21st February 2022
The report on a consultation on proposals to reform rehabilitation periods in Northern Ireland has been published by the Department of Justice NI. The Minister is now progressing plans for reform of the current scheme.
14th January 2022
A new UK report entitled “Protecting lives: a cross-system approach to addressing alcohol and drug-related deaths within the criminal justice system” presents the joint findings of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) on alcohol and drug-related deaths in the criminal justice system.
14th December 2021
This report by Penal Reform International (PRI) and Harm Reduction International (HRI) details how prison populations and staff were included in national vaccination plans internationally, and maps the current roll-out of vaccines in prison worldwide.
21st November 2021
A new report by Advance details the findings of their research on diverting women from the criminal justice system, and some key recommendations. It also explains the work of the Women's Diversion Service, whose goal is to allow women to address the circumstances that led them to commit offences.
25th October 2021
This research found that a deep distrust of local authority social services, compounded by poor communication and information sharing, forms a significant barrier to engaging mothers with services that could help prevent them from offending and support prolonged desistance.
18th October 2021
This executive summary of doctoral research by Dr Lucy Baldwin is based on in-depth research with 43 criminalised mothers, recording their experiences from their early lives, contact with the criminal justice system, prison and release.
6th October 2021
Ulster University and NIACRO undertook a quantitative study to explore employer practices and concerns, and to investigate what may increase the likelihood of them hiring people with convictions. Less than 1% of employers surveyed stated they would ‘definitely not’ consider hiring someone with a conviction history
28th September 2021
Crest Advisory recently polled 2,500 members of the British public in order to assess attitudes regarding maternal imprisonment. 56% of those surveyed believed that the funding for 500 new prison places should be redirected to fund support services for women instead.
27th September 2021
In this short guide, the key requirements of the European Prison Rules are highlighted by Penal Reform International, with an asterisk (*) placed next to any rule that was brought in after the 2020 revision.
24th September 2021
A new report from the House of Commons Justice Committee analyses the impact Covid-19 had on the criminal justice system in England and Wales, and in particular details the lessons that can be learned from how Covid offences were created and enforced during the pandemic.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.