Latest news with #HowardLeagueforPenalReform
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Pepper spray use on kids sparks legal action after 'catastrophic' warning
The Government said it has no choice but to roll out PAVA, a synthetic pepper spray, into the youth offenders institutions amid spiralling levels of violence across the estate Ministers are facing legal action over their decision to allow pepper spray to be used against children as young as 15 in youth offenders' institutions. The Government last month said it has no choice but to roll out PAVA, a synthetic pepper spray, into the youth justice system amid fears a young person will soon lose their life to growing violence. The Howard League for Penal Reform has launched legal action challenging the announcement. The leading prisons charity sent a letter to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warning her to U-turn on the decision. Andrea Coomber KC, the charity's chief executive, said: 'We know that PAVA spray has been used inappropriately in prisons holding adults; to use it on children would be catastrophic.' PAVA, which temporarily incapacitates its victims, is currently for use in all adult male prisons and by the police. Rates of violence in the youth estate are around 14 times higher than in adult jails. In the last three months of 2024, there were 534 assault incidents in the youth estate, of which 42 were serious. The Howard League said PAVA spray pilots in adult prisons indicated that it did nothing to reduce violence and in fact had a detrimental effect on relationships between staff and the people living there. It is also concerned that the use of PAVA spray is likely to disproportionately affect children with mental and/or physical health concerns, speech, language and communication needs, learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and neurodivergence. There is significant overrepresentation of children presenting with these disabilities in custody. Ms Coomber said PAVA use in jails will 'normalise' the use of violence against kids. She added: 'Instead of arming staff, the way to reduce violence is to close failing young offender institutions and ensure that children are accommodated in more appropriate settings – such as secure children's homes – where they can be given the care and support they need. Prison is no place for a child.' In a written ministerial statement announcing her decision on PAVA last month, Ms Mahmood said: 'This is not a decision I have taken lightly, but I am clear that this vital measure is needed to urgently prioritise safety in these three YOIs at this present time. I believe that failing to act will place young people in custody and staff at risk of serious harm." She added: "The levels of violence across the Children and Young People's Secure Estate are unacceptable. On a weekly basis there are assaults involving young people in custody. "Serious assaults can see these young people use homemade weapons, including stabbing implements, against each other and our staff. Today, levels of violence are higher than in the adult prison estate."
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Inside prisons crisis as Keir Starmer told to 'hold his nerve' on unpopular plan
Keir Starmer must 'hold his nerve' and shorten jail sentences for criminals even if it is unpopular with the public, leading prison experts have warned. The Prime Minister will soon face tough choices as his major sentencing review - which could be published as soon as this week - is expected to demand a complete overhaul of the system. Campaigners say the Government must seize this 'historic opportunity' to reverse decades of backwards prison policy that has caused a catastrophic prisons crisis. But any deep-rooted solutions are expected to be controversial, unpopular and uneasy for a Prime Minister who is facing dwindling numbers in the polls and the growing threat of Reform UK. The number of people in prison has risen from about 40,000 in 1991 to more than 88,000 today. The UK imprisons far more people than some its European neighbours, with approximately 134 per 100,000 people in jail, compared to 66 in the Netherlands, 71 in Germany and 53 in Finland. More emergency prison measures revealed as jails to run out in FIVE months But it is not because people are necessarily committing more crime, rather the length of sentences has grown. In 2005, the average custodial sentence was 13 months. By 2023, it was 21 months - almost two years. 'Sentence inflation' is where prison experts lay the most blame for the capacity crisis. The sentencing review, led by former Tory Justice Secretary Sir David Gauke, is expected to recommend offenders being able to earn points to get time off their sentence for good behaviour. It will also reportedly suggest offenders should serve just a third of their sentence in jail before being monitored under house arrest. And it will recommend more punishment in the community, using electronic tags and curfews. Experts warn that addressing the minimum amount of time spent in prison - called a 'tariff' - must be included to fix the crisis. Andrea Coomber KC, chief executive at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: 'The Government needs to hold its nerve in providing brave political leadership. If there isn't a serious address on tariff length, then we may well be back in a prison crisis in the next couple of years. 