Tag: prisons

Bishop of Sheffield highlights work done by faith communities and charities to support newly released prisoners

The Bishop of Sheffield asked a question a question on support for faith communities’ projects to help newly released prisoners, following a government statement on prison capacity on 17th October 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, nine days ago it was my privilege to lead Sunday worship at HMP Doncaster, where I was reminded by the chaplain that many faith communities and charities do excellent work supporting newly released prisoners as they resettle into their communities, with a demonstrably positive impact on reoffending rates. What more can be done to support such projects?

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Bishop of Bristol asks about impact of parental imprisonment on children

On 18th July 2023, the Bishop of Bristol asked a question on the effects of custodial sentences on dependent children of prisoners and the results of a pilot scheme taking this into account in magistrates courts:

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, following the response given to my right reverend friend the Bishop of Gloucester on 15 December 2021 about pre-sentence reports, can the Minister say what impact the pilot in 15 magistrates’ courts has had on the take-up, taking into account the devastating impact of parental imprisonment, when sentencing a primary carer?

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about caring responsibilities and history of local authority care for prisoners

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 17th July 2023:

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

  • following the introduction of the Basic Custody Screening Tool, how many (1) men, and (2) women, currently in custody have been assessed as having primary caring responsibilities; and how many children are affected by their imprisonment.
  • how many women in prison have been identified as having previously been in local authority care in each of the last five years.
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Bishop of Gloucester asks about number of female prisoners in secure hospitals

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 17th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked His Majesty’s Government how many women in prison were transferred to a secure hospital under provisions in the Mental Health Act 1983 in each of the last five years.

Lord Bellamy (Con): Please see below table showing the number of female prisoners who were transferred to a mental health hospital under Part 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983 1 in each of the last five years. This is in the context of a female prison population which stood at 3,253 as of June 2022:

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about family relationships of female prisoners and implementation of the Farmer Review

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answer on 12th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked  His Majesty’s Government how many of the 33 recommendations contained in The Farmer Review for Women, published in June 2019, have been implemented.

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Bishop of St Albans raises serious issues regarding imprisonment for public protection and calls for urgent reform

On 25th May 2023, the Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate on the government’s Imprisonment for Public Protection Action Plan, pointing out a high rate of suicide among prisoners serving IPP sentences and urging reform of the system:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too thank the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, for his tenacity and for keeping this terrible situation before us. I rise with a certain reluctance because I do not have the expertise that many other noble Lords in this debate have, though like all bishops I have a right to visit the prisons in my diocese, which I do, and I am regularly in touch with people working in the legal and penal systems. My colleague the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Gloucester, the lead bishop on prisons, has raised this matter on numerous occasions and sadly cannot be here today.

It is now seven months since the House of Commons Justice Select Committee issued its report on IPP sentences. There were some alarming conclusions in it, such as noting:

“The indefinite nature of the sentence has contributed to feelings of hopelessness and despair”,

leading to some suicides within the IPP population. There are reports that perhaps as many as 81 people have taken their own life when serving an IPP sentence. If we could identify in any other area of life that 81 lives had been taken, we would be calling for inquiries and wanting answers. Many of us are concerned to hear of further, more recent suicides.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about threat of homelessness for those leaving prison

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on ensuring homes for those released from prison during a debate on the repeal of the 1824 Vagrancy Act on 17th May 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I thank the Minister for those statistics and for his assurance of an eventual commitment to no one being criminalised simply for having nowhere to live. Is he aware of the Ministry of Justice data which shows that people released from prison to homelessness are over 50% more likely to offend within a year? What more is being done to ensure that prison leavers have a home on release?

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Bishop of Derby asks about numbers of children remanded in custody

The Bishop of Derby received the following written answer on 17th May 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds asked His Majesty’s Government how many children are being held on remand in the most recent period for which data is available; and whether they are taking steps to reduce this.

Lord Bellamy (Con, Ministry of Justice): As at 31 March 2023, there were 244 children and young people remanded to custody in the Youth Secure Estate (this figure includes 18-year-olds). Remanding a child to custody must always be a last resort, however that option must remain open to the courts where it is necessary to protect the public.

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Bishop of Gloucester questions rhetoric surrounding criminal justice

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the rhetoric used emphasising arrest and imprisonment, rather than rehabilitation, during a debate on the promised uplift in numbers of police on 2nd May 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, it is very good to hear the Minister speak about police uplift. I am certainly not asking for more and more but I am asking for more join-up. I am really concerned about the “we are coming for you” rhetoric being part of the solution, and the sense that if we simply arrest more people and send more people to prison, we will reduce reoffending. There was nothing in the data about the high rate of reoffending. Unless we look at what is going on in our prisons, at how we rehabilitate people and address some of the systemic issues relating to why people offend in the first place, we will not be doing that join-up across the criminal justice system. I am really concerned about the rhetoric whereby, if you arrest more people and lock them up for longer, our streets will be safer; the data simply does not reflect that. Will the Minister say more about the join-up across the whole of the criminal justice system?

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Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Bill: Bishop of Leeds speaks in favour of changes to prison release procedures

On 21st April 2023, the Bishop of Leeds spoke in support of the Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Bill, which would ensure that people are not released from prison on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday in order to ensure proper access to services and support:

The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to rise in the gap to sing from the same hymn sheet and welcome this Bill. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Bird, on his inspirational work and commitment to these matters. We need an urgent change in practice for those who leave prison. I know that my friend the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Gloucester, who is not able to be here today but leads for the Church of England on prisons, also welcomes this Bill.

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