Prisoners were paid furlough money and bonuses when Covid lockdowns halted work
EXCLUSIVE: Inmates received payments under the furlough scheme when their jobs were suspended on health grounds at the height of the pandemic. Critics say taxpayers shouldn t have to fund criminals
Prisoners were paid furlough during the pandemic, the Daily Star Sunday can reveal (Image: In Pictures via Getty Images)
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The Howard League wants to see more use of alternatives to custody (Anthony Devlin/PA)
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The number of Scottish prisoners on remand has grown by more than a third during the pandemic due to delays in criminal trials, campaigners have warned.
The Howard League charity says the untried remand population stood at 1,293 in February 2020, and despite an initial fall it had grown to 1,753 by April 30 2021.
It means the untried remand population increased by 35.5% over the 14 months.
THE number of Scottish prisoners on remand has grown by more than a third during the pandemic due to delays in criminal trials, campaigners warned today.
The Howard League penal reform charity said that the untried remand population stood at 1,293 in February 2020 and, despite an initial fall, had grown to 1,753 by April 30 this year, up 35.5 per cent in the 14 months.
Prisoners are now spending more time on remand due to the backlog in court cases, the charity says, during which time they cannot access the same support services as convicted prisoners.
Using the social media hashtag “demand less remand,” the Howard League is campaigning for wider use of alternatives to remand, saying custody should remain for offences that are likely to attract a prison sentence on conviction.
Locked up in lockdown: the devastating effect of Covid on the prison population
18 May
Confined to their cells for 23 hours a day and curbs places on education and therapy sessions. The pandemic has taken its toll on prisoners and staff, and prompted renewed warnings that many of Britain’s jails are not fit for purpose.
One thing we have learnt about Covid-19 in the last year is that it thrives in cramped, indoor spaces – and nowhere is this more the case than among jail populations.
The statistics are stark. There were 7.6 confirmed cases of the virus per 1,000 prisoners in England and Wales during the first wave, compared to 4.9 per 1,000 in the community, according to research published in