Is Robert Jenrick undermining democracy? thecritic.co.uk/why-jenrick-...

The POA chief is far more progressive than I expected www.spectator.co.uk/article/head...

England now has a blasphemy law www.spectator.co.uk/article/engl...

Beards are laden with meaning. What does Tommy Robinson’s tell us? www.spectator.co.uk/article/tomm...

What does the Sentencing Review mean for victims of domestic violence? www.thetimes.com/uk/law/artic...

So in all the noise and bluster, what’s the key takeaway from the sentencing review and gov’s reforms? There’s a lot to like in the proposals — but the gov risks shooting itself in the foot through key omissions to look ‘tough on crime’ 🧵 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/sent...

The Sentencing Review - more complex than the headlines. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

🚨SPECIAL EPISODE🚨 Does equality before the law mean treating everyone the same? Sonya Ruparel & @shipleywrites.bsky.social discuss the fiery debate between the Lord Chancellor & Sentencing Council over how judges should consider cases involving minoritized communities 🎧Listen now: pod.fo/e/2c65b4

I'm writing a piece about DBS / criminal records reform - I would love to speak with anyone who has missed out on a job because of an old / irrelevant conviction which showed up on a DBS.

This weekend @thetimes.com is free to read, so why not check out mine and @mattdathan.bsky.social’s investigation into the suspension and subsequent sacking of the Deputy Governor of Wandsworth prison. www.thetimes.com/uk/law/artic...

I was a prisoner at Wandsworth. At this point I was coping. I’d got a job in the library, had a reasonable amount of time out of my cell and was optimistic about moving to an open prison soon.

Sorry guys it’s over for me. I heard someone describe instagram as “old people TikTok today”

Nature is healing www.ft.com/content/06b0...

Every time the satnav says “bear left” or “bear right” I say “oh! Look out for a bear” even if I’m the only one in the car

The prison system has a dark secret shipleywrites.substack.com/p/moral-rot?...

I wrote about the government's interest in the 'Texas model' shipleywrites.substack.com/p/the-texas-...

I would love to write a piece about why Ged’s journey in A Wizard of Earthsea is like my prison journey.

Any lawyers able to speak to me about harassment law? For a piece I’m writing today.

A very distressing C4 report tonight on pregnant women prisoners being handcuffed during childbirth, despite it being against MoJ policy. Those policies aren’t worth the paper they’re written on — the only way to keep pregnant women safe is to stop sending them to prison.

Is another prison capacity crisis round the corner? There are actually reasons to be hopeful. www.spectator.co.uk/article/labo...

I’ve noticed that when my AirPods are on noise cancelling mode the space I’m in feels smaller, while the opposite is true on transparency mode. I presume there’s some subconscious process of echolocation going on?

I made a grave error on The Other Place. Posted something about having a crap time at school (I went to an especially unpleasant and ‘traditional’ prep school) and somehow I’ve awakened a lot of Americans arguing about homeschooling.

I’ve given myself a ‘court week’ ahead. Attending an inquest into the death of a Wandsworth prisoner tomorrow, and then supporting a friend at his sentencing on Tuesday. Haven’t been inside a court since my own sentencing, so it’ll be interesting to see what it brings up.

I think about this a lot

This week the Times published mine and @mattdathan.bsky.social’s investigation into a sacked prison governor and a disappearing police investigation. If you’re interested in more about this, I published a Substack post - open.substack.com/pub/shipleyw...

Prison changed my relationship with rain. After all those long months of Covid lockdown, barely seeing the sky, I now find myself grateful for the cloud’s soft kisses.

What does the latest 'learning review' tell us about how Prevent failed? www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-...

Excl: Major concerns about corruption in the Prison Service after the head of security at HMP Wandsworth avoided a police probe despite being sacked for breaching rules to transfer a convicted fraudster to an open jail. Investigation by @shipleywrites.bsky.social: www.thetimes.com/article/7182...

And it’s live - fears of a cover-up after the dismissal of a governor at HMP Wandsworth www.thetimes.com/uk/law/artic...

Watch this space. I’ve been investigating a really disturbing prison story since last spring. It will be published tonight.

The Prevent review of the Southport killer makes strange reading

Five years ago tonight I was struggling to sleep, knowing I’d be sentenced in the morning. I’ve felt bleak, fearful, on edge all day. Looked back through my journals and it’s been the same every 5th Feb since my release.

This @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social thematic report using data from 4 women's reception prisons is a shocking read, even for those who work in the sector. Prison is a very unsafe place for women. Read the report here: cloud-platform-e218f50a4812967ba1215eaecede923f.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/site...

I’m in the mood for a film about a desperate last stand against overwhelming odds. Any suggestions?

Writing a dramatic piece of investigative journalism and realised I may be channeling Heywood. @juliansimpson.bsky.social

The state-formation canon is very Western and Euro-centric, so I also tried to include correctives on the civilizational narratives embedded in it: @josephinequinn.bsky.social's How the World Made the West @hofrench.bsky.social's Born in Blackness 1/

Yesterday I taught a writing course on behalf of National Literacy Trust at HMP Guys Marsh. The men who attended were brave, creative and talented writers. I felt honoured to work with them. One man in particular shared some work about visiting his mother's grave which moved me to tears.

As Trump beckons in a new era of US imperial expansion with Greenland, I’ve been reading about empires. Where might we find today’s “divided governments, undifferentiated economies and…highly divided political loyalties”? The UK today seems like an “imperializable periphery”

No, Amazon are not to blame for Axel Rudakubana murdering three girls. www.spectator.co.uk/article/are-...

REVEALED Seven chief constables under investigation since last year…sparking claims of a “leadership crisis” Systemic issue? Or are police & crime commissioners - who must refer complaints - too trigger happy? My latest story here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01...

Looking forward to presenting my report on access to family justice for women in prison this afternoon at a webinar hosted by @familylawbar.bsky.social Association of Lawyers for Children, @thelawsociety.bsky.social. All members welcome. Report available here: www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/defaul...

Could have been worse, at least she didn’t report a lost phone as stolen.

Starmer must surely sack her now?

What are the best academic studies on what life's like for English and Welsh prisoners after release?

Our researchers are conducting a survey at HMP Parc, at the start of an inspection. If you have information about the establishment, please email: [email protected]

For those old enough to remember John Major as PM this is a very “cones hotline” policy

Having a total mental block. I read a book about a decade ago which was a history of empire as an organising form. What book / author am I thinking of?

I would like to speak to a lawyer who can talk about misconduct in public office