The on-going saga of the question as to whether or not it was lawful for the former Secretary of State, Dominic Raab, to issue guidance to his professional witnesses not to provide recommendations to the Parole Board has finally drawn to a close, with a third decision in R(Bailey) v SSJ on 13 June 2023. […]

8th June 2023 The key difference between indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPPs) and life sentences is that  for the 8,711 individuals who received an IPP sentence, they can come to an end.  There is an opportunity for the licence to be terminated ten years after release.  UNGRIPP has published helpful information on how the […]

In June 2022, the former Secretary of State, announced a change in policy in respect of the test to be applied by the Parole Board for open conditions.  Since then, the well established system whereby people serving long term sentences go through a gradual process of structured reduction in risk in closed prisons, followed by […]

In March 2023, Ife Thompson, came to London South Bank University to talk to my international law and human rights students about her work as a community activist and lawyer for change. Ife, who was recently shortlisted as a newcomer of the year in the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards despite still only […]

One in six of the UK adult population is affected by hearing loss according to the British Academy of Audiology.  In jail that can compound problems and lead to the person not only suffering from hearing loss but being punished for related behaviours. I have worked in the past with deaf young people in prison […]

On 27 April 2023 MPs will debate Justice Committee’s report on the IPP sentence in Westminster Hall.  Since the Committee’s landmark report was published last year, one of my long-standing clients, John, has been released on parole. John (not his real name) has given me permission to share his story in the hope it will […]

The Victims and Prisoners Bill was laid on Wednesday 29 March 2023 by Dominic Raab, the former Secretary of State for Justice, just before Easter recess.  Its long title is: “A Bill to Make provision about victims of criminal conduct and others affected by criminal conduct; about the appointment and functions of individuals to act […]

13 December 2022 I have written extensively about the requirements imposed on HMPPS staff not to make recommendations about whether people going though parole should be released or progressed from closed to open conditions.  The changes have been confusing for people going through the process. It is difficult to fully explain the position to clients […]

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 […]