Coronavirus could lead to rising crime, watchdogs warn
3 years, 11 months ago

Coronavirus could lead to rising crime, watchdogs warn

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. HM chief inspectors of prisons, policing, probation and the Crown Prosecution Service said lockdowns and restrictions had a “ripple effect” across the criminal justice system. Sir Thomas Winsor, HM chief inspector of constabulary, said the court backlog means that “delays in justice could very well be leading to denials of justice”. He told MPs: “The most serious risk to the criminal justice system caused by this pandemic is that witnesses, victims and the public will lose confidence in the ability we have to address criminal offending.” Sir Tom said that even more coronavirus, Britain’s criminal justice system had been in a “severely distressed state” following “severe under-investment for a very long time”. A spokesperson added: “In recognition of the scale of the challenge we face, the government is investing £450m to boost recovery in the courts and deliver swifter justice, and this is already yielding results – the magistrates’ backlog continues to fall and crown courts cases reached pre-pandemic levels last month.”

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History of this topic

Revealed: Record number of ex-offenders charged with serious new crimes while on probation
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Revealed: Record number of ex-offenders charged with serious new crimes while on probation

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Victims’ advocates told The Independent the increase was “very …

Magistrates urged to delay locking up criminals in a bid to ease overcrowding
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Magistrates urged to delay locking up criminals in a bid to ease overcrowding

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Times reported Lord Justice Nicholas Green, who sits on the Court of Appeal …

Emergency measures to ease prison overcrowding activated as more rioters are sentenced
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Emergency measures to ease prison overcrowding activated as more rioters are sentenced

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery The government has put emergency …

Violence, self-harm and widespread drug use: Figures lay bare the crisis facing Britain’s prisons
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Violence, self-harm and widespread drug use: Figures lay bare the crisis facing Britain’s prisons

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood claimed the government had ‘no option’ but …

Government warned by own watchdog three year ago that prisons would run out of space in 2023
1 year, 2 months ago

Government warned by own watchdog three year ago that prisons would run out of space in 2023

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The NAO report, published in February 2020 while ministers focused …

‘Inevitable’ prison spaces will run out as judges ‘delay sentencings’ to avoid overwhelming system
1 year, 2 months ago

‘Inevitable’ prison spaces will run out as judges ‘delay sentencings’ to avoid overwhelming system

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But the Prison Governors Association told The Independent it believed “without a shadow of …

Public at ‘greater danger’ because of failure to rehabilitate inmates in overcrowded jails
1 year, 6 months ago

Public at ‘greater danger’ because of failure to rehabilitate inmates in overcrowded jails

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. He said the “government simply hasn't been able to open enough prisons” for the …

Prisoners still kept in cells for 23 hours a day despite end of Covid restrictions
2 years, 5 months ago

Prisoners still kept in cells for 23 hours a day despite end of Covid restrictions

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Prisoners are still being locked in their cells for more …

Government cuts caused rising court backlogs even before pandemic, report finds
3 years, 2 months ago

Government cuts caused rising court backlogs even before pandemic, report finds

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Court backlogs were rising before the coronavirus pandemic because of …

Editorial: There’s no going back on sentencing and prison reform
3 years, 7 months ago

Editorial: There’s no going back on sentencing and prison reform

LA Times  

The novel coronavirus seeped easily into jails and prisons. That’s a particular problem in California, with its 35 adult state prisons and correctional medical, training and rehabilitation facilities; its four state youth correctional facilities; its 12 federal penitentiaries, correctional institutions, prison camps and detention centers; its 116 county jails; its 21 juvenile halls and probation camps; its eight U.S. Immigration …

Severe Covid restrictions in jails causing ‘disturbing’ decline in prisoners’ health, watchdog warns
3 years, 10 months ago

Severe Covid restrictions in jails causing ‘disturbing’ decline in prisoners’ health, watchdog warns

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. A report by the Prison Inspectorate finds that while the restrictions have successfully limited …

New coronavirus case sends Queensland's correctional centres into lockdown
4 years, 4 months ago

