Hindpal Singh Bhui, OBE

Hindpal has been a Visiting Professor to the Centre for Criminology since 2019 and was a visiting knowledge exchange fellow for several years before that. He has published numerous articles and chapters, mainly on prisons, probation, foreign prisoners, race and prisons, immigration detention and human rights protections. His book, What Are Prisons For? was published in spring 2024 and he has also published an edited book, Race and Criminal Justice. He was formerly a probation officer in inner London, winning national awards for his practice in community and prison settings. He was made an OBE for leading the development of new methods for prison and immigration detention oversight during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was editor of the Probation Journal for 10 years.

Hindpal’s main current role is as an Inspection Team Leader at HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP), where he leads inspections of prisons and heads work on immigration detention. He has led various international projects to support prison and immigration detention reform and human rights based oversight. He has trained prison staff and prison monitors in Europe, the Middle East, Far East and Africa. He is an expert inspector for the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), part of the Council of Europe. Hindpal has led and authored various thematic reviews on custody in England and Wales, most recently on the Experiences of Adult Black Male Prisoners and Black Prison Staff (HMIP, 2022).  

Main publications

Bhui, H.S. (2024) What Are Prisons For?  Bristol: Bristol University Press.

Bhui, H.S. and Bosworth, M. (2020) ‘Human rights protections and monitoring immigration detention at Europe’s Borders.’ European Human Rights Law Review 6: 640-654.

Bhui, H.S., Bosworth, M., Fili, A and Morris, G. (2019) Monitoring Immigration Detention at the Borders of Europe. Report on Turkey and Greece, 2018. https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxlaw/monitoring_immigration_detention_at_the_borders_of_europe_compressed.pdf

Bhui, H.S., Bosworth, M. and Fili, A. (2018) Monitoring Immigration Detention at the Borders of Europe. Research report on a pilot project in Greece, Hungary, Turkey and Italy, 2016-2017. https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxlaw/project_report_final_copy.pdf

Bhui, H.S. (2018) ‘Understanding Muslim prisoners though a global lens’, in A. Parmar, M. Bosworth and Y. Vasquez (eds), Race, Criminal Justice and Migration.

Bhui, H.S. (2017) ‘Inspecting Immigration Detention: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons’. In M.J. Flynn and M.B. Flynn (eds), Challenging Immigration Detention: Academics, Activists, and Policy-makers. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Bhui, H.S. (2017) Supporting human‐rights based prison monitoring in Bahrain. Text of public lecture delivered at the University of Oxford Centre for Criminology, 29 June 2017. Available at: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/01/Bahrain-talk-for-website-final.pdf

Bhui, H.S. (2016) 'The place of "race" in understanding immigration control and the detention of foreign nationals', in Criminology and Criminal Justice 16 (3): 267-285.

Bhui, H.S. (2016) Can Inspection Produce Meaningful Change in Immigration Detention? Global Detention Project Working Paper No. 12. (https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/bhui_gdp_working_paper_may_2016.pdf)

Bhui, H. S. (2013) ‘The changing approach to child detention and its implications for immigration detention in the UK’, in Prison Service Journal 205: 23-28.

Bhui, H.S. (2013) ‘Humanising immigration control and detention’, in K.F. Aas and M. Bosworth, Borders of Punishment: Migration, Citizenship, and Social Exclusion. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bhui, H.S. (ed) (2009) Race and Criminal Justice. London: Sage.

Bhui, H.S. (2009) ‘Prisons and race equality’, in H.S. Bhui (ed) Race and Criminal Justice. London: Sage Publishers.  

Bhui, H.S. (2009) ‘Foreign national prisoners: diversity, disadvantage and public censure’, in Contemporary Issues in Law 9 (2), 2008: 65-80. Lawtext Publishing.

Bhui, H.S. (2007) ‘Alien experience: Foreign national prisoners after the deportation crisis’, in Probation Journal: The Journal of Community and Criminal Justice 54 (4): 368-382. 

Bhui, H.S. and Fossi, J. (2007) ‘The experience of black and minority ethnic prison staff’, in J. Bennett, A. Wahidin, and B. Crewe, Understanding Prison Staff. London: Willan Publishers.

Bhui, H.S. (2006) ‘Anti-racist Practice in NOMS: Reconciling Managerialist and Professional Realities', in Howard Journal of Criminal Justice 45 (2): 171-190.

Bhui, H.S. (2005) ‘Developing Best Practice with Foreign National Prisoners', in Prison Service Journal 158: 17-23.

Bhui, H.S. (2004) Going the Distance: Developing Effective Policy and Practice with Foreign National Prisoners, research report. London: Prison Reform Trust.

Bhui, H.S. (2002) ‘Probation in England and Wales: From Rehabilitation to Risk', in Journal of Forensic Psychiatry 13 (2): 231-9.

Bhui, H.S. (2001) ‘New Probation: Closer to the End of Social Work?' in British Journal of Social Work 31 (4): 637-9.

Bhui, H.S. (1999) ‘Probation-led Multi-agency Working: A Practice Model', in Probation Journal 46 (2): 119-121.  

Bhui, H.S. (1999) ‘Race, Racism and Risk Assessment: Linking Theory to Practice with Black Mentally Disordered Offenders', in Probation Journal 46 (3): 171-181.

Bhui, H.S. (1996) ‘Cognitive Behavioural Methods in Probation Practice', in Probation Journal 43 (3):127-131.