Building a more humane and effective response to crime. Join: https://howardleague.org/membership/ Give: http://PayPal.Me/howardleaguehttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3muytxhlnc22fHere are the 10 most overcrowded prisons in England and Wales in August. The most overcrowded prisons is Leeds. It should hold no more than 641 men, but has been cramming in 1,068. https://howardleague.org/prison-watch/08 Sep 2026 10:48 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3muytxhlnc22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3muynvwhcze27"Nearly double the number of prisoners will be released next month than previously planned under last-minute changes to Labour’s early release scheme." https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/deportation-foreign-criminals-robs-victims-justice-8ggnjxdkn 08 Sep 2026 09:00 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3muynvwhcze27https://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mux7mba2d52d"Nearly double the number of prisoners will be released next month than previously planned under last-minute changes to Labour’s early release scheme." https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/deportation-foreign-criminals-robs-victims-justice-8ggnjxdkn 07 Sep 2026 19:11 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mux7mba2d52dhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3muwr5kwphy25"Andrea Coomber, chief executive of penal reform charity the Howard League, said a genuine reduction in the number of female prisoners would be welcome, but not simply happen to free up space for men." https://ow.ly/KpXm50ZKocR07 Sep 2026 14:53 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3muwr5kwphy25https://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3muwh4hvayw2kThe prison population continues to rise. It now stands at 86,868. The prison estate should not hold more than 81,684 people, the population currently exceeds this level by 5,184. https://howardleague.org/prison-watch/07 Sep 2026 11:53 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3muwh4hvayw2khttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mupa6tkb4h2wCould you help by becoming a Howard League board member? Find out more: https://howardleague.org/about-us/vacancies/board-member-2/04 Sep 2026 15:01 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mupa6tkb4h2whttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3muor6qydhr2nOur Director of Campaigns looks at how changes to the Sentencing Act affect early release and the introduction of a new sentence progression model for most people in custody. https://howardleague.org/blog/early-release-and-the-progression-model-what-recent-changes-to-the-sentencing-act-now-mean/04 Sep 2026 10:32 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3muor6qydhr2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3muoipi7d7t2qIt's good that Andy Burnham has signalled that his government will end the long scandal of IPP sentences. Now we need to see action. Watch our Chief Executive, Andrew Coomber KC (Hon.) on Sky News, calling for more support to help people towards safe release from prison. https://ow.ly/4AMj50ZIgNa 04 Sep 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3muoipi7d7t2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mumzrunzqk2wThe independent monitoring board for England's newest prison has published its first annual report – and it makes awful reading. https://howardleague.org/news/millsike-a-prison-that-was-supposed-to-be-part-of-the-solution-has-already-become-part-of-the-problem/ 📸 Andy Aitchison03 Sep 2026 18:01 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumzrunzqk2whttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3muluuw3xly2nTolerating prison overcrowding means tolerating more crime, and more victims of crime. Watch as our Chief Executive tells Sky News that the government's decision to release fewer people early will make it harder to solve the prison capacity crisis. https://ow.ly/nANB50ZIh1W03 Sep 2026 07:00 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3muluuw3xly2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mulriwkisr2bThe prison population is rising so fast that we’re on course to run out of prison places by November. If that means more people will have to be monitored in the community, it will mean more tagging. But is everyone who is meant to be on a tag actually wearing one? https://ow.ly/s4uy50ZALeh03 Sep 2026 06:00 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mulriwkisr2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3muk45pygce2hHow can we stop drugs getting into prisons? By reducing demand for them in the first place. Watch our Chief Executive, Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), on GB News, explaining why it is important to get people out of their cells and engaged in purposeful activity.02 Sep 2026 14:05 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3muk45pygce2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3muk3uyizpv27"£8 million scheme to send 200 Albanian prisoners back to their home has seen 13 go in three years." Deportation agreements with other countries take years to arrange. This is not the way to ease pressure on our overcrowded prisons. https://ow.ly/E9e350ZEABT02 Sep 2026 14:00 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3muk3uyizpv27https://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mujsnnrhbf2zRegrettably the government has yet to come up with a plan to address overcrowding. This is the inevitable result of decades of buck-passing as successive governments have made prison sentences longer and longer without any thought for the consequences. https://ow.ly/BnCP50ZIaib02 Sep 2026 11:15 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mujsnnrhbf2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mujlx4m4fx25Prime minister to end 'injustice' of imprisonment for public protection sentences. Ministers must now begin the challenging task of putting everything in place to prepare people for release after years of unjust incarceration. This moment is long overdue. https://ow.ly/7Taj50ZIaf002 Sep 2026 09:15 