Ministers have swept the scandal of Chris Grayling’s failed privatisation under the Covid-19 carpet My heart jumps at the decision to renationalise probation . But will the service I once kne...
Social distancing isn’t an option – all inmates who pose no threat should be released now with money, free phones and wifi • Coronavirus – latest updates • See all our coronavirus ...
Most young people in English jails feel isolated and take drugs to deal with stress, grief and anger – it’s a ticking time-bomb Children’s jails are places we all wish didn’t exist. In ...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/07/children-prison-not-coping-nobody-care-young-people
People do not choose to end up on the streets. Only by treating them as human beings can we help to prevent it Homelessness has increased 170% since 2010 and more people are on the streets. And ...
It's perverse that Bob Ashford has to withdraw his police commissioner candidacy because of a minor offence in 1966 For young people, a criminal record is synonymous with a future without hope. ...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/09/young-people-criminal-record-life-sentence
If a person living on the streets decides to spend your money on drugs or alcohol, it's none of your business Spend any time in central London and perhaps, like me, you've noticed an increase in...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/mar/20/ok-to-give-to-homeless-drug-addicts
Despite the grand claims, all the consolidation proposals will do is change a few definitions of existing legislation Prime minister David Cameron claimed proposals in the new co-operatives bill...
https://www.theguardian.com/social-enterprise-network/2012/feb/17/why-co-operatives-bill-falls-short
Dismal reoffending rates prove that incarcerated children who want to live a 'normal' life aren't being given the support to do so Two boys died in youth custody last month. It's a reminder tha...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/feb/14/youth-custody-failing-young-people-want-change
Being a drug addict is an adult problem, yet young people desperate for treatment are being denied it because there are no facilities to help them It can cost as much as £600 a day to keep a yo...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/jan/17/treat-drug-addicted-children-as-adults
Cameron's plan to rescue troubled families from themselves is all talk and no action David Cameron's troubled families initiative is a triumph and a shame. A triumph because the rhetoric indica...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/dec/20/troubled-families-therapy-not-keyworker
Forget punitive measures, the only way to change an offender is from within, says Mark Johnson There's only one way to cut youth crime. Chucking families out of social housing because their teen...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/nov/15/mark-johnson-evicting-families-wont-cut-youth-crime
Prison is the most expensive and least effective response to social unrest. Investing in our poor young people is a cheaper and more humane reaction The Metropolitan police estimates that in a y...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/oct/18/how-to-prevent-riots
There needs to be an acceptance of risk if a truly vibrant marketplace is to be created, argues MARK JOHNSON, managing director of TPP Law A vibrant and diverse economy of public service provide...
The government has pandered to the 'howls of the tabloids' with its punitive statement on law and order. What happened to rehabilitation, especially where children are concerned? When someone wr...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/jun/28/tough-justice-fails-adults-and-children
The tough US sentencing model appeals to the vengeance-hungry British press, but rehabilitation is the key to tacking crime When the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) released figures this month compari...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/may/18/long-prison-sentences-fail-offenders-society
Angry Daily Mail readers should not define criminal justice policy. Further punishment for already abused troubled youngsters will only lead to more problems, says Mark Johnson Last week, this n...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/apr/19/appetite-revenge-offenders-will-not-cut-crime
The government's green paper is a series of modifications to our criminal justice system devised from the top down, but it's the 'minor' issues that hold the key, says Mark Johnson I recently sa...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/mar/16/breaking-the-cycle-minor-issues-strip-searches
The right to vote has little relevance to many prisoners, but a meaningful job would help change their lives The votes for prisoners debate was a circus for clowns who kept missing the point. I'...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/feb/15/employing-ex-offenders-result-worth-paying-for
Craig overcame massive emotional barriers only to find that when he was ready to do something significant, there was little chance to do so. Now he is dead The death on New Year's Day of Craig M...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/jan/18/craig-morrison-ex-offender-death
Ken Clarke has come up with some sound plans to reform the justice system. But payment by results won't work - ask those who have been inside, writes Mark Johnson Finally, someone in government ...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/dec/14/ex-offenders-ken-clarke-prison-reform