prison service

Theatre Nemo

Isabel McCue was inspired to set up Theatre Nemo following her son John's eight year battle with mental ill-health. Its mission is to empower people affected by mental ill-health to have better, more fulfilled lives through the creative arts.

The organisation runs projects in communities, prisons and hospitals.

Inquiry into purposeful activity in prisons (5th report, 2013 - Session 4)

The Justice Committee believes that the effective rehabilitation of offenders is vital in order to reduce crime levels, reduce the economic and social costs of crime and help create a safer Scotland. It also enables those individuals who have offended, for a variety of reasons, to choose a better life for themselves, their families and communities.

Fair access to justice? Support for vulnerable defendants in the criminal courts

Briefing paper that has been prepared for criminal justice, healthcare and legal professionals and practitioners, members of the judiciary, and local government directors of adult and children’s services and lead members in England and Wales.

It will be of particular use to those working in liaison and diversion services in England and criminal justice liaison services in Wales; magistrates; defence lawyers and court staff.

Not a marginal issue: mental health and the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland

In March 2010, Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJI) published a report into the treatment of people with mental health problems in the criminal justice system, starting with the police, moving through the prosecution to the courts and ending up with prisons and probation.

The report – while noting some excellent practice – documented a range of deficiencies with current arrangements and highlighted the enormous challenges the treatment of people with mental health issues presented to the criminal justice agencies.

The quantification of prison population projections

This article examines projections, or statistical forecasts, of prison populations from a social perspective, treating them as social actors in their own right. Linear regression – the almost universal foundation of prison population projections – is in simple terms the act of drawing a straight line through the data at an angle which best ‘fits’ the observed data, that is, what has already happened.

Evaluating the effectiveness of home detention curfew and open prison in Scotland

Home Detention Curfew (HDC) and open prison are both forms of ‘conditional liberty’, where prisoners are allowed controlled access to the community. Schemes of conditional liberty are intended to provide a gradual transition from prison to community thus facilitating a person’s reintegration. On an HDC licence, prisoners live at home but must wear an electronically monitored tag and keep to a curfew; in open prison, prisoners live at the prison but can be granted home leave and participate in activities that prepare them for release.