The Prison Reform Trust (PRT) was founded in 1981 in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England, by a small group of
prison reform
Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are impacted by crimes. ...
campaigners who were unhappy with the direction in which the
Howard League for Penal Reform
The Howard League for Penal Reform is a registered charity in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest penal reform organisation in the world, named after John Howard. It was founded as the Howard Association in 1866 and changed its name in 1921, ...
was heading, concentrating more on community punishments than on traditional prison reform issues. Founding members included Sir
Monty Finniston
Sir Harold Montague "Monty" Finniston FRS FRSE (15 August 1912 – 2 February 1991) was a Scottish industrialist.
Life
He was born at 26 Aikenhead Road in Govanhill, Glasgow the son of Robert Finniston. His family were of Russian Jewish origi ...
and
Veronica Linklater
Veronica Linklater, Baroness Linklater of Butterstone (15 April 1943 – 15 December 2022) was a British Liberal Democrat politician and member of the House of Lords. Her career indicates her interests in children's welfare, education and spe ...
.
PRT offers advice and information to thousands of people every year:
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
ers, their families,
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
and
probation
Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration.
In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...
staff, the
legal profession
Legal profession is a profession in which legal professionals study, develop and apply law. Usually, there is a requirement for someone choosing a career in law to first obtain a law degree or some other form of legal education.
It is difficult t ...
, students, academics and interested members of the public. PRT organise an annual lecture (delivered by
Charles Clarke
Charles Rodway Clarke (born 21 September 1950) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich South from 1997 until 2010, and served as Home Secretary from December 2004 until May 2006.
Early life
T ...
MP, Home Secretary, in 2005), and a range of conferences and seminars which attract high-profile speakers and large audiences.
The Prison Reform Trust carries out research on all aspects of prison. Recent studies include: prisoners' views on prison education, the mental health needs of women prisoners, older prisoners, prisoner councils, foreign national prisoners, prisoner votes, and a report into how sentencers make the decision to imprison offenders.
Stephen Shaw was Director of PRT from 1981 to 1999, when he became the
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
The 'Prisons and Probation Ombudsman'' (PPO) is a public body, in England and Wales, appointed by the Secretary of State for Justice to investigate complaints from prisoners, those subject to probation supervision, young people in detention (prison ...
for England and
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
.
He was succeeded as Director by
Juliet Lyon.
Sir
Monty Finniston
Sir Harold Montague "Monty" Finniston FRS FRSE (15 August 1912 – 2 February 1991) was a Scottish industrialist.
Life
He was born at 26 Aikenhead Road in Govanhill, Glasgow the son of Robert Finniston. His family were of Russian Jewish origi ...
was succeeded as Chair by the former Cabinet Minister,
Edmund Dell
Edmund Emanuel Dell (15 August 1921 – 1 November 1999) was a British politician and businessman.
Early life
Dell was born in London, the son of a Jewish manufacturer. In the Second World War he served in the Royal Artillery, reaching the r ...
, broadcaster and journalist,
Jon Snow. Lord
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, (born 8 March 1930) is a British Conservative Party politician who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1979 to 1995.
A career diplomat and political secretary to P ...
, the former
Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...
and
Foreign Secretary
The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...
, succeeded Jon Snow as PRT's fourth chair in November 1997.
Robert Fellowes, a
crossbench
A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and the Parliament of Australia. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and oppositi ...
peer, who has served as Private Secretary to
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
, and holds a senior position at
Barclays plc
Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services.
Barclays traces ...
succeeded Douglas Hurd in September 2001.
See also
*
Addaction
We Are With You (formerly known as Addaction) is a British charity founded in 1967 that supports people to make positive behavioural changes, most notably with alcohol and drug misuse, and mental health. The charity works extensively throughout ...
*
Centre for Crime and Justice Studies
The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (CCJS) is a charity based in the United Kingdom focusing on crime and the criminal justice system.Gibson, Bryan (2009)''The Pocket A-Z of Criminal Justice'' Waterside Press. p. 198. It seeks to brin ...
*
Centre for Mental Health
The Centre for Mental Health is an independent UK mental health charity. It aims to inspire hope, opportunity and a fair chance in life for people of all ages with or at risk of mental ill health. The Centre acts as a bridge between the worlds o ...
*
Centre for Social Justice
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) is an independent centre-right think tank based in the United Kingdom, co-founded in 2004 by Iain Duncan Smith, Tim Montgomerie, Mark Florman and Philippa Stroud.
Political positions
The organisation's stated ...
*
Nacro
Nacro is a social justice charity based in England and Wales, established in 1966 from the previous National Association of Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Societies, it became the largest criminal justice-related charity in England and Wales. In th ...
*
Revolving Doors Agency
Revolving Doors is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom which works across England and Wales. Through research, policy and campaigning work, the organisation aims to improve services for people with multiple needs who are in repeat co ...
References
External links
Prison Reform TrustHoward League for Penal Reform
{{Authority control
Organizations established in 1981
Prison charities based in the United Kingdom
Charities based in London
Prison reform
1981 establishments in the United Kingdom
Reform in the United Kingdom