United Kingdom: England & Wales
Seen in the press
Read our selection of press reports about this country.
United Kingdom: Minister of Justice launches inquiry after record number of prison suicides in 2016
Review to look into mental health history of fatalities in England and Wales as number of self-inflicted deaths rises to 113Source — The Guardian
Britain’s prison suicide crisis: ‘There’s no political will. Dead prisoners do not win votes’
Almost 10 prisoners a month kill themselves in UK jails, with much of the blame placed on neglect and costcutting. That is what led to the death of Dean Saunders, according to his family – and a jury has agreed.Source — The Guardian
United Kingdom: Jersey prisoners granted the right to vote
Giving Jersey prisoners the right to vote is ‘the right thing to do’, according to the head of Jersey’s Probation Service.Source — ITV
United Kingdom: almost 80 Northern Ireland prison officers assaulted in a year, figures reveal
Nearly 80 prison officers were attacked in Northern Ireland during the past year, new figures have revealed.Source — Belfast Telegraph
UK : Thorn Cross open prison praised by inspectors
An open prison in Cheshire is well-led, with very good outcomes for prisoners and few violent incidents, according to Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke. HMP and YOI Thorn Cross in Warrington, which houses about 380 inmates, was inspected in October last year.Source — BBC
United Kingdom: Northern Ireland prison system fatalities double in a year
The number of deaths in the prison system has doubled in the past year.Source — The Irish News
Wales : Christmas Day 'incident' at Cardiff prison
Officers at Cardiff prison had to resolve a Christmas Day disturbance, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.Source — BBC
United Kingdom: prisons shakeup to give governors more control over rehabilitation
Legislation to tackle jails crisis will hand staff greater powers over education, employment and health budgets.Source — The Guardian
UK : government was warned two months earlier Birmingham prison riot
Ministers were told urgent action was needed to protect staff and prisoners amid growing violence in prisons. The government was warned two months before a riot at HMP Birmingham involving hundreds of prisoners that the prevalence of psychoactive drugs meant urgent action was needed to prevent atta…Source — The Guardian
UK : around 240 prisoners moved from HMP Birmingham
Decision follows rioting by inmates – UK’s worst since 1990 – which is believed to be linked to use of synthetic cannabis. Hundreds of inmates were moved from Birmingham prison on Saturday as the government announced an urgent investigation into conditions and safety inside the privately run jail f…Source — The Guardian
Nouvelle mutinerie dans une prison anglaise
Sorry, this article is not available in English. If you wish, you can consult the French version.Source — Le Figaro
UK : Our prisons are overflowing with immature and vulnerable men
Young men don’t mature psychologically until their mid-20s. Condemning so many to the toxic environment of our jails is a recipe for reoffending and suicide.Source — The Guardian
UK : privatisation of probation service has left public at greater risk – report
Chief inspector of probation says some offenders not seen for months and some lost in the system entirely. The public have been left more at risk by the privatisation of the probation service with some offenders not seen for weeks or months and others lost in the system altogether, according to an…Source — The Guardian
UK : Prison Reform Trust report claims overcrowded jails 'more likely' to fail
The most overcrowded prisons in England and Wales are twice as likely to be rated as failing, a new report claims. According to the Prisons Reform Trust, nearly two thirds of prisons are overfull, with jails holding more than 10,000 inmates than they were built to.Source — BBC
UK : Our prison restraint techniques can kill children.
Tuesday the Ministry of Justice had been told that the restraint techniques it had approved for use on children in custody could kill them. A risk assessment carried out by an independent medical adviser concluded that 28 of the 66 sanctioned restraints had a 40% to 60% chance of resulting in injur…Source — The Guardian
UK : why are prison suicides still increasing?
When Carl tried to kill himself in prison, he says he was angling for a quick escape – he thought about spending years with a rock hammer digging a tunnel, Shawshank-style, but ultimately decided that he couldn’t face the commitment. He waited for his 9AM check, and knew from six years of prison ex…Source — Vice
UK : regime at HMP Hindley one of worst ever seen, say prison inspectors
Damning report criticises category C jail’s treatment of inmates with some locked in their cells for more than 24 hours at a time. The regime at the category C Hindley jail near Wigan is “one of the worst and possibly one of the very worst that inspectors had ever seen in this type of prison”, an o…Source — The Guardian
UK : Liz Truss to resume Prison Officers Association talks
Justice Secretary Liz Truss will restart talks with the prison officers’ union later amid claims the service in England and Wales is “in meltdown”. On Tuesday, up to 10,000 prison officers in England and Wales stopped work over claims of a “surge in violence” among inmates.Source — BBC
UK : prison officers end protest after court order
Prison officers have returned to work after a High Court injunction ordered them to end a 24-hour protest.Up to 10,000 prison officers in England and Wales stopped work over claims of a “surge in violence” in jails. Granting the injunction, Mr Justice Kerr said prison officers’ action had created a…Source — BBC
Why the UK prison service is in crisis, by a former inmate
The state of prisons in England and Wales isn’t something that often makes the national news agenda. In fact, it’s usually only when something has gone really badly wrong that our prison system makes the front pages. After recent riots and prisoner escapes, such as the two inmates who were on the r…Source — Metro
UK : As a prison doctor I’ve seen the crisis in jails – half the inmates shouldn’t be there.
The riots at Bedford prison show the problems facing institutions. We need to stop locking up addicts and people who are mentally illSource — The Guardian
UK : Austerity will unleash mayhem. Prison breakouts are just the start.
The consequences of cuts made years ago are now becoming visible: rising food poverty, failing flood defences and disorder in the prison system.Source — The Guardian
UK : Bedford Prison Riot VideoPrison guards were forced to retreat to a ‘safe place’ until riot officers arrived.
Video shows inmates whooping with excitement during six-hour rampage.Prison guards were forced to retreat to a ‘safe place’ until riot officers arrived.Source — Huffington Post
UK : two Pentonville prisoners hid escape with 'pillow bodies'
Two prisoners have escaped from HMP Pentonville, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said. The escape was discovered when officers carrying out checks found two pillows made to look like bodies in the prisoners’ beds on Monday. It is understood the inmates, aged 28 and 31, used diamond-tipped cutting…Source — BBC
