Howard League for Penal Reform
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| Founded | 1866 |
|---|---|
| Type | Charitable organization |
| Registration no. | England and Wales: 251926 |
| Focus | Prison reform, Criminal Justice |
| Location |
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| Origins | Founded in 1866 as the John Howard Association |
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Area served
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England and Wales |
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Key people
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Frances Crook, John Howard |
| Slogan | Less Crime, Safer Communities, Fewer People in Prison. |
| Website | www |
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Formerly called
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The Howard Association (1866-1921) Penal Reform League (1907-1921) |
The Howard Association (1866-1921)
The Howard League for Penal Reform is a London-based registered charity in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest penal reform organisation in the world, named after John Howard. Founded in 1866 as the Howard Association, a merger with the Penal Reform League in 1921 created the Howard League for Penal Reform. The Howard League is independent of the United Kingdom government and is funded by voluntary donations; although it receives funding from the Legal Services Commission, this is a contractual relationship. The Howard League's Chief Executive is Frances Crook, who began as Director in 1986.
Over its 140-year history, the Howard League has had a significant impact on the development of criminal justice policy. It led the creation of various other agencies and organisations, including the Prisoners' Advice Service. It also successfully campaigned for the introduction of the victims compensation scheme.
The Howard League has mounted recent high-profile campaigns on children in prison, women prisoners, suicide and self-harm, community sentences, prison education, and young offenders.
The Howard League is a membership organisation and draws its members from all parts of society - from MPs, QCs, peers and academics, to students, prisoners and legal professionals.
A law department was set up in 2002 following the landmark victory the organisation achieved in the Children Act case. The team has evolved and now has a criminal defence (prison law) contract with the Legal Services Commission, for which it has been awarded the Quality Mark. The team provides the only dedicated legal service to young people in custody in England and Wales.
The Howard League for Penal Reform's legal team acts on behalf of young people under the age of 21 in custody. The work of The Howard League for Penal Reform's legal department has provided access to justice for many young people in custody. Not only does the team deal with treatment and conditions inside prison but has increasingly dealt with issues concerning the provision of support and accommodation for children on release from custody, enabling children to leave custody with improved lives that are far less likely to accumulate a cluster of legal problems in the future.
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Wikipedia