The Institute of Prison Law

‘Delivering Legal Theory in Practice’

Prisons.org.uk founded The Institute of Prison Law in 1998, and it exists in order to further the professional knowledge and the practice of prison law.

Our Director is Mark Leech.

We do this by providing professional prison law training delivered to our clients by a team of experts who are renowned in their field.

The School of Prison Law, as its name implies, focuses exclusively on Prison Law – and nothing else.

We are the only course provider to deliver the complete eight module Certificate of Competency Course in Prison Law – until the CPD system was replaced by Continuing Competence in November 2016, this was an SRA accredited 48 CPD point course and it has now been fully revised for 2019.

Watch a brief introduction to the course by clicking the video below.

The course is fully revised, all texts (including the vital area of funding) have been updated, there are eight Modules, 28 Units and over five hours of video lectures – this course has been designed specifically to help solicitors manage their learning and development under the continuing competence regime and ensures they can make their declaration in October with confidence.

But the course is not only for lawyers – prison governors, prison officers, voluntary sector workers, and even prisoners themselves have studied and qualified in prison law with this course.

I thoroughly enjoyed this course, I found it very worthwhile and it has certainly helped me in my career.
Richard Stedman, Governing Governor, HM Prison Birmingham
I am a senior solicitor with Higher Rights in Crime. In all the years of study I found this course to be one of the most worthwhile. I would recommend this course for those who would wish to become involved in providing the after-care service to sentenced criminal clients.
John Weate, Solicitor & Partner, RMNJ, Merseyside
Can I just say what an absolute pleasure this course has been, almost without fail legal training courses are box ticking exercises, but this course has been a breath of fresh air — thanks again for what was a rewarding experience and a real pleasure to study.
James Fairweather, Solicitor & Partner, Carringtons Solicitors, Nottingham
I highly recommend this course to all of my Governor Grade colleagues.
Alan Cousins, Governor, Head of Security, HM Prison Service

I studied this course while in prison, which I left in March 2016 and since then I have been working in the prison law department of a national solicitors firm, I now have my own caseload, fee earn and my life of crime has long since been forgotten – this course changed my life; thank you for it.
Davd F, Ex-Offender, Formerly HMP Spring Hill

If you are a member of HMPPS looking to develop your career, or a solicitor looking for a course in prison law that, in the words of the Continuing Competency regime, enables you to ‘maintain an adequate and up-to-date understanding of relevant law, policy and practice’ this is it!

The new fully revised 2018/19 course is now available!