The Howard League for Penal Reform was set up in 1866, named after the 18th century prison reformer, John Howard. Andrew previously worked in government communications and now leads on the charity’s policy, public affairs, and communications.

In this presentation, Andrew provides evidence of a concerning situation whereby prisons in England and Wales are currently extremely overcrowded and, as a result, violating the prison’s own standards of safe and decent accommodation. He describes the historical trajectory since the era of The New Labour Government (mid 1990s – 2010) leading up to the present day. This presentation represents a call for action to respond to this escalating crisis.

Key words/topics

Prisons

Prison population

Overcrowding

New Labour Government

David John Ramsbotham

Sentencing

Violence against prison staff

Self harm

Excessive force

Poor conditions

Ministry of Justice projections

SDS40 Early Release Scheme

Prison capacity crisis