the National Newspaper for Prisoners & Detainees a voice for prisoners 1990 - 2015 A ‘not for profit’ publication / ISSN 1743-7342 / Issue No. 196 / October 2015 / www.insidetime.org An average of 60,000 copies distributed monthly Independently verified by the Audit Bureau of Circulations

SHRINK PRISON NUMBERS AND SAVE BILLIONS OF POUNDS he number of men, women and children in prison’s in England and Wales has almost doubled in 25 years - from fewer than 45,000 in 1990 to more than 85,000 today. Reducing the prison population to its level when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister would allow governors to improve prison conditions, which were described in July by the Chief Inspector of Prison’s as their worst in a decade. In a submission to the Government’s Spending Review 2015 the Howard League for Penal Reform set out a list of policies that would lead to a reduction in the prison population and save the taxpayer billions of pounds. MONEY-SAVING PROPOSALS INCLUDE: l Abolish the use of short-term sentences (less than 12 months). Short-term sentences are expensive and counter-productive yet more than 57,000

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RE:FORM is the UK’s annual national showcase of arts by prisoners, offenders on community sentences, secure psychiatric patients and immigration detainees.

people are sentenced to serve them each year. They destroy lives and are too short to begin to tackle the causes of offending. Ministry of Justice research has concluded that suspended or community sentences are cheaper and result in less offending. l Limit the use of remand. More than 8,000 people in prison have not been found guilty of an offence. While remand is needed, it’s used far too often. Seventy percent of people remanded in custody do not go on to receive a custodial sentence. l Reduce recalls to custody and use women’s centres in the community, not prisons. And the Prison Governors’ Association have also set out their top priorities for Michael Gove, the Justice Secretary. They write: ‘We cannot go on thinking we can imprison our way to a safer society, not only is it poor value for money for the taxpayer, it also fails to recognise the evidence already available that there are better and more effective ways to protect the public and reduce reoffending.’

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Correspondence Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB. Accounts & Admin: Inside Time, P.O.Box 251, Hedge End, Hampshire SO30 4XJ. 01489 795945 [email protected] www.insidetime.org If you wish to reproduce or publish any of the content from in Inside Time, you should first contact us for written permission. Full terms & conditions can be found on the website.

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‘Prisons seem to be human farms’

Star Letter of the Month

........................................................................................................ ADY ADAMS - HMP WYMOTT I am currently a prisoner at HMP Wymott, arrived here December 9th 2014, and I have to say the double standards, lack of communication skills and general laziness of the majority of staff is quite disturbing. Over the years I have watched the change in the calibre of both inmates and staff. The old school staff were mainly ex-servicemen so they had a bit of life experience, unlike some of the child-like staff these days. Some of the old staff were calculated, disciplined and by the book; and some were just outright bastards but you knew exactly where you stood with them. Unlike these new, younger, more manipulative, underpaid, uncouth, career driven children.

Congratulations and a £25 cash prize for this month’s Star Letter.

Prison hanging book morally offensive

................................................... PETER OATES - HMP HULL I’ve worked on the prisoner Listener/Supporters Scheme at HMP Hull for over 5 years. As volunteers we work extremely hard in teams helping other prisoners who are in crisis. Recently I was made aware that there is a book that can be borrowed from the prison library that shows people how to hang themselves. The book is titled ‘Pierrepoint A Family of Executioners’ by Steve Fielding. This book actually exists and is available for prisoners to borrow. I was shocked that not only does the book show photographs of the tools needed to make a noose but also sets out in detail how far you need to drop by your body weight. It also goes on to explain how many prisoners were hanged by the Pierrepoint family, including many here at HMP Hull.

