Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Meet the author: Ian Acheson on Screwed: Britain’s prison crisis and how to escape it
#PrisonReform
#UKPrisons
#criminaljusticesystem
This video was filmed and edited by WORLDwrite volunteers attending the Battle of Ideas Festival 24. These are the introductory speeches only. To avoid duplication, the full debate will feature on the Academy of Ideas YouTube channel shortly.
Under emergency plans, thousands of prisoners are due to get early release. Indeed, more broadly, the criminal-justice system has been under intense strain for more than a decade. Court backlogs have raised the number of prisoners on remand. The parlous state of probation services has led officials to claim understaffing is undermining probation workers’ efforts to keep the public safe – and has even been used as an excuse by Labour to refuse the release of prisoners serving imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences, a punishment sentence abolished over 10 years ago.
This has all come as no surprise to Ian Acheson, who had spent years warning of the disasters to come. In his book Screwed, he tells the inside story of the collapse of His Majesty’s Prison Service, told from a front-row seat to it all. Acheson went from officer to governor in less than a decade, and during that time he witnessed the uniformed organisation he was proud to serve crumble into lethal disarray.
The speakers on this panel are:
Professor Ian Acheson - senior advisor, Counter Extremism Project; visiting professor, school of law, policing and forensics, University of Staffordshire; author, Screwed: Britain’s prison crisis and how to escape it
Jonathan Floyd - director, Inside Job
Faith Spear FRSA - lead author, The Criminal Justice Blog; prison-reform advocate; criminal-justice system commentator; criminologist
The chair is:
Geoff Kidder - director, membership and events, Academy of Ideas; convenor, AoI Book Club
WORLDwrite volunteers filmed over 40 sessions at the Battle of Ideas 24. To edit, sound clean and prepare these videos for the Academy & WORLDwrite channels, takes at least 2 days each. With no paid staff the charity needs your help to keep its edit suites switched on. Please chip in if you can by visiting the charity's JustGiving page at justgiving.com/campaign/worldwriteis30
Thank You.
Meet the author: Ian Acheson on Screwed: Britain’s prison crisis and how to escape it
#PrisonReform
#UKPrisons
#criminaljusticesystem
This video was filmed and edited by WORLDwrite volunteers attending the Battle of Ideas Festival 24. These are the introductory speeches only. To avoid duplication, the full debate will feature on the Academy of Ideas YouTube channel shortly.
Under emergency plans, thousands of prisoners are due to get early release. Indeed, more broadly, the criminal-justice system has been under intense strain for more than a decade. Court backlogs have raised the number of prisoners on remand. The parlous state of probation services has led officials to claim understaffing is undermining probation workers’ efforts to keep the public safe – and has even been used as an excuse by Labour to refuse the release of prisoners serving imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences, a punishment sentence abolished over 10 years ago.
This has all come as no surprise to Ian Acheson, who had spent years warning of the disasters to come. In his book Screwed, he tells the inside story of the collapse of His Majesty’s Prison Service, told from a front-row seat to it all. Acheson went from officer to governor in less than a decade, and during that time he witnessed the uniformed organisation he was proud to serve crumble into lethal disarray.
The speakers on this panel are:
Professor Ian Acheson - senior advisor, Counter Extremism Project; visiting professor, school of law, policing and forensics, University of Staffordshire; author, Screwed: Britain’s prison crisis and how to escape it
Jonathan Floyd - director, Inside Job
Faith Spear FRSA - lead author, The Criminal Justice Blog; prison-reform advocate; criminal-justice system commentator; criminologist
The chair is:
Geoff Kidder - director, membership and events, Academy of Ideas; convenor, AoI Book Club
WORLDwrite volunteers filmed over 40 sessions at the Battle of Ideas 24. To edit, sound clean and prepare these videos for the Academy & WORLDwrite channels, takes at least 2 days each. With no paid staff the charity needs your help to keep its edit suites switched on. Please chip in if you can by visiting the charity's JustGiving page at justgiving.com/campaign/worldwriteis30
Thank You.
