Eric Allison, the late great @theguardian.com prison correspondent, went from career criminal to journalist. His work, often alongside @shattenstone.bsky.social, made a huge impact on so many issues. I've (ghost) written this attempt to sum up just some of them here ⬇️ bit.ly/EricAllison-TheSpark

This is such fantastic news and a real testament to decades of work from amazing campaigners. Finally, families will have access to legal aid when a state body is represented. Honestly I could cry finally seeing this, this will make such a huge difference to so many families.

Big news: Today government introduced the Hillsborough Law to Parliament. Now we’ve added a new session to our INQUEST Northern Conference this Thursday 18 September, with key lawyers involved in this landmark legislation. 🚨 Don’t miss this vital conversation. 🎟️ Get your tickets

Statement from the Hillsborough Law Now campaugn regarding the news that the Hillsborough Law will be introduced to Parliament on Tuesday 16 September.

Today, after decades of campaigning by the families of the 97 people unlawfully killed at the Hillsborough Football Disaster, the government will introduce the Hillsborough Law to Parliament. The families have campaigned tirelessly to ensure future families don’t face the same injustice.

Only a few spaces left for our annual INQUEST Northern Conference & Quiz to raise money for our vital work. Join us for insightful discussions on case law, the new bench book & trauma-informed practice. 📅 Thursday 18 September 🕐 12:30-17:00 (conference), 17:00-19:00 (quiz) 📍Manchester city centre

@florenceeshalomi.bsky.social has reiterated the call for the Govt. to introduce an independent National Oversight Mechanism. “It is crucial that Government is properly held to account for implementing the recommendations of the Grenfell inquiry."

Strong MP turnout for @ianbyrnemp.bsky.social Westminster Hall debate on Hillsborough Law. The Govt must enact a full Hillsborough Law - with a legal duty of candour and equality of arms. It’s not a technicality - it’s a moral imperative. Watch the full debate www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...

“The family see police legal action as a pathetic attempt to derail the Sheku Bayoh inquiry. For over a decade Sheku has been smeared, stereotyped & crim­in­alised in order to negate his right to life, but history will be on the side of Sheku." - Aamer Anwar, lawyer to Sheku's family

📢 INQUEST's @debcoles13.bsky.social, Joe Sim & @stevetombs.bsky.social respond to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood's plans for prisons. If the answer is more prisons and harsher punishments, then she, like her predecessors, is asking the wrong questions. Read our letter

A week ago, the government authorised a trial for specialist officers to use Tasers in men’s prisons. Concerningly, the trial has no end date, as it will continue to run until 'enough data has been collected to determine if they should be more widely used.’ www.gov.uk/government/n...

✨ INQUEST NEWS Read our summer newsletter for the latest updates on 🟣why families won't give up until we have a full Hillsborough Law 🟣tributes to people killed by the police across decades 🟣the campaign to remove crown immunity from prisons 🟣updates on our Unjust Deaths heritage project

Great to meet with constituent Jess alongside Deborah Coles, CEO of @inquest-org.bsky.social, to discuss the urgent need for a National Oversight Mechanism. I'm committed to working cross-party to champion this campaign to make sure recommendations are acted on.

Latest statistics show a 30% increase of deaths in prison & the highest rate of self-harm since records began. Despite this, no meaningful action is being taken to address the root cause of why deaths & self-harm are increasing in prison: an over-reliance on punishment to deal with social issues.

Legacy is at the heart of INQUEST’s recent work on heritage, archiving & memorialisation. Our working group explores how we can memorialise those killed by the state. In a new blog, Alfie Neill reflects on the group & how you can shape future projects.

Today Chris Kaba should be turning 27. Instead, he was killed by Met police in 2022. We’re bringing back a special episode of Unlawful Killing with his father, Prosper Kaba, to honour Chris and & in solidarity with his family's ongoing fight for justice. Listen & share pod.link/1717049291/e...

Today, MP Blair McDougall introduced a Bill in Parliament to remove crown immunity from prisons. Following the deaths of Katie Allan and William Lindsay in HMYOI Polmont in Scotland, he calls for accountability. INQUEST backs the move to end legal impunity for prison failures.

@hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social have issued an urgent notification to the gvmt about HMP Pentonville. They found: ⚫prisoners illegally imprisoned beyond their release date ⚫prisoners held in squalid cells for more than 22 hours a day ⚫inadequate support for prisoners at imminent risk of self-harm

Margaret Aspinall's son James was one of the 97 people unlawfully killed in the Hillsborough Football Disaster. She tells BBC Breakfast why a Hillsborough Law is needed to protect ordinary people & that she will not accept a watered down version. Watch the full interview youtu.be/egT54XwEMkA?...

It’s 20 years since Jean Charles De Menezes was killed by police at Stockwell station. Former INQUEST worker Yasmin Khan reflects on standing at his vigil all those years ago and the ripples of resistance that followed his death.

Azroy Dawes-Clarke, a 28 year old Black man, was a semi-professional football player & loving father of four. Now an inquest jury has found that inappropriate & disproportionate restraint contributed to his death at HMP Elmley. They also found a 'deeply concerning lack of care & compassion.'

With 88,000 people currently in prison in England & Wales, prisons are at 98.9% capacity. INQUEST volunteer Rebecca Gascoigne reflects on the Reviews misguided recommendations, how it seeks to extend punishment beyond prison walls & how it fails to challenge routes into the criminal justice system.

📢 @hmiprisonsnews.bsky.social latest report highlights the devastating impact of drugs in prison. We agree this is a serious & urgent issue. Between 2008-19, at least 145 people died drug-related deaths in prison. But it’s not one that can be solved with more punishment & security measures.

On Mon 30 June, a packed event at St Ethelburga’s in London examined state impunity in Britain and Northern Ireland, co-hosted by @finucanecentre.bsky.social, @cajni.bsky.social, @inquest-org.bsky.social and the International Expert Panel convened by the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights. 🧵

✨INQUEST NEWS Read our latest newsletter to find out more about 🟣Our No More Deaths campaign 🟣The ongoing fight for a Hillsborough Law 🟣Investigations into the deaths of two Black men who died following police restraint, 300 miles apart 🟣A historic trial of an NHS Trust 🟣Our third memorial banner

Brilliant to join @inquest-org.bsky.social to speak to MPs from a range of parties about the need for a National Oversight Mechanism to stop people dying preventable deaths. Lots of support for my #NoMoreDeaths Bill - I'll keep pushing for justice and accountability for deaths in state care.

Today, we remember the 6 people who died in the Lakanal House fire in 2009. We continue to call for action to be taken to remove unsafe cladding from homes and to implement recommendations to prevent the risk of future deaths.

Great meeting in Parliament today on the ongoing need for a National Oversight Mechanism. We urgently need government to set up a new independent body to ensure real change following inquests and public inquiries. #NoMoreDeaths

Passionate about social justice, collaborative creation and memorialising? Apply for a paid 3-month residency at @inquest-org.bsky.social. Explore themes of state violence, death, grief and abolition through community engagement and creative practice. buff.ly/MRZgdbL Total project fee £6,000

An Old Bailey jury found a London NHS Trust guilty of health & safety breaches in the care of 22-year-old Alice Figueiredo, an inpatient at Goodmayes hospital. Alice's death is not an isolated incident. Coroners have raised serious concerns over the deaths of 20 other patients in the last 10 years.

I would like to thank the 166 fellow parliamentarians who have supported my letter today calling on the PM to deliver ‘The Hillsborough Law’ as he promised in the 2022 & 2024 Liverpool party conferences. A watered-down replacement will not be accepted nor befitting to be called ‘Hillsborough Law'.

We welcome the amendment to the Mental Health Bill put forward by @ndironsmp.bsky.social today which calls for independent investigations after deaths in mental health detention — this is something INQUEST have long pushed for, in line with how deaths in police or prison custody are investigated.

