Reducing youth violence in London’s communities

The London Community Foundation has published a report which highlights the ways in which community based organisations actively reduce youth violence in London’s communities. It is based on a series of interviews with community-based organisations, front line service delivery practitioners, youth workers, people who have been in contact with the criminal justice system and politicians. […]

Incentivising and promoting good behaviour in custody

HM Inspectorate of Prisons has published a report on behaviour management schemes in secure training centres (STCs) and young offender institutions (YOIs). It says the schemes have been ineffective, particularly at reducing violence, and too focused on punishment, rather than incentivising and rewarding good behaviour. The report sets out nine recommendations, including: staff working in […]

Women in the Criminal Justice System

The 2018 Griffins Society Fellowship Programme is now open to applications. 2018 is the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, and the Fellowship is seeking applicants to contribute to practice and policy debates around women with convictions by undertaking their own pioneering research. The Research Programme is partnered with the Institute of Criminology, Cambridge. Six Fellowships […]

Violence against women and girls

Revolving Doors has published ‘Spotlight on violence against women and girls (VAWG)’. This highlights how Police and Crime Commissioners across the country are tackling violence against women and girls through strengthening service provision and using the convening and commissioning powers of their roles. Around 1.2 million women across England have experienced substantial physical and sexual […]

Race and Ethnicity must not become an afterthought

Whitney Iles, CEO of Project 507, has submitted an article to the Clinks blog on issues around representation and voice in women centred aspects of the voluntary sector. Whitney says “We must ensure that within women-centred spaces other identifying factors such as race and ethnicity do not become an afterthought. We must understand that in […]

The experiences of female Muslim prisoners

Muslim Hands has published research entitled ‘(In)visibility’, on the experiences of female Muslim prisoners. Supported by Barrow Cadbury Trust, the qualitative research captures the often unheard voices of Muslims in women’s prisons and explores the often overlooked intersectionality of gender, faith and ethnicity. Findings indicate that female Muslim prisoners are at risk of discrimination as […]

A guide to prison visits

The Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact), has launched a digital ‘Prison Visitors’ Guide’ for a number of prisons across England and Wales. The digital guides, which feature an interactive map, offer the most up-to-date information available for visitors on selected prisons in England and Wales, including how to book a visit, dress code, how […]

Designing wellbeing in prison

Russell Webster has a guest post on his blog from Roland Karthaus, Director of Matter Architecture, on a report entitled ‘Wellbeing in Prison Design: a guide’. The blog discusses how prison design can influence behaviour. It suggests that environmental conditions focused on health and wellbeing can trigger positive behaviours. He writes ‘Our built environment does […]

Supporting BAME autistic people

A blog from Venessa Bobb, Branch Officer of the National Autistic Society, discusses the difficulties black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) autistic people and their families face when accessing support. Research has shown that autistic people within the BAME community experience double discrimination, due to their ethnicity and disability. She writes ‘Everyone has a part […]

VIDEO: Voices of Mothers in Prison

The Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) has released a new film to launch a report by the University of Cardiff, which highlights the positive impact of Pact’s work supporting mothers in Eastwood Park Prison. The study examined the impact of the Visiting Mum scheme, which was developed and run by Pact in partnership with […]

Life coaching in prison

The Hero’s Journey Life Coaching Programme: interim report, published by Spark Inside, looks at the impact of their life-coaching programme, The Hero’s Journey. This programme is grounded in the principle that people must be empowered to help themselves and has been delivered by Spark Inside to young people aged 15 – 25 leaving prison. The […]

Will the Lammy Review gather dust on a bookshelf?

I have known David Lammy for many years. He always asks tough questions and in his recent report he has come up with some suggested conclusions. Personally, I’m surprised that some of the Judiciary and elements of the press have reacted so vigorously. My major concern is that David’s report will end up gathering dust […]