The Longford Trust
Encyclopedia
The Longford Trust is a charitable organisation that was set up in 2002 to promote social and prison reform in the UK. The Trust was set up by the friends, family and admirers of the late Lord Longford (1905–2001) to celebrate his accomplishments and to further the goals he pursued in the areas of social and prison reform. The Longford Trust organises an annual Longford Lecture on questions of social and penal reform. It also awards an annual Longford Prize to an outstanding individual or organisation working in the field of prison and social reform. The Trust also funds the Longford Scholarships for ex-prisoners who desire to rebuild their lives through education and offers financial support to Inside Time
, the national newspaper for prisoners.
sponsored by The Independent and organised in association with Prison Reform Trust
, as well as the Longford Scholarship.
and The Independent on Sunday. Past speakers have included President Mary McAleese
of Ireland, Clive Stafford Smith
, Sir Hugh Orde, Lady (Brenda) Hale
, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Lord (Ian) Blair, Cherie Booth QC, Archbishop John Sentamu
and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
and Martha Lane Fox
.
to study law after serving three years of a four and a half year prison sentence.
and organised in association with the Prison Reform Trust. The prize recognises the contribution of an individual, group or organisation working in the area of penal or social reform in showing outstanding qualities of humanity, courage, persistence and originality.
Longford Prize Winners
Inside Time
Inside Time is the only 'not for profit' national newspapers for prisoners distributed through the UK prison estate. It was launched by the New Bridge, the national charity for prisoners, in 1990 as an eight page quarterly newspaper to provide a voice for prisoners to express their views and...
, the national newspaper for prisoners.
History
The Longford Trust was established in 2002, following the death of Lord Longford, by his friends, family and admirers to celebrate his achievements and to further the goals he pursued in the fields of social and prison reform. The Longford trust is a registered charity, no 1092825. The creation of the trust spawned the annual Longford Lecture, which is sponsored by The IndependentThe 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...
sponsored by The Independent and organised in association with 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...
, as well as the Longford Scholarship.
Longford Lectures
The Longford Lecture is held annually and has been sponsored each year from its inception in 2002 by Independent Print Ltd, publishers of The IndependentThe 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...
and The Independent on Sunday. Past speakers have included President Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...
of Ireland, Clive Stafford Smith
Clive Stafford Smith
Clive Adrian Stafford Smith OBE is a British [see talk] lawyer who specialises in the areas of civil rights and the death penalty in the United States of America....
, Sir Hugh Orde, Lady (Brenda) Hale
Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond
Brenda Marjorie Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, DBE, QC, PC, FBA is a British legal academic, barrister, judge and a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom....
, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Lord (Ian) Blair, Cherie Booth QC, Archbishop John Sentamu
John Sentamu
John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu is the 97th Archbishop of York, Metropolitan of the province of York, and Primate of England. He is the second most senior cleric in the Church of England, after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.-Life and career:...
and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
and Martha Lane Fox
Martha Lane Fox
Martha Lane Fox is an English businesswoman and charity trustee, who has been engaged as a public servant chairperson on various e-commerce projects and investigations...
.
| Year | Lecturer | Lecture | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Cherie Booth | "The Law, the Victims and the Vulnerable" | The inaugural Longford Lecture at Church House, Westminster. |
| 2003 | Archbishop John Sentamu John Sentamu John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu is the 97th Archbishop of York, Metropolitan of the province of York, and Primate of England. He is the second most senior cleric in the Church of England, after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.-Life and career:... |
"Towards a Global Paradigm of Justice: Truth, Restoration and Reconciliation" | Bishop John Sentamu John Sentamu John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu is the 97th Archbishop of York, Metropolitan of the province of York, and Primate of England. He is the second most senior cleric in the Church of England, after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.-Life and career:... , the Uganda Uganda Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by... -born Anglican Bishop of Birmingham, gave the 2003 Longford Lecture. (In November 2005 he was installed as the Archbishop of York.)Introduction by Rachel Billington. |
| 2004 | Archbishop Desmond Tutu Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid... |
