Howard League for Penal Reform

25/08/2026

Restricting prison visits is counter-productive.

The Ministry of Justice’s own research shows that people in prison who get social visits are less likely to reoffend.

So why is the MoJ planning a tweak of the rules that would mean some people get fewer visits?
https://ow.ly/1yvL50ZFb9M

25/08/2026

"An offender who spent nearly 18 years in prison as the result of a legal error has been freed by the Court of Appeal. Niki Dean Haycock had been given a sentence of imprisonment for public protection — an IPP sentence — in April 2006, even though the offences he committed were not covered by IPP legislation that was in force at the time."

Offender imprisoned for extra 18 years before legal error spotted and put right

25/08/2026

"Top judges call for shorter sentences to ease prison overcrowding. They say the ‘tough on crime’ policies of successive governments have led to longer jail terms that do not act as a deterrent and may even hinder rehabilitation."

They say the ‘tough on crime’ policies of successive governments have led to longer jail terms that do not act as a deterrent and may even hinder rehabilitation

24/08/2026

The prison population rose again this week and now stands at 86,843. This time last week there were 121 fewer people in prison.

The prison estate should not hold more than 81,684 people, the population currently exceeds this level by 5,159.
https://howardleague.org/prison-watch/

24/08/2026

Pentonville prison has made progress since its disastrous Urgent Notification in 2025.

But the prison still holds almost 300 more people than it has space for, and a third of people are still spending more than 22 hours a day locked up. Who is this helping?

24/08/2026

Our legal team have been using Freedom of Information requests to find out how many hours of education children in prisons are really receiving, and the results are shocking.

20/08/2026

Which men’s prison has the highest rate of violent incidents in England and Wales? 
 
It’s Brinsford, in the West Midlands. What will it take to turn this prison around? 
 
Follow us for more. 
 
 

20/08/2026

Did you know that self-harm rates are eight times higher in women’s prisons than men’s?

Should women with acute mental health needs be in prison? Wouldn’t it make more sense to invest in specialist healthcare instead?

Follow us on Instagram to find more of our videos lifting the lid on prisons: https://www.instagram.com/p/Db2_4tHIxzf/

Annual report of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons 2025-26: https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_reports/annual-report-2025-26/

17/08/2026

“Whilst the chaos of the implementation of the Sentencing Act has understandably drawn attention and ire from across the board, we cannot forget that many of those who remain locked up in prison – and the staff who work there – are being exposed to intolerable fire safety risk.”

Our Legal Director, Gemma Abbott, quoted in the Sun:

ALMOST 2,000 prison cells are sitting empty due to health and safety risks despite thousands of lags being freed early. The prison service has been forced to move offenders elsewhere and take cells…

17/08/2026

"Most crime in England and Wales is falling – but the public think it's rising. In fact, they are wrong about crime on nearly every measure: from how many people fall victim, to the ethnicity and nationality of offenders, and whether police numbers have increased or decreased, according to a major new study from the Policy Institute at King's College London."