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Ian Huntley’s death at HMP Frankland puts focus on rising prison homicides
The Soham murderer died nine days after an assault at the high-security jail, prompting renewed debate about violence in England and Wales’s most secure prisons.
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HMP/YOI Isis ends gang-based wing placements as inspectors find regime improving
Inspectors found the south-east London prison for young men had made progress after scrapping postcode-led wing placements, but violence stayed very high and many men spent up to 22 hours a day in their cells.
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HMP Exeter no longer overwhelmed but safety still a concern, inspectors say
Inspectors found steadier leadership and strong release planning at the Victorian jail, three years after an Urgent Notification. Self-harm had nearly halved but remained too high, and cells were badly overcrowded.
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Brazilian prison swaps guard dogs for geese as US prisoners train wild horses
A jail in Santa Catarina uses a flock of territorial geese to deter escapes, while men at a Nevada prison prepare wild horses and burros for public adoption.
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Pentonville’s Time4Change course halted after failing Prison Service panel
A rehabilitation course for young men at HMP Pentonville, praised in the House of Lords and by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, has ended after a national panel withheld approval.
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HMP Bristol pharmacy technician jailed for smuggling drugs into prison
A 61-year-old woman who worked at HMP Bristol has received a sentence of six years and three months for her part in a conspiracy to bring drugs and SIM cards into the jail.
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Inquest hears fire detectors at Eastwood Park were out of date before fatal cell blaze
Clare Dupree died after a fire in her cell at the women’s prison in December 2022. Jurors heard that an inspection had flagged problems with the alarm system ten months earlier.
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Jane Leech named interim National Chair of Independent Monitoring Boards
The long-serving monitor takes over after Elisabeth Davies resigned in December 2025, following a revolt by local chairs against a national reform package.
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Inspectors give mixed ratings to Approved Premises in Northampton and Wrexham
HM Inspectorate of Probation rated Bridgewood in Northampton as requiring improvement and Plas y Wern in Wrexham as good, in its eighth and ninth visits to Approved Premises.
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Quaker founder’s pamphlet written in prison in 1666 to get modern English edition
Margaret Fell wrote ‘Women’s Speaking Justified’ while jailed in Lancaster. The text has spread widely on Facebook ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March.