I have put in a few apps and rarely do they even bother to reply unless I put in a COMP1. I’ve noticed that most staff will white-lie or just tell you anything to stall you or put you off, especially if they are sat there with a brew and it looks as though you might actually want them to do something. They have recently changed the Application system here and they now have a prisoner doing all their skivvying (a PID worker) which allows them more time for sitting around drinking tea. They justify it by saying they are giving a prisoner ‘more responsibility’, but seem to forget about our right to confidentiality when making official applications. Prisons seem to be human farms and I feel for all the lifers and IPPs because things are only going to get worse. There are already hundreds of prisoners over tariff, sat in noddy shops doing monotonous work that could only be classed as slave labour to anyone with a shred of sense and embarrassment. They pay a few pennies yet hand us canteen sheets from privatised money-grabbing companies who earn a profit from us by tempting us with thousands of pounds worth of goods.

Sex offenders making children’s toys

Some things don’t change

I write with a query about sex offenders being allowed to manufacture toys for children. Here at HMP Stafford sex offenders are making a toy that was featured on the BBC programme Dragon’s Den a few months ago. The toy is called ‘U Kick’ and basically it is a shuttlecock toy - ‘A kick-it, whack-it, hack-it toy’.

When serving a short prison sentence in the early 90s, I found prison life to be very miserable. The thought of sharing a cell with a stranger was very challenging. I can recall having to urinate in a plastic pot and, the next morning, walking 30 yards along the landing with it, brimming full, to empty it in the communal sluice in the recess during ‘slop-out’.

..................................................... NAME WITHHELD - HMP STAFFORD

This prison has already suffered two suicides by hanging and numerous attempts 2012_Blavo Dec 2008supred border SHADOW.qxd 13/11/2012 09:42 Page 1 over theBlavo pastNov 6 months. Whilst I fully Now we know that not all sex offenders are port the right of freedom of expression, I paedophiles but in the real world sex also believe that in a prison environment offenders cannot write/publish children’s these books are morally wrong and deeply books or make any profit from doing so, yet offensive. What sort of message are we the prison authorities seem to be turning a sending out? What would families, relablind eye to them making toys for children. tives or even a Coroner say about an instiSurely if the Dragon’s Den team knew that sex tution where suicide and attempted suioffenders are making a product publicly cide are rife and yet the authorities supply backed by them this would cause them to a manual on how to do it properly? think again, especially if the public were also HMP Hull have now removed this book aware. We get crap wages from making these from our library, but can you please ask toys and I wonder who is making a profit from NOMS if this book is available in any our work? Are the Prison Service willing to other prison libraries and, if so, will they allow sex offenders to produce children’s toys instruct staff to remove it? just so they can make a profit? It seems pretty hypocritical. Editorial note: This letter has been sent to NOMS for a response. Editorial note: This letter has been sent to NOMS for a response.

..................................................... DJM - HMP FEATHERSTONE

Now, 24 years later, I find myself in a single cell that has been made into a double with a toilet, but no curtain or partition. I find it very embarrassing and undignified that I have to use the toilet in this way! Plus, there are no windows to open, only a small vent, so you can imagine the smell. There are no toilets in the recess, only showers. It is like being warehoused in a Third World country.

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‘Serco have lost control’ ‘Sick people … to say the least’ ..................................................... BEN FLATTERS - HMP/YOI DONCASTER I am writing this because I am genuinely concerned for all prisoners held in Serco-run establishments. There are a number of issues that worry me. The Healthcare Department, or should I say lack of it. There are elderly prisoners on my wing who do not receive the correct medication or basic care entitlements that we as human beings deserve. If this was my parent/ grandparent I would sooner they be in the worst care-homes ever than have to put up with what I see here. There is a Basic/IEP regime that is about as consistent as the rice pudding we receive and probably causes as much harm. It seems to be different rules for different people and a special rule that staff can use it as a weapon whenever they feel like it. Surely PSIs are there for a reason? The staff are stretched to the limit on a daily basis although there are some who go above and beyond to help, they know who they are and so do we. You have to feel sorry when one lone female member of staff is left to try and contain 90+ prisoners, sometimes for long durations. ‘Serco safer custody’ this is not! To add insult to injury we have been told that our already restricted regime is to be cut and restricted even more to allow for staff pulling ‘sickies’. Cuts to our gym sessions, association and even meal times! Now, in a place where violence levels are on the up surely this can only add to the tension and ill-feeling. On the evidence of what I see here it would not surprise me if there were to be a major incident. I believe Serco, in their greedy rush for profit, have lost control here and I would much rather be in a HMP-run prison.

