Prisons

Legislation to allow for the early release of prisoners has been published. The Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Bill proposes that most prisoners serving sentences of less than four years would be released after serving 40 per cent of their sentence, rather than 50 per cent as at present. This

A fatal accident inquiry is to take place into the death of a man who was found dead in his cell in HMP Barlinnie. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for the FAI into the death of 58-year-old Michael Charlton, who was foun

A new programme, being piloted in three prisons in England and Wales, that aims to reduce re-offending rates and transform the lives of prisoners has seen positive early results. The Counting on Confidence Programme, run by the self-development organisation Meee, is designed to embed a belief in the

Crown opposition to bail is being relaxed because of the prison crisis in Scotland, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC has told Holyrood. She said: "Prosecutors will always act in the public interest and do their utmost to keep people safe from the harm caused by crime.

Emergency legislation will be introduced to Parliament to contribute to the "sustainable long-term management" of Scotland’s prison population, Justice Secretary Angela Constance has told MSPs. The bill, to be introduced in November, will propose a change to the release point for short-term pr

The Council of Europe has issued recommendations to its 46 member states aimed at ensuring that the use of AI and related digital technologies by prison and probation services respects the human rights and dignity of detainees, probationers, as well as staff. In a recommendation adopted today, the C

More than 50 people went back to prison after being released early, new figures show. A report from the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) shows that 57 of the 477 people released in the summer as part of the early release scheme were sent back.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats justice have marked 1,000 days since Scotland's prison suicide strategy expired by revealing that in the last three years there have been more than 2,300 self-harm incidents in Scottish prisons. A freedom of information request submitted by the party has revealed 2,341

Older prisoners in England and Wales could be held in secure social care in the community to account for their specific health needs, a landmark new report has suggested. The report by Dr Jayne Price, published today by the Prison Reform Trust, calls on the Ministry of Justice to publish a national

Under-18s are no longer being detained in young offenders' institutions anywhere in Scotland. The remaining children previously detained in YOI Polmont have been moved into secure care settings, and no regulations which came into force last week provide for no new admissions of children under 18 to

English prisons are virtually full, according to new figures showing fewer than 100 places now left across the male prison estate. According to the BBC, there were a record 84,596 inmates in the male prison estate as of Friday 23 August.

Prisoner transfer firm GEOAmey was responsible for inmates arriving to court late more than 14,000 times in the six months to last September, new figures show. As a result, there were 1,516 delays to court proceedings due to late arrivals or failures to bring prisoners to courtrooms. In addition, th

The Scottish Prison Service has been urged to stop routine body-searching of female inmates following an inspection of a new £85 million “therapeutic” jail. Chief inspector of prisons for Scotland, Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, made the recommendation after an inspection of the female pri

Overcrowding in prisons is preventing the rehabilitation of offenders in Scotland, the head of inspections has warned. HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, called on the Scottish government to consider “radical justice options” to ease the pressure on prison

Deaths in custody, segregation and mental health are among the areas of concern in prisons and forensic mental health settings in Scotland, according to a new report. The Scottish Human Rights Commission and UK National Preventive Mechanism joint report concludes that little progress has been made a