Prisons & Probation – Latest News:
- Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:12:12 +0000: Breaking the cycle of drugs, debt and violence in prisons | Letters - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
John Podmore calls for consistent leadership, clear accountability and purposeful regimes, while Enver Solomon says drugs flourish in conditions shaped by staff shortages and a lack of meaningful activity
Your leader on drugs in prisons (16 April) is right about the scale of the crisis, but wrong to suggest the chief inspector has only recently found his voice. Charlie Taylor has been consistent throughout: the prison system is failing by almost every meaningful measure.
This is not just about money or overcrowding. It is about leadership, culture and accountability. A system under pressure can still be well led; too often ours is not. The churn of secretaries of state has compounded this, while within the service “lacklustre” performance is too often absorbed rather than challenged – and, in some cases, still rewarded.
Continue reading... - Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:16:14 +0000: Police and ombudsman investigate death of boy, 16, at young offender institution - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Teenager found unresponsive at Feltham YOI, the first such death in England or Wales since 2019
Police and the prisons ombudsman are investigating the death of a 16-year-old boy who was being held at a young offender institution in south-west London.
The boy was found unresponsive at Feltham YOI on Monday night. He was treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital but died shortly before midnight.
Continue reading... - Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:57:10 +0000: The Guardian view on drugs in prisons: the chief inspector has sounded the alarm – ministers must act | Editorial - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
The impunity with which organised crime groups operate in jails is scandalous. Blocking drones should be just the start
To most of the public, the widespread availability of illegal drugs in prisons must be hard to comprehend. A Ministry of Justice that cannot prevent law-breaking within its own institutions is clearly failing to a disastrous extent. As well as undermining rehabilitation by perpetuating criminality, addiction and debt, drug dealing in prisons undermines the whole system’s credibility and purpose.
Yet this is the situation in multiple English and Welsh jails, as set out by chief inspector Charlie Taylor. His last annual report highlighted the fact that 39% of prisoners surveyed in 2024/25 said it was easy to obtain drugs, while 19% of female prisoners had developed drug problems in jail. The rate of positive results in random drug tests regularly topped 30%.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading... - Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:23:58 +0000: Prison officers given more training to avoid being manipulated into illicit relationships with inmates - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Exclusive: Enable programme in England and Wales follows cases where staff have become embroiled sexually or financially with criminals
A new programme of instruction and support will be given to trainee prison officers to help them avoid being manipulated into illicit relationships by experienced criminals.
The Prison Service in England and Wales is developing the scheme, which will offer mentors and advice to trainee officers on how to handle complex relationships with prisoners.
Continue reading... - Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:01:53 +0000: ‘Little progress’ in stopping drug drones at HMP Manchester, watchdog says - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Chief inspector for England and Wales says prison remains in ‘precarious state’ more than year after urgent notification
The Prison Service has made “very little progress” in enforcing a formal demand to stop drones from delivering drugs into one of its worst performing jails, a watchdog has concluded.
Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons for England and Wales, said HMP Manchester remained in a “precarious state” after a failure to fix broken windows and install security to stop contraband being delivered to gangs.
Continue reading...