The Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending Lord Timpson has commissioned the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) to carry out an independent investigation into the use of restraints on pregnant women in prison during pregnancy-related hospital escorts. The investigation was commissioned in light of allegations that HM Prison and Probation Service policy […]
A new report has just been published about the health of people in prison in England. It was written by Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer for England. He was asked to look at what is going wrong — and what needs to change. Here is what it found. People in prison are in […]
A prison officer will appear in crown court over allegedly bringing drugs, phones, and chargers into HMP The Mount. Andre Gomes is also accused of wilful misconduct in a public office, having criminal property, multiple drug possession with intent to supply charges, and failing to provide the key to protected information. Because the misconduct offence […]
Report on an independent review of progress (IRP) at HMP Elmley by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons 16–18 February 2026. What we found The governor and his team had made good or reasonable progress addressing many of the concerns raised at the inspection in 2025. The drugs problem was being tackled by better use of […]
In 2024, seventeen men died at HMP Parc in Bridgend, South Wales. That is more deaths than at any other prison in England and Wales that year. For ten years before that, the average was six deaths a year. Now the government wants to expand it. A group of MPs has looked closely at what […]
Fifteen prison officers were convicted last year of misconduct in public office for relationships with prisoners – the highest figure since records began. The conviction figures are damning in their own right, with 41 convictions in just six years. 2020: 0 2021: 3 2022: 5 2023: 12 2024: 6 2025: 15 There is no breakdown […]
A man has been charged with the murder of a fellow prisoner. Tony Joynes, 47, was found dead in his cell at HMP Garth, near Leyland, on July 13 last year. An investigation was launched by police and an inmate aged in his 30s was arrested at the category B Lancashire prison later that month […]
The government has quietly updated its rules on the Early Removal Scheme — the system that allows foreign national prisoners to be released from jail early so they can be deported. The update, which came into force on 27 March 2026, makes two main changes to how the scheme works. A new form governors must […]
A former BBC local radio presenter convicted of stalking Jeremy Vine has been recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions. Alex Belfield, from Nottingham, was jailed for five and a half years in September 2022 after being found guilty of four stalking charges against broadcasters, including Channel 5 host and BBC Radio 2 DJ […]
Two Isle of Wight prison officers were left bloodied and with lacerations after a convicted rapist, previously described as ‘a woman’s worst nightmare’, launched a vicious knife attack on them. Ian Ochieng, 33, of HMP Wakefield, appeared via videolink at the Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, March 24. He admitted two counts of […]
By Mark Leech FRSA, Editor: The Prisons Handbook for England and Wales The Prisons Inspectorate published an important report on remand prisoners today, but they’ve missed something of vital importance that should have been front and centre of this report and which I’ll come to shortly. This is a damning report, from cover to cover, […]
Offenders posing a threat to national security to spend longer behind bars Those seeking to compromise UK’s national security on behalf of foreign powers to receive similar sentencing to terrorists Part of the government’s action to keep dangerous offenders locked up, cut reoffending and protect the public Dangerous criminals who pose a threat to the UK’s national security will spend longer behind bars under new legislation coming into force today (22 […]