Frances Crook
Encyclopedia
Frances Crook OBE
is the Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform
, the oldest penal reform charity in the United Kingdom
.
degree at Liverpool University, Frances Crook qualified as a teacher
, working in secondary schools in Liverpool
and London
until 1980.
She was the campaigns co-coordinator at the British Section of Amnesty International
from 1980 to 1985, and was twice elected as a Labour
Councillor for East Finchley
in the London Borough of Barnet
, serving from 1982 to 1990, leading on housing
and planning
and holding weekly surgeries.
s in prison
, the over-use of custody
, poor conditions in prison, young people in trouble and mothers in prison. Under her direction the number of staff and turnover of the charity has grown twenty-fold. The charity has secured a contract with the Legal Services Commission to provide legal advice to children in custody and has taken a number of successful judicial review
s that have improved the treatment of children and young people in custody and on release.
She was a Governor of the University of Greenwich
for 6 years and chaired the Staff and General Committee, retiring in 2002.
In 2005 to 2008 she served on the Board of the School Food Trust
, the non-departmental public body charged with overseeing the implementation of national standards for school food to every school in England and Wales.
In 2009 she was appointed an NHS non-executive director of Barnet Primary Care Trust
, responsible for a budget of £550 million delivering health services to 350,000 people.
She was appointed a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics
in 2010.
Crook was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
is the Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform
Howard League for Penal Reform
The Howard League for Penal Reform is a London-based registered charity in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest penal reform organisation in the world, named after John Howard. Founded in 1866 as the Howard Association, a merger with the Penal Reform League in 1921 created the Howard League for...
, the oldest penal reform charity in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
University and Beyond
After taking a historyHistory
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
degree at Liverpool University, Frances Crook qualified as a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, working in secondary schools in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
until 1980.
She was the campaigns co-coordinator at the British Section of Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
from 1980 to 1985, and was twice elected as a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Councillor for East Finchley
East Finchley
East Finchley is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, in north London, and situated north-west of Charing Cross. Geographically it is somewhat separate from the rest of Finchley, with North Finchley and West Finchley to the north, and Finchley Central to the west.- History :The land on which...
in the London Borough of Barnet
London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...
, serving from 1982 to 1990, leading on housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
and planning
Planning
Planning in organizations and public policy is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior...
and holding weekly surgeries.
The Howard League for Penal Reform
Appointed in 1986, she has been responsible for the Howard League's research programmes and campaigns to raise public concern about issues including suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
s in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, the over-use of custody
Custody
Custody may refer to:* Legal custody* Child custody, a description of the legal relationship between a parent and child* Police custody or detention, a lawful holding of a person by removing their freedom of liberty...
, poor conditions in prison, young people in trouble and mothers in prison. Under her direction the number of staff and turnover of the charity has grown twenty-fold. The charity has secured a contract with the Legal Services Commission to provide legal advice to children in custody and has taken a number of successful judicial review
Judicial review
Judicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority...
s that have improved the treatment of children and young people in custody and on release.
Other Work
She has been a school governor and chaired various local community organisations.She was a Governor of the University of Greenwich
University of Greenwich
The University of Greenwich is a British university located in the London Borough of Greenwich, London, England. The main campus is located on the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, a central location within the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site.-History:The history of the...
for 6 years and chaired the Staff and General Committee, retiring in 2002.
In 2005 to 2008 she served on the Board of the School Food Trust
School Food Trust
The School Food Trust is a UK Charity and specialist advisor to government on school meals, children’s food and related skills.-History:The trust was created in 2005 by the Department for Education and Skills , following celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's critique of the nutritional quality of school...
, the non-departmental public body charged with overseeing the implementation of national standards for school food to every school in England and Wales.
In 2009 she was appointed an NHS non-executive director of Barnet Primary Care Trust
NHS Barnet
NHS Barnet is the statutory NHS body responsible for improving the health of the resident population within the London Borough of Barnet...
, responsible for a budget of £550 million delivering health services to 350,000 people.
She was appointed a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
in 2010.
Honours
She was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 1997 and the Perrie Award in 2005.Crook was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.