The increased use of tags makes sense if done right. But years of accumulated problems include a depleted probation workforce

Given the frayed and depleted state of the public sector, it is not surprising that prisons in England and Wales are struggling to escape from a sense of perpetual crisis. Recent days saw the latest in a series of urgent notifications. These put a prison in special measures, and require ministers to produce an action plan within a month. Inspectors found that Woodhill in Milton Keynes is unsafe while a report on another failing prison, Swaleside in Kent, pointed to high levels of violence, staff shortages and education cuts.

David Lammy, who was shuffled into the role of justice secretary as a result of Angela Rayner’s hasty exit from government, is busy with the alarming push to remove most defendants’ right to a jury trial. So the implementation of recent sentencing reforms, and problems inside jails, have largely been left to the prisons minister, James Timpson. While there is no doubting his personal commitment, good intentions will not be enough.

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Flamengo player accused singer’s security of aggressive treatment of his wife and stepdaughter at hotel in São Paulo

The singer Chappell Roan has responded after the former Chelsea footballer Jorginho posted on social media claiming her security guard made his stepdaughter cry when she encountered the singer at a hotel in Brazil.

The American musician said Jorginho’s stepdaughter “did not deserve that”, and the situation had “made her really sad”, adding that the man involved in the incident was not her personal security.

Madison Square Garden, New York City

The British artist’s brilliantly ambitious first arena show is a breathtaking showcase of her artistic range, with pole dancing, vogue battles and sword fighting

From time to time, photographs from FKA twigs ’ stint as a backup dancer make the rounds on social media. In the early days, when her name recognition was secondary to the likes of Jessie J and Peter Andre, Tahliah Barnett would take to the stage and use her body and talent in service of someone else’s vision. The drama of being visible yet never being fully seen would become an important subtext to her work. Misrecognition from a lover, by the public, from the internet, provided powerful emotional stakes to her songwriting, which she complemented with ultra-tactile music that teased and staggered payoffs that went further than any expected beat.

The most definite proof that she has become an undeniable star in her own right comes tonight, when she tears the house down on her first ever arena date at Madison Square Garden. “Did you truly see me?” the singer whispers from bed in the show opener, Mirrored Heart. The immediate, roaring response is at funny odds with her lament that follows: “No, not this time.” If anything, the evening proves again and again just how intensely she and her audience seem to recognize one another. For one thing, the crowd is styled in her image, in fulfillment of her wish from Home With You to “see a hero like me in a sci-fi”. From blocks away, you can follow the stream of make-do Rick Owens looks and be certain that you are headed toward FKA twigs’ location. Inside the arena, it feels like New York is doing its best approximation of a Berlin nightclub: an orgy of black tank-tops, Lucite pleaser heels and constellations of facial piercings that must be a nightmare for the people running the metal detectors.

With a 7 October inquiry looming, the Israeli PM’s political career, legacy and personal freedom may all be on the line

Over three weeks of war, Iranian missiles have killed at least 15 people inside Israel, and injured many more, including about 200 in overnight strikes near a nuclear facility in the country’s south, but they have not touched public support for the war.

An overwhelming majority of Jewish Israelis back the decision to start a new conflict, with the Israel Democracy Institute putting support at more than 90% in two wartime polls.

• Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida allegedly abused

• Referee stops game per anti-discrimination protocol

Sunderland’s Tyne-Wear derby victory at Newcastle was overshadowed by reports that Lutsharel Geertruida had been the subject of racist abuse from home fans.

The Premier League will now investigate after the referee, Anthony Taylor, stopped the match in line with the league’s on-field anti-discrimination protocol early in the second half.

GLP-1 medicines work best alongside lifestyle adjustments, writes Dr Sam Robson . Plus letters from Anne Williams , Siân Williams , and a reader who has had success with Mounjaro

Your editorial ( 15 March ) is right to highlight the growing evidence that GLP-1 medicines influence the brain’s reward systems and may have potential in treating addiction. These drugs represent an important therapeutic advance, and the moralising that has historically surrounded obesity treatment is both unhelpful and scientifically outdated. However, in clinical practice it is also clear that medication alone is rarely the whole answer.

Obesity, like addiction, involves powerful biological drivers such as appetite signalling, reward pathways and metabolic adaptation, but it also unfolds within behavioural and environmental contexts. Patients who achieve the most durable outcomes are typically those who combine pharmacological treatment with meaningful changes in diet quality, physical activity, sleep and muscle preservation.

The problem isn’t the beaver on the banknote – it’s a politics that no longer recognises what holds value, writes Dr Michael J Richardson

Jonn Elledge ( What’s worth more: Churchill or a woke badger? Welcome to Britain’s banknote culture war, 16 March ) is right that the debate over whether wildlife might replace figures such as Winston Churchill on Bank of England banknotes has become another front in Britain’s culture wars. As he notes, proposals to feature animals are neither unprecedented nor unpopular, with public consultation showing majority support for nature-themed designs.

But the backlash relies on a familiar claim: that attention to wildlife represents a misplaced priority – “the definition of woke”, as Nigel Farage put it. This framing is not new. During the 2021 evacuation efforts of animal charity Nowzad in Kabul , the story was reduced to “pets over people”, despite the fact that both animals and staff were saved. Similar narratives now position social care v climate concern.

Inquiry into sexual assault claims did not establish that chief prosecutor’s actions amounted to misconduct, judges advise

The international criminal court’s governing body is expected to meet on Monday to assess the advice of a panel of judges who have challenged the findings of an investigation into the chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.

Last year a UN inquiry into the allegations about Khan’s behaviour is understood to have established a factual basis for claims of misconduct against him. The senior British lawyer has been accused by a complainant of sexual abuse.

A former prisoner says that unless the government offers meaningful housing and employment help to those leaving prison, they will end up back there

I agree with John Podmore’s comments on prisoners ( Letters, 18 March ), but they do not go far enough in addressing what happens after release. As a former prisoner who spent five and a half years in custody, I can say plainly that support on release is almost nonexistent.

People talk about rehabilitation, but in reality you are released back into society with little more than a reporting requirement and the expectation that you somehow rebuild your life from nothing.