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The prison population stands at 87,199. There are 105 more people in prison than there were last week. By the prison service's own measure of safe and decent accommodation, there is room for only 79,428. The population is 7,771 above this level. howardleague.org/prison-watch/

submitted 10 hours ago • 0 comments

Prisons in England and Wales face an overcrowding crisis of unprecedented proportions. In response to the many enquiries we receive, we have created a dedicated page on our website to explain what the problems are, how they arose, and how they might be solved. howardleague.org/why...

submitted 14 hours ago • 0 comments

HMP The Mount: regime improved and staff-prisoner relationships good, but contraband-laden drones threatened stability. Read the report: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_repo... And media release: hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/news/reports... Healthy prison scores:

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

"Politicians are guilty of turning our prisons into pressure cookers". Our Chief Executive, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), wrote an opinion piece for the @Independent on the impact of the political classes getting hooked on being 'tough on crime'. www.independent.co.u...

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Here are the top 10 most overcrowded prisons in England and Wales in January 2025. Durham had capacity for 561 but was holding 984. More info here: howardleague.org/pri...

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

"Pregnant prisoners ‘forced to wear handcuffs in labour’". A shocking insight into the realities face by some women in prison: www.channel4.com/news/exclusi...

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

Five of the most senior former judges in England and Wales made an extremely rare intervention and called on the government to reverse the trend of imposing ever longer sentences. Here we discuss the impact of sentence inflation: howardleague.org/what-is-sent...

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

“…prisons have taken the lion’s share of funding in criminal justice for too long..” Well said

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

"Politicians are guilty of turning our prisons into pressure cookers". Our Chief Executive, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), wrote an opinion piece for the @Independent on the impact of the political classes getting hooked on being 'tough on crime'. www.independent.co.u...

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

“Action cannot come quickly enough if we are to achieve a sustainable and more effective course for prisons and probation in the future” - @andrewjamesneilson.bsky.social on the Independent Sentencing Review's initial findings. www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

In December 2024, the government revealed plans to open up 14,000 more prison places by 2031. Projections show that the number of people in prison could rise to as high as 105,200 by March 2029. We cannot build our way out of this crisis. howardleague.org/new...

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

"If you overuse prison it is very expensive, it's ineffective, it puts the system under huge pressure, so that overcrowded prisons can't rehabilitate people." @andrewjamesneilson.bsky.social discussing the Sentencing Review on BBC Breakfast this morning: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

“This is not simply a crisis of prison capacity. Our overcrowded and violent prisons are breeding grounds for crime, while probation services are overstretched and under-resourced within the community." - @andrewjamesneilson.bsky.social.

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

Penal populism has broken Britain’s prisons. My piece for @newstatesman.com on why our addiction to longer sentences is unsustainable. www.newstatesman.com/politics/soc...

submitted 7 days ago • 10 comments

"The Howard League for Penal Reform said the report backed up what it's been saying for years, 'This is not simply a crisis of prison capacity' said campaigns director @andrewjamesneilson.bsky.social."

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

We welcome the findings from the Independent Sentencing Review and look forward to proposals to reset the system. Action cannot come quickly enough if we are to achieve a sustainable and more effective course for prisons and probation in the future. howardleague.org/news/howard-...

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

Four in ten who took their lives in prison were denied adequate healthcare: “These figures show the tragic results of a prison system stretched too far” - @andrewjamesneilson.bsky.social: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crim...

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

NEW Prison population is above 87,000 again - back to levels last seen 4 months ago, driven by rise in male inmates. Today: 87,094 in jails in England/Wales, 83,277 adult males, headroom 1,524. Highest number since Oct 21st 2024. Early release scheme works for only so long...

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

The prison population stands at 87,094. There are 153 more people in prison than there were last week. By the prison service's own measure of safe and decent accommodation, there is room for only 79,428 people in the system. The population is 7,666 above this level. howardleague.org/prison-watch/

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

Pleased to see our paper 'Sentence inflation: a judicial critique' cited in @samirashackle.bsky.social's piece 'The punishment doesn’t fit the crime in Britain. That’s why our jails are overflowing'. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

Our prisons are bursting at the seams. Prison population could rise by 22% in four years. In response to the many enquiries we have received, we have created a dedicated page to explain what the problems are, how they arose, and how they might be solved. howardleague.org/why...

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

These are the top 10 most overcrowded prisons in England and Wales in January 2025. Durham was the most overcrowded. The prison had capacity for 561 but was holding 984. More info here: howardleague.org/prisons-info...

submitted 11 days ago • 0 comments

Are sentences really getting longer? Why is this happening? What impact is this having? Would abolishing short prison sentences solve the crisis? What should we do instead? These are the questions we address in our sentencing inflation explainer: howardleague.org/wha...

submitted 11 days ago • 0 comments

“Women who experience abuse and trauma need a safe space, not a cell. But thousands have been sentenced to time in overwhelmed prisons” - Andrew Neilson, Director of Campaigns. insidetime.org/newsround/la...

