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31 January 2008
Issue: 7306 / Categories: Features , Local government , Public , Procedure & practice
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The penal puzzle

The prison population currently stands at over 81,000—roughly double what it was a mere 15 years ago. On present projections, in a few years’ time it will be over 100,000.

The prison population currently stands at over 81,000—roughly double what it was a mere 15 years ago. On present projections, in a few years’ time it will be over 100,000. It was predictable therefore that one of Lord Carter’s recommendations in his recent review of prisons would be an increase in the prison building programme (see Securing the Future—Proposals for the Efficient and Sustainable Use of Custody in and , December 2007).

“Careful planning does not preclude social, economic and political pressures leading to changes”

 

His terms of reference—to consider options for improving the balance between the supply of, and demand for, prison places—were managerial, and Lord Carter is just the man for that job. He did not issue a general call for evidence nor did he publish a consultation paper. There is no mention in his

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

mfg Solicitors—Hayley Pearce & Lauren Williams

mfg Solicitors—Hayley Pearce & Lauren Williams

Law firm mfg Solicitors announces promotions at Ludlow office

Womble Bond Dickinson—Richard Sharpe

Womble Bond Dickinson—Richard Sharpe

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints partner in Leeds residential team

Brabners—six promotions

Brabners—six promotions

Brabners adds six to partnership in record year for partner promotions

NEWS
Calls to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 have been renewed, with the Bar Council arguing the current threshold criminalises children too early and risks pushing them towards lifelong offending
The legal profession's AI challenge extends far beyond fabricated case citations, according to a warning about the next phase of technological risk
Law firms should use the transition period before the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assumes anti-money laundering (AML) supervision to strengthen governance and compliance, experts have warned
Cross-border disputes increasingly demand creative approaches to gathering evidence, with litigators needing to look beyond traditional letters of request
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified the distinction between contracts of 'indefinite' and 'perpetual' duration, with potentially significant implications for commercial drafting
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