Prison Reform

4WardEverUK

Child custody restraint manual is to be released in full

Office Binderoriginally published by: Children’s Rights Alliance
date unknown

After three years of secrecy and resistance, the Youth Justice Board (YJB) has agreed to hand over the instructors’ manual which governs the use of physical restraint in the country’s four privately-run child prisons.

This victory for child protection comes days before the YJB and Ministry of Justice were set to argue at an Information Tribunal appeal hearing that handing over the document would pose a serious risk to prison security and public safety.

The YJB was appealing against an order by the Information Commissioner in December 2009 that the document be given to the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE).

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4WardEverUK

Study launches into alternatives to jail

all credits: Newstart Magazine
published: 21st June 2010

The Howard League and the Prison Governors’ Association have launched a joint project to find ways to reduce the need for short jail terms, as new research shows the damage created under the current sentencing policy.

The probation officers’ union Napo today stepped up its calls for reform as its research found that three-quarters of prisoners serving terms of less than 12 months were reconvicted within two years. It wants short prison sentences to be scrapped and for the money saved to be spent on the supervision of short-term prisoners in the community.

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4WardEverUK

Mumia on the death penalty – in conversation with Cornel West

Death Row Graveoriginally published by: San Francisco BayView
23rd April 2010

The anti-death penalty movement is an offshoot of the global human rights movement as expressed by private associations and later by a variety of governments.

It is noteworthy, then, for us to cite the state abolition of the death penalty in Kenya in 2009. We should also note the fact that the rate of juries meting out death sentences has fallen to its lowest in 30 years.

And finally, several months ago, the group that was perhaps most instrumental in fashioning the present death penalty, the American Law Institute, announced it would no longer participate in formulating laws governing the death penalty.

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