Bob Turney, former prisoner who became a probation officer, has died
Bob Turney, a former prisoner who went on to work as a probation officer, has died.
Mr Turney spent 20 years in various prisons, mostly for petty offences. He had lived as a street drinker and petty thief, and many regarded him as a man with no future. He later earned a degree in Forensic Social Work.
In 1997 he qualified as a Probation Officer. He is thought to have been the first former prisoner to take on the role.
With the late Bobby Cummines OBE, he helped to found Unlock. The organisation supports former prisoners and gives them practical help.
Mr Turney also served as a patron of the Longford Trust. At the Trust’s annual lecture in 2016, Unlock received the Longford Prize for its work with former prisoners.
He also built a reputation as a writer. Waterside Press published his first book, a memoir titled ‘I’m Still Standing’, in 1997. The prison reformer Lord Longford wrote its foreword. Mr Turney later worked with Angela Devlin on ‘Going Straight: After Crime and Punishment’.
Those who knew him described a decent man who strongly supported former prisoners trying to rebuild their lives. For many who had served time, his journey from prison to the probation service offered proof that change was possible. He came to command respect across the criminal justice world.
He was a father of five and leaves his family and many friends.
Five Shotts prison officers reportedly suspended over alleged smuggling plot
Five officers at HMP Shotts are reportedly under suspension over a suspected plot to smuggle drugs and other contraband into the jail.
The allegation is that they worked with an organised crime group which planned the operation.
The Scottish Sun reported that police had searched the officers’ homes. They also searched the homes of other people suspected of involvement in the scheme. Investigators have taken the officers’ mobile phones as part of their inquiries.
According to the allegations, a local gang with members both inside and outside the prison arranged the plan. Reports have also suggested that the five took staff jobs at someone’s urging. They were allegedly already part of the criminal organisation at the time.
The Scottish Prison Service declined to discuss the case in detail. A spokesperson said: “We hold our staff to the highest standards at all times. As this matter is subject to an ongoing investigation it would be inappropriate to comment at this time.”
Stafford prisoners lift almost one and a half million kilograms for charity
Nearly 100 prisoners at HMP Stafford took on a weightlifting challenge. They raised £1,610 for the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT).
Prisoners themselves planned the day and ran the fundraising. They even arranged music and a DJ, who also acted as compere. Their goal was to lift a combined one million kilograms through bench presses and deadlifts.
The challenge lasted all day on an outdoor astroturf pitch. Organisers set up three lanes of weights and benches. Each man worked his way through his lane many times over.
The total passed one million kilograms in the early afternoon. Everyone wanted to keep going. By the finish, the men had lifted just under one and a half million kilograms. Gym officers and other staff joined in too.
Mark Capewell from PACT attended on the day. “It’s been good seeing the lads, and I’m glad they’re doing it,” he said. He thanked everyone for the money they had raised.
Custodial Manager Tom Roughton oversaw the event. He said it had impressed him. He called it a very good, well-organised effort for a good cause, and said everyone had enjoyed it.
“PACT do a great job for us here at Stafford, so it was nice to do something in return,” he said.
HMP Stafford is a category C prison for men in the West Midlands. Its last full inspection, in March 2025, rated safety and respect as good. Inspectors judged purposeful activity and preparation for release reasonably good.
Polmont prisoners reportedly made weapons in protest over cancelled activities
Staff at Polmont Young Offender Institution locked down part of the prison for several hours during a protest by prisoners. According to reports, the prisoners had armed themselves with homemade weapons. They were protesting over the cancellation of activities.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) confirmed the disturbance on 25 September. It told the Sunday Mail that staff had resolved it safely. It is understood that no other agencies took part.
The paper quoted a source who described a major incident in which staff had to lock down a large section. “The prisoners had made weapons and were not backing down,” the source said.
The same source claimed that guards had lost control before. Such situations would keep happening as long as the prison service remained underfunded, the source said.
Police were reportedly investigating the events and the circumstances behind them.
