42 h. ago Tourists warned not to give in to very persuasive people who could land them in prison this summer

People jetting back to the UK are being urged to "just say no" if they are asked to put anything in their suitcases. It follows the case of former Cardiff City footballer Jay Emmanuel-Thomas who duped two people into smuggling drugs into the UK

Events

4 d. ago Prisons can’t ‘blindly submit’ to Trump’s ‘whims’ by denying gender

Reagan-appointed judge blocks prison officials from enforcing Trump’s executive order targeting trans people.

Events

5 d. ago On the right track: the record label reaching out to Cameroon’s street talent

Born in Douala prison and hailed for helping young people stay out of trouble, the success of Jail Time Records has persuaded Burkina Faso to let the label branch out thereIt does not take long for a crowd to gather when the Jail Time Records van pulls up to the kerb and starts blasting music in Cameroon’s port city, Douala. Set up not just to play music but as a mobile recording studio, too, the van passes through the city’s poorer neighbourhoods, offering the microphone to Douala’s aspiring but unguided young musicians.The goal is to scout for new talent while also helping out young people in areas plagued by drugs and crime. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago ‘People think prison is for rehabilitation. It is all lies’: could community service work better than jail?

Colombia has seen a surge in the number of female inmates – many poor, from rural areas and convicted of drug offences. Now a radical scheme could release thousands to support their familiesThe baby calls out, reaching towards a metal detector security gate. “Mama, mama,” she says. A prison officer waves her through. It’s visiting time at El Buen Pastor prison, Colombia’s largest detention centre for women. Behind the black door, half a dozen women wait anxiously. Dressed in her best clothes, the mother folds herself around the child.Inside, the prison is crumbling. Black mould creeps up the walls; broken windows have been replaced with plastic sheets. Inmates say five to six people share cells built for two. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago ‘The statistics are bad but we’re proud to be from here’: Life in Greater Manchester’s most deprived neighbourhood

Coldhurst is often cited as a regional and national hotspot for some unflattering statistics - most recently regarding child poverty. But peel back the layers and you’ll find a community working to replace lost public services so desperately needed.

Politics

7 d. ago UK vape ban could see people fined £200 and given possible prison sentences

Single-use vapes will be banned from shop shelves from Sunday

Events

1 week ago Lanarkshire Armed Services Advice supporting veterans in local community

The LASA has announced that, with the generous support of the Veterans Foundation, it will successfully continue to deliver its specialist services to the Armed Forces community in Lanarkshire.

Events

1 week ago 'Lifeline' bus route quickly brought back to life after getting axed

The service cancellation sparked uproar in the local community

Politics

2 w. ago Critics say the movement to defund the police failed. But Austin and Seattle are seeing progress

The rallying cry from 2020 Black Lives Matter protests pushed some US cities to divert money towards housing and community servicesAfter George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, protesters who swarmed the streets across the US shouted the refrain: “Defund the police.” An idea that was once viewed as radical – to redirect money from law enforcement to other city departments and social services – became a rallying cry overnight.As a result of continued pressure, dozens of jurisdictions throughout the nation promised to reduce their police budgets. While most of them backtracked and increased law enforcement funding in the next year or two, several cities changed policies or added new public safety and homeless services departments. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago "Beast!"Top Scots golf caddie heckled at court after filthy texts to schoolgirl

Daniel Mulvey, 35, who met his 14 year old victim in the street after a TRNSMT concert in Glasgow and later said he would have sex with her was given 150 hours community service at the city's sheriff court today.

Events

2 w. ago Voices: Everyone wants prison reformed – even Reform. Labour must be bold

There is widespread public support, even among Nigel Farage’s supporters, for increasing community sentences for non-violent crime, writes Andrea Coomber, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform

Events

2 w. ago Arrest warrant issued by judge for budding jockey 'in hiding' over drug debt

Oran Brown, from Co Donegal, was a licensed amateur rider based in Gloucestershire until last year but is being sought after failing to complete a community service order

Events

2 w. ago Charity staff ‘gobsmacked’ after significant donation from Duke of Sussex

Nottingham-based Himmah, which provides food bank and other community services, said the undisclosed sum will help vulnerable people in need.

Politics

2 w. ago Deaf Services Lanarkshire secure right to own and manage Shawhead Community Centre

Move follows organisation's successful Community Asset Transfer application.

Politics

2 w. ago ‘I think of those I left behind in prison’: Iran’s Jafar Panahi on life as a banned film

He’s been jailed, gone on hunger strike and been forced to sell his house for bail. In his first newspaper interview for 15 years, the great director explains why every film is worth the consequencesIn February 2023 Jafar Panahi walked free from Iran’s Evin prison after nearly seven months behind bars. Friends and supporters had gathered to greet him, but the moment of release felt bittersweet and he struggled to adjust back to civilian life afterwards. In the weeks that followed he developed a habit. He’d drive his car back and forth on the road that paralleled the high prison walls, pining for those who were still inside. “These people had become my people,” he says. “I thought, ‘How could I go and leave them behind?’”Panahi makes humane, heartfelt pictures about life in Iran. He refers to these as “social films”, although this definition cuts no ice with the Iranian government, which has ruled them to be “propaganda against the system” and therefore hazardous, offensive material....

Events

2 w. ago Army veteran appeals for volunteers to help servicemen and women

An Army veteran, from South Lanarkshire, is appealing for local people to volunteer to provide vital support for the men and women who have served their country.

Politics

2 w. ago Criminals could fill potholes and clean bins under government plans

Convicts sentenced to community service could be assigned jobs by councils or ordered to work for private firms, taking on roles like stacking shelves at supermarkets

Politics

2 w. ago Warning NHS making same mistakes that led to Mid Staffs scandal as bosses ‘consider cutting hospital beds’

Community services for children and mental health support for cancer patients axed amid savings drive

Events

3 w. ago Huge cash boost for Brits in new Government clean energy pledge

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is keen to show Brits their communities will be better off under the government's clean energy plans - with millions in funding going directly to community projects and services

Politics

3 w. ago 'I spent my son's childhood in prison for a murder someone else committed'

Families of people in prison for 'joint enterprise' have come together to tell their story on stage, as part of Bradford City of Culture 2025

Events