'If this is how we've got here, and this is why we're in this mess, then what is the Gauke review going to do to reverse that trend? Because it needs to be reversed. There needs to be a fundamental reset of the approach to sentencing.' She said it was 'shameful' and 'lazy' for politicians to have repeatedly made sentences longer in recent years for 'quick sound bites' trying to show they are tackling crime. 'It is easy to put people in jail for a period of time and kind of throw away the key and pretend that that's solving crime,' she says. But Ms Coomber adds: 'Prison isn't the answer to crime.' Prisoners are being released from jails with a lack of support, often without a home or job, and end up reverting back to a life of reoffending. Many are released with drug problems that they did not have before jail, with inmates turning to substances amid spending sometimes 22 hours a day in their cells, with a lack of education or schemes to help get their life back on track. Around 80% of crime is committed by someone who has offended before. Experts hope that not only will sentencing be overhauled to fix the capacity crisis space but to reconstruct fundamentally how we approach punishment and crime reduction. Prisons Minister James Timpson, who was previously chair of the Prison Reform Trust charity (PRT), insists cutting reoffending is his priority. But with huge financial pressures, any reforms will have to be strategic. Campaigners said they have seen hopeful signs Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is ready to take the decisions they believe are needed. In March she said she had no choice but to look at reforming long sentences. 'Short sentence reform on its own isn't going to be enough,' the Cabinet minister said. Mark Day, Deputy Director at the PRT, said the sentencing review represents 'an historic opportunity to reset our sentencing framework'. He echoed calls to focus on shortening sentences, adding: 'Now this is obviously the most politically difficult area to address, and it would involve some quite careful policy in order to turn that tide. 'So you would have to look at an exercise of deflating sentence length as they currently stand, to bring them down to a more proportionate level that perhaps reflected European averages.' Mr Day continued: 'The worry is that if this opportunity isn't seized, we could simply end up with a system that leaps from crisis to crisis, instead of one that is effective at reducing reoffending and ensuring the people who do have to be in prison are essentially enabled to progress through their sentences and then to be released safely and make a success of that release. I think what this has to mean is a more balanced system where prison is used as the appropriate place of last resort.' The Labour government has been forced to announce a series of short-term emergency measures since gaining power, including releasing thousands of prisoners early. Just last week Ms Mahmood set out fresh urgent action that will see a group of inmates freed earlier as prisons were on track to hit zero available jail space in Autumn. For months, she has been laying the groundwork for unpopular decisions to be made after the sentencing review. We will soon see if she - and the PM - follow through.
The Guardian
25-04-2025
- The Guardian
Martin Wright obituary
My father, Martin Wright, who has died aged 94, spent much of his working life advocating for changes to the UK's prison system. As director of the Howard League for Penal Reform from 1971 to 1984 he put pressure on successive governments to improve prison conditions and find alternatives to incarceration. He was also a pioneer in the field of restorative justice, and wrote influential books on the subject, including Justice for Victims and Offenders (1996), as well as many articles for magazines and journals that brought the concept to countries where it was previously unheard of. Later he worked for the Victim Support charity as a policy officer until his retirement in 1994. Martin was born in Stoke Newington, north London, to Clifford, a town clerk, and Rosalie (nee Mackenzie), a librarian, and was educated at Repton school in Derbyshire, after which he went to Jesus College, Oxford University. In 1953 he met Lisa Nicholls, a vicar's daughter, at a party thrown by a mutual friend in Oxford. His hand was bandaged, and when Lisa asked why, he explained that he had been trying to milk a deer in the University Parks in an attempt to make cheese, and it had bitten him. They were married in 1957 and had six children, of whom two – George and Sophie – died young. Lisa later became head of drama at Tulse Hill school in London. Martin began his working life as a librarian at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London, before setting up a translation service for the Iron and Steel Institute, editing and distributing articles from technical journals. While in London he became a prison visitor at Wormwood Scrubs, and in 1962, after moving to Aylesbury to become information officer at a research centre established by the iron and steel making company Richard Thomas and Baldwins Ltd, he became a visitor at Aylesbury prison. In 1964 Martin accepted a post as librarian at the Institute of Criminology, working there until 1971. While in Cambridge he started a Simon Community branch in the city, and homeless people would often turn up at our house asking for him: we children would happily invite