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Mark Leech FRSA (born 3 October 1957 in Manchester, England) is a British writer, publisher and commentator on prisons and criminal justice policy. Editor of several annual reference books on prisons, notably The Prisons Handbook, he founded the charity Unlock (National Association of Ex-Offenders) and served as its first Chief Executive Officer. After studying law while imprisoned, he brought several successful cases that changed British prison law. His investigative journalism on prison conditions, safety and governance has appeared in national media including The Guardian and The Independent.

Mark Leech was born on 3 October 1957 in Manchester, England. After spending part of his childhood in local authority care, he later served a prison sentence in England and Wales. During his imprisonment, he studied law through the University of London.^[1][2]

While in prison, Leech began writing. He won two Arthur Koestler Awards for his plays,^[3] and the BBC Radio Drama Award for his 90-minute courtroom drama The Facts Speak For Themselves, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Night Theatre.^[2] In 1992, Victor Gollancz published his autobiography A Product of the System: My Life in and Out of Prison, which won first prize in the Chambers Cox Literary Awards.^[3][4]

Following his release, Leech drew on his experience of incarceration to pursue work in criminal justice reform and prison law.^[1]

Mark Leech was the claimant in two significant cases that changed British prison law.

In R v Secretary of State for the Home Department, ex parte Leech [1988] UKHL 16, the House of Lords held that disciplinary hearings conducted by prison governors were subject to supervision by the High Court through judicial review. The ruling established that such hearings involved public law decisions affecting legal rights and were therefore justiciable.^[5]

In R v Secretary of State for the Home Department, ex parte Leech [1993] EWCA Civ 12, the Court of Appeal ruled that a Prison Rule made under the Prison Act 1952 which purported to allow prison governors to read prisoners' correspondence with their solicitors was ultra vires. The court reaffirmed that correspondence between prisoners and their lawyers was protected by legal professional privilege.^[6]

Mark Leech contributes regularly to The Guardian, where he writes commentary on prison conditions and criminal justice policy. The newspaper's author profile lists him as editor of The Prisons Handbook for England and Wales.^[7]

In The Independent, he has written investigative pieces on prison oversight and conditions. In August 2017, he published an analysis examining why repeated findings by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons were being ignored, highlighting systemic failures in implementing inspection recommendations across the prison estate.^[8][9]

Following the Grenfell Tower fire, Leech used Freedom of Information requests to investigate fire safety in prisons. His July 2017 report in The Independent warned that fire safety failings in prisons were "a catastrophe waiting to happen".^[10] He expanded on this investigation in Politics.co.uk, drawing parallels between the Grenfell disaster and systemic failures in prison fire safety and emergency preparedness.^[11]

This investigative work contributed to broader scrutiny of prison conditions. In November 2017, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons introduced the Urgent Notification protocol, allowing inspectors to require immediate ministerial action when prison conditions are unsafe or degrading. Reports at the time linked the new protocol to increased public exposure of serious failings, including the fire safety and inspection issues Leech had documented.^[10][8]

Leech edits The Prisons Handbook, an annual reference work on prisons and penal policy in England and Wales. He has also published specialist prison-related resources, including the newspaper Converse, The Cell Companion (ISBN 9781739632380), and Prison Law Index (ISBN 9781739632397).^[12]

In 1998, Leech founded Unlock (National Association of Ex-Offenders), serving as its first chief executive. The charity provides advice, advocacy and campaigning for people with criminal records, working to promote fair treatment and rehabilitation.^[13]

Unlock won an award at the 2011 Guardian Charity Awards. The Guardian's coverage highlighted the charity's work supporting people with convictions and challenging discrimination against reformed offenders.^[14]

National and regional media frequently quote Mark Leech as an expert on prison administration and security. When Daniel Abed Khalife escaped from HMP Wandsworth in September 2023, outlets including LBC quoted Leech on prison security procedures and staffing shortages.^[15] The Manchester Evening News has cited him in reporting on capacity pressures and safety concerns within the prison system.^[16]

Sir Martin Narey, former Director General of HM Prison Service, has written about prison reform and referenced Leech's contribution to debates on prison conditions, decency and the treatment of prisoners.^[17]

A 2000 profile in The Guardian described how Leech combined his lived experience of imprisonment with sustained engagement in legal challenges, policy work, and media scrutiny of the criminal justice system.^[1]

Leech lives in Thailand with his family. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).^[1]

• A Product of the System: My Life in and Out of Prison (1992, Gollancz) ISBN 9780575052208
• The Prisons Handbook (editor)
• Converse (newspaper)
• The Cell Companion (ISBN 9781739632380)
• Prison Law Index (ISBN 9781739632397)

• Chambers Cox Literary Award (First Prize) for A Product of the System (1992)
• Arthur Koestler Award for plays (two awards)
• BBC Radio Drama Award for The Facts Speak For Themselves