Charlie Taylor preferred candidate for Chief Inspector of Prisons

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has announced that his preferred candidate to be the next Chief Inspector of Prisons is Charlie Taylor - currently adviser to the Department for Education on the development of new school-based behaviour hubs.

The role is subject to a pre-appointment hearing by the Justice Select Committee. Pre-appointment scrutiny, designed to provide an added level of scrutiny to the appointment process, is an important part of the appointment process for some of the most significant public appointments made by ministers.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, with a duty to report on conditions for and treatment of those in prison, young offender institutions, secure training centres, immigration detention facilities, police and court custody suites, customs custody facilities and military detention in England and Wales.

Prior to his role on the development of new school-based behaviour hubs, Taylor was the chair of the Youth Justice Board, and in 2019 he conducted an independent review into the use of pain inducing techniques in the Youth Secure Estate. In 2015, Taylor was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice to conduct a review into the Youth Justice System in England and Wales.