NCJ Number
81978
Date Published
Unknown
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This 1980-81 annual report of England's Howard League for Penal Reform describes the major aspects of penal policy on which the League has worked.
Abstract
The League's work in the past year has focused on prisons, reforms in penal policy, and international dimensions of penal reform. Much attention has been given to the right of inmates to know prison rules and the fairness of particular rules, notably the censorship of inmate mail, the rule threatening an inmate with punishment for 'false and malicious' complaints, and restrictions on an inmate's revealing a complaint to any party outside the prison, even to an attorney. Excessive inmate discipline and security measures have also been a League concern in the last year. The League has drawn attention to the continuing use of body belts and ankle straps and questioned the use of prolonged isolation without bringing disciplinary charges. The League has pressed for improvements in education and libraries, visiting arrangements, prisoners' pay, the treatment of females in prison, greater community involvement in prison life, and the transfer of foreign prisoners to their own countries on request. Opposition to increasing the number of prison facilities has continued and efforts to change sentencing policy to include more noncustodial sentences have been exerted. The League's international efforts have focused on encouraging member states of the United Nations to develop alternatives to imprisonment. Working papers and other activities of the League are briefly described, and financial information is provided.