Forward’s second media breakfast: the prison crisis – under the spotlight

This roundtable looked at the prison crisis that has been in the news so much lately – the overcrowding and poor regime challenges inherited by the Labour government, and how they are handling these challenges.  

We were delighted to be joined on the panel by Rt Hon David Gauke, who recently chaired the government’s Independent Review of Sentencing Policy, Pia Sinha – Director of the Prison Reform Trust, Natasha Porter – Founder and CEO of Unlocked Graduates, and Forward ambassador Lindsey Harrison and Trustee Ivor McKay.  

Mr Gauke introduced the discussion by setting out the findings from the review, including the reasons behind the growth in the prison population and the failure to maintain sufficient resourcing, staffing, and control in prisons over a crucial decade. 

The recent publication of the review prompted the usual political exchanges between ‘prison works’ and ‘rehabilitation reduces crime’ points of view, but we used the media breakfast to get behind the headlines with journalists to examine the real practical challenges facing Justice Ministers – and the potential for widespread reform after the government accepted almost all the report’s recommendations. 

While 90 minutes over breakfast did not do full justice to this complex topic, a diverse group of senior journalists from broadcast, print, and online media engaged in vibrant discussion with experts in their field and were able to explore questions more deeply than the normal interview setting. 

The third edition of our media breakfast series will follow in September and will focus on a different topic – the government’s ambition to get people on health-related benefits back to work.  

For further information about our media work, please contact: fiona.mcdonald@forwardtrust.org.uk (07485 315614).