News

Today (10 February 2026) the Lay Observers (LOs) publish its 2024-25 annual report, drawing on evidence from 759 visits to court custody, representing almost 2000 hours of monitoring.  While the report highlights some welcome improvements, including the introduction of dedicated accommodation for children in 20 courts, fewer unclean custody environments and a reduction in the overt poor treatment of detained people (DP), these gains are being undermined by ongoing systemic failures.

The Lay Observers have recently published a thematic report on the impact of poor transport to and from court custody on detained people.

In May a submission was made by the policy team on behalf of Lay Observers and Independent Monitoring Boards (who are our sister organisation monitoring prisons and the immigration detention estate) to the House of Lords select committee on the Autism Act 2009. 

The 2023-24 national annual report for Lay Observers is now published.