Prisons & Probation – Latest News:
- Mon, 13 Jul 2026 17:46:25 +0000: The Guardian view on Shabir Ahmed: changing the law to deport one man will not win back the public’s trust | Editorial - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Grooming gang victims have been treated appallingly and are rightly angry. But the loss of confidence in the criminal justice system goes wider
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is not personally responsible for the mess that the government finds itself in with regard to the release from prison of Shabir Ahmed, who was a ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, earlier this month. Ahmed, who has spent most of his life in the UK, was stripped of British citizenship soon after his conviction for rape and sex trafficking in 2012.
His victims were led to believe when the Tories were in power that he would be deported to Pakistan on his release. They and their supporters now want this pledge to be honoured. The home secretary has announced that the law will be changed to enable this to happen. Whether or not she keeps her job under Andy Burnham, the signs point to the deportation going ahead if Pakistan’s government can be persuaded to give up demanding the return of Pakistani dissidents as its price.
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Continue reading... - Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:11:26 +0000: The wider impact of releasing prisoners early | Letters - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Katie Kempen says victims are bearing the brunt of a broken prison system, while Frances Crook believes there are good reasons for early release
Hearing that their perpetrators may be released months or even years earlier than expected will strike fear into the hearts of many victims and survivors (Lack of safeguards over prisoners’ early release puts abuse victims at risk, Lammy warned, 8 July). Worse still, unless eligible for the victim contact scheme, which few are, most victims have no way of finding out in advance if they are affected.
Fixing the prisons crisis is essential, but victims and survivors must not be an afterthought in the government’s plan. A failure to get it right could irreparably damage victims’ sense of safety and trust in the justice system. Once again, victims are bearing the brunt of a broken system. Every victim deserves to be listened to, treated with respect and given the timely support and information they need.
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Katie Kempen
Chief executive, Victim Support - Sun, 12 Jul 2026 17:02:22 +0000: Drugs, drones and heat: Amber Rudd and David Lammy begin search for answers to prisons crisis - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Former Tory minister appointed to head review sees the challenges on visit to troubled HMP Wandsworth
The fortress-like entrance of HMP Wandsworth, one of the UK’s most notorious jails, has become a familiar sight in recent years.
In 2023, Daniel Khalife, a spy for Iran, escaped through the gates by strapping himself to the underside of a delivery truck, prompting a nationwide hunt. Two years ago, prisoners celebrated their freedom under an emergency release scheme in front of these gates, thanking Keir Starmer and swigging champagne from bottles.
Continue reading... - Sun, 12 Jul 2026 17:00:11 +0000: Scrapping early release for sex offenders could leave no capacity in jails, says David Lammy - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Exclusive: Deputy PM says opponents have ‘no solutions’ to possible collapse of justice system in England and Wales
Opponents of plans to release rapists and sex offenders early from prison have “no solutions” to halt the criminal justice system’s possible collapse, David Lammy has said.
Under pressure from Labour MPs – including the former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips – to curb the early release scheme, the deputy prime minister said failing to implement it could leave no capacity across jails in England and Wales in November.
Continue reading... - Sat, 11 Jul 2026 13:00:49 +0000: Probation hostels in England and Wales forced to shut after staffing crisis - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Watchdog says public being put in danger by closure of premises that accommodate most dangerous offenders
Nearly one in ten probation hostels where England and Wales’ most dangerous offenders live after leaving prison have been closed after a staffing crisis.
As ministers prepare the early release of thousands of inmates in September, a leaked memo revealed that “staffing challenges” have led to temporary closures of the heavily-supervised “approved premises”.
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