Prison and probation are rarely out of the news for long. On this page we round up the latest genuine stories from the national press, TV and radio that matter to prisoners, their families, and victims of crime – things like sentencing policy, prison conditions, early release, and the wider justice system.
Each story below is a short, plain-English summary with a link to the original report, so you can read the full thing and make your own mind up. These links aren’t amended or censored in any way, and the views expressed in them are neither endorsed nor denied by DoingTime – you have to make your own mind up!
This page updates automatically, with the newest story added to the top of the list below. We show the seven most recent stories – older ones drop off this list but stay live on the site if you’ve been sent a direct link.
- Prison Reform Trust: more capacity won’t fix the root problem – the Trust says the government’s building plans treat the symptoms of the prison crisis, not the causes. 2 September 2026
- Inspectors warn drugs are undermining safety at HMP Lindholme – inspectors find drug use is undermining safety at HMP Lindholme, contributing to at least one death. 1 September 2026
- New figures lay bare the scale of the IPP scandal – new figures show the scale of the IPP scandal, with ministers promising to end the sentence by 2029. 1 September 2026
- £110m more to speed up prison building programme – an extra £110m is being put into prison building, part of the largest programme since Victorian times. 1 September 2026
- Government cuts back autumn early release numbers – around 5,000 prisoners will be released early this October, fewer than first planned. 1 September 2026