An SPS spokesperson confirmed that a protest had taken place on Friday. “The health and safety of those in our care, and our staff, was a key priority throughout,” the spokesperson said. SPS staff had brought the protest to a safe and secure end, the spokesperson added.
Alex Norris renews pledge to halve homelessness among people leaving prison
Alex Norris, the Justice Secretary, has repeated a Government promise on housing for prison leavers. He wants to halve the number who walk out of the gate with nowhere to live. He renewed the commitment in his speech to the Labour Party conference.
Mr Norris reminded delegates of an existing target. Ministers aim to cut by half the number of offenders who spend their first night after release homeless. He described those first days after release as vital to helping people return to a law-abiding life.
He linked housing directly to reoffending. “We know that offenders leaving prison homeless go on to reoffend at almost twice the rate of those with somewhere to live,” he said.
The Justice Secretary also announced a change to the way prison and probation staff find homes for people leaving custody. He said the Government would create a single digital service to identify suitable accommodation and support for prison leavers. He presented the new service as a way of modernising the methods both services use to find and secure housing.
Mr Norris then tied the work of his department to the Prime Minister’s wider aim on rough sleeping. The Prime Minister wants to end rough sleeping for good. Mr Norris called that ambition “the right one, a noble one, a Labour one”. He added that he and his department would play their part in making it a reality.
Government opens £900,000 contest for technology to stop drones over prisons
Technology companies can now compete for a share of up to £900,000. The Government wants them to trial new ways of stopping drones flying drugs into prisons.
The money will fund trials of tools that protect prison staff and cut the flow of contraband behind bars. Crime gangs are using drones to smuggle drugs into jails. Ministers have turned to industry for answers to the growing problem.
UK Research and Innovation is investing £6.5 million in the wider effort, and this contest is its next phase. The wider programme aims to develop new tools to deal with drones around prisons.
The Government ran a similar competition earlier in the year. That one, launched on 3 February 2026, had a budget of £2.86 million.
Alex Norris, the Justice Secretary, set out the plan in his speech to the Labour Party conference. He gave part of the speech to the fight against illegal drones that bring drugs and other contraband into prisons.
“Today I can announce the launch of a new ‘challenge’ to industry to ensure we have cutting-edge tech in our prisons to tackle drones,” he said.
Mr Norris described the scheme as the public sector working with private enterprise and innovation to keep people safe. He also praised frontline prison staff for their work.
In June the Government announced £35 million to tighten security at the prisons most at risk. That money paid for measures including heavy-duty window grilles, which can help stop drones delivering drugs, weapons and phones.
Prisons in England and Wales recorded 1,497 drone incidents in the year to March 2026.
The Justice Secretary also announced more ‘incentivised drug-free living’ wings. These aim to reduce demand for drugs inside prison. Twelve more wings will open, adding to the 88 that already operate across the prison estate.
Prison construction training scheme to expand to 750 prison leavers
Ministers expect 750 prison leavers to gain from a wider push to train prisoners for building jobs.
The Ministry of Justice plans to grow its Future Skills Programme in prisons. The aim is to build a stronger route from custody into work in the building trade.
Under the plans, the training and work experience on offer will match the needs of the construction sector. The plans also include new Construction Academies, each linked directly to local employers.
Firms and training providers will teach prisoners the skills the sector needs. Eligible prisoners may also gain work experience on Release on Temporary Licence. Each case will depend on a risk assessment. The scheme then aims to help them move into jobs once they leave prison.
The department cited evidence that employment lowers reoffending among former prisoners by up to nine percentage points. Six months after release, 36.5 per cent of prison leavers were in work during the year to March 2026.
Several large construction firms have already taken part in recent Ministry of Justice efforts to prepare prisoners for the industry. They include Kier, Wates Group and Amey.
Children Heard and Seen founder Sarah Burrows wins Lorraine Trailblazer award
Sarah Burrows has won the Woman of the Year Trailblazer Award from ITV’s Lorraine programme. She is the founder and chief executive of the charity Children Heard and Seen. The charity supports children and families who have a parent in prison.
