University of Salford - Dame and ex-con share stage

Dame Anne Owers, the chief inspector of prisons, and Mohammed Riaz, a convicted killer, will share the platform at a University of Salford conference. On 1 April, the pair will speak at 21st Century Prisons and Imprisonment: Regimes, Resettlement and Reform, organised by the university's Centre for Prison Studies. Dame Anne will describe the current state of prisons in England and Wales, while Mr Riaz, who served almost 20 years for murder and is now a prominent speaker on issues affecting prisoners, will discuss political influences on sentencing and the injustice it can cause.