Lord Timpson OBE, Prisons Minister and former Chief Executive of the Timpson Group, delivered this year’s High Sheriff’s Lecture at the University of Worcester to a packed audience of students, staff, legal professionals and High Sheriffs from across the region.
Appointed Minister of State for Prisons, Probation, and Reducing Reoffending in 2024, Lord Timpson is widely recognised for championing the employment of former prisoners through the Timpson Group, the family business founded by his father.
Speaking ahead of the lecture, he said: “It’s fantastic to be here. I’m really interested in supporting the judiciary and getting out and about to talk to people about what I’m trying to do to reform the justice system.”
Reflecting on his long-standing involvement in rehabilitation initiatives, he added: “I’ve been involved in this world for 25 years. I’ve been recruiting people from prison, and supporting prison charities, and when I was offered this job in Government, it was the golden ticket for me to try and sort out a problem that I’ve been watching from the sidelines for so many years.”
Lord Timpson’s lecture outlined the work he has undertaken since joining the Government and explored his priorities for the future. “My lecture outlines what I’ve been doing with the fantastic teams in the Ministry of Justice to turn things around,” he said. “I’ll be talking specifically about prisons and probation, and how we can get to a point where people go to prison, but when they leave, they don’t go back.”
He highlighted the persistent challenges in reducing reoffending, noting: “There’s just this cycle of people going in and out, repeatedly. Many have issues around addiction, mental health, and homelessness, and we can see this problem on our highstreets every day. People are very interested in how we can reduce the number of people going to prison and reduce the number of victims of crime.”
During the lecture, he shared the striking statistic that one in four adult men in the UK has a conviction for something more than a driving offence.
Lord Timpson also reflected on the value of engaging with universities. “When I get the chance to speak to both academics and students, I hope to be able to inform the academics on what’s happening and the latest thinking, and I’m happy to be challenged by them on that.”
He added that he hoped to “shine a light on the opportunities for students when they leave here for careers in the justice system.”
Ian Smith, High Sheriff of Worcester, said: “I was delighted that Lord Timpson kindly found time in his really busy schedule to travel to Worcester and deliver a fascinating High Sheriff’s Lecture.”
“We had an excellent response to the lecture,” he added: “With senior representatives from the Prison Service, the Probation Service, the Magistracy, the Judicial and Crown Prosecution Service in attendance, as well as the Lord Lieutenant, several previous High Sheriffs, High Sheriffs in Nomination, and current students.”
He added: “The administrative support from the University team in preparing and hosting the event was first class and I’m very grateful to them, and our sponsors for the event, HWH Law.”
For more information on the University of Worcester’s School of Law, please visit the website.