27th Annual Bill McWilliams Lecture: 'Probation's Crucial Role in an Evolving Criminal Justice System'

The 27th Annual McWilliams Probation Lecture will be held on Friday 11th July 2025 at 12 noon to 2pm.

The speaker will be Lord Timpson OBE, Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending. Lord Timpson will speak on the theme 'Probation's Crucial Role in an Evolving Criminal Justice System'.

Lord Timpson (OBE) was appointed Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending on 5 July 2024. Prior to his appointment he held the position of chief executive of the Timpson Group, from 2002 to July 2024, a company which is known for advocating for the employment of former prisoners. Lord Timpson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2011 for services to training and employment for disadvantaged people. He was made chair of the Employers Forum for Reducing Re-offending (EFFRR) until 2016, and became the chair of the Prison Reform Trust that same year. He also founded the Employment Advisory Board network across the prison estate, which links prisons with employers to improve the employment opportunities for former offenders upon release.

The venue for this year's lecture is the United Reformed Church, 4 Downing Place, Cambridge CB2 3EL. Refreshments will be served before and after the talk, on arrival from 11am and again from 2pm.

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