United Kingdom
Seen in the press
Read our selection of press reports about this country.
United Kingdom: imprisoned muslims in England more likely to be subjected to force, charity finds
Freedom of information requests found that in eight out of nine prisons with high Muslim populations, Muslim men were more likely to be confronted with batons, made to wear rigid bar handcuffs, or deliberately held in a painful position.United Kingdom: mother sues Scottish prison after son’s suicide
Jordan Burns made several attempts to take his own life during 10 months as an unconvicted person on remand at Scotland’s HMP Addiewell before he suffered an overdose whilst alone in his cell. His grieving mother Janice is suing the prison so it “never happens again”.United Kingdom: incarcerated people face struggles with prison digital facilities
HM Inspectorate of Prisons has identified the issue as one of those which frustrate incarcerated people’s efforts to resolve everyday issues such as requests for extra toilet rolls for a cell, making an appointment to speak to staff in another department and applying for courses or prison jobs.United Kingdom: leaked messages reveal prison staff violence towards incarcerated people
Leaked messages show prison staff at a Welsh prison laughing at violent encounters with incarcerated people and making fun of self-harm incidents. In them, one staff member said: “The prisoners need to be broken mentally and physically.”United Kingdom: government unveils HMP Millsike as the new ‘Green Prison’
The site, described by critics as a ‘megaprison,’ is equipped with solar panels and heat pump technology and is the first prison of this kind in the UK. It is one of Britain’s biggest prisons, and is part of a plan to tackle the serious overcrowding.United Kingdom: overcrowded jails are more violent, study finds
Overcrowding is a trigger for poor performances in prisons, says a research document produced by the Institute for Government. It calls for increased education and training for imprisoned people, and the introduction of a minimum standard of provision.United Kingdom: the prison with no bars on the windows where women prepare for freedom
The Lilias Centre, in the Maryhill area of Glasgow, is part of a multimillion-pound experiment to tackle reoffending through rehabilitation. They give incarcerated women greater freedoms than traditional prisons and prepare them for life in the community after their sentence.United Kingdom: too many women sent to jail to due lack of services in community, prison inspectorate finds
A new HM Inspectorate of Prisons report on HMP Styal found that 39 women had been sent to the prison due to their “acute vulnerabilities and the absence of specialised support in the community.”United Kingdom: pregnant women in England and Wales could be spared jail under new guidelines
Pregnant women should not be sent to jail unless it is “unavoidable”, according to new sentencing guidelines. The guidance, published by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, has been hailed by campaigners as a huge milestone.United Kingdom: report critical of prison's 'limited' support for neurodiverse incarcerated people
An inspection of Jersey’s only prison has led to concerns being raised about a lack of support for neurodiverse incarcerated people. The report found that while 23 people had been identified as neurodivergent, few had care plans in place, and staff awareness of how to support them was “weak”.United Kingdom: pregnant women 'cuffed to male officers while in labour'
The Ministry of Justice is investigating claims by two incarcerated female that they were handcuffed to male officers during labour, antenatal appointments, and intimate vaginal examinations. The alleged incidents occurred between 2021 and 2023 at HMP Bronzefield in west London.United Kingdom: legitimate protest should not be a crime
I would like to share the plight of the protesters that are being sent to prison. I am currently on remand for an alleged action as part of the group Palestine Action, which takes action against arms companies that make millions from the death and destruction of innocent people’s lives in Palestine…United Kingdom: ‘Alarming’ data reveals high diabetes risk for pregnant women in English jails
Figures obtained through freedom of information (FoI) requests to NHS trusts providing healthcare to women’s prisons in England found 12% of women receiving care relating to pregnancy in 2023 were diagnosed with the condition, triple the national figure of 4%.United Kingdom: four in ten who took their lives in prison were denied adequate healthcare
Four in ten incarcerated people who took their own lives in custody were denied adequate healthcare before their deaths, according to damning new figures exposing the scale of neglect inside Britain’s overcrowded prisons.United Kingdom: lack of basic care to blame for self-harm in women’s prisons
A lack of basic care lies behind a surge in the rate of self-harm in women’s prisons, according to a thematic report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor. In the report, Taylor describes a service that is failing and describes the findings as “deeply depressing”.United Kingdom: I'd struggle to survive my own jail
The governor of Barlinnie says he would “struggle” to survive life inside his own overcrowded prison. Michael Stoney described Scotland’s largest jail as a “pressure cooker” and said new early release laws were necessary for staff and incarcerated people.United Kingdom: UN torture tsar attacks UK over 'inhumane' indefinite jail terms
A United Nations torture tsar has said British incarcerated people trapped on indefinite jail terms are probably “being detained arbitrarily” after The Independent revealed six in 10 are being blocked from moving to open jails.