Celebrating achievement in criminal justice
Earlier this month the Butler Trust announced its Award Winners for 2024/25. There is so much bad news coming out of the prisons and probation sector at the moment, that I thought it would be good to take a moment to remember all the dedicated staff who work hard everyday trying to make a difference.
The awards
The Butler Trust Awards are the only UK-wide awards specifically for people working in custodial and community justice settings, and are often described as the Oscars for the sector.
Launched in 1985 and presented each year by the Trust’s Patron, HRH The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) at an Award Ceremony, they are the original, and most prestigious, awards of their kind. And they don’t end with the Ceremony – through the Trust’s Alumni Programme it offers all Award Winners and Commendees training and mentoring to help them learn from, and build upon, their achievements.
There are more than 400 nominations each year and although obviously most don’t win, ‘just’ being nominated shows someone their efforts have not gone unnoticed and are appreciated by the people with whom they work.
The award winners for this year come from all over the UK, from prisons, probation and youth justice. You can see the full list of winners below and read about their individual achievements by following the links:
- Humphrey Agbukor (London Probation)
- Gerry Bowman (Gateshead Youth Justice Service)
- Chloe Causier (South West Probation)
- Daniel Diamond (Youth Justice Agency, N Ireland)
- Jonathan Firth (Swaleside Prison)
- Harjit Singh Gill (Brinsford Prison)
- Ian Harvey (Stoke Heath Prison)
- Sharon Jenkins (Downview Prison)
- Barbara Randall (North East Probation)
- Kay Turner (Leeds Prison)
Most winners are commended for a life-time’s dedication to their work, consistently going the extra mile to help those for whom they are responsible. In many cases, nominations are not merely supported by managers and colleagues but by service users and their families.
There’s also a list of another 20 individuals who were commended; this list includes people who work in approved premises and Immigration Removal Centres as well as mainstream prisons, probation and youth justice services.
If you are impressed by a colleague and think they should get recognition for the work they do, then you are encouraged to do so. Anyone can put someone forward for an Award and it’s not difficult to do. Nominations are open from 1 May to 30 June each year. You can read all about the awards here.
