A new report published on the second of December by the BBC shows evidence of a prison system in crisis, with alarming numbers of staff left with no choice but to take mental health leave. With evidence procured by an FOI request to HMPPS workforce, alongside statistics pulled from their quarterly reports, the BBC has…
News & Views
The government’s Sentencing Bill, currently progressing through Parliament, proposes reducing prison sentences for “good behaviour.” On the surface, this sounds like a progressive reform, rewarding rehabilitation and incentivising positive conduct. In reality, without rigorous safeguards, training, and oversight, it risks embedding corruption, inequality, and arbitrariness deep into the prison system. Under the proposals, offender managers…
The ongoing trials of Palestinian Action campaigners raise serious concerns about the treatment of peaceful protesters, the narrowing of the right to protest, and the unequal power dynamics between the state and young women who dare to dissent. Many of those facing prosecution are young women with no previous conviction; students training to become lawyers,…
On 4 December 2025, the government announced that Wes Streeting is launching an independent review into the rising demand for mental health, autism and ADHD services, a move officially presented as a necessary measure to ensure “timely access to accurate diagnosis and effective support.” But for many campaigners, disabled people and families, the real fear…
The Metropolitan Police’s decision not to pursue charges against Prince Andrew over allegations that he abused his position by attempting to use a publicly funded police protection officer to investigate and discredit his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, raises serious questions about equality before the law, institutional misogyny, and public confidence in policing. According to widely reported…
The Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme was introduced to encourage “good behaviour” in prisons. But in practice, “good behaviour” is a vague, patronising and fundamentally subjective concept, one that gives frontline staff enormous discretionary power. What counts as “good” too often depends not on clear rules, but on the personal attitudes, frustrations or prejudices…
By [Niklas], Legal Volunteer, Feminist Justice Coalition In university, we learn about justice as a set of clean rules and principles. But since volunteering with the Feminist Justice Coalition (FJC), I’ve learned that for many women, the “system” is actually just a mess of red tape that ruins lives. My ambition has always been to…
On 2 December 2025, a damning report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into the tragedy of Hillsborough disaster found that 12 former officers would have faced gross-misconduct proceedings over their roles in the 1989 stadium crush, including failures in planning, crowd control, and a “concerted effort” to shift blame onto fans. Yet,…
There’s a striking line in the latest Angiolini Inquiry report: the government should consider a wider Good Samaritan (or “duty to act”) law as part of a package to prevent sexually motivated attacks in public. The recommendation, which includes a timetable for ministers to look at the case by July 2026, has reignited a heated…
The tragic death of Diana Ocean Grant in November 2021 is a stark reminder of how vulnerable people with severe mental health conditions continue to be failed by the very systems meant to protect them. Diana, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2002, suffered a relapse in late 2021. Despite clear warning signs reported by her…