"The Truth and Reconciliation Process – Restorative Justice" | On 16 February 2004, at Church House, Westminster, Archbishop Desmond Tutu Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid... , the South African Nobel Peace Prize Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who... Laureate, gave the Third Longford Lecture. Introduction by Lady Antonia Fraser, writer and daughter of Lord Longford. |
| 2005 | Lady (Brenda) Hale Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond Brenda Marjorie Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, DBE, QC, PC, FBA is a British legal academic, barrister, judge and a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.... |
"The Sinners and the Sinned Against, Women in the Criminal Justice System" | On the centenary of Lord Longford's birth, Brenda Hale (Baroness Hale of Richmond), Britain's first female Law Lord, delivered the following lecture at Church House, Westminster. Lady Hale pointed out the "disproportionate increase" in the numbers of women and teenage girls in custody and call for judges to consider alternative community sentences for female offenders. Also, how recent changes made by the Government to sentencing rules could have had the perverse result of more women being sent to prison. |
| 2006 | Clive Stafford Smith Clive Stafford Smith Clive Adrian Stafford Smith OBE is a British [see talk] lawyer who specialises in the areas of civil rights and the death penalty in the United States of America.... |
"They Just Don't Get It: British Politicians and the Lessons They Learn from America" | A dual passport holder, British-born Clive Stafford Smith has represented prisoners on America's Death Row Death row Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found... and in Guantanamo Bay. He founded the charity Reprieve. |
| 2007 | President Mary McAleese of Ireland Mary McAleese Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in... |
"Changing History" | Mary McAleese, President of Ireland, gave the 2007 Longford Lecture. Introduction by Mary Kenny, journalist, author and broadcaster. |
| 2008 | One-off Debate | "We Cannot Build Our Way Out of the Prisons' Crisis" | Aa a one-off, the trustees of the Longford Trust decided the Longford Lecture should take the form of a debate, addressing widespread public concern about the state of the prison system and in particular government plans to build new large 'Titan' prisons. The motion 'We Cannot Build Our Way Out Of The Prisons' Crisis', over 500 people gathered in Church House, Westminster. |
| 2009 | Sir Hugh Orde | "War is easy. Peace is the difficult prize" | Sir Hugh Orde is the former Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and current President of the Association of Chief Police Officers. |
| 2010 | Martha Lane Fox Martha Lane Fox Martha Lane Fox is an English businesswoman and charity trustee, who has been engaged as a public servant chairperson on various e-commerce projects and investigations... |
"Views from a dot com dinosaur: why the digital disruption hasn't even started yet" | Martha Lane Fox, the government's Digital Inclusion Champion, delivered the ninth annual Longford Lecture on the e-revolution and social exclusion Church House, Westminster. |
| 2011 | Jon Snow Jon Snow Jon Snow is an English journalist and presenter, currently employed by ITN. He is best known for presenting Channel 4 News.He was Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University from 2001 to 2008.-Early life:... |
"Crime, Punishment and the Media" | The 10th anniversary of Longford lecture is chaired by Shami Chakrabarti Shami Chakrabarti Shami Chakrabarti CBE , has been the director of Liberty, a British pressure group, since September 2003. Chakrabarti is the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University.-Early life:... , director of Liberty. |
Longford Scholarship
The Longford Trust offers two types of scholarships to ex-prisoners to enable them to continue their rehabilitation by studying for degrees at a UK university or equivalent UK institute. Most awards are part of the Longford Scholarships' scheme, but a small number of awards are made each year to ex-prisoners wanting to go on to study Law under the Patrick Pakenham Awards' scheme, established in memory of Lord Longford's barrister son. The Longford Trust work in partnership on the Longford Scholarships with the Rank Foundation and Monument Trust. The first ex-prisoners to be given scholarships by the Longford Trust graduated in the summer of 2007. Paul Carter-Bowman, a 24 year old, for example, had gone to Westminster UniversityWestminster University
Westminster University may refer to:*University of Westminster, London, England* Westminster University , whose building is listed on the U.S. NRHP...
to study law after serving three years of a four and a half year prison sentence.
Longford Prize
The Longford Prize is awarded annually by a prize committee on behalf of the trustees and patrons of the Longford Trust. It is sponsored by The IndependentThe 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...
and organised in association with the Prison Reform Trust. The prize recognises the contribution of an individual, group or organisation working in the area of penal or social reform in showing outstanding qualities of humanity, courage, persistence and originality.
Longford Prize Winners
| Year | Winner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Audrey Edwards | |
| 2003 | Barbara Tudor | |
| 2004 | Christopher Morgan | |
| 2005 | Steve Taylor | |
| 2006 | FPWP Hibiscus | |
| 2007 | Prisoners Abroad Prisoners 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... |
|
| 2008 | HMP Grendon | |
| 2009 | Inquest | |
| 2010 | Circle UK |
See also
- Lord Longford