Published by The Independent (12th October, 2015) Shortly after the Conservatives won their unexpected victory in the general election, I asked a Downing Street aide what he thought […]
Crime / Policy / Politics / United States / World
Has a Texan gangster persuaded Gove to reform our jails?
Published by The Mail on Sunday (13th October, 2015) Alfred Adams admits that he was a menace to society: a cocaine-addicted gangster who did anything to feed his […]
Economics / Politics / United States / World
Forget the stereotypes – Britain could learn a lot from Texas
Published by The Independent (28th September, 2015) Texas has always divided opinions. It prides itself on being the best, brashest and most bloody-minded slice of America, a cowboy […]
United States / World
A broken system, angry electorate and uncertain future
Published by The Independent (21st September, 2015) I met Christopher last week in a café in central Texas, a smart young man with unfulfilled ambitions. ‘I’m basically a […]
Crime / Policy / Politics / United States / World
Could Michael Gove become a liberal hero by reforming prisons?
Published by The Guardian (20th May, 2015) The appointment of Michael Gove as justice secretary was among the more interesting appointments in David Cameron’s first all-Conservative cabinet. Attention […]
Crime / Policy / Politics
One step forward on probation, then one giant step back on jails
Published in The Guardian (January 11th, 2013) According to the latest figures there are 83,632 locked up in English and Welsh prisons. This is an obscenely large number […]
Crime / Policy / United States / World
The tough-on-crime Texan judge closing down jails
Published in The Observer (September 30th, 2012) The motley gaggle of miscreants shuffles into the court, lining up silently in three rows on the benches. There are some […]
Crime / Policy / United States / World
Oddly, Texas can teach the UK a thing or two on criminal justice
Published in The Guardian (November 21st, 2011) Hang ’em high Texas is not the first place you might look for lessons in criminal justice. The lone star state […]