prisons

Prisoners’ Advice Service

The Prisoners’ Advice Service (PAS) is a charity providing free legal advice regarding human and legal rights, conditions of imprisonment and the application of prison law and prison rules to adult prisoners in England and Wales. The site has information sheets covering a wide range of topics that affect prisoners, including health care, mandatory drug testing, transfers and confiscation orders along with articles and responses to consultations. There are also law guides aimed at women prisoners, and a number of self-help toolkits.

Centre for Crime and Justice Studies

Website of independent educational charity Crime and Justice Studies which is concerned with advancing public understanding of crime, criminal justice and social harm. There is information on the various projects run by the Centre along with news, comment and details of events. The Centre publishes the British Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice Matters the organisation’s newsletter. Both publications can be viewed on the site. There are also regular briefings covering topics such as criminal record checks, rough sleeping and undercover policing.

Pain Science and the Administration of Justice

Online guide looking at the study of pain and its significance for the administration of civil and criminal justice written by Ken Strutin who is Director of Legal Information Services at the New York State Defenders Association. The guide was published in June 2016 on LLRX.com. The author identifies and provides abstracts to medical and legal books, reports, guides, scholarly articles and news stories focusing on pain. Areas covered include pain management and the effects of imprisonment on pain. Links are provided to full text resources where available.

Bhatt Murphy Solicitors

Bhatt Murphy is a London-based law firm specialising in the legal protection of civil liberties. Its website includes annotated timelines, with links to legislation and official publications, covering the following areas: police misconduct; tariff-setting for life prisoners; deaths in custody; immigration detention; parole hearings; and prison discipline. It also has a news page and a set of links to civil liberties websites.

Ministère de la Justice et des Libertés

The website of the French Ministry of Justice offers an information portal on the administration and organisation of justice in France. It includes ministerial information (news, statistics, etc.), bulletins and newsletters, and many short DVDs to inform the public of its role and work. Included are presentations on the court structure in France, the juvenile justice system and the prison system. A sitemap guides users on different functions and themes. The regional section offers users information on the administration of justice in their locality.

Department of Justice and Equality

Website of the Irish Department of Justice and Equality. The site provides information about relevant legislation and law reform work, including the criminal law codification initiative. There are also outlines of Irish law and policy on a range of topics covered by the Department; the Courts Policy page includes information about legal aid. The Publications section of the site provides annual reports, policy reports, bills, legislation and other materials. Statistics, a collection of official forms and information about consultations are also available.

The Guantanamo Docket

This New York Times site provides access to documents and research relating to detainees held at Guantanamo Bay since 2002. There is a short profile of each detainee and full text documents from the Combatant Status Review Board and the Administrative Review Board. Other information includes details of the countries detainees have been transferred to and a chronology of arrivals, transfers and deaths. This is a joint project between the New York Times and the National Public Radio (NPR).

HM Inspectorate of Prisons

This site provides access to the full-text of all HMIP reports issued from 1998 onwards. They are arranged alphabetically by name of establishment and include women's prisons and detention centres for juvenile offenders. Each report provides statistics on the number of prison inmates, details on the management of the prison and assessment by the inspectors of such factors as atmosphere, staffing levels and provision for health care and education. Reports often contain criticisms of the prisons and recommendations for future action.

Independent Monitoring Board

Website of the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB). The IMB are unpaid members of the public appointed by the British Home Office to monitor conditions inside prisons, remand centres and immigration detention centres. The site provides information on the aims, role and activities of the boards one of which is attached to each prison and immigration centre There are annual reports and other reports on issues such as conditions for asylum seekers at immigration detention removal centres and slopping out.

Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales (PPO) responds to complaints about conditions and treatment from prisoners and people subjected to probation orders. Its website provides information on the function and current activities of the ombudsman. It includes access to recent annual reports, case digest newsletters, fatal incident reports, special investigation reports and surveys and research reports. Also provided is user information on how to file a complaint and a listing of related internet sites on the topic of prisons.

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