them into our living room for a cuppa, until he or our mum arrived home from work. After his 13 years as head of the Howard League in London, Martin became policy officer at Victim Support in 1984 while working as an occasional freelance researcher for the BBC TV programme Rough Justice, highlighting miscarriages of justice. He also studied for a PhD at the London School of Economics, carrying out research into victim offender mediation. Outside his work, Martin was a founding member of the Lambeth Mediation Service in south London, which was set up in the early 1980s to foster dialogue between local communities in Lambeth and local authorities. He was also a prolific letter writer for campaigning causes, including tree preservation, the Bhopal disaster, Romanian zoo conditions, vegetarianism, anti-smoking, solar energy and traffic pollution. He was still cycling around London aged 90 on his electric bike. He is survived by Lisa, his children, Edward, me, William and Ellie, and his sister Vivian.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Use of pepper spray authorised at young offender institutions in England and Wales
Children as young as 15 face being incapacitated with pepper spray after Shabana Mahmood on Thursday authorised its use at young offender institutions [YOIs]. The justice secretary for the first time signed off the use of Pava spray, a synthetic form of pepper spray, for use across three of the five YOIs in England and Wales. The plan, first reported by the Guardian and announced in parliament, has dismayed prison reformers, who say it will create further divisions between staff and minors in their care. The Howard League for Penal Reform said it might challenge the decision in the courts. In a written statement, Mahmood told MPs: 'I have decided to authorise the issuing of Pava to a specially trained and selected group of staff in the three public sector YOIs (Feltham A, Werrington and Wetherby) for a 12-month period. 'This is not a decision I have taken lightly, but I am clear that this vital measure is needed to urgently prioritise safety.' Squirted from a canister, Pava spray, or pelargonic acid vanillylamide, causes searing pain and discomfort in the eyes for about 40 minutes and a burning sensation to skin. In 2018, it was rolled out in men's prisons in England and Wales. Since then, there have been claims of its disproportionate use against disabled people and those from minority ethnic backgrounds. Andrea Coomber, the chief executive of the Howard League, said: 'This is a direct consequence of a failing system that keeps boys as young as 15 locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day without meaningful access to education or social interaction. 'It reflects a profound failure on the part of those responsible for children in custody that they would consider introducing weapons in the name of safety.' Pia Sinha, the chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said there was a 'real risk' that Pava spray would be used disproportionately against children, and called for independent scrutiny of its use. 'Under the proposed arrangements, the youth custody service will effectively be marking its own homework. The government should commit to undertaking a local authority-led rapid review every time Pava is deployed or used on the children's estate,' she said. YOIs hold 300 to 400 children aged between 15 and 18, most of whom have convictions for violence and many of whom have previously been in care. A report in October by HM chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor found that only one of five of the institutions was deemed to be 'safe'. Inspectors visited the Cookham Wood, Feltham, Werrington, Wetherby and Parc YOIs and found 'institutions dominated by violence and disorder and weak education provision at every YOI', said Taylor, who has previously spoken out against the use of Pava spray in youth justice. Figures released on Thursday show there were 534 assault incidents from October to December in 2024 across YOIs, secure training centres and schools – rates that are 14 times higher than in the adult estate. A senior youth custody source said the spray was needed because there had been an escalation in the ferocity of violence used by inmates held in the youth estate, and an influx of gang members ready to make and use weapons. 'We've seen a change in the profile of the risk of the young people coming in who have a readiness to turn to weapons as part of violence, a propensity to carry out acts of serious violence against another group,' the source said. Officials claim Pava will only be deployed in limited circumstance by specially trained officers when there is serious violence or an imminent risk of violence taking place. Between January and August 2024, almost 800 men in prison had Pava used against them. Ministry of Justice data shows that in 2022, 34% of those targeted with Pava in men's prisons were Muslim, despite Muslims only making up 18% of the prison population. In December 2022, black British prisoners made up nearly half – 43% – of all adult inmates who had been targeted with Pava, but only 13% of adult male prisoners. Mark Fairhurst, the national chair of the Prison Officers' Association, said the government had recognised the 'urgent need' for protective equipment in youth prisons. 'Staff should never be expected to tackle violence without adequate protections in place,' he said.