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mujlx4m4fx25https://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mujkl2eaoy2g“Drugs are rife in prisons, and it is not unusual for people who were drug-free when they went in to have developed dependencies by the time they come out.” https://insidetime.org/newsround/1000-random-drug-tests-a-month-for-people-on-probation/02 Sep 2026 08:50 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mujkl2eaoy2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3muhgizjxif2n"Prisons in England and Wales are full because sentences have increased, and everybody knows this. Lord chief justices know this – four of them said it outright in a report for the Howard League two years ago – ministers know it, and anyone who can count knows it." https://ow.ly/nM5550ZHEGL01 Sep 2026 12:32 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhgizjxif2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3muhcymte532h“It will cost billions and it won’t work”: Howard League responds to government plan to speed up prison building. Read our full response here: https://howardleague.org/news/it-will-cost-billions-and-it-wont-work-howard-league-responds-to-government-plan-to-speed-up-prison-building/01 Sep 2026 11:29 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhcymte532hhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mugxbwsi242lPentonville prison has made progress since its disastrous Urgent Notification in 2025. But the prison still holds almost 300 more people than it has space for, and a third of people are still spending more than 22 hours a day locked up. Who is this helping? https://www.instagram.com/p/Dca_NazINvJ/01 Sep 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mugxbwsi242lhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mucnslmoxs25"Today’s announcement ought to be the beginning of the end of a terrible injustice..." Our response to the Prime Minister's pledge to end IPP sentences: https://howardleague.org/news/howard-league-responds-to-prime-ministers-announcement-on-sentencing/30 Aug 2026 15:00 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mucnslmoxs25https://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mu4vgyzbz62bWhat should Andy Burnham do about prisons? Watch this video for five moves the Prime Minister could make to create space in the prison system in the short term, while plans to release thousands of people at an earlier point in their sentences remain on hold. https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbc5fUhIkv7/28 Aug 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu4vgyzbz62bhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mu2j4y6zmd2u"When will the mental health team be given a telephone?" A question for the governor from the independent monitoring board at Thorn Cross prison. Read the board's annual report: https://imb.org.uk/document/thorn-cross-2025-26-annual-report/27 Aug 2026 09:15 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu2j4y6zmd2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mu2exxgbty2zDid you know that self-harm rates are eight times higher in women’s prisons than men’s? Should women with acute mental health needs be in prison? Wouldn’t it make more sense to invest in specialist healthcare instead? https://www.instagram.com/p/Db2_4tHIxzf/27 Aug 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu2exxgbty2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mtyrubqsbp2b“The history of prison-based treatment programmes in this area has proven troubled, which is both a reason for exploring alternatives but also a reason to exercise caution before expanding new approaches more widely." https://www.gbnews.com/news/prison-news-sex-offenders-drugs26 Aug 2026 16:46 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtyrubqsbp2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mtw6bklfqm2d“The history of prison-based treatment programmes in this area has proven troubled, which is both a reason for exploring alternatives but also a reason to exercise caution before expanding new approaches more widely." https://ow.ly/5ucl50ZEJSa25 Aug 2026 15:50 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtw6bklfqm2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mtvw6iuc2b2uRestricting prison visits is counter-productive. The Ministry of Justice’s own research shows that people in prison who get social visits are less likely to reoffend. So why is the MoJ planning a tweak of the rules that would mean some people get fewer visits? https://ow.ly/cUwT50ZFb9N25 Aug 2026 13:25 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtvw6iuc2b2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mtv6y7fjpu2c"Top judges call for shorter sentences to ease prison overcrowding. They say the ‘tough on crime’ policies of successive governments have led to longer jail terms that do not act as a deterrent and may even hinder rehabilitation." https://ow.ly/Z4up50ZEJEX 25 Aug 2026 06:30 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtv6y7fjpu2chttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mttktz3yfi2bThe prison population rose again this week and now stands at 86,843. This time last week there were 121 fewer people in prison. The prison estate should not hold more than 81,684 people, the population currently exceeds this level by 5,159. https://howardleague.org/prison-watch/24 Aug 2026 14:57 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mttktz3yfi2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mtthpoiv522hPentonville prison has made progress since its disastrous Urgent Notification in 2025. But the prison still holds almost 300 more people than it has space for, and a third of people are still spending more than 22 hours a day locked up. Who is this helping? www.instagram.com/p/Dca_NazINvJ/24 Aug 2026 14:01 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtthpoiv522hhttps://bsky.app/profile/thehowardleague.bsky.social/post/3mttapvo6uz2yFlaw in the IPP system: "An offender who spent nearly 18 years in prison as the result of a legal error has been freed by the Court of Appeal." https://rozenberg.substack.com/p/flaw-in-the-ipp-system24 Aug 2026 11:56 +0000at://did:plc:coqkwlbabgsshkyq3qaf72ec/app.bsky.feed.post/3mttapvo6uz2y