This is a guest blog by David Kendall, the founder of "Penned Up" - a literary festival that takes place in prison. David started "Penned Up" because he felt people in prison were denied agency – art was done to them. The festival started in HMP Lewes in 2015, and has run programmes in Downview and Erlestoke with the latter becoming its base. The model is always a committee of prisoners working with the festival directors to put together a programme reflecting the interests and needs of its prison audience. 

The Families' Network was set up in 2023 to create a forum for voluntary organisations supporting families impacted by the criminal justice system. This blog tells the story of the Network so far and looks ahead to its future.

Jon Collins, Chief Executive of the Prisoners' Education Trust, has written this guest blog on how to make a success of the 'earned progression' model recommended in the Independent Sentencing Review.

The publication of this week's annual report from the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, lays bare the scale of the challenge currently facing our prison system. Prisons are overcrowded and understaffed, significantly curtailing rehabilitative activity and the provision of essential support.