The Solicitors Regulation Authority has accepted that its enquiries into one complaint were not detailed enough, after the charity Blind Justice threatened court action.
A man jailed under the automatic life sentence rule abolished in 2005 says his indefinite detention amounts to “mental torture”, ahead of a parole hearing this month.
Figures given to Parliament show 3,669 prison cells standing vacant, for reasons ranging from fire safety work and radon gas to arson, Legionella and bed bugs.
A deputy governor at HMP Berwyn told a Wrexham council committee that 28 per cent of men freed in the first tranche of early releases were back inside within seven days.
Official statistics for the year to June 2026 show custodial terms still lengthening in both the Crown Court and magistrates’ courts, with short sentences making up more than half of the total.
The former justice secretary says most people sent back to prison have not reoffended, as Ministry of Justice figures show recalls outstripping releases for a second quarter.
From next year judges will be able to impose extra prison sanctions, the Government has announced. The Prison Reform Trust has questioned the evidence behind the plan.
14 shorter prison and justice stories from October 2026, gathered in one place.
Operational capacity in England and Wales has risen by 0.1 per cent under Labour, as repairs and closures took almost as many places out of use as new building added.
The men admitted taking part in a prison mutiny that the court heard cost HMP Isle of Wight £9,972.
