Latest news with #criminaljusticesystem
BBC News
27-05-2025
- BBC News
Criminologist seeks views on rural policing in Shropshire
A criminologist is investigating people's experiences of rural Kreseda Smith from Harper Adams University in Shropshire said she wanted to find out how the public felt about the support they received based on their interactions with the police and the wider criminal justice said she hoped the findings could "help shape decision makers' thoughts" in the future.A series of focus groups have been arranged to hear people's stories, with the latest due to be held on the university campus on Tuesday between 14:30 and 16:00. More focus groups are planned at Stoke Lacy Village Hall in Herefordshire on 9 June and at NFU Mutual in Redditch on 7 Smith is the director of the Rural Resilience Research Group at Harper Adams, which examines emerging risks to food chain resilience, such as rural who are interested in attending the groups have been asked to contact Dr Smith at the university to register their interest. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Mahmood warns of stark choices for prison reform to ensure ‘worthy' system
The Justice Secretary warned of having to make 'stark choices' in relation to prison reform to ensure a criminal justice system 'worthy of the name', it has been reported. Plans for long-term reform are expected to be introduced following the independent sentencing review, which is due to be published on Thursday – which could include a scheme through which private companies employ offenders but reduce their wages and give the money to victims, according to The Times. The review, led by former justice secretary David Gauke, is exploring options to hand offenders tougher punishments outside prison, while making sure there is space to jail the most dangerous criminals. Shabana Mahmood told The Times: 'This issue and this crisis and what it means for people all over the country, it's far above party politics. 'I appreciate these are very, very difficult decisions. I find making these decisions difficult for myself. 'I've got to consider the whole of the system, how to do right by everybody and we're facing some very, very stark choices. 'It's a horrible reality to be in. It shows the scale of the terrible inheritance that the Conservative Party left behind. 'But this is where we have a duty, we have to act in the nation's best interest, we have to make sure that there is a criminal justice system worthy of the name. We have to make sure we don't run out of prison places.' Changes could include allowing well-behaved prisoners to be released after serving only a third of their sentences and ending jail terms for offenders sentenced to less than one year in prison, according to The Times. Such offenders will reportedly serve community sentences, which could involve filling potholes and clearing fly-tipping areas. The paper also said the Government is talking to private companies about a scheme that would employ criminals but reduce their wages and donate the money to victims. Latest Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures published on Monday show the number of inmates in jails has risen by 2,485 since December 30. It comes as the Government announced further emergency plans to release some criminals on recall earlier to free up around 1,400 prison places. It is hoped the move, which sparked a backlash over concerns for victims and public safety, will 'buy time' before sentencing reforms are expected to take effect next spring. Legislation to bring in the changes is expected to be introduced in the coming weeks. The MoJ's permanent secretary, Amy Rees, warned last week that, based on the current trajectory, the prison population rises by 3,000 each year and is now expected to hit zero capacity for male prisons by November this year. Ms Mahmood also announced that three new prisons will be built, starting this year, as part of a 'record prison expansion', after securing a capital investment of £4.7 billion. Ministers have promised to find a total of 14,000 cell spaces in jails by 2031.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Foreign prisoners should be deported
Once more unto the breach, dear friends: foreign criminals will be deported 'as soon as operationally possible' after their conviction. A review led by David Gauke, the former Conservative justice secretary, recommends that the law should be changed to allow ministers to speedily deport 'Foreign National Offenders' (FNOs) serving up to three years, rather than waiting until they have served half of their custodial sentences. This sounds like an improvement on this especially egregious aspect of our broken criminal-justice system. At present, FNOs represent 12 per cent of all inmates in British prisons: a total of 10,800 prisoners, at an annual cost of £580 million. Any measure that brings down these alarming numbers is welcome. However, the review proposes that foreign criminals with longer sentences would still serve a third of their terms before deportation, while the most dangerous FNOs would only be deported after approval from the parole board. A reason for mild scepticism about such proposals is that the human rights lawyers who dominate the legal system are disinclined to follow public opinion. Polls have long indicated that the vast majority of people want FNOs kicked out of the country as soon as possible. Yet successive governments have failed to solve the problem and the numbers keep rising. Admittedly, the Prime Minister has lately undergone something of a Damascene conversion over immigration. It may be that the former DPP is about to reinvent himself as a hardliner on law and order. Miracles will never even if a new, draconian Sir Keir does indeed promise a crackdown on foreign criminals, the devil will be in the detail. The Gauke review suggests that deported FNOs who sneak back into the UK would be 'immediately jailed'. How easy would such a cat-and-mouse game be in practice? Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
