Government bans company from allowing charity to visit private prisons

‘A company running two private prisons was banned by the Government from inviting a penal reform charity to see the work they are doing to improve conditions behind bars.

In a bizarre move, officials at the Ministry of Justice have told G4S to retract an invitation issued to the Howard League to visit prisons run by the firm at Birmingham and Oakwood in Staffordshire.

In a letter to Frances Crook, the head of the charity the MoJ said it did not feel the visits “would be appropriate at this time” and said it had “informed G4S they should withdraw the invitation”.’

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