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

Our guide 'Your legal rights on remand', is designed to help young adults understand their legal rights if they are remanded in custody. It is aimed at 18- to 25-year-olds but may also be helpful to older adults on remand. ⬇️ Download it here: howardleague.org/pub...

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

The recall procedure is an obscene aspect of the British criminal system. Thousands of former prisoners are returned to jail every year without a new trial, often for trivial breaches of their parole conditions. It smacks of the nineteenth century.

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

"I don't think spending billions of pounds on new prisons is the answer. More money needs to be spent on the probation service in the community. It is the probation service that is the ultimate guarantor of public safety" - Andrew Neilson, Director of Campaigns. www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbOh...

submitted 12 days ago • 1 comment

Our members in prison often write to us with ideas about how to improve the prison system. In our blog post we look at the letters that tell us about wider issues, including the work of the probation service, maintaining family ties, and sentencing. howardleague.org/blo...

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

There has been much focus on understaffing and overcrowding in the prison estate – but the same problems also affect probation services in the community. Andrew Neilson spoke to @skynewsrss.bsky.social about the issue of recall and the need to invest in the probation service: buff.ly/40VczRR

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

Becoming a Howard League member is the easiest way to get involved in our movement for change and make your voice heard. We are the world's oldest prison charity. We safeguard our independence and do not accept any funding from government. howardleague.org/mem...

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

Our Director of Campaigns, Andrew Neilson, spoke to @skynewsrss.bsky.social about the issue of recall and shared insights from our members in prison. Find the full clip here: youtu.be/GbOhIiwSKUA

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

Five of the most senior former judges in England and Wales made an extremely rare intervention and called on the government to reverse the trend of imposing ever longer sentences. Here we discuss the impact of sentence inflation: howardleague.org/wha...

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

The prison population stands at 86,941. There are 139 more people in prison than there were last week. By the prison service's own measure of safe and decent accommodation, there is room for only 79,409 people in the system. The population is 7,532 above this level. howardleague.org/prison-watch/

submitted 15 days ago • 0 comments

The letters we receive from our members in prison offer invaluable insights and are at the centre of our work with politicians, the media, the judiciary, and the public. Here one of our members talks to us about the continuing impact of the IPP sentence: howardleague.org/blo...

submitted 15 days ago • 0 comments

"Many of the children trapped in this failing system should not be in custody at all, and certainly not in prisons like Feltham" - Andrew Neilson, Director of Campaigns at Howard League. Teenagers in Feltham are spending 22 hours a day in their cells: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

Prisons in England and Wales face an overcrowding crisis of unprecedented proportions. Our explainer asks... ◾ When will we run out of prison space? ◾ Why does it matter if prisons are overcrowded? ◾ Why don’t we just build more prisons? howardleague.org/why...

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

🧵 Everyone at the Howard League is saddened to learn of the death of Dr Martin Wright, a former director of the charity and a torchbearer for penal reform and restorative justice.

submitted 18 days ago • 1 comment

For too long, criminal justice policies have been judged on whether they appear “tough” or “soft”, when what really matters is whether they work. We need to shift our focus from punishment to problem-solving. Read more from our members in prison: howardleague.org/blo...

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

Our legal guide 'Terminating your IPP licence' explains when and how a person serving an IPP or DPP sentence can get their licence terminated. This guide was created with Dr Laura Janes, @prtuk.bsky.social and @prisonersadvice.bsky.social ⬇️ Download it here: https://buff.ly/3Zz8aDp

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

In December 2024, the government revealed plans to open up 14,000 more prison places by 2031. Projections show that the number of people in prison could rise to as high as 105,200 by March 2029. We cannot build our way out of this crisis. https://buff.ly/40QdG6s

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

Women who experience abuse and trauma need a safe space, not a cell. The government cannot duck its responsibilities on this, and ministers are right to make reducing the number of women behind bars a priority. We respond to @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social's report: howardleague.org/news/almost-...

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

Are sentences really getting longer? Why is this happening? What impact is this having? Would abolishing short prison sentences solve the crisis? What should we do instead? These are the questions we address in our sentencing inflation explainer: https://buff.ly/3E935uw

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

"‘Basic lack of decency’ driving self-harm in women’s prisons, report says". Published today, read more about @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social's report 'Time to care: what helps women cope in prison?' here: www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

submitted 20 days ago • 1 comment

Almost two decades after Corston, prisons are still failing women. @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social's report 'Time to care' found that prisons are not doing enough to help women cope, resulting in endemic levels of mental ill-health and self-harm. Read our response: https://buff.ly/40XNGGi

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments