The charity’s Reading Round groups, which have run in community venues since 2013, will now operate in prisons including HMP Leeds, HMP Liverpool and HMP Brixton.
Napo says excessive workloads and staff shortages pose a direct risk to the public. The vote comes as ministers prepare to expand electronic tagging to up to 40,000 people.
Inspectors praised leadership, culture and the focus on children’s needs at the G4S-run YOI, though some young people left without settled accommodation or education plans.
The Chief Inspector of Probation found better information-sharing and a strong focus on public protection in the region, but weaknesses in case assessment remained.
Justice Secretary Neil Gray has launched a consultation on changes to release points and short sentences. Scotland’s prisons hold 8,459 people against an operating capacity of 8,007.
The Sentencing Act 2026 brings forward the release point for most prisoners on fixed-term sentences, with the first tranche due to leave custody on 2 September.
22 shorter prison and justice stories from June 2026, gathered in one place.
The Scottish Government has withdrawn its allocation policy and will not appeal after a Court of Session judge found the approach unlawful.
Inspectors found improvements in rehabilitation work at the island's category B prison, but rising violence and drug use, high self-harm and indecent night sanitation on the Albany site.
HM Prison and Probation Service is highlighting the contribution of veterans in its workforce, including former soldiers now working at HMP Feltham and HMP Lowdham Grange.
