The Longford Prize is an annual award presented in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
to an organization, group, or individuals working in the field of social or
penal reform. It was established in 2002 in honour of
Lord Longford, a lifelong penal reform campaigner. It is sponsored by both ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' and ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', organised in association with the
Prison Reform Trust
The Prison Reform Trust (PRT) 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 puni ...
, and is presented at the annual
Longford Lecture.
The prize is usually awarded to someone who has made a difference by their initiative and resourcefulness in prisoners' lives. The prize is sponsored by the
McGrath Charitable Trust.
Nominations and judges
Candidates are nominated by the testimony of peers and/or persons who have benefited from their work. These submissions are reviewed by a panel of judges, members of the Prison Reform Trust and New Bridge. The panel is chaired by former prison governor and Longford Trust trustee,
John Podmore.
In 2017, the judges for the Longford Prize were:
Lord Ramsbotham (formerly
His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons), Chloe Billington,
Mary Riddell,
Peter Stanford, and a representative of the sponsors, The McGrath Charitable Trust.
Past winners
See also
*
The Longford Trust
*
The Longford Lectures
*
Earl of Longford
References
External links
Frank Longford Charitable Trust{{Longford Prize Winners
British humanitarian and service awards
Human rights awards
Imprisonment and detention
Prison reform
Penal system in the United Kingdom