The Guardian
24-04-2025
- The Guardian
Use of pepper spray authorised at young offender institutions in England and Wales
Children as young as 15 face being incapacitated with pepper spray after Shabana Mahmood on Thursday authorised its use at young offender institutions [YOIs]. The justice secretary for the first time signed off the use of Pava spray, a synthetic form of pepper spray, for use across three of the five YOIs in England and Wales. The plan, first reported by the Guardian and announced in parliament, has dismayed prison reformers, who say it will create further divisions between staff and minors in their care. The Howard League for Penal Reform said it might challenge the decision in the courts. In a written statement, Mahmood told MPs: 'I have decided to authorise the issuing of Pava to a specially trained and selected group of staff in the three public sector YOIs (Feltham A, Werrington and Wetherby) for a 12-month period. 'This is not a decision I have taken lightly, but I am clear that this vital measure is needed to urgently prioritise safety.' Squirted from a canister, Pava spray, or pelargonic acid vanillylamide, causes searing pain and discomfort in the eyes for about 40 minutes and a burning sensation to skin. In 2018, it was rolled out in men's prisons in England and Wales. Since then, there have been claims of its disproportionate use against disabled people and those from minority ethnic backgrounds. Andrea Coomber, the chief executive of the Howard League, said: 'This is a direct consequence of a failing system that keeps boys as young as 15 locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day without meaningful access to education or social interaction. 'It reflects a profound failure on the part of those responsible for children in custody that they would consider introducing weapons in the name of safety.' Pia Sinha, the chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said there was a 'real risk' that Pava spray would be used disproportionately against children, and called for independent scrutiny of its use. 'Under the proposed arrangements, the youth custody service will effectively be marking its own homework. The government should commit to undertaking a local authority-led rapid review every time Pava is deployed or used on the children's estate,' she said. YOIs hold 300 to 400 children aged between 15 and 18, most of whom have convictions for violence and many of whom have previously been in care. A report in October by HM chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor found that only one of five of the institutions was deemed to be 'safe'. Inspectors visited the Cookham Wood, Feltham, Werrington, Wetherby and Parc YOIs and found 'institutions dominated by violence and disorder and weak education provision at every YOI', said Taylor, who has previously spoken out against the use of Pava spray in youth justice. Figures released on Thursday show there were 534 assault incidents from October to December in 2024 across YOIs, secure training centres and schools – rates that are 14 times higher than in the adult estate. A senior youth custody source said the spray was needed because there had been an escalation in the ferocity of violence used by inmates held in the youth estate, and an influx of gang members ready to make and use weapons. 'We've seen a change in the profile of the risk of the young people coming in who have a readiness to turn to weapons as part of violence, a propensity to carry out acts of serious violence against another group,' the source said. Officials claim Pava will only be deployed in limited circumstance by specially trained officers when there is serious violence or an imminent risk of violence taking place. Between January and August 2024, almost 800 men in prison had Pava used against them. Ministry of Justice data shows that in 2022, 34% of those targeted with Pava in men's prisons were Muslim, despite Muslims only making up 18% of the prison population. In December 2022, black British prisoners made up nearly half – 43% – of all adult inmates who had been targeted with Pava, but only 13% of adult male prisoners. Mark Fairhurst, the national chair of the Prison Officers' Association, said the government had recognised the 'urgent need' for protective equipment in youth prisons. 'Staff should never be expected to tackle violence without adequate protections in place,' he said.