........................................................................................................ SCOTT ROBINSON - HMP BULLINGDON I feel compelled to write in and challenge the responses featured in your August issue about a mailbag by Mr Craig Jenkinson published in the July issue titled ‘Why should I have to read about sex offenders?’

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Contents Mailbag ............................................. 2-9 Newsround .................................... 11-17 Comment ....................................... 18-31

I have always been one for freedom of speech. Our forefathers fought and died bravely on the battlefields of two world wars to give us the right to enjoy that privilege and it should be respected and cherished. However, after reading some of the responses Mr Jenkinson got I find myself agreeing with him. Of the 9 people who responded to Mr Jenkinson’s letter I am assuming that at least 8 are sex offenders? Five of you tried to put your crimes (which may or may not include such vile acts as rape and molesting children) on a par with stealing, drug dealing, burglary, etc. but you simply cannot do that. Let us agree that all crimes have victims, even the most trivial offence. But some crimes hurt and affect victims more than others. Though that doesn’t mean they are right or justified. People ‘choose’ to take drugs, it is rare for a dealer to knock on your door and force you to take them at gunpoint! It all starts with a choice and despite that old right-wing chestnut about the dealers targeting schoolkids (are children really rich enough to buy cocaine at £60 a gram?) nobody forces anyone to take drugs. The majority of thieves and burglars are drug addicts and committing offences to feed their habit. They are impulsive and opportunistic and not thinking about their victims when they commit their crimes. They do not deliberately and consciously target vulnerable victims. The majority of sex offenders, however, seem to be egotistical, self-loving narcissists who get their kicks from exerting their dominance over vulnerable people. They say it is a disease, I don’t know about that but I do agree that they are sick people to say the least. I know I have done wrong to the many victims I have created in my crazy life, though I’ve never committed a sex offence, let me make that quite clear. I’m not proud of my crimes and I hope I get the proper help and support on my release so that I never create another victim (we can all hope). In truth, whether your crimes create one victim or one thousand victims, it is still too many.

Desperate Journeys: Europe’s migrant crisis ...................................................... 28

News from The House .......................... 32 Inside Justice ................................... 33 The Rule Book ................................... 34 Terry Waite Writes ............................. 36 Education ....................................... 37 Legal ............................................. 38-41 Legal Q&A ..................................... 42-43 Reading Groups ................................... 44 Wellbeing .......................................... 45 Inside Poetry .................................. 46-47 Jailbreak ........................................ 48-51 National Prison Radio ......................... 52

Yes, it is a nuisance to have your phone stolen by a sneak thief, but you’ll get over it and it probably won’t haunt and traumatise you for the rest of your life. This is not so with victims of sex offenders, they ARE traumatised for the rest of their lives. So comparing your crimes to others is no comparison at all.

Crime: So what’s the difference? Questionnaire inside

If you would like to contribute to Mailbag, please send your letters (concise and clearly marked) to ‘Mailbag’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB. Please note letters for publication may be edited.

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Mailbag

No help from healthcare

Smoking price discrepancy?

..................................................... LEE SCOTT - HMP WOODHILL

© Fotolia.com

Smoking in prison

................................................. PAUL HART - HMP WHATTON I think that stopping prisoners from smoking could be against our human rights. It also brings in a lot of tax revenue and profit for canteen suppliers. Once you stop people from buying tobacco then the canteen prices will have to be increased on every other item, so there is a possibility that non-smokers will be penalised as well. At the moment those on unemployment or basic pay - £3 per week can afford to buy the cheapest tobacco at £2.74 a pouch but, as it stands, will not be able to afford the e-Burn at £3.60 minimum. That means the thousands of prisoners who are unemployed or on Basic will be ‘forced’ to give up smoking due to cost. Can someone please tell me how this is fair? Why don’t they just designate smoke-free wings or prisons and let all the non-smoking prisoners and staff go about their business in

