The Longford Prize
Encyclopedia
The Longford Prize is an annual award presented to an organisation or individual working in the field of social or penal reform. It began in 2001 and is named in memory of Lord Longford
, a British
Labour Party
politician
and penal reform campaigner.
The Longford Prize is awarded annually by a prize committee on behalf of the trustees and patrons of the Frank Longford Charitable Trust. It is sponsored by The Independent
newspaper and organised in association with the Prison Reform Trust
. It recognises the contribution of an individual, group or organisation working in the area of penal or social reform who/which has shown outstanding qualities of humanity, courage, persistence and originality. The Prize is usually presented at the Trust's annual Longford Lecture.
Lord Longford's daughter, and judges include David Ramsbotham (formerly Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
), Juliet Lyon
(Director of the Prison Reform Trust
), Sir Peter Lloyd
(former Minister for Prisons), and Peter Stanford
(Director of the Frank Longford Charitable Trust). Former Prize Winners also often sit on the judging panel.
, a UK charity which supports Britons who are imprisoned overseas. The judges praised "its courage, persistence and humanity, over almost three decades, sometimes in the face of public and official indifference and even hostility". Special mention was also made to two other entries: The Forgiveness Project; and Joe Baden and the Open Book Project.
In 2006 The Longford Prize was given to FPWP Hibiscus, a small charity, working with female foreign national prisoners. Special mentions went to Chance UK; Roma Hooper; and Lucie Russell and Smart Justice.
The 2005 prize was awarded to Steven Taylor
, Director of the Forum on Prisoner Education
. Steve had, the judges believed, succeeded in putting prison education
on the political and public agenda. They valued his expertise, his commitment, his campaigning skills and his work to build a better society.
Christopher Morgan was awarded the prize in 2004 for setting up the Shannon Trust in 1997. Its volunteers go into prisons where they train literate prisoners to teach fellow inmates who have problems reading and writing. ‘I have seen no-hopers and self harmers turn into smart, alert prisoners with self-esteem because of this scheme’, one prison governor has written.
Barbara Tudor was awarded the Longford Prize in 2003. She was nominated by an ex-prison governor and seconded by a former Chief Constable
of Thames Valley Police
, and two victims of crimes who had benefitted from her work on restorative justice. In commending Barbara Tudor’s achievements, the Longford Prize judges said that her work pointed a constructive way forward in tackling crime and represented the Probation Service at its very best.
The winner of the first Longford Prize was Audrey Edwards, in 2002. On November 27, 1994 Audrey Edwards’s mentally-ill son, Christopher was murdered in Chelmsford Prison where he was on remand. He was beaten and kicked to death by his cellmate, a paranoid schizophrenic. Audrey together with her husband Paul began a quest to find out what happened to him which has developed into a campaign to improve mental health care for offenders. She has addressed MP
s, the Church of England
General Synod and the GMC among others and in March 2002 won a landmark judgement in the European Court of Human Rights
that her son had been denied his right to life by his treatment. Audrey chairs the Essex
Restorative Justice
Group and is a member of the Churches Criminal Justice Forum. The Longford Prize judges were greatly impressed by the courage with which Audrey Edwards had moved forward from personal tragedy to focus public attention on mental health and prisons. They were impressed by her success in making the system sit up and take notice, and by her fearlessness in going against society’s current hostility to offenders to embrace ideas of restorative justice
, understanding and forgiveness. As one judge put it, she has worked to make good out of evil.
Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford
Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford KG, PC , known as the Lord Pakenham from 1945 to 1961, was a British politician, author, and social reformer...
, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and penal reform campaigner.
The Longford Prize is awarded annually by a prize committee on behalf of the trustees and patrons of the Frank Longford Charitable Trust. It is sponsored by The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
newspaper and organised in association with the Prison Reform Trust
Prison Reform Trust
The Prison Reform Trust was founded in 1981 in London, England by a small group of prison reform campaigners who were unhappy with the direction in which the Howard League for Penal Reform was heading, concentrating more on community punishments than on traditional prison reform issues...
. It recognises the contribution of an individual, group or organisation working in the area of penal or social reform who/which has shown outstanding qualities of humanity, courage, persistence and originality. The Prize is usually presented at the Trust's annual Longford Lecture.
The prize
The Longford Prize Winner is presented with a cheque for £1,000 whilst runners-up get £250. Both the winner and runners-up receive a certificate.Judges
The Prize Committee is chaired by the novelist Judith KazantzisJudith Kazantzis
-Life:She grew up in East Sussex, the daughter of Lord and Lady Longford, and sister of Antonia Fraser.She took a Modern History degree and on 22 February 1998, married lawyer and writer Irving Weinman; Harry Mathews wrote an Epithalamium for Judith Kazantzis and Irving Weinman. They have two...
Lord Longford's daughter, and judges include David Ramsbotham (formerly Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales...
), Juliet Lyon
Juliet Lyon
Juliet Lyon CBE is the director of the Prison Reform Trust.-External links:*...
