The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)

Analysis

The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in May 1967, 59 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes and education/training, which this site groups under education and training. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 00898514). It says it provides advocacy/advice/information, sponsors or undertakes research and other charitable activities.

In the financial year ending June 2025, The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) reported income of £1.1m and spending of £1.6m, spending 138% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from May 2021 to June 2025, income grew from £917k to £1.1m (+24%), an average of +5.6% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to May 2023, when income rose by 60%. Over the whole period it spent 155% of the income it received.

Among 21,402 England and Wales charities whose main cause is education and training and that reported income, The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) sits at the 94th percentile: it is larger than about 94% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 94th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Boomerang Kids (£1.1m), The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (£1.1m) and Ayscoughfee Hall School Limited (£1.1m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 77%, donations and legacies 20%, investments 2.4% and trading 1.2%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £79k. Charitable activities took 89% of spending and raising funds 6.0%. Reserves of £541k would cover about 4 months of spending at that rate. It employed 20 people.

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.