Professional angel investor, speaker and business mentor Mark Lyttleton is a long-time supporter of the Prison Reform Trust. The embedded infographic contains statistics about the UK prison population.
Mark Day serves as the Prison Reform Trust’s Head of Policy and Communications. In an article published on the Prison Reform Trust website on 8th November 2022, he outlined how the organisation sought to impact on criminal justice policy. Mr Day explained that as a small independent UK charity, the Trust has no formal powers to dictate government policy but instead has a less direct influence. While maintaining its independence, the Prison Reform Trust works alongside the Prison Service, maintaining close links with government departments.
Every five years, the Prison Reform Trust reviews its strategic plan, which sets out the Trust’s core values and methods of working. In reviewing its strategic plan, the Trust consults with stakeholders, including people in the UK prison system, in order to identify its key objectives.
Current priorities for the Prison Reform Trust include bringing an end to the indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection; improving living conditions for the longest serving prisoners; ensuring a fair and effective parole system; and improving prisoners’ access to in-cell technology and the internet. The embedded video provides further information about the Prison Reform Trust’s research on the use of technology in prisons.
An independent UK charity created to ensure that the country’s penal system is humane, effective and just, the Prison Reform Trust was founded in 1981. The organisation was founded to influence and inform public debate on the treatment of prisoners and prison conditions. The Trust was established against the backdrop of public concerns over predictions of the UK prison population reaching 48,000 by 1984.
Although the Prison Reform Trust maintains close links with the Ministry of Justice, Home Office, Treasury, Cabinet Office, Department of Children, Schools and Families, and the Department of Health, the Trust does not seek or accept government funding, ensuring its independence. The Prison Reform Trust takes a strategic approach, determining priorities, seizing opportunities and responding to events.
With the prison population in England and Wales predicted to reach 86,400 by 2023, the work of the Prison Reform Trust is more important than ever. The Trust is committed to improving conditions and treatment of prisoners and their families; reducing unnecessary imprisonment; and promoting human rights and equality in the criminal justice system. If you are interested in learning more about the work of the Prison Reform Trust, the embedded PDF provides further details.