THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM (INCORPORATING THE HOWARD CENTRE FOR PENOLOGY)
Registered charity 251926 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE HOWARD LEAGUE
The Howard League for Penal Reform works for a safer society where fewer people are victims of crime.The Howard League for Penal Reform believes that offenders must make amends for what they have done and change their lives.The Howard League for Penal Reform believes that community sentences make a person take responsibility and live a law abiding life in the community.
Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity recorded a net deficit of £432,235 for the period ended 30 June 2025, despite total income increasing by 22.6% to £1,138,918. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted free reserves stood at £541,310, which is equivalent to four months of operational expenditure, meeting the board's target of three to six months.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Largest income source: Charitable activities (76% of income)
“Charitable activities £871,442” — page 26
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Fundraising cost ratio: 6.0% of fundraised income, as disclosed
“Costs of generating funds – The cost of generating funds makes up 6% of our overall expenditure, a decrease this period from £120,110 to £99,494. This includes fundraising salary costs and overhead costs based on staff time attributable to the fundraising function.” — page 26
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: three-six months’ operational expenditure (held: £541k)
“For 2024-2025, the Board agreed that the target level of reserves should be in the region of three-six months’ operational expenditure.” — page 27
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Loans from trustees
“During the reporting period, the charity benefitted from two loans from two trustees. interest free, to cover a cash shortfall. The loans were repaid on completion of the sale of the property in December 2024” — page 50
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Sayer Vincent LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Year-over-year changes
- Reserves position vs the charity's own policy moved from "below" (FY2024) to "within" (FY2025).
Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Howard League For Penal Reform (matched by registered charity number).
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 30/06/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£99k
Reported reserves equal ~4.1 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 8.7% of total income — above the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (19/03/2026) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Anne Owerschair · trustee of 2 other charities
- Andrew Morris
- Charles Bland
- Christina Line
- JOHN TRESS
- Nader Alaghband
- Tomas William Thurogood-Hyde
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Throughout England And Wales
Income and spending
Common questions
Is THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM (INCORPORATING THE HOWARD CENTRE FOR PENOLOGY) financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity recorded a net deficit of £432,235 for the period ended 30 June 2025, despite total income increasing by 22.6% to £1,138,918. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted free reserves stood at £541,310, which is equivalent to four months of operational expenditure, meeting the board's target of three to six months. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Sayer Vincent LLP.
Who funds THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM (INCORPORATING THE HOWARD CENTRE FOR PENOLOGY)?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM (INCORPORATING THE HOWARD CENTRE FOR PENOLOGY) as a grant recipient include THE FIREBIRD FOUNDATION, THE BROMLEY TRUST, TREEBEARD TRUST, THE ANCASTER TRUST.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
Funders of similar charities
Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with PRISON REFORM TRUST.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.