Ms Burrows learned of the award on 7 October, while appearing on the live current affairs show. She had believed she was there to be filmed as an interviewee. The news came as a shock to her.
On air, she described how she started the campaign with others around her kitchen table. She used the moment to highlight the difficulties facing children whose parent is in prison.
She said every child with a parent in prison should have the offer of tailored support, if they want it. “I think children with a parent in prison are one of the most invisible groups in the country,” she said.
On 12 October, Ms Burrows collected the award at the Women of the Year Awards Ceremony. The event gave her a further chance to raise awareness of parental imprisonment.
She said she hoped the award would add to the pressure on the Government, local authorities and schools. She wants them to make sure support is available for children left in this situation.
She also called for stronger protection for children whose parent has gone to prison for domestic violence that affected their safety.
Former HMP Gartree officer jailed for six years for smuggling into the prison
A former prison officer at HMP Gartree has received a six-year prison sentence after admitting five offences linked to smuggling drugs into the jail.
Police arrested the 30-year-old in October 2022. Detectives from the Regional Prison Intelligence Unit (RPIU), part of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, then spent four years investigating his role in supplying illicit items to prisoners.
Officers searched his home and seized 13 mobile phones, five SIM cards and sweets infused with cannabis. Police believe all of these items were waiting to go into the Leicestershire prison.
His offending took place over five months, from June to October 2022. Police believe he received more than £12,000 for bringing items into the prison during that period.
In April this year he faced five charges. There was one count of misconduct in a public office. There were also two of conspiracy to supply a class B drug, and two of conspiracy to bring a list B prohibited article into prison.
At Leicester Crown Court in July, he admitted all five. Sentencing followed in September.
Detective Inspector Richard Cornell of the RPIU said the man had “abused his position of trust as a prison officer”. He said the officer had not only smuggled items into HMP Gartree but had also made money from his crimes.
Mr Cornell described the investigation as “extremely complex”. He said the man had no choice but to admit every offence once he faced the weight of evidence against him.
HMP Gartree is a category B prison for men in the East Midlands. At a full inspection in May 2023, inspectors rated safety, respect, and rehabilitation and release planning as reasonably good. They judged purposeful activity not sufficiently good.
Prison officer jailed for nine months over relationship with Long Lartin prisoner
A woman who worked as a prison officer at HMP Long Lartin has received a nine-month prison sentence. She admitted having an illicit relationship with a prisoner. She is 39 and married, and the man was 35.
Staff uncovered the relationship in October 2022, when the man threw his illegal mobile phone out of his cell window. Officers recovered the handset and found messages from her on it.
At first she denied any contact with him. In January 2023, however, a search of her own phone showed that she had saved his details under the name “ghost”. It also revealed 10,000 contacts between the pair, including intimate texts.
The man had already left prison after serving his original sentence. He received 12 months. The judge said he had instigated the relationship.
The defence told the court that the case involved no money and no illegal acts such as smuggling. The judge said that, despite this, he regarded custody as “the only appropriate sentence”.
In a separate case, a 23-year-old woman who worked as a prison officer at HMP Hull has pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office. The offence involved a relationship with a prisoner between 1 November last year and 21 January this year. She will return to court for sentencing in November. The court told her that all options “are on the table”.
HMP Long Lartin is a high-security prison for men in the West Midlands. At its last full inspection, in June 2026, inspectors judged safety, respect and purposeful activity not sufficiently good, and preparation for release reasonably good.
Families bereaved by deaths at HMP Woodhill to lead theatre event in London
Lung Theatre Group has invited people bereaved by a death in custody to an event. It will combine short films, conversation and theatre. The day takes place on Saturday 14 November at Shoreditch Town Hall in East London.
Families bereaved by self-inflicted deaths at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes will lead the event.
The programme includes an 80-minute performance of Woodhill, a play by Lung. The company built the piece from the testimony of three families. Their loved ones took their own lives at the prison between 2013 and 2018. Dancers perform on stage while the families’ own words play out. The production is currently touring the country.
