of destructive thuggery on the nation’s streets will not go unpunished, writes lord chancellor Shabana Mahmood

09/08 UK government will not repay some ‘bed and board’ deductions to wrongfully imprisoned

Miscarriage of justice victims say policy that takes money from their compensation payouts is additional punishment

08/08 Britain’s jails are in terrible crisis, but prison can work. I know, I’ve seen it | Zoe Williams

Gross failings at HMP Wandsworth are symptomatic of a system so ravaged by austerity it has lost its humanity. Who does that serve, asks Guardian columnist Zoe Williams

06/08 HMP Wandsworth had seven inmate suicides in past year, report finds

Prison hit by scandals over high-profile escape and officer-prisoner sex is to be given £100m and extra specialist staff

05/08 Ministers prepare extra 500 prison places for accused far-right rioters

Measures brought forward to speed up renovation and make more cells available amid overcrowding crisis

04/08 Labour must focus on the prison population | Letters

Letter: Crisis could be averted by not imprisoning mothers, non-payers of taxes and fines, and non-violent protesters, write Liz Middleton and Gail Coles

04/08 ‘Worrying deterioration in safety’ at UK immigration removal centres, warns chief inspector of prisons

All eight main detention centres in the UK have been found to have the most serious categories of failings

02/08 Serial killer Levi Bellfield blocked from having civil partnership

New law comes into force stopping most serious offenders getting married or entering into civil partnerships behind bars

01/08 Double standards on Just Stop Oil protests | Letters

Letters: David Redshaw argues that farmers and truckers who protested in 2000 we treated differently, while Cath Attlee says peaceful protests are largely ignored by the media, and Nick Odell says a standstill on the M62 isn’t unusual

30/07 Rob Rinder criticises ‘madness’ of UK’s prison system

Presenter and criminal barrister argues a greater focus has to be placed on rehabilitation and the causes of crime

28/07 Tories ‘deliberately covered up’ true state of public finances, says minister

Steve Reed hits out at Conservatives’ handling of public services as chancellor prepares to detail ‘£20bn black hole’

28/07 Women’s prisons have served their time. They should be abolished

Prisons are not safe spaces for women – and many of the inmates should not be there in the first place. It’s time for a radical rethink

27/07 Was the jailing of Just Stop Oil protesters fair? | Letters

Letters: The crackdown on the right to protest in recent years is starting to look like an insidious march towards illiberal democracy, writes Patrick Callaghan. Plus letters from Rosy Mackin, Michael Daniell, Nigel Hooper, Ric Allen, Robert Nelson and Rowena Beighton-Dykes

25/07 Sunak rejected advice to release prisoners early while PM

Discussions took place in June 2023 but aides thought backbenchers would reject proposal to ease overcrowding

24/07 Family of Allan Marshall to sue prison service in Scotland over 2015 death in custody

Police and Crown Office also to face legal action in bid to hold authorities accountable

23/07 A fruitful protest in Wales that did not cause misery for others | Letter

Letter: Richard Bonfield recalls how he organised a peaceful gathering that led to an inquiry and, ultimately, victory for local people

22/07 Cut ‘unsustainable’ probation workload in England and Wales, urges watchdog

Inspector says monitoring after short sentences could be stopped and youth services could take on some cases

18/07 MoJ cuts maximum time high-risk offenders spend in hostel supervision

Maximum hostel stays for serious offenders such as freed rapists and murderers reduced from 12 to eight weeks

18/07 Britain’s system for tackling wrongful convictions failed me spectacularly. Overhaul the CCRC now | Andrew Malkinson

A scathing new report lays bare the inadequacy of the Criminal Cases Review Commission. I’d like to see resignations, says wrongfully convicted former prisoner Andrew Malkinson

18/07 About 5,500 prisoners to be released early in England and Wales

Justice secretary says temporary scheme in September and October will ‘avert disaster’ in overcrowding crisis

18/07 Teenager kills himself at Scottish young offender institution

Jonathan Beadle dies at Polmont a month after bill to stop under-18s being sent to prison became law