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a smoke-free environment? It’s the only solution that makes sense. Editorial note: Following the various smoking bans being introduced by different authorities in the UK and overseas the issue of smoking in prisons is a hot topic. The prison authorities are aware of the potential claims from prisoners and staff who may suffer the effects of passive smoking if they do not act. For some time prisoners who do not smoke are accommodated in a smoke free area wherever it is possible but overcrowding makes it very difficult. The issue of affordability of e-cigs is difficult for manufacturers to address as they are already sold as individual items. Because of the fixed costs in production making a smaller version would make very little difference to the final price. Prisoners regularly write to Inside Time pointing out that pay levels have not been increased for several decades whilst canteen prices continuously rise putting many items out of reach. We are however unaware of any imminent plans to review either pay levels or canteen prices.

‘What about the ‘rights’ of smokers?’

........................................................................................................ G WADLEY - HMP LEWES I keep hearing about the ‘rights’ of non-smokers to live and work in a smoke-free environment and whenever smoking is mentioned it is always about what affects the anti-smoking brigade. Well, my question is this - what about the ‘rights’ of smokers? Who is standing up for us? Where is our champion who will fight for our ‘rights’? Everyone knows that if you outlaw tobacco within prisons then you are just making another big hole that the black market will fill. There is no problem getting illegal drugs, alcohol and thousands of mobile phones into prison so it will be pretty simple to add tobacco to that list. Despite what you may think, non-smokers do not have the moral high ground here, they have no ‘divine right’ to stop others doing what they want.

We are local to: HMYOI AYLESBURY & HMPs BULLINGDON, GRENDON, WOODHILL, READING and SPRINGHILL but Pickup & Scott Solicitors also cover many other prisons.

Can you tell me why it is that the advertisement in Inside Time for e-Burn state that the price is £3 for staff, yet £3.60 for prisoners? Also, HMP Woodhill are already charging £4 for them. Prison staff are not living on an average wage of £7.50 per week so how come they are getting a discount on the e-Burn? I’m not slagging the e-Burn but I’m just saying that if you are charging prison staff £3 then why can we prisoners not have it at the same price? Some prisoners are lucky enough to have jobs but there is not enough work to go round so what about those prisoners who have no work and don’t get any money sent in? If the authorities are going to ban smoking there is no way prisoners could afford the e-burn as unemployment pay is £3 per week! And that is without taking off the TV rental money. I’m glad we are able to have e-Burn instead of going cold turkey from smoking but with the high price being charged I’m not sure we’ll be able to afford it. At the moment we can buy very cheap tobacco, at £2.74 a pouch, from which we can get at least 40 roll-ups but we cannot get an e-Burn for this price. So I think there should be a price that is the same for everybody, whether it be £3 or £4, but can you let me know if HMP Woodhill are ripping us off by selling them to us at £4 each instead of the recommended price of £3.60? Darren Haley E Burn

Writes

The price shown in the advertisement for prison staff is plus postage and packing whereas the price to prisoners includes all costs relating to delivery. The delivery and distribution cost involved in supplying E Burn to prisoners is complex because of existing canteen contracts and security requirements. In England and Wales products are made available via DHL/Booker who are contracted by NOMS/HMPS to supply all canteen goods. E Burn cannot control or dictate these distribution costs but we do hope to be in a position to reduce our prices once the volumes increase to the anticipated levels.

