prisons – The Church of England in Parliament

King’s Speech Debate: Bishop of Gloucester speaks on criminal justice

The Bishop of Gloucester gave a speech in the King’s Speech debate on 18th May 2026, urging the government to take a long term and nuanced view on prisons and criminal justice:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, it is a great privilege to speak today in response to His Majesty’s gracious Speech. It was a delight and privilege to hear the maiden speech of the noble Lord, Lord Case, and of course, that of my friend, the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. She and I share a commitment to justice, and I refer to my interests stated in the register as Anglican Bishop for HM Prisons.

The gracious Speech set out the Government’s ambition for the UK to be

“a country fair for all and a place where every child is included in the nation’s highest aspirations”.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about compassionate release of prisoners

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 25th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government:

how many prisoners (1) applied for, and (2) were granted, early release on compassionate grounds in each of the past five years.
whether a three-month prognosis is required for a prisoner to be considered for early release on compassionate grounds.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about prisoners in hospice care

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 19th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many prisoners were moved into a hospice in each of the past five years.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about regional disparities in the imprisonment of women

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 12th March 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government, in regard to the women’s local data resources published by the Prison Reform Trust, what steps they are taking to address the regional disparities in the use of imprisonment for women.

Bishop of Gloucester speaks in debate on prison conditions

The Bishop of Gloucester took part in a debate on the Better Prisons: Less Crime Justice and Home Affairs Committee Report on 12th February 2026, advocating for reform of the conditions and culture inside prisons:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, as Anglican Bishop for prisons, I wholeheartedly welcome this debate and this excellent report. It is also a privilege to follow two excellent maiden speeches.

I submitted evidence to the committee, and I will continue to bang the drum for reform. Better prisons will play a vital role, but they are not the end point or the complete answer to reducing reoffending. I agree with the reframing of this from rehabilitation, as rehabilitation implies that people were once at an acceptable place in life to which they can be rehabilitated, whereas for the majority of people in prison, this was never true in the first place.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about prisoner demographics and data

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 26th January 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many people of each ethnic group were in prison as of 30 September 2025 by religion.

Bishop of Gloucester asks about prisons and prisoners

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 19th January 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many and what proportion of (1) men, and (2) women, arriving in custody have self-declared as part of the basic custody screening interview that they have been in the care of local authority children’s services, in each year since 2016.

Sentencing Bill: Bishop of Gloucester tables amendment defining the purpose of imprisonment

During a debate on the Sentencing Bill on 6th January 2025, the Bishop of Gloucester tabled her amendment to the bill, inserting a new clause which “would define the purposes of imprisonment in law and require the courts and the Secretary of State to have regard to the purposes of imprisonment:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: After Clause 4, insert the following new Clause—

“Purposes of imprisonment(1) Where a court is imposing sentence the court must have regard to the purposes of imprisonment.(2) The Secretary of State must have regard to the purposes of imprisonment when exercising the Secretary of State’s duties under this Act.

(3) For the purposes of subsections (1) and (2) the purposes of imprisonment are—(a) the incapacitation of prisoners in order to restrict their ability to re-offend in the community,(b) the rehabilitation of prisoners under safe and decent conditions to reduce re-offending,(c) the deterrence of prisoners and others from committing further offences, and(d) the just punishment of prisoners, including provision to achieve justice for the victims of crime.”Member’s explanatory statement

This new clause would define the purposes of imprisonment in law and require the courts and the Secretary of State to have regard to the purposes of imprisonment.

My Lords, I am bringing back this amendment on Report as I do not think it was adequately addressed in Committee. Amendment 52, in my name and that of the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, would define in law the purposes of imprisonment and require the courts and the Secretary of State to have regard to the purposes of imprisonment.

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Bishop of Gloucester supports amendments on prisons and prisoners

The Bishop of Gloucester spoke in support of amendments to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill focusing on healthcare for those in prison and safeguarding of prisoners under the bill on 12th December 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I will speak to these amendments because I want to make a new point. A very vulnerable population that we must continue to remember is the prison population. Although we will deal with the prison population more fully in the group coming up, we must remember that this Bill currently does not exclude prisoners from being eligible. That means we must consider how each issue is likely to play out in a prison setting.

As we have heard extensively, these amendments deal with two main issues: first, access to primary care; and, secondly, how well that primary care physician knows the details of your medical history. The first is very closely related to inequalities and making sure that those who have worse access to care are not more likely to choose assisted dying. The prison population are therefore a key group that must be considered, since their health and access to healthcare are worse than that of the general population. That is evidenced by the recently published report by the Chief Medical Officer.

Sentencing Bill: Bishop of Leeds tables amendment on purpose of imprisonment

On 26th November 2025, the Bishop of Leeds spoke to the Bishop of Gloucester’s amendment to the Sentencing Bill, which would seek to give a statutory definition to the purpose of imprisonment:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I shall speak to Amendment 45A in the place of the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Gloucester, who, regrettably, is not able to be here today. It seems that in wider society there is a greater push for harsher punishment and longer sentences, and there is a tension with what the purpose of such punishment is. This amendment is designed to provide some elucidation on that. It would define in law the purposes of imprisonment and require the courts and the Secretary of State to have regard to the purposes of imprisonment.

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