Come & hear our Director @debcoles13.bsky.social speak alongside other instrumental human rights advocates at @finucanecentre.bsky.social 's event on state impunity & how it is resisted across Britain & Northern Ireland. Mon 30 June, 6-8pm St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation & Peace, London

@joepowell.bsky.social asked the Deputy PM whether 'alongside the Hillsborough Law, the Government will consider some independent oversight so that victims from the Post Office to Hillsborough to Grenfell know inquiry recommendations will actually lead to real change?' #NoMoreDeaths

Collateral Echoes premieres during @sheffdocfest.bsky.social 18-23 June and will remain open to the public until 13 July at Site Gallery. The exhibition blends mixed reality (XR), performance and moving image to honour those from Black and immigrant backgrounds who died after police contact.

Join us for an online discussion with bereaved families, human rights lawyers & campaigners on our latest "All or Nothing" Hillsborough Law report, & how we can make sure the Bill puts an end to the culture of cover up & denials following state failings. Register www.inquest.org.uk/Event/webina...

Th deadline closes at 1pm today!

On the 8th anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, we remember the 72 people who died on 14th June 2017 and stand alongside the Grenfell community in their calls for justice and accountability. We urge the Government to take action to achieve meaningful change. Grenfell, forever in our hearts💚

Our Director @debcoles13.bsky.social spoke to The Law Show at BBC Radio 4 about preventing avoidable deaths. Listen to the full episode: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Come and join the INQUEST team as a caseworker! The deadline closes on Monday 16 June at 1pm.

Ahead of the 8th anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, @joepowell.bsky.social reiterated the need for a Hillsborough Law and a National Oversight Mechanism to ensure meaningful change and prevention of future deaths. 📝Support the call for a National Oversight Mechanism: bit.ly/4hFxXAH

In a historic trial, a London NHS Trust and the former ward manager have today been found guilty of breaching the Health and Safety Act, following the death of 22 year old Alice Figueiredo in one of its hospitals in 2015.

Our Executive Director @debcoles13.bsky.social is part of this vital discussion on state impunity and injustice in Northern Ireland and Britain 📅 Monday 30 June 📍 St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace Venue, London (EC2N 4AG) 🎫 Register for free here: bit.ly/43EJjzS

🎨 We are looking for an Artist-in-Residence (individual/collective) for a 3-month paid residency (Sept–Dec 2025). Work with our archive + communities affected by state violence, grief & resistance. 💰 £6K + materials 📍 Hybrid: London/home/studio 🗓️ Deadline: Mon 7 July, 1pm Details 👉 bit.ly/4kWoebu

Join us for an online discussion with bereaved families, human rights lawyers & campaigners on our latest "All or Nothing" Hillsborough Law report, & how we can make sure the Bill puts an end to the culture of cover up & denials following state failings. Register www.inquest.org.uk/Event/webina...

We gave evidence to the Lampard Inquiry into the deaths of over 2,000 people in Essex mental health services. @debcoles13.bsky.social expressed our solidarity with the bereaved families that have fought tirelessly for this Inquiry. Watch the full evidence: lampardinquiry.org.uk/hearings/hea...

Godrick Osei, a 35 year old Black man, was defined by his heart, his kindness, his loyalty & his love for his family. He died in 2022 following restraint by Devon & Cornwall police. He was experiencing a mental health crisis & had called 999 seeking help. The inquest into his death continues.

✨NEW OPPORTUNITY✨ We're looking for an experienced caseworker to join our team and help us provide essential advice and support to families bereaved by deaths involving police, prisons & mental health services. Find out more & apply: www.inquest.org.uk/work-for-us

In Britain, police can attend a residential care home, pepper-spray, taser and handcuff a 92-year-old amputee in a wheelchair having a crisis, so that he dies later in hospital. And then get away with a "dehumanising, savage and entirely unnecessary use of force" www.inquest.org.uk/donald-burge...

“It is vital that when care leavers die while still effectively in the care of the state, there is proper scrutiny to prevent future deaths. The fact it took two NGOs to secure this level of scrutiny reflects a system that too often sees these deaths as inevitable." - @debcoles13.bsky.social