..................................................... ROWLETT - HMP LINCOLN I suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and have severe flashbacks that cause me to fall down and lash out during these attacks, and on many occasions I have fractured, broken and bruised my body. I am well aware of what a fractured ulnar (forearm bone) feels like, as I have broken it twice in the past and fractured it 3 times. This is also why my left ulnar is quite weak and prone to damage during these attacks. On the 19th of August 2015 I had a severe flashback at 22.00 in my cell and I fell and fractured my left ulnar. I pushed my cell-bell to request medical assistance, as I required support for my forearm so it would not completely break were I to bump it in its weakened state. The night officer phoned the night health nurse and explained my situation. The nurse refused to come out and said I should report it to a dispensary nurse the next morning. On the 20th of August at 8.05 I went to the dispensary and asked for a support for my arm as it was fractured. The nurse told me I was wrong and refused to even look at my arm as I had not seen a doctor or had an X-ray and could not possibly know it was fractured! I explained to her that I was quite experienced with fractures and breaks and if I could just have a support for the injury then it cut down on the possibility of it getting worse. She refused and told me to put in an application to see the doctor. This was the ‘professional’ view of a Band 4 nurse who is not even qualified! Five minutes later I spotted an NHS Admin person and explained to her what had happened and what I needed. I was informed that they did not have anything I could use to support my arm, not even a sling! She then spoke to the dispensary nurse and told me that there would not be a doctor in the prison until ‘sometime next week’ and that I should put in an app and wait. How can our lives and health be treated so casually by these so-called professionals? I know that we are now supposed to be treated the same by the NHS in prison as those who are outside are treated. This is obviously not the case.

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Mailbag

If you would like to contribute to Mailbag, please send your letters (including your name, number and prison) to ‘Mailbag’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB.

Duty of care?

‘Don’t let stigma kill you’

Prisons like to boast that they have a ‘duty of care’, but as far as the health service side of things is concerned they fail to live up to that boast. I have never mentioned this to anyone since it happened, but I was in HMP Oxford in 1974 on remand. There was 3 of us in one cell, all about 18 years of age, and one was my friend, called Martin. After a month Martin started to get headaches and over the next 4 to 6 weeks he constantly reported sick but was treated only with aspirin water. Pretty standard in those days.

I was on National Prison Radio recently for Hepatitis C Awareness day. I wasn’t able to talk about treatment as it was not clear to me how far the new treatment has progressed into mainstream medicated use. I was lucky enough to be put through a new treatment. I had 8 tablets a day on a 12 week course and the virus was ‘undetected’ at week 4! There were no side effects, such as illness, hair loss and I got the full all-clear blood test last month.

One night he collapsed in the cell and by the time the bell was answered and he was taken to hospital he’d died. It turns out that his headaches had been caused by an abscess on the brain, which, had it been caught early, could easily have been dealt with and Martin would have lived.

..................................................... P JOHNSON - HMP WAKEFIELD

..................................................... A WILTSHIRE - HMP MOORLAND

Now I am 60 years-old and have had chronic respiratory disease for a number of years and from time to time I suffer with chest infections. I put in an application to see the doctor because I was waking up in the night with chest pains. I ended up seeing a nurse who told me I had ‘pulled a muscle’ and gave me some ibuprofen gel. The pain is all over my chest so I would have had to cover myself in gel. Three weeks later I am still in pain, getting no sleep and still waiting to see a doctor. Things in prison healthcare do not seem to have improved much since 1974. Not only do you have to worry about doing your sentence but you also have to worry if you are going to live through it. The death rates in our prisons are atrocious. Like a lot of older people, I have worked all my life and deserve the full use of the NHS whether I am in prison or not.

........................................................................................................ ALEX BROWNE - HMP STYAL

Here at HMP Styal we have a great team in healthcare. When I was diagnosed I had one of the best nurses and consultant from North Manchester Hospital. We need to accept that Hep C is not something that prisoners can pretend isn’t a problem. We all have a past, but in prison we get to do things we wouldn’t usually do so don’t let stigma kill you - get tested, get treatment, get a future!

IPP = ‘Terrible abuse’

..................................................... DUNSTON - HMP WAYLAND Since the abolition of the IPP sentence I find it very hard to stomach that the same people responsible for implementing this type of sentence still think they have a claim to continue this nonsense with those who have not yet been freed, in retrospect, from this terrible abuse. For those remaining, many of whom have not only gone past their tariff but their entire sentence (some way beyond) there now seems to be a kind of acceptance by the authorities that it is ok to keep them locked up. Well, no, it’s not! Many of these people were sentenced for crimes that warranted sentences of 5 years or less, so how is it possible to justify keeping them in this long? Yet, instead of apologising and rectifying the situation, they have created a kind of vortex within the prison system and these prisoners cannot escape it. Just how long will this go on for? Can they not see the elephant in the room? Surely this is the time for the authorities to do the right thing. Let’s hear no more about the courses that either don’t exist, don’t work or are just a waste of money, let’s do the proper thing and release them.

