Charlie Taylor reappointed for second term as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons
The Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor, Rt Hon. Alex Chalk KC MP, has announced the Royal Reappointment of Charlie Taylor as the Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCI Prisons) for a second term of three years. His reappointment will run from 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2026.
Mr Taylor’s original appointment tenure commenced on 1 November 2020 for a three-year term to run until 31 October 2023. The recruitment of HMCI Prisons is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and this reappointment has been made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
I am delighted to be reappointed as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. It has been a great honour to lead such an outstanding team for the last three years. There are very few other countries that permit an inspectorate that is independent of government and able to hold ministers and those overseeing our prisons and places of immigration detention to account publicly in the way we do in the UK. It is a privilege to continue to be part of such vital work.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate. The Chief Inspector reports directly to Ministers but operates independently of Government and the services under its scrutiny. The Chief Inspector has a duty to report on conditions for and treatment of those in prison, young offender institutions, secure training centres, immigration detention facilities, court custody suites, customs custody facilities and military detention in England and Wales.
Charlie Taylor biography
Charlie Taylor was initially appointed as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in 2020 and was reappointed in 2023. From 2017-2020 Mr Taylor was Chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales. Before taking up this role he led the Government’s review of the youth justice system. Mr Taylor was Chief Executive of the National College of Teaching and Leadership from its launch in 2013. He is a former headteacher of The Willows, a school for children with complex behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. He was the Coalition Government’s expert adviser on behaviour until 2012 and produced reviews for the Department for Education on alternative provision (for children excluded from mainstream schools) and attendance in schools.