prisons

Legitimacy and procedural justice in prisons

A functioning correctional system depends on the orderly reproduction of a stable and acceptable prison environment. The argument in this paper has two parts: first, a key factor in the social order of a prison is the legitimacy of the prison regime in the eyes of inmates; and second, the legitimacy of authorities depends in large part upon the procedural fairness with which officers treat prisoners.

User views of punishment: the comparative experience of short prison sentences and community based punishments

Scotland is currently engaged in one of the biggest penal reform projects in a generation, seeking to fundamentally change its approach to punishment, which is characterised by high use of imprisonment compared to other parts of Europe, and the use of very short prison sentences. In Scotland around three quarters of prison sentences handed down by the courts are for six months or less. But because short sentences are seen as minimally intrusive compared to long-term or life sentences, there has been, until now, little research on their effects.

Young people behaving badly (Radio 4 series: Woman's Hour)

This episode of Radio 4's Woman's Hour series looks at how we should deal with young people behaving badly. In July 2004, the Government announced its new five year plan to tackle crime. Since then there's been much talk of sweeping the streets clean of yobs and cracking down on young offenders. But what is the most effective way of dealing with bad behaviour by young people?

Tackling Drug Markets and Distribution Networks in the UK : A review of the recent literature

This summary sets out the main findings from a review of the recent literature on strategies to tackle illicit drug markets and distribution networks in the UK. The report was commissioned by the UK Drug Policy Commission and has been prepared by the Institute for Criminal Policy Research, School of Law, King’s College London. This review restricted itself to domestic measures for tackling the drugs trade.

In the dark : the mental health implications of Imprisonment for Public Protection

Imprisonment for Public Protection is an indeterminate sentence given to offenders who are categorised as 'dangerous' but whose offences do not carry a life sentence. This report presents the findings of research carried out on the mental health of IPP prisoners and makes recommendations to address problems identified.

Inside out : the case for improving mental healthcare across the criminal justice system

Report describing the obstacles to court diversion schemes for offenders with mental health problems in England and Wales and arguing that early and more structured interventions by the health care and justice systems would improve care and reduce the cost of crime. It identifies examples of good practice in this area in England and Wales and points to the potential of a new model in mental health courts.