New coronavirus case sends Queensland's correctional centres into lockdown

ABC  

Every correctional facility in Queensland is in full lockdown after an officer at a Queensland Corrective Services academy tested positive for COVID-19. Key points: The lockdown of every facility in the state will be in place until Thursday morning The confirmed case was at work last Friday and interacted with people who visited various facilities The Together Union has supported …

US prison populations down 8% amid coronavirus outbreak
4 years, 5 months ago

US prison populations down 8% amid coronavirus outbreak

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Stephanie Parris was finishing a two-year prison sentence for a probation violation when she heard she’d be going home three weeks early because of COVID-19. Experts and advocates said whether the public perceives a public safety threat from people who are released early because of COVID-19 is likely to affect the larger criminal justice reform movement, especially …

July 23 coronavirus news
4 years, 5 months ago

July 23 coronavirus news

CNN  

The Justice Department’s internal watchdog found that a federal prison in California, where nearly 1,000 inmates have tested positive for coronavirus, was slow to implement safety measures and lacked adequate staffing to confront the growing pandemic. At Federal Correctional Complex Lompoc, in Santa Barbara County, California, a nationwide order to restrict the movement of prison staff wasn’t fully implemented for …

Prisons have higher coronavirus infection and death rates, analysis from JHU says
4 years, 6 months ago

Prisons have higher coronavirus infection and death rates, analysis from JHU says

CNN  

CNN — The coronavirus pandemic is having a significant impact on the nation’s prison system, causing higher rates of infection and death compared to the general population. “The number of US prison residents who tested positive for Covid-19 was 5.5 times higher than the general US population,” according to an analysis led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of …

New outbreaks push inmate coronavirus cases past 50,000
4 years, 6 months ago

New outbreaks push inmate coronavirus cases past 50,000

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The number of prison inmates testing positive for the coronavirus soared well past the 50,000 mark last month, as recent outbreaks threatened to undo control measures put in place earlier in the pandemic. New cases in prisons began to drop last month, with less of the rapid growth seen in the spring when Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas …

Coronavirus: Lord Chief Justice urges government to act on court backlogs and underfunding
4 years, 7 months ago

Coronavirus: Lord Chief Justice urges government to act on court backlogs and underfunding

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Lord Burnett said that using the figures for 2018-19, it was “not a bad …

Coronavirus: Public must risk prosecution to challenge lockdown fines, justice secretary says
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus: Public must risk prosecution to challenge lockdown fines, justice secretary says

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Then we have the due process.” Mr Buckland argued that people would then be …

Coronavirus: Fewer criminals to face prison due to outbreak
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus: Fewer criminals to face prison due to outbreak

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Amid warnings that Britain’s criminal justice system is in …

Coronavirus: Criminals could go free if victims drop out of delayed court cases, campaigners warn
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus: Criminals could go free if victims drop out of delayed court cases, campaigners warn

The Independent  

Criminals could go free if victims drop out of prosecutions because of delays to court hearings caused by coronavirus. Dame Vera Baird, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, said that research on rape cases showed that “the more delay, the more dropout”. Dame Vera called for victims’ services to be given a say in how cases are prioritised in …

Coronavirus: Scotland drops plans for trials without juries as lawyers oppose 'draconian' measures
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus: Scotland drops plans for trials without juries as lawyers oppose 'draconian' measures

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Scotland has dropped plans to hold criminal trials without juries …

Coronavirus sends justice system into 'meltdown' as criminal court case backlog passes 37,000
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus sends justice system into 'meltdown' as criminal court case backlog passes 37,000

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The criminal justice system is going into “meltdown” because of …

Coronavirus in US prisons: Releases positive, but ‘more needed’
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus in US prisons: Releases positive, but ‘more needed’

Al Jazeera  

Oversight officials and advocates say the health of inmates should be a priority in efforts to contain the coronavirus. Officials in New York City released 200 inmates from jails on Thursday, with another 175 planned for release, bringing the number of incarcerated in the city down to levels not seen since World War II. “None of us expected this crisis, …

Coronavirus lockdown: Police given powers to arrest and fine people up to £960 for breaking rules
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus lockdown: Police given powers to arrest and fine people up to £960 for breaking rules

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Police have been given the …

Some prisoners could be released to reduce coronavirus COVID-19 risk in NT
4 years, 9 months ago

