David Shipley

Is Robert Jenrick undermining democracy?

thecritic.co.uk/why-jenrick-...

Head of the prison officers’ union: we should halve the prison population The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) and its national chair Mark Fairhurst have a reputation for always wanting prisons to be more secure and more punitive. So it was a surprise when Fairhurst told ...

The POA chief is far more progressive than I expected

www.spectator.co.uk/article/head...

Starmer's plan to 'smash the gangs' isn't serious The government has deported 30,000 people since last July, but over 38,000 migrants have arrived just via small boats since then.

www.spectator.co.uk/article/star...

England now has a blasphemy law Officially, blasphemy was abolished by New Labour in the 2008 Criminal Justice Act. But today, with the conviction of Hamit Coskun, blasphemy laws now exist in England.  This law has been created by t...

England now has a blasphemy law

www.spectator.co.uk/article/engl...

Tommy Robinson and the truth about jail beards Beards have long been associated with wisdom. Perhaps Robinson wanted to show the world a visible sign of all he had endured.

Beards are laden with meaning. What does Tommy Robinson’s tell us?

www.spectator.co.uk/article/tomm...

Decriminalising cannabis would be bad for black Londoners Sadiq Khan, London’s mayor, has called for the possession of cannabis to be decriminalised, because he believes that the police disproportionately target black Londoners when policing drug possession....

www.spectator.co.uk/article/decr...

Sentencing reforms will benefit domestic abusers, says victim A woman whose neck was fractured in an attack by her partner claims the prison overhaul means violent men will not fear serious punishment

What does the Sentencing Review mean for victims of domestic violence?

www.thetimes.com/uk/law/artic...

Key omissions risk undermining the government’s bold sentencing goals | Institute for Government Not all of David Gauke's recommendations have been taken on by the government.

So in all the noise and bluster, what’s the key takeaway from the sentencing review and gov’s reforms? There’s a lot to like in the proposals — but the gov risks shooting itself in the foot through key omissions to look ‘tough on crime’ 🧵
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/sent...

James, surely?

*Emergency Podcast* The Independent Sentencing Review | David Shipley Podcast Episode · The Secret Life of Prisons · 22/05/2025 · 55m

The Sentencing Review - more complex than the headlines.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

🚨SPECIAL EPISODE🚨

Does equality before the law mean treating everyone the same?

Sonya Ruparel & @shipleywrites.bsky.social discuss the fiery debate between the Lord Chancellor & Sentencing Council over how judges should consider cases involving minoritized communities

🎧Listen now: pod.fo/e/2c65b4

I'm writing a piece about DBS / criminal records reform - I would love to speak with anyone who has missed out on a job because of an old / irrelevant conviction which showed up on a DBS.

The British army used to use bagpipes as a terror weapon

Governor who moved gangster to open prison faced no investigation The treatment of Bobby Cunningham, nicknamed ‘Nepotism Bob’ by staff at HMP Wandsworth, has fuelled fears of a cover-up

This weekend @thetimes.com is free to read, so why not check out mine and @mattdathan.bsky.social’s investigation into the suspension and subsequent sacking of the Deputy Governor of Wandsworth prison.

www.thetimes.com/uk/law/artic...

I was a prisoner at Wandsworth. At this point I was coping. I’d got a job in the library, had a reasonable amount of time out of my cell and was optimistic about moving to an open prison soon.

Guess that’s my trip to Mozambique cancelled

Sorry guys it’s over for me. I heard someone describe instagram as “old people TikTok today”

UK asset manager Abrdn renames itself Aberdeen Company says move will end ‘distractions’ after widely ridiculed rebranding in 2021

Nature is healing

www.ft.com/content/06b0...

Some kinds of crime (shoplifting, knife offences) absolutely are

Didn’t Boris “see off” the Brexit party by doing a deal under which they stood down in a lot of seats?

Bold to assume that whoever seizes power after him would be a better option

Every time the satnav says “bear left” or “bear right” I say “oh! Look out for a bear” even if I’m the only one in the car

I’m not sure you’re steelmanning your opponents’ beliefs here

Isn’t the belief that private ownership is necessary for human thriving?

Moral rot The dark secret at the heart of the prison system

The prison system has a dark secret

shipleywrites.substack.com/p/moral-rot?...

What does that support mean in material terms though

The Texas model Can we really learn from the Lone Star State?

I wrote about the government's interest in the 'Texas model'

shipleywrites.substack.com/p/the-texas-...

They’re…going to reopen the nuclear power plants?

Is this the fate of all who dare to laugh at you?