@UKLabour MP for Derby North. Chair of @UKParliament's Justice Select Committee @HoCcommitteesUK.
East Midlands
Joined August 2010
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Better education in prison can mean less crime and fewer victims.
But in some prisons, teaching hours have been cut in half.
Today I asked how the Government will make sure people leave prison with the skills to find work and break the cycle of crime.
As Justice Select Committee Chair, I won’t hold back from asking the questions our justice system needs answered.
But it felt only fair to answer a few myself, too…
Meet the new Chair of the Justice Committee, Catherine Atkinson MP @catkinson80.
We challenged her to a game of finish the sentence to find out more about the Committee's work.
The Budget backs Derby with £2.5 billion for the next generation of Rolls-Royce engines.
But we also need investment in justice. With 1,000 people leaving prison homeless every month, ending rough sleeping and breaking the cycle of reoffending must go hand in hand.
Victims should not have to make their lives smaller. It is offenders whose freedom should be restricted.
My question to the Prisons Minister today:
A stable home on release helps prevent further crime and means fewer victims.
Yet around 1,000 people a month left prison homeless last year.
Today, I pressed the Government to use the new £432 million rough sleeping funding to break that cycle and make our communities safer.
My first “Order, order!” as Justice Select Committee Chair and plenty happening across the city - including some very big news for Derby.
Here’s a look at what I’ve been up to 👇
Working full-time on minimum wage can leave you earning too much for legal aid, yet unable to afford a lawyer.
I’ve tabled an amendment to raise legal aid thresholds before more cases move to magistrates’ courts. Your access to justice shouldn’t depend on your bank balance.
.@UKLabour is giving breathing space now and hope for the future:
🚌The £2 bus fare cap
⚡VAT off electricity bills this winter
🏠A route to a first home with a 2.5% deposit
🏬Funding to revive derelict high street buildings
🍻Business rates relief for pubs, clubs & music venues.
Really enjoyed meeting law students at the @DerbyUni Freshers’ Fair. After 17 years as a barrister, it took me back to when I was starting out. That’s why I wanted to turn a false story about my education into some support for local state-school students following the same path.
Giving every Crown Court in England and Wales a dedicated rape and serious sexual offences courtroom is a real step forward.
I spoke about it during Radio 4's Westminster Hour.
Listen here 👇
What does chairing the Justice Select Committee actually mean?
I spoke to @BBCDerby about asking the difficult questions, holding the Government to account and working to improve our courts, prisons, probation and access to justice - all whilst continuing to put Derby first.
Government is deporting more foreign national offenders - and rightly so. Receiving countries must have the information to manage serious offenders and protect victims from harm.
In my first question as Justice Committee Chair, I pressed Ministers on how they’ll deliver that.
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My state school education gave me the opportunity to become a barrister.
Now, a false media story about that education will help Derby students follow the same path.
Our justice system is stronger when talent from every background can be part of it.
theguardian.com/education/20…
Rehabilitation is part of making punishment work.
At HMP Foston Hall, I saw women learning catering skills to help them find work and build a life without crime after release.
Giving more people that route out of reoffending helps make our communities safer.
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Court decisions about a child’s contact with a parent need the right support to work well.
I visited Derby Child Contact Centre to learn how its volunteers help put those decisions into practice, providing a safe setting with children’s wellbeing at its heart.
At HMP Foston Hall, I saw women learning catering skills with a clear route in mind: training in prison, then work on release.
That pathway can help cut reoffending, mean fewer future victims and save the public the cost of people cycling back through the system.
