--- title: "The Howard League for Penal Reform… rating | CharityCompare" description: "The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) scores 91/100 (Exceptional). Latest accounts 2025: income £1.1m. Reg 251926." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-howard-league-for-penal-reform-incorporating-the-howard-centre-for-penology retrieved: 2026-08-18T01:38:30.416Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) a good charity? The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) scores 91/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£1.1m total income, 94% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown. London · UK-wide · EC1M 4NN | Reg [251926](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-howard-league-for-penal-reform-incorporating-the-howard-centre-for-penology) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.howardleague.org/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/251926) Donate ## How can you give to THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM (INCORPORATING THE HOWARD CENTRE FOR PENOLOGY)? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM (INCORPORATING THE HOWARD CENTRE FOR PENOLOGY) form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.howardleague.org/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=251926) ## What does The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) do? The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) is a registered charity (no. 251926) working in education across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 94% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 4 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈6% a year). CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes. Summarised from public filings — The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-howard-league-for-penal-reform-incorporating-the-howard-centre-for-penology) **In short:** THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM (INCORPORATING THE HOWARD CENTRE FOR PENOLOGY) scores 91 out of 100 (5 stars). 94% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)? The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) has a Clarity Score of 91 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 251926. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Education. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £1.1m, with 94% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 4 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation. Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 91/100 5★ · Exceptional Cause spend 94% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 100/100 Finance beacon Income £1.1m Latest year 2025 Reserves 4 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £10.7 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 10% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM (INCORPORATING THE HOWARD CENTRE FOR PENOLOGY) compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM (INCORPORATING THE HOWARD CENTRE FOR PENOLOGY) scores higher than. Income band (£1m–£5m)87thpercentile **Scores higher than 87% of 2,776 charities in its income band** · 91/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). Education charities92ndpercentile **Scores higher than 92% of 579 charities in this cause** · 91/100 vs 74 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2025 Filing date 24 June 2026 Profile reviewed 17 July 2026 High confidence — complete filing data Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources: [Charity Commission for England and Wales](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), [Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator](https://www.oscr.org.uk/) and [Charity Commission for Northern Ireland](https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/). [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). ## What is The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s Beacon report? Detailed accountability and finance metrics from UK regulator filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report. ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Filing history (5 years) 100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts. | 100% | 15/15 pts | | Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 8 trustees · 15/15 pts | | Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 100% | 10/10 pts | ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 70/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 100% | 4 months · 15/15 pts | | Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 10% | 1/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 100% | 3% · 5/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 100% | 94% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 100% | 10p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) | ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 40 volunteers / 20 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s Clarity Score? 91/100 total · Exceptional · 5 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 100/100 Accountability & Transparency 70/100 Financial Health 100/100 Financial Efficiency 100/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 100/100 Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts Trustee oversight8 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 70/100 Reserves (months of cash)4 months · 15/15 pts Income stability / growth1/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets3% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 Program expense ratio94% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency10p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio40 volunteers / 20 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £1.1m | — | | Total expenditure | £1.6m | — | | Charitable activities | £1.5m | 94% | | Fundraising | £99k | 6% | | Governance & admin | £74k | 5% | 94%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £1.6m spent - Charitable activities94% · £1.5m - Fundraising6% · £99k - Governance5% · £74k ## What trust indicators does The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) have? Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported. - ✓ Accounts filed on time up to date · last filing 24 June 2026 - ✓ Trustee board size (3–12) 8 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 20 employees · 40 volunteers (2:1 volunteer-to-staff) Fundraising Regulator Status not yet checked Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice. [Check Fundraising Regulator →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/) Official register Reg 251926 Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission. [View on Charity Commission →](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/251926) ### Trustees & officers - JOHN TRESS since 2022 - Tomas William Thurogood-Hyde since 2023 - Charles Bland since 2023 - Andrew Morris since 2024 - Christina Line since 2024 - Thalia Maragh since 2024 - Nader Alaghband since 2024 - Anne Owers Chair · since 2026 100 How we score charities +The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically. [Full methodology →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) Accountability & Transparency Scored from filings 40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10). Financial Health Scored from filings 30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises). Financial Efficiency Scored from filings 20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below). Community Support Scored from filings 10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio. Overall score Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated. ## How have The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s finances changed over five years? - Income - Spending - Cause spend Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts ## What are the key facts about The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)? Overall score 91/100 (5★) Income £1.1m Cause spend 94% of expenditure Reg number 251926 Scope UK-wide Reserves 4 months Trustees 8 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM (INCORPORATING THE HOWARD CENTRE FOR PENOLOGY) compare, and where else can you look? [Compare THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM (INCORPORATING THE HOWARD CENTRE FOR PENOLOGY) with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-howard-league-for-penal-reform-incorporating-the-howard-centre-for-penology) [More education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where THE HOWARD LEAGUE FOR PENAL REFORM (INCORPORATING THE HOWARD CENTRE FOR PENOLOGY) sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [children charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/children) - [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london) - [education charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education/london) ### Similar education charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [CHAPTER ONE (U.K.) LTD](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/chapter-one-u-k-ltd) 100/100 · £1.8m - [SCHOOL IN A BAG](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/school-in-a-bag) 100/100 · £600k - [THE BEN KINSELLA TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-ben-kinsella-trust) 100/100 · £596k - [EALING AND HOUNSLOW COMMUNITY VOLUNTARY SERVICE](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/ealing-and-hounslow-community-voluntary-service) 99/100 · £953k ## How can you share The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s rating? 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For this charity ## How do you add The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s rating to your site? Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 91/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-howard-league-for-penal-reform-incorporating-the-howard-centre-for-penology) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 91/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) a good charity? + The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) scores 91 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 94% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are up to date. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate. Is The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 251926). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/251926. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s charity number? + The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s charity number is 251926. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals. What is The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s charity rating? + The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) scores 91 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars — Exceptional). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking. Does The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology). Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts. For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate. How much of my donation reaches The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 94% of The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift. What are The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 6% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 10% of total expenditure at The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology). The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register. How much income does The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) receive? + The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) reported £1.1m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s accounts up to date? + Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score. Where is The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) based? + The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology) is listed at London · UK-wide · EC1M 4NN and operates UK-wide, focused on education. How does CharityCompare score The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought. How often is this page updated? + This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and The Howard League for Penal Reform (Incorporating the Howard Centre for Penology)'s most recent accounts cover 2025. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.