British Academy and All Souls Forum on Imprisonment

On Thursday 29 November 2012 a Forum on Imprisonment took place at the British Academy in London. It was co-sponsored by All Souls College and by the British Academy Policy Centre, which is currently conducting a study of ‘Crime, Punishment and the Prison.’  The Forum was invitation-only, and included several members of All Souls, several members of the House of Lords, representatives of various relevant organisations, and senior civil servants from England and from Scotland. The focus of the discussion was on measures for reducing the prison population from its current level, which was argued to be very high by comparison with countries such as Germany, France and particularly the Nordic countries. Members of the Law Faculty who took part included Nicola Lacey, Roger Hood, Julian Roberts, Sir Jeremy Lever, Andrew Burrows and Andrew Ashworth. The British Academy Study Group, of which Andrew Ashworth and Nicola Lacey are members, is expected to publish a report in the new year.