Prisons & Probation – Latest News:
- Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:00:07 +0000: Chemical suppression: why the UK is exploring libido control drugs to treat sex offenders - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Treatment is already required by parole boards in several countries, but some feel the practice is unethical
For some prisoners with problematic sexual arousal (PSA), “images of sex flood their minds” all of their waking hours, according to Prof Belinda Winder, a leading forensic psychologist who has evaluated the use of drugs to control libidos.
“I remember talking to one guy a few weeks after he started taking the medication. He said: ‘It’s amazing. I followed a film plot. I wasn’t just looking for when I could see bra straps, when I could see nipples, when someone’s going to bend over so I could see their bum.”
Continue reading... - Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:00:07 +0000: Thousands of sex offenders in England and Wales could get libido-suppressing drugs - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Exclusive: Voluntary use of sex drive-suppressing medication to expand to 20 prisons and expert says it could be rolled out widely by late 2028
Drugs that help control the libidos of people who have committed sexual offences could be rolled out for thousands of male prisoners in England and Wales from December 2028, an expert has said.
Prof Belinda Winder, who has evaluated the use of sex drive-suppressing medication in prisons, said about one in four sex offenders – equating to 3,750 current prisoners – would be considered for the treatment.
Continue reading... - Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:43:14 +0000: Douglas Hurd didn’t say ‘prison is an expensive way of making bad people worse’ | Letter - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Jon Silverman says that the often misattributed line was probably written by the civil servant David Faulker, but with one crucial difference
In his letter about ever-lengthier prison sentences (18 August), Nik Wood makes two familiar mistakes in attributing the quote “prison is an expensive way of making bad people worse” to Douglas Hurd.
In fact, the line appeared in a white paper published in 1990 by Hurd’s successor, David Waddington. And there is no declaratory “is”. Instead, it warns that “prison can be an expensive way of making bad people worse” unless other rehabilitative measures are taken.
Continue reading... - Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:44:56 +0000: Government rough sleeping funding may not ‘be enough’ to tackle problem, says Burnham – as it happened - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
PM pledges to get rough sleepers off streets for Christmas but issues ‘rallying call’ for community and voluntary organisations to help with plan
Andy Burnham has admitted government funding “may not fully be enough” to achieve his aim of offering a place to stay to every rough sleeper by Christmas, as he made a “rallying call” for communities to get behind his plan.
Speaking on a visit to the north-east of England, the prime minister said:
The government money itself may not fully be enough. So I am saying, putting the call out to community and voluntary organisations – we’re at one here in Newcastle today, doing fantastic work.
But we’re saying to the wider community, voluntary, and faith sector: come on, let’s get behind this. Let’s show what Britain can do when we all pull in the same direction.
We did it in the pandemic, we can do it again, and it’s a rallying call, really, that I’m putting out there today with a lot of government money behind it.
We did bring the numbers right down, but because we were the only area providing a high level of support, more people started to travel and it became difficult.
Continue reading... - Tue, 18 Aug 2026 17:05:40 +0000: Andy Burnham should resist populist pressure on jail sentences | Letters - Prisons and probation | The Guardian
Nik Wood says the prime minister must be tough on the causes of crime, Henry Rossi calls for him to resolve the IPP crisis, while Janet Carter considers victims of domestic abuse
As you say in your editorial (The Guardian view on early prisoner release: don’t lose sight of systemic reform, 12 August), governments of all stripes have bowed to pressure for ever longer sentencing. For instance, the killers of PC Andrew Harper would now face mandatory life sentences, campaigned for across the board. It was the unlikely figure of Douglas Hurd, the Conservative home secretary, who said that prison is an expensive way of making bad people worse. That expense is always one that is tempting for governments demonstratively to minimise.
The result is a prison service that hasn’t got room for all those the courts convict, nor enough staff or scope to reform and rehabilitate them for the benefit of society. The assault that has been made on Parole Board and probation decision-making and capabilities compounds this.
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