The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 29th November 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government what age-specific training prison staff receive for working with female prisoners aged 18 to 24.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about conditions for women in prisons”The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 24th November 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government how many women aged (1) 18 to 24, and (2) 25 and above, went to prison in each of the last 10 years; what was the sentence length in each case; and what type of offence was committed.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (Con): The attached tables [on Hansard] show data on the numbers of women convicted by offence type and the length of sentence from 2011 to 2020 for those aged 18 to 24 and above 25 years of age.
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about numbers of women in prison”The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on whether sentencing guidelines relating to pregnant women and primary carers are being followed, and on safeguarding training given to sentencers, on 17th November 2021, during a debate on the safety of pregnant prisoners:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, Committee on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was grateful to hear the Minister say on 1 November that
“there has been a revolution, a real sea change, in the judiciary. They really ‘get it’ when it comes to female offenders and primary carers.”—[Official Report, 1/11/21; col. 1042.]
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about sentencing guidelines relating to pregnant women and primary carers”The Bishop of Bristol spoke in a debate on amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill on 15th November, on behalf of the Bishop of Gloucester. The speech was in support of amendments tabled by Lord Dubs and by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede, which sought to raise the threshold for imposition of short custodial sentences where community orders or other alternatives could be imposed instead:
The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I speak on behalf of my right reverend colleague the Bishop of Gloucester, who is unable to be in her place. She declares an interest as Bishop to Her Majesty’s Prisons in England and Wales. These are her words.
“I am delighted to add my name in support of Amendment 213, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Dubs. I also have great sympathy for Amendment 212, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Ponsonby. Both aim to remedy some of the justice system’s current overemphasis on prison sentences without sufficient regard for whether prison is an effective remedy for the offender or a guarantee to the safety and benefit of the community. By and large, short sentences have proven ineffective on both counts.
Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill: Bishop of Bristol supports amendments on short sentences on behalf of Bishop of Gloucester”On 15th November 2021, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill. The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in the debate, supporting amendments designed to scrutinise the continuation of indefinite Imprisonment For Public Protection (IPP) Sentences:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I add my voice to those who have already spoken in favour of these amendments. I declare my interest as Anglican Bishop to Her Majesty’s Prisons.
All the detail I was going to mention has already been carefully and expertly explained; again, I pay tribute to the organisations that have been named, including the Howard League, the Prison Reform Trust and UNGRIPP, for their excellent briefing reports and research. It resonates strongly with all the conversations I have with people in prison and family members who write to me or send me emails. The thing I am struck most by is the sense of hopelessness; many noble Lords have mentioned that. I am a proud patron of Prison Fellowship, whose motto is:
“We believe no one is beyond hope.”
We really need to listen to that in this debate.
Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports amendments targeted towards reform of Imprisonment for Public Protection”On 10th November 2021, the House of Lords debated the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in the seventh day of the committee stage. On behalf of the Bishop of Gloucester, the Bishop of Durham moved amendment 181, which would ensure that “reasonable efforts” would be made to support interventions to prevent offenders under community cautions from reoffending:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I am moving the amendment in the name of my friend the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Gloucester, with her permission, as she is, sadly, unable to be here. I declare her interest as Anglican Bishop for Prisons in England and Wales, and we are very grateful for the support of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas, and the noble Lord, Lord Beith.
I should say first that, while there are many parts of the Bill with which I take some issue, I do by and large consider it a welcome feature of the Bill that it places a new emphasis and focus on diversionary and community cautions, and on simplifying the previous regime. Done well, these out-of-court disposals, with helpful conditions attached, can be an effective solution that strikes a balance between punishment, the protection of communities and supporting the offender to successfully seek restoration in their community.
Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Durham moves rehabilitation amendment on behalf of the Bishop of Gloucester”The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on government efforts to help early years and childcare settings attract and retain key workers, during a debate on teachers departing education on 3rd November 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, in the discussion around this question there may be an assumption that we are focusing on key stages 1 and 2 and secondary schools, but, given that the most significant years of a child’s development are the early years, will the Minister say what is being done to ensure that nurseries and preschools attract, develop and retain vital key workers?
Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester asks about early years workforce retention”On 1st November 2021, the House of Lords debated the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in Committee. The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in the debate, in support of her amendment 110 and other amendments which would require courts to consider the impact of not granting bail on a child when the recipient of a bail decision is a primary carer to that child:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I am pleased to move this amendment, which has the support of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, the noble Lord, Lord Dubs, and the noble Baroness, Lady Massey. I am grateful for the knowledge and wisdom they will bring to the debate. I declare an interest as Anglican Bishop for Her Majesty’s Prisons in England and Wales and president of the Nelson Trust.
The sentencing of a primary carer can have a serious detrimental impact on the rights of a child and their life chances, yet the fact that they are a primary carer is not consistently considered by the court making the sentencing decision. Amendment 110 would require judges to consider the impact on a child of the decision of not granting bail when determining in criminal proceedings whether to grant bail to a primary carer of that dependent child. Amendments 215 to 217 aim to address inconsistencies in sentencing by requiring judges and magistrates to give due regard to the impact of a sentence on any dependent children and their welfare when sentencing a primary carer. The intention of Amendment 218 is to gather the relevant data about the number of prisoners who are primary carers and the number of children who have a primary carer in custody. Given that there are five amendments here, I hope noble Lords will bear with me.
Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Gloucester moves amendments on bail for primary carers of children”On 27th October 2021, the House of Lords debated the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill in the third day of committee. The Bishop of Gloucester spoke during the debate, supporting an amendment tabled by Baroness Bertin to include domestic abuse in the definition of “serious violence” under the bill:
The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I too add my support to the amendment moved by the noble Baroness, Lady Bertin. Many points have been covered, and I simply want to say that if the definition of serious violence is not expanded in this way, the concern is that many local areas will not consider it within their strategies.
Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports expansion of “serious violence” definition to include domestic abuse”On 2oth October 2021, the House of Lords debated amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill. The Bishop of Durham, on behalf of the Bishop of Gloucester, spoke in favour of an amendment which would aim to expand the definition of emergency worker to include prison workers:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 11, in the name of my right reverend friend the Bishop of Gloucester, with her permission, as she is sadly unable to be here today. I declare her interest as Anglican bishop of prisons in England and Wales.
This amendment seeks to improve Section 3 of the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 by expanding the definition of “emergency worker” to include all staff working in prisons. All those who work in prisons play a valuable role. However, currently, only officers and some healthcare staff are covered by this legislation and, as such, the risk for others working in prisons is increased, because prisoners are well aware of the more severe consequences of assaulting an officer compared with others working in prisons. Someone described this as effectively painting a target on their backs. This is an unintended consequence of the current legislation, which is unfair to many prison workers, undermines their safety and can be easily dealt with through this amendment.
Continue reading “Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of Durham supports amendment on prison workers’ safety on behalf of the Bishop of Gloucester”
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