Prisons & Probation – Latest News:
- Thu, 06 Nov 2025 13:26:44 +0000: ‘More clowns than Billy Smart’s circus’ - Reform UK under fire as Kent council holds first full meeting since video leak – live - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Embattled Reform UK leader of Kent county council offers single word reply of ‘yes’ when asked if behaviour in line with Nolan principles
David Lammy, the deputy PM and justice secretary, has welcomed the fact that Billy Smith is back in custody, but described the spike in release mistakes as “unacceptable”.
According to PA Media, Lammy said:
William Smith is back in custody. The spike in mistaken releases is unacceptable.
We’re modernising prison systems – replacing paper with digital tools to cut errors.
Continue reading... - Thu, 06 Nov 2025 11:40:04 +0000: Mistakenly released prisoner Billy Smith turns himself in - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Smith, 35, was released in error from Wandsworth prison on same day he was jailed for fraud
A fraudster mistakenly released from prison this week has handed himself back into HMP Wandsworth, in southwest London, Surrey police said.
William Smith, 35, usually known as Billy Smith, was sentenced to 45 months for multiple fraud offences by video link from Croydon crown court on Monday, but was then released in error by the prison.
Continue reading... - Thu, 06 Nov 2025 09:02:35 +0000: England prison chiefs summoned to urgent meeting with ministers over wrongful releases - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Justice minister promises digital overhaul of ‘archaic’ paper system partly blamed for average of 22 people being wrongly freed each month
Prison governors in England have been summoned to an urgent meeting with ministers as the government comes under pressure over the wrongful release of two more prisoners, including a convicted foreign sex offender.
Alex Davies-Jones, a justice minister, told broadcasters she was “furious” about the “unacceptable” situation where an average of 22 people are wrongly released from prisons each month in England and Wales.
Continue reading... - Thu, 06 Nov 2025 00:00:39 +0000: Prison sentencing reforms will lead to up to 6% rise in crime, police chiefs say - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Government plans include more short sentences being suspended and earlier releases from jail
Government plans to radically reform sentencing will lead to an increase in crime by as much as 6% in a single year, according to police chiefs.
The reforms, which cover England and Wales, involve a presumption against short sentences of a year or less, with community sentences used instead, and those jailed being released earlier than currently the case.
Continue reading... - Wed, 05 Nov 2025 19:46:43 +0000: Latest mistaken releases expose deep cracks in England’s prison system - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Breakdowns in communications and staffing and security issues show how years of neglect have pushed jails to breaking point
The mistaken release of a second foreign prisoner has forced ministers to re-evaluate their security and release procedures and will once again shine a spotlight on the well-documented problems at HMP Wandsworth.
Much of the concern centres on poor technology and poor communication between prisons, the Ministry of Justice and the courts – the three bodies responsible for overseeing the movement of England and Wales’s 87,000 inmates.
Continue reading...