PRT is delighted to announce that its former director Juliet Lyon this evening received the highly prestigious lifetime achievement award from the Longford Trust. The citation for the award reads: In a lifetime of commitment to those on the margins of society—in mental health, managing the Richmond Fellowship therapeutic communities; in education as head of a psychiatric unit school; and from 2000 until 2016 as director of the Prison Reform Trust—Juliet Lyon has always combined passion with powerful advocacy, rooted in a peerless command of her subject and hands-on experience.  A natural leader, and an innovative, irresistible campaigner, she has played a crucial role in improving the lives of many, most notably female and young offenders. She is, in the world of prison reform, a national treasure.

Commenting on the award, Peter Dawson, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, said:

“This is richly deserved recognition of an extraordinary contribution to civic society, and to prison reform in particular. I am acutely conscious of the extraordinary legacy Juliet has left to PRT, in its reputation, its supporters, its staff and associates. Juliet’s contribution to prison reform continues, of course, but everyone at PRT is delighted that the end of her time with the trust has been marked in this way.”

James Timpson, Chair of the Prison Reform Trust, said:

“This award is a testament to Juliet’s important legacy to the Trust and her wider contribution to the cause of prison reform. Even in the short time our paths crossed at PRT, her knowledge and influence and the high regard in which she is placed by colleagues and the wider sector were immediately apparent. This is well deserved recognition of a lifetime’s commitment to positive change for people in prison.”

Juliet Lyon said:

“Everyone involved in prison reform, and there are many of us inside and outside the system, knows that it is hard to achieve lasting change. And until, and unless, prison is reserved as a place of last resort, rather than used as a warehouse for vulnerable people who need not be there, efforts to effect reform will always feel like pushing a boulder uphill.

“Looking back on my years at PRT, I am really proud of what we, staff, volunteers, supporters and trustees managed to achieve together. And, looking forward, really confident that PRT can achieve so much more. So do I miss working for such a good charity? – no it was time to hand on the baton. Do I miss PRT friends and colleagues?—hugely!”

August is a good time to take over, with new ministers away and a little time to take stock. But the autumn promises to be very busy as what is effectively a new government decides its priorities and works out what it can afford. We need to make sure that prison reform stays amongst those priorities. There have been encouraging signs from the new Secretary of State for Justice, Liz Truss, that it will and that she understands how reform absolutely requires safety in prisons as its foundation. It’s also encouraging to hear Theresa May choosing to highlight the unequal treatment of young black men in the criminal justice system in her very first public statement as Prime Minister.

A lot of people have been asking me what my vision is for PRT—including the charity’s trustees when they selected me for this role. The truth is that I have a vision for prisons rather than for PRT. It rests on PRT’s two very long standing objectives—to reduce the unnecessary use of imprisonment and to improve conditions for prisoners and their families. When I was preparing to train as a governor after a career in Whitehall, the then Director General of the prison service told me that it was important to spend three months as an officer on the landings “to understand the full awfulness of prison”. He was right, and the only certain way to reduce the waste and misery of imprisonment is to use it less. But at the same time we should be hugely more ambitious as a country about what we expect life in prison to be like and the opportunity it gives to people never to return there.

Fundamentally, the best test for what prison should be like is that it should be normal. The question should always be, “is there any reason why this needs to be different from what life is like in the community?” That applies to rights and entitlements—like good healthcare, the opportunity to develop skills, to have a say over the things that affect you. But it also applies to responsibilities—to contribute to the community of which you are part while in prison, to be a good parent, son or daughter, to make amends for the harm you have caused.

So my vision for imprisonment is that we should see it for what it is for the vast majority of prisoners—a temporary interruption to their life in a community to which they will return. As fellow citizens, we should expect that experience to be intense and full of purpose, fundamentally connected to the world outside prison and governed by the rights and responsibilities it confers on all of us.

Trustees of the Prison Reform Trust (PRT) are delighted to announce the appointment of its new director, Peter Dawson. Peter is currently deputy director of PRT and is only the third director to be appointed in the history of the organisation.

Peter has spent the majority of his career in government and the prison service. He was Governor of HMP Downview and HMP High Down between 2005 and 2012. Before joining PRT in 2015, Peter also worked in the private sector for Sodexo Justice Services.

Peter takes over from the current director Juliet Lyon on 8 August. His appointment, warmly welcomed by Juliet and the PRT team, comes at a crucial time for prison reform – when prospects for reform are good but the state of our prisons is bleak. Both the Secretary of State for Justice, Michael Gove, and the Prime Minister, have committed themselves to a bold programme of prison reform as a high priority for government as a whole. At the same time, the overall state of our prisons is grim, with indicators revealing shocking levels of violence and self-harm; a steep rise in natural and self-inflicted deaths; and declining rates of purposeful activity.

PRT is a small independent charity with a strong track record of driving policy and practice change.  It was founded in 1981 to inform public debate and improve prison conditions and the treatment of prisoners, amidst concerns about a projected prison population of 48,000 by 1984. With the prison population in England and Wales exceeding 84,000, the charity remains as important to civic society today as it was then.

Commenting on his appointment as director, Peter Dawson said:

“I could not be prouder to be selected as only the third director in the Prison Reform Trust’s 35 year history. Juliet Lyon leaves a legacy of a highly respected organisation staffed by tremendous people, with knowledgeable, committed supporters. But, despite gains made, whether you live or work in prison, things have rarely been tougher than they are now. Reform is urgent, and it is our job to make sure the Government’s fine words turn into reality.”

PRT chair, James Timpson, said:

“Peter’s clear vision for the charity, and his knowledge and experience of the justice system, marked him out, among a strong field of candidates, as the person with the qualities and skills to lead the organisation into a new period for prison reform. His appointment signals a step change for PRT as we gear up, not only to improve treatment and conditions in our overcrowded prisons, but also to reduce any needless use of imprisonment and its social and economic costs.”