It has been over three months since the Secretary of State banned his employees from giving recommendations to the Parole Board about whether someone should be released or progress to open conditions.  Various bits of guidance have been issued and published following Freedom of Information Act (FOI) requests since then and a legal challenge mounted […]

On 16 November 2022, The Times published a short piece I wrote about prison legal aid lawyers becoming an endangered species, due to being left out of the modest increases in pay that have been made for other criminal legal aid work. This comes at a time when prison lawyers are needed more than ever […]

I recently wrote about changes to the Parole Board rules concerning the evidence it can receive from witnesses on behalf of the prison and probation service. Following an appeal to my freedom of information act request for all the relevant information issued to prison and probation staff, I have now received the document referred to […]

Imagine a court where a witness cannot state their honestly held belief when asked and the question goes to the heart of the case. Now, imagine that the issue the court has to consider is whether someone a court once found dangerous is safe to be out in the community. This is exactly the position […]