The day also includes a catered lunch, and travel bursaries are on offer. More information is available from Lung Theatre.
HMP Woodhill is a high-security prison for men in the South East. Its last full inspection took place in June 2026. Safety, purposeful activity and preparation for release all received grades of poor, while respect was rated not sufficiently good.
Wandsworth gave out coats and noodles as cell temperatures fell to 12°C, monitors find
Cell temperatures at HMP Wandsworth fell as low as 12°C last winter, a prison watchdog has reported. Failures in the heating and hot water supply caused the problem.
Prison managers responded with emergency orders to help the men cope. They ordered an extra 1,500 coats, 1,000 blankets and 2,000 packets of noodles and instant soup.
The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) for the Victorian jail set out the measures in its annual report. The report covers June 2025 to May 2026. It comes as colder weather approaches once more.
According to the report, the prison officially logged last winter’s heating failures as a ‘loss of service’. The IMB warned that the problem would probably return. It said the systems needed to be fully replaced, “rather than patched up in a piecemeal manner”.
The board’s wider findings were harsh. It called Wandsworth “unsafe, overcrowded, unsanitary and squalid”. On average, a third of staff were unavailable for duty. The IMB said this badly affected every part of prison life.
Despite that criticism, the IMB described the year as one of recovery. Wandsworth had reached its lowest point in 2023 and 2024. That period saw a prisoner escape and a governor resign.
The board listed several improvements. Levels of violence fell further during the year. The Enable project, which aims to improve staff culture and behaviour, also earned a mention. Three new facilities opened as well: the Sunflower neurodiversity unit, a Scandinavian-style wing and the Nightingale health centre.
HMP Wandsworth is a category B reception prison for men in London. At its last full inspection, in August 2024, it received poor grades for safety, respect and purposeful activity. Its grade for preparation for release was not sufficiently good.
Former Guernsey prison officer given suspended sentence for indecency and firearm offences
A former prison officer at HMP Guernsey has received a suspended prison sentence for firearm and indecency offences.
The 64-year-old admitted possessing an unlicensed firearm and unsecured shotgun ammunition. A court also convicted him of five acts of indecent behaviour.
Judge Marc Davies imposed a 14-week prison term, suspended for 12 months, at the island’s Magistrates’ Court.
In passing sentence, the judge said the man had been complacent about having shotgun shells. One of them turned up in a child’s coat pocket.
A trial in September heard evidence of sexual acts by the man in various places on the island between 2021 and 2024. These included two busy local car parks.
The man claimed that others had coerced him into the public acts of indecency. The judge rejected that claim, because the acts had happened over a long period.
At trial, the man’s defence argued that his conduct did not amount to public indecency. Its case was that nobody had seen any of the acts take place. Judge Davies disagreed. He said the acts had happened at some of Guernsey’s most picturesque spots, where anybody could have come across them.
The judge said he chose a suspended sentence because of the effect that custody could have on the man’s family.
Michelle Jarman-Howe confirmed as Director General of Prisons
HM Prison and Probation Service has appointed Michelle Jarman-Howe as Director General of Prisons. She had held the role on an interim basis since June while recruitment took place.
Ms Jarman-Howe joined the Prison Service as a prison officer in 1995. She has held a range of operational leadership roles during her career, including that of prison governor.
She became a deputy director of custody in 2013. From 2019 to 2022 she served as executive director for public sector prisons south. She then worked as chief operating officer for prisons from 2022 to 2025.
In her new post she will lead prison operations in both England and Wales. The role carries the task of “supporting the delivery of safe, secure and decent prisons, protecting the public and helping to reduce reoffending”.
Ms Jarman-Howe will manage 12 directors. Her responsibilities cover around 36,000 employees and 88,000 prisoners in 105 public sector prisons. She will also oversee a budget of about £4 billion.
She said she felt honoured by the appointment. “It is a privilege to lead the Prison Service and the dedicated people who work every day to keep prisons safe and support people to turn their lives around,” she said. “I look forward to building on the progress we have made together”.