Some prisoners could be released to reduce coronavirus COVID-19 risk in NT

ABC  

Dozens of low-risk inmates in the Northern Territory could be released from jail to reduce the risk of COVID-19 impacting prison populations, the NT Corrections Commissioner says. Key points: Prisoners are among those most at risk of serious infection from COVID-19 Some low-risk inmates could be released early Visits from families and non-essential services have been suspended There are more …

If coronavirus sounds bad to you, imagine how these people feel (opinion)
4 years, 9 months ago

If coronavirus sounds bad to you, imagine how these people feel (opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: CNN host Van Jones is the CEO of the REFORM Alliance and cofounder of #cut50, a bipartisan criminal justice initiative of the Dream Corps. The Federal Bureau of Prisons, America’s largest prison system with 175,000 people incarcerated across 122 facilities, reported its first few cases last week. While incarcerated, he unapologetically gave his life to Jesus, gained an …

Coronavirus outbreak could increase gang violence in UK, report finds
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus outbreak could increase gang violence in UK, report finds

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The coronavirus outbreak could increase …

Coronavirus | SC notice to States on parole to those facing up to 7-year term
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus | SC notice to States on parole to those facing up to 7-year term

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the State governments to consider giving parole to those facing up to seven-year jail term in a bid to decongest prisons on account of the COVID-19 outbreak. COVID-19 | Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde ordered each State and Union Territory …

What It's Like To Wait For Coronavirus To Get To You In Prison
4 years, 9 months ago

What It's Like To Wait For Coronavirus To Get To You In Prison

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING At around 2 a.m. on March 13, Atif Rafay was startled awake inside his prison cell to find a printed out piece of paper dropped on his bed. When family members of prisoners pressed the question, they were told told only that there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the state’s incarcerated population — a fact …

Coronavirus: 'Low-risk' inmates should be released to prevent spread of disease, former prisons chief says
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus: 'Low-risk' inmates should be released to prevent spread of disease, former prisons chief says

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Low-risk prisoners should be freed so that prisons do not …

Coronavirus: Ministers urged to release hundreds of prisoners on short sentences to combat outbreak
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus: Ministers urged to release hundreds of prisoners on short sentences to combat outbreak

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Ministers are being urged to release hundreds of inmates on short …

Coronavirus: First prisoner infected with Covid-19
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus: First prisoner infected with Covid-19

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. No other prison staff or prisoners at the facility have tested positive, but 13 …

Prisons And Jails Worry About Becoming Coronavirus 'Incubators'
4 years, 9 months ago

Prisons And Jails Worry About Becoming Coronavirus 'Incubators'

NPR  

Prisons And Jails Worry About Becoming Coronavirus 'Incubators' Enlarge this image toggle caption Just One Film/Getty Images Just One Film/Getty Images As COVID-19 spreads, public health officials are telling people to stay home if they feel sick. Robert Greifinger is a physician who spent 25 years working on health care issues inside the nation's prisons and jails, and he says …

Smart steps to prevent devastating coronavirus outbreaks in prisons (opinion)
4 years, 9 months ago

Smart steps to prevent devastating coronavirus outbreaks in prisons (opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: CNN host Van Jones is the CEO of the REFORM Alliance, a criminal justice organization for which Jessica Jackson serves as the Chief Advocacy Officer. It would be cruel and unusual punishment to deny poor people who can get paid as little as $0.16 per hour for their labor – like those making hand sanitizer for the state …

Prisons Are Ripe For Coronavirus Outbreak. They’re Not Ready.
4 years, 9 months ago

Prisons Are Ripe For Coronavirus Outbreak. They’re Not Ready.

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING In China, the coronavirus rocketed through five prisons in three provinces, causing over 500 cases. The 2.3 million incarcerated people in the U.S. are scattered across 1,719 state prisons, 109 federal prisons, 1,772 juvenile correctional facilities, 3,163 local jails and 80 Indian Country jails ― on top of military prisons, immigration detention facilities, state psychiatric hospitals, and …

‘Dangerous’ part-privatisation of probation services costing taxpayers extra £467m, watchdog finds
5 years, 10 months ago

‘Dangerous’ part-privatisation of probation services costing taxpayers extra £467m, watchdog finds

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

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