16/07 Rishi Sunak ‘risked breaching legal responsibilities over prison crisis’

Exclusive: leaked letters said without urgent action the system in England and Wales would reach ‘critical failure’

16/07 Feltham YOI found to be most violent prison in England and Wales

Inspectors find some children at institution refusing family visits in order to keep relatives away from danger

15/07 Take it from a former prisons inspector: letting offenders out early won’t fix our broken system | Anne Owers

The justice secretary’s plan may free places, but funding is desperately needed for probation and community care, says Anne Owers, a former chief inspector of prisons

14/07 Oxford brewery helps cut reoffending rates by training jail-leavers to make ale

Social movement is a potential tool in solving UK prison crisis by helping ex-convicts learn new skills and readjust

13/07 Fears UK prisons face ‘collapse’ as they could be full before early release scheme begins

With Labour plan not coming into effect until September, ex-prison governor says emergency measures can only ‘keep a lid on things’

12/07 Thousands of prisoners to be released early to avoid ‘total breakdown of law and order’

Justice secretary says 1,000 probation officers will also be recruited ‘to avert disaster’ in England and Wales

12/07 Sunak government freed more than 10,000 prisoners up to 70 days early

New justice secretary preparing to announce further emergency measures to ease overcrowding crisis in jails

12/07 Could Britain solve its prisons crisis by going Dutch?

After UK justice minister praised the system in the Netherlands, experts there say the reality is more complex

12/07 Justice secretary set to announce plans on prisons overcrowding crisis – UK politics live

Shabana Mahmood to set out emergency measures, which could include reducing the time before some prisoners are automatically released

12/07 Law and order on UK streets would break down if jails became full, say police sources

Warning comes as justice secretary prepares to set out emergency measures to free up space in prisons

11/07 Colin Pitchfork parole hearing will not be held in public after ‘fresh allegations’

Parole Board apologises to families of child killer’s victims after unspecified ‘unforeseeable developments’

11/07 James Timpson is a sign of hope for a rational prisons policy | Letters

Letters: Readers on the mammoth task facing the new prisons minister to reform the criminal justice system

10/07 Starmer ‘shocked’ about prisons crisis as early release scheme prepared

Government to announce terms which could free more than 20,000 inmates in coming months to manage capacity

10/07 Prisons crisis must not jeopardise Labour’s pledge on domestic abuse, Starmer told

Government adviser warns effort to halve violence against women and girls will increase numbers heading to nearly full jails

09/07 The Guardian view on overcrowded prisons: James Timpson’s arrival is a signal of hope | Editorial

Editorial: A strong emphasis on rehabilitation is what the justice ministry and Prison Service need

09/07 Conditions at UK immigration removal centre ‘worst inspectors have seen’

Report found ligature points previously used in suicide attempts at Harmondsworth had not been removed

08/07 Labour must avoid release of high-risk offenders in prison plans, charity warns

Refuge raises concerns over measures to ease overcrowding in England and Wales after mistakes made under Tories

08/07 A shoe-fixing, key-cutting radical: why Labour’s new prisons minister is perfect for the job | Simon Hattenstone

James Timpson hires ex-offenders and thinks many prisoners shouldn’t be in jail, says Simon Hattenstone

08/07 Labour consider plan to release prisoners after 40% of sentence served

Proposal is one of several being looked at by Ministry of Justice to address the ‘acute’ prison crisis

07/07 Prison reform experts hail role for shoe repair CEO James Timpson

The new prisons minister heads the successful Timpson group, whose employees include ex-offenders

06/07 Five key workers on how Labour can fix Britain, from the NHS to prisons

Workers in healthcare, education and justice are battling crumbling systems. They told us what actions they want to see from the new government

06/07 Keir Starmer: tense election trail Labour leader replaced by affable prime minister

In his first press conference inside No 10 there was a relaxed atmosphere – and a pledge to end ideological drama

06/07 Starmer turns back on ‘tribal politics’ as he announces tour of four UK nations

New incumbent of No 10 says he is ‘restless for change’ but that solving problems with prisons and NHS will take time

05/07 Our prisons need radical reform, not more of the same failed policies | Letters

Letters: Readers on the crisis in the criminal justice system that has brought the prison and the probation service to the verge of collapse

05/07 As an ex-prison officer, here’s what I think about the Wandsworth jail sex video scandal | Alex South

The film of an officer allegedly having sex with an inmate in a cell has gone viral. I worry that cuts create conditions in which corruption can flourish, writes former prison officer Alex South

04/07 New prime minister will face a range of urgent priorities from day one

An imminent Nato summit, bursting prisons and another strike by junior doctors for starters mean whoever takes the keys to No 10 will have little to no time to celebrate

01/07 Prison rehabilitation numbers down 74% since 2010, MoJ data shows

Almost 12,000 fewer inmates completed offender management courses than when David Cameron took office

30/06 The prison and court systems are on the verge of collapse. Why aren’t Labour or the Tories talking about it? | Samira Shackle

Both parties try to appear tough on crime – but neither have convincing answers to the chaos in British criminal justice, says journalist Samira Shackle

25/06 Julian Assange’s release frees up one UK prison cell, but why has it taken so long – and what about the others? | Duncan Campbell

This case is nothing to be proud of. As politicians stood by, he suffered within a chaotic system they have done little to fix, says author Duncan Campbell

25/06 Labour wants to ‘take back our streets’: Will this help people affected by crime?

Experts say Keir Starmer’s goal to cut serious crime levels are ambitious. The party aims to halve those figures and try to reinstate faith in the criminal justice system with limited extra resources

20/06 Prisons in England and Wales will be at ‘breaking point’ in July, governors told

Exclusive: heads of prisons say they will no longer be able to accept new inmates ‘very soon’ after 4 July election

17/06 The Guardian view on violent crime: the next government must keep its promises | Editorial

Editorial: The gulf between rhetoric and reality on policing and justice is harmful and needs to be closed

12/06 Sixteen years for stealing a flower pot: the film about the IPP jail sentence ‘designed to bury you alive’

Britain’s Forgotten Prisoners is a devastating documentary about the ‘public protection’ sentences that can amount to whole-of-life terms for relatively minor offences. Film-maker Martin Read explains his seven-year quest for justice

11/06 UK system for wrongful conviction payouts is lawful, European court rules

Most miscarriage of justice victims will still be denied compensation after two men lose test case in Strasbourg

06/06 Tories to pledge homicide law overhaul with US-style classifications

Rishi Sunak will reportedly introduce tiered system and longer sentences under new proposal

01/06 Three inmates taken to hospital after disorder at Welsh prison

No life-threatening injuries reported, but news follows spate of drug-related deaths at privately-run HMP Parc

28/05 National reckonings and public inquiries: what scandals come next?

After the Post Office, infected blood, Grenfell Tower, Windrush and more, what could fall on the next prime minister’s watch?

24/05 The Guardian view on prison overcrowding: a justice system in meltdown

Editorial: Rishi Sunak’s government failed to protect the public, secure the prison estate and deliver swift access to justice

23/05 The Tories are letting stalkers and abusers out of prison - what better way to start an election campaign? | Frances Ryan

This latest botched attempt to solve the prisons crisis won’t work, says Guardian columnist Frances Ryan

22/05 General election 2024: Rishi Sunak to make statement outside Downing Street – UK politics live

Prime minister set to announce election for early summer, with speculation date will be 4 July

22/05 Labour says it ‘beggars belief’ police told to arrest fewer people because of prison overcrowding – UK politics live

Shadow justice secretary says Conservatives have ‘badly mismanaged criminal justice system’ as memo sent to chief constables by police chiefs

22/05 Inmates dug through Winchester prison walls with plastic cutlery, report finds

One in 10 prisons in England and Wales barely fit for purpose, says audit of prisoner treatment