"Notorious prisoners...are facing increasingly violent attacks from inmates with 'nothing to lose', the head of the Prison Governors’ Association has said."
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/mar/13/governors-warn-of-increasing-violence-of-nothing-to-lose-inmates-attacking-notorious-prisoners
In the last week of February, Leeds prison had room to accommodate 641 men in conditions deemed to be safe and decent by the Ministry of Justice.
But it was being forced to hold 1,089.
https://howardleague.org/prison-watch/
Prisons in England and Wales face an overcrowding crisis of unprecedented proportions.
In response to the many enquiries we receive, we have created a dedicated page on our website to explain what the problems are, how they arose, and how they might be solved.
howardleague.org/why...
⚠️ @thehowardleague.bsky.social have obtained data from 2025 revealing that "boys are typically being kept in their cells for about 20 hours a day and getting much less than 15 hours of education per week"
What happened to prisons at the start of the pandemic? @thehowardleague.bsky.social answers ⬇️
howardleague.org/blog/at-the-...
In a new blogpost, our Director of Campaigns, Andrew Neilson, summarises the evidence he gave at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry yesterday: https://howardleague.org/blog/at-the-uk-covid-19-inquiry-what-happened-to-prisons-at-the-start-of-the-pandemic/
"The government has announced that it is embarking on the most significant overhaul of youth justice in a generation but it has failed to commit to closing prisons holding children."
https://www.cypnow.co.uk/content/news/yois-still-failing-on-out-of-cell-time-and-education-analysis-finds
“I was handcuffed for antenatal appointments and intimate examinations when I was pregnant. But the worst part was being handcuffed during labour."
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/04/the-scandal-of-women-handcuffed-while-in-labour-i-was-so-shocked-when-the-restraints-werent-removed
In the last week of February, Leeds prison had room to accommodate 641 men in conditions deemed to be safe and decent by the Ministry of Justice.
But it was being forced to hold 1,089.
https://howardleague.org/prison-watch/
"Figures from the MoJ...showed children at Werrington were out of their cells for an average of five hours and one minute on weekdays in November.
"The figure was less than three hours per day at weekends for most of the year..."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqxdy90vlv2o
It is a legal requirement that prisons must deliver at least 15 hours of education per week to children of statutory school age.
Feltham, Werrington and Wetherby failed to reach this standard in 2025.
https://howardleague.org/news/new-figures-reveal-continued-failure-of-prisons-holding-children/
In a new blogpost, our Director of Campaigns, Andrew Neilson, summarises the evidence he gave at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry yesterday: https://howardleague.org/blog/at-the-uk-covid-19-inquiry-what-happened-to-prisons-at-the-start-of-the-pandemic/
"Clare was screaming, 'I'm on fire, help help, help,' I think she was by the window trying to get air…. I think she knew she was going to die."
A distressing BBC report from the inquest for Clare Dupree, who died after a fire in Eastwood Park prison: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly14x00x9xo
"Figures from the MoJ...showed children at Werrington were out of their cells for an average of five hours and one minute on weekdays in November.
"The figure was less than three hours per day at weekends for most of the year..."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqxdy90vlv2o
Violent incidents up by 35% in Wakefield prison, with growing concern about safety, drone incursions. and significant delays to transfers to secure hospital for mental health treatment.
Report of the prison's independent monitoring board: https://imb.org.uk/document/wakefield-2024-25-annual-report/
In a new blogpost, our Director of Campaigns, Andrew Neilson, summarises the evidence he gave at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry yesterday: https://howardleague.org/blog/at-the-uk-covid-19-inquiry-what-happened-to-prisons-at-the-start-of-the-pandemic/
It is a legal requirement that prisons must deliver at least 15 hours of education per week to children of statutory school age.
Feltham, Werrington and Wetherby failed to reach this standard in 2025.
https://howardleague.org/news/new-figures-reveal-continued-failure-of-prisons-holding-children/
"The government has announced that it is embarking on the most significant overhaul of youth justice in a generation but it has failed to commit to closing prisons holding children."
https://www.cypnow.co.uk/content/news/yois-still-failing-on-out-of-cell-time-and-education-analysis-finds
"Clare was screaming, 'I'm on fire, help help, help,' I think she was by the window trying to get air…. I think she knew she was going to die."
A distressing BBC report from the inquest for Clare Dupree, who died after a fire in Eastwood Park prison: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly14x00x9xo
In a new blogpost, our Director of Campaigns, Andrew Neilson, summarises the evidence he gave at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry yesterday: https://howardleague.org/blog/at-the-uk-covid-19-inquiry-what-happened-to-prisons-at-the-start-of-the-pandemic/
"Figures from the MoJ...showed children at Werrington were out of their cells for an average of five hours and one minute on weekdays in November.
"The figure was less than three hours per day at weekends for most of the year..."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqxdy90vlv2o
It is a legal requirement that prisons must deliver at least 15 hours of education per week to children of statutory school age.
Feltham, Werrington and Wetherby failed to reach this standard in 2025.
https://howardleague.org/news/new-figures-reveal-continued-failure-of-prisons-holding-children/
We have obtained new figures, which reveal that children in prison in England are typically being kept in their cells for about 20 hours a day and getting much less than 15 hours of education per week.
https://howardleague.org/news/new-figures-reveal-continued-failure-of-prisons-holding-children/
Violent incidents up by 35% in Wakefield prison, with growing concern about safety, drone incursions. and significant delays to transfers to secure hospital for mental health treatment.
Report of the prison's independent monitoring board: https://imb.org.uk/document/wakefield-2024-25-annual-report/
In a new blogpost, our Director of Campaigns, Andrew Neilson, summarises the evidence he gave at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry yesterday: https://howardleague.org/blog/at-the-uk-covid-19-inquiry-what-happened-to-prisons-at-the-start-of-the-pandemic/
In a new blogpost, our Director of Campaigns, Andrew Neilson, summarises the evidence he gave at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry yesterday: https://howardleague.org/blog/at-the-uk-covid-19-inquiry-what-happened-to-prisons-at-the-start-of-the-pandemic/
"The Howard League for Penal Reform says the prison estate at the moment is becoming ever more dangerous and violent..."
Jane Deith updates Channel 4 News viewers on a serious incident in Wakefield prison: https://www.channel4.com/news/soham-murderer-ian-huntley-seriously-injured-in-prison-attack
Violent incidents up by 35% in Wakefield prison, with growing concern about safety, drone incursions. and significant delays to transfers to secure hospital for mental health treatment.
Report of the prison's independent monitoring board: https://imb.org.uk/document/wakefield-2024-25-annual-report/
"After a pre-trial hearing in early February, a court official wrongly told the prison the defendant could be set free on bail and he was later released, leaving the country soon afterwards."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgk2rj2yeyjo
An extreme example of the impact that new prisons have on the communities around them: https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/shambles-as-tankers-carry-sewage-from-new-ps400-million-jail-in-yorkshire-5603047