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‘Thank you for keeping Know your rights ..................................................... me alive’ STEVEN GOODWIN - HMP ISLE OF I read the odd moan and groan in your pages so I thought I would add a little balance. In August 2015 I had a heart attack at 5.40 in the morning in my cell. I found out later that this is just about the time the night staff changes. I pushed my cell alarm bell and within minutes there was an officer at my door who saw me in pain and rushed off. Minutes later there was a nurse, a PO and other staff coming to my aid. Within 30 minutes I had a paramedic hooking me up to machines etc. and working very hard to keep me alive. Without the quick response of staff, who knows what could have happened? I was in hospital for 13 days and after many tests I had a pacemaker fitted and one week later I was back in prison. I still get good care from NHS staff and officers asking me if I’m ok. For once I can only praise those who came to my aid and those who help me now. My wife and sons wish to thank all of those who helped to keep me alive. It may have been home time for the night staff but they stayed to help me. Thank you for keeping me alive.

WIGHT In response to the letter from Aaron Eastley of HMYOI Aylesbury (Deaf Prisoners - August issue). If you pop down to your prison library and ask to see PSO 2855 - Prisoners with disabilities - you will find all the information you need on what you can expect from HMP. All prison governors have a duty under the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) to make reasonable adjustments for disabled prisoners and the Act clearly states that they must provide a vibrating alarm clock for deaf prisoners, braille for blind prisoners and ramps for wheelchairs, amongst many other things. I am a deaf prisoner myself and at both prisons I have been in I have been provided with an alarm clock once I had made a written request to the DLO (Disability Liaison Officer) or the Social Care Team. You can also ask for induction loops in visits, education, reception, etc. I doubt that any governor would refuse your requests as they are well aware that failure would result in legal action. Know your rights.

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Mailbag

6

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State pension for prisoners ‘morally wrong’

....................................................... RICHARD POLLETT I am now out on probation so have followed through on one of your correspondents well written letter some months ago concerning state pensions. I received the reply below, which is very interesting. Surely the 40+ years of contributions I made should be some sort of credit?! And this begs the question as to how much reliance can I place on future generations to subscribe for my benefit! So State Pension is not a right! Be interesting to know how people both in and out of prison would view this. Baroness Altmann CBE,

Minister of State for Pensions

Writes

Mr Pollett’s query is not a new one. The non-payment of State Pension to prisoners is a very long standing policy. The justification is as follows: First, the Government (and all its predecessors) considers that payment of benefit to

If you would like to contribute to Mailbag, please send your letters (including your name, number and prison) to ‘Mailbag’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB. prisoners and those detained in legal custody ahead of any subsequent imprisonment is unnecessary. They are already being maintained at considerable public expense and to pay benefit would amount to double provision. Secondly, the idea of prisoners receiving payments from public funds at a time when they are generally considered to be repaying a debt to society is widely felt to be morally wrong. This brings me to the heart of the complaint, that nevertheless a person has a ‘right’ to their State Pension. The National Insurance scheme operates as a ‘pay as you go’ scheme so that today’s contributors are paying for today’s social security entitlements and pensions, and those paying contributions previously were paying for the pensioners of that time. In other words, contributors do not accumulate an individual pension fund of actual monies they have paid, which is personal to them. Instead, payment of contributions entitles them or, in certain circumstances, their spouses, to a range of social security entitlements which are available on the basis of the rules applicable at the time of the claim. Therefore, there is no acquired ‘right’ to a State Pension. In law it is a benefit and like all other benefits is not paid to anyone in prison. Equally, and for the same reasons, it is not paