Prisons & Probation – Latest News:
- Thu, 02 May 2024 08:00:09 +0000: Nearly 3,000 people are languishing in jail unfairly. We must set them free | Bob Neill - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
There is consensus in parliament that indeterminate sentences are unjust. So why is the government dragging its heels?
- Sir Bob Neill KC (Hon) is chair of the justice select committee
Last year I tried to lay to rest a ghost that has haunted four successive governments: the fate of those still in prison under imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences. The sentences, now widely acknowledged as both wrong in principle and unworkable in practice, were described by the former supreme court justice Lord Brown as the “greatest single stain on our criminal justice system” and by David Blunkett as the “biggest regret” of his time in government. Yet, as I quickly found out, there is still a lack of political will to end this injustice – and neither the government nor the opposition supported my amendment to the victims and prisoners bill.
IPP sentences were introduced in 2003 as a new form of custodial sentence. Designed to appear tough on crime, they were indeterminate sentences that could be given to offenders who had committed violent or sexual offences and were deemed to pose a significant risk of causing harm to the public. Unlike a normal sentence, those given an IPP sentence would have to serve a minimum tariff in prison before being detained for an indefinite period until they could prove to the Parole Board that they were no longer a risk.
Sir Bob Neill KC (Hon) is the member of parliament for Bromley and Chislehurst and a former local government minister. He is currently chair of the justice select committee
Continue reading... - Wed, 01 May 2024 04:00:47 +0000: Martin Myers tried and failed to steal a cigarette. Why has he spent 18 years in prison for it? - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
A devoted father with a zest for life, he was given an indeterminate sentence in 2006. He is still locked up – and losing hope that he will ever be released
In 2006, Martin Myers got in a scrape over a cigarette. He asked a young man if he had a spare fag. The man declined to give him one. Myers came from a well-known Traveller family. The man, Myers says, made a derogatory comment about Travellers, so Myers gave up the niceties. He threatened to punch him if he didn’t hand him a cigarette.
The young man ran away. He then went to the police in Luton and told them what had happened. The police were familiar with Myers. He had previous convictions for dangerous driving, assault, theft and burglary. Myers was arrested, charged and convicted of attempted street robbery. On 8 March 2006, he was given a tariff – the minimum time he could serve – of 19 months and 27 days.
Continue reading... - Tue, 30 Apr 2024 04:00:36 +0000: The man who turned his home into a homeless shelter - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Stuart Potts is an unlikely do-gooder – a former crack addict who has hit rock bottom more than once. But since 2020 he has offered hundreds of homeless people a bed in his small flat – and for many of them, it has been life-changing
When Jade and John came across Stuart Potts early this year, they were sleeping rough in Manchester city centre. It was during January’s brutal cold snap, but the pair couldn’t find a homeless shelter that would take them in as a couple, and they didn’t want to be separated. “We’ve been on the streets together; we’ve been through some of the worst nights of our life together,” said Jade, who is 38, with a hoarse voice and a broad Rochdale accent.
Still, when someone from a local charity told them about a man putting homeless people up in his own house, they were suspicious. “I thought he was just going to be some fucking … ” Jade paused, looking for the right word, “teacher or something.” But when they met for a pint to scope him out, Jade was immediately reassured. “He’d been on the streets, and he’d been to prison. He was really normal, we just felt comfortable. He’s not judging.” They stayed at his flat that night.
Continue reading... - Mon, 29 Apr 2024 22:30:26 +0000: Prisoners with cancer in England more likely to die of it than other patients - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Exclusive: First study of its kind finds prisoners are 28% less likely to receive treatment for cancer
Prisoners diagnosed with cancer are more likely than people in the general population to die of the disease, according to research.
A study has calculated that compared with cancer patients in the general population, patients in English prisons are 28% less likely to receive treatment for cancer, particularly surgery to remove tumours, and have a 9% increased risk of death – half of which is due to treatment differences.
Continue reading... - Mon, 29 Apr 2024 16:15:13 +0000: Man’s jail suicide recorded as unlawful killing by Milton Keynes inquest - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Coroner’s jury made first-ever finding after hearing of failings at Woodhill prison that contributed to Robert Fenlon’s death
The death of a man who took his own life in prison in Buckinghamshire has been recorded as an unlawful killing, in what is believed to be the first finding of its type by an inquest jury.
The family of Robert Fenlon – who have been campaigning since his death while on remand at Woodhill prison in March 2016 – called on authorities to engage in “serious reflection” after the finding by the inquest, which was told of a catalogue of failures.
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
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