Switalskis Solicitors can provide advice and assistance in all areas of prison law. Our prison law team brings together specialist prison law expertise with senior practitioners in the fields of criminal law, mental health law and public law, allowing us to give specialist advice on the wide variety of legal problems which prisoners may experience. Our specialist solicitors attend at prisons on an almost daily basis throughout the north of England to meet the needs of our clients and advise regarding all aspects of prison life and the difficulties that are encountered by serving prisoners.
We can offer legal advice on a wide range of issues affecting prisoners, including:
Our Prison Law Solicitors can also advise on the prison discipline system and attend adjudication hearings to represent the interests of those prisoners who have been reported for alleged breaches of prison rules. We can give specialist advice to prisoners who are seeking to progress through the prison system and to those seeking transfers throughout the prison estate.
Our team is also able to refer clients to other departments within the firm, for example our family law department, in cases where there are family issues which require legal advice.
Although the department was only set up in 2007, our specialist team of Prison Law solicitors has already made national headlines, representing Brett James, who was serving an IPP (indeterminate sentence for public protection) sentence at HMP Doncaster. In February 2008 the Court of Appeal found that the Secretary of State for Justice had acted unlawfully in denying IPP prisoners access to courses. Whilst Mr James' release was delayed following the appeal, the case prompted widespread debate on the rights of prisoners and calls for a review on the use of IPP sentencing. The case was heard at the House of Lords in early 2009.