14 July 2026 I was recently asked by Irene Wieczorek, Associate Professor in EU Law, at Durham University to provide a “domestic perspective” for her conference International Transfer of Prisoners, Offenders’ Rehabilitation and Brexit. A tall order for a 20 minute slot! It caused me to reflect on the five key themes that have shaped […]

14 July 2026 In March 2026, the recall process for people on standard determinate sentences in England and Wales changed.  This was in response to the recommendation by the Gauke review for “56-day” recalls, which was implemented by the Sentencing Act 2026. However, the process has caused a lot of confusion among people in prison, […]

8 June 2026 Almost a week on from the long-awaited decision in AGNI, the legal world is brimming with various efforts to digest and understand the practical implications of the 81 page decision.  What is clear,  from  both the judgment and the helpful note for “X Judges” (nothing to do with the social media platform […]

20 February 2026 I recently wrote about changes to the Parole Board Rules introduced in December 2025 and shared some of the redacted minutes from the Parole Board Rules Commitee, which is run by the Ministry of Justice: unlike comparable Rules committees, the membership is secret and the minutes are not published.  I had obtained […]

The Sentencing Act 2026 received royal assent on 22 January 2026.  The news story on Gov.uk was “Sentencing Act ensuring punishment cuts crime gets Royal Assent” and a sub-headline stating: “New laws will end automatic release for badly behaved offenders and strengthen community punishment.” So how will that change things on the ground? The short […]

“There are at present some 3,000 children in YOIs. Somewhere in the region of 1,000 are aged either 15 or 16. The rest are aged 17. They are, on any view, vulnerable and needy children. Disproportionately they come from chaotic backgrounds. Many have suffered abuse or neglect. The view of the Howard League is that they need help, protection […]

“The laws of God and man both give the party an opportunity to make his defence, if he has any. I remember to have heard it observed by a very learned man, upon such an occasion, that even God himself did not pass sentence upon Adam before he was called upon to make his defence.” […]

5 September 2025 The delayed Sentencing Bill 2025, responding the Independent Review on Sentencing was published on 2 September 2025.  What follows is my initial analysis of the Bill – it is very much a work in progress… The Bill is extensive (90 pages) and will amend the Sentencing Code  (Sentencing Act 2020) – the […]

Why do children always get left behind in the rush to manage and curb the ever-increasing adult prison population? Children were excluded from the end of custody licence release arrangements introduced by the previous government.  SDS40 arrangements only applied to children convicted of more serious crimes and serving longer sentences, so that children on Detention […]