(Director of the Prison Reform Trust
Prison Reform Trust
The Prison Reform Trust was founded in 1981 in London, England by a small group of prison reform campaigners who were unhappy with the direction in which the Howard League for Penal Reform was heading, concentrating more on community punishments than on traditional prison reform issues...
), Sir Peter Lloyd
Peter Lloyd (politician)
Sir Peter Robert Cable Lloyd, is a retired English Conservative Party politician.Sir Peter was Member of Parliament for Fareham in the south of England from 1979 to 2001, when he retired and was succeeded by Mark Hoban....
(former Minister for Prisons), and Peter Stanford
Peter Stanford
Peter James Stanford is an English writer, editor, journalist, and presenter. An alumnus of St Anselm's College, Birkenhead, he was the editor of The Catholic Herald, and a regular contributor to the New Statesman....
(Director of the Frank Longford Charitable Trust). Former Prize Winners also often sit on the judging panel.
Criteria
Nominations are judged on how the nominee has:- undertaken specific work in the field of social and/or community work;
- undertaken specific work in the field of penal reform, with prisoners or ex-prisoners;
- drawn attention to a particular area of human abuse, either on an individual or systemic level;
- drawn attention to a particular or general failure of social or penal provision;
- provided particularly effective ideas for reform or policy recommendations;
- acted on a specific occasion, or continuously, with outstanding courage in the area of social and penal affairs.
Past winners
The 2007 prize was awarded to Prisoners AbroadPrisoners Abroad
Prisoners Abroad is a UK-registered charity which supports British citizens who are imprisoned overseas. It also works with ex-prisoners returning to the UK and with families members and friends of those detained. The organisation aims to provide for the basic welfare needs of Britons who are held...
, a UK charity which supports Britons who are imprisoned overseas. The judges praised "its courage, persistence and humanity, over almost three decades, sometimes in the face of public and official indifference and even hostility". Special mention was also made to two other entries: The Forgiveness Project; and Joe Baden and the Open Book Project.
In 2006 The Longford Prize was given to FPWP Hibiscus, a small charity, working with female foreign national prisoners. Special mentions went to Chance UK; Roma Hooper; and Lucie Russell and Smart Justice.
The 2005 prize was awarded to Steven Taylor
Steven Taylor
Steven or Steve Taylor may refer to:*Steve Taylor American singer; keyboardist for Rogue Wave*Steven Taylor , English footballer playing for Newcastle United*Steven W...
, Director of the Forum on Prisoner Education
Forum on Prisoner Education
The Forum on Prisoner Education was a UK registered charity founded in 2000 to campaign to improve prison education in England & Wales. Its founding members included Professor David Wilson , and a manager of education at HMP Wandsworth in London....
. Steve had, the judges believed, succeeded in putting prison education
Prison education
Prison education, by Daryl Kuissi also known as Inmate Education and Correctional Education, is a very broad term that encompasses any number of educational activities occurring inside a prison. These educational activities include both vocational training and academic education...
on the political and public agenda. They valued his expertise, his commitment, his campaigning skills and his work to build a better society.
Christopher Morgan was awarded the prize in 2004 for setting up the Shannon Trust in 1997. Its volunteers go into prisons where they train literate prisoners to teach fellow inmates who have problems reading and writing. ‘I have seen no-hopers and self harmers turn into smart, alert prisoners with self-esteem because of this scheme’, one prison governor has written.
Barbara Tudor was awarded the Longford Prize in 2003. She was nominated by an ex-prison governor and seconded by a former Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
of Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
, and two victims of crimes who had benefitted from her work on restorative justice. In commending Barbara Tudor’s achievements, the Longford Prize judges said that her work pointed a constructive way forward in tackling crime and represented the Probation Service at its very best.
The winner of the first Longford Prize was Audrey Edwards, in 2002. On November 27, 1994 Audrey Edwards’s mentally-ill son, Christopher was murdered in Chelmsford Prison where he was on remand. He was beaten and kicked to death by his cellmate, a paranoid schizophrenic. Audrey together with her husband Paul began a quest to find out what happened to him which has developed into a campaign to improve mental health care for offenders. She has addressed MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
s, the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
General Synod and the GMC among others and in March 2002 won a landmark judgement in the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
that her son had been denied his right to life by his treatment. Audrey chairs the Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
Restorative Justice
Restorative justice
Restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on the needs of victims, offenders, as well as the involved community, instead of satisfying abstract legal principles or punishing the offender...
Group and is a member of the Churches Criminal Justice Forum. The Longford Prize judges were greatly impressed by the courage with which Audrey Edwards had moved forward from personal tragedy to focus public attention on mental health and prisons. They were impressed by her success in making the system sit up and take notice, and by her fearlessness in going against society’s current hostility to offenders to embrace ideas of restorative justice
Restorative justice
Restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on the needs of victims, offenders, as well as the involved community, instead of satisfying abstract legal principles or punishing the offender...
, understanding and forgiveness. As one judge put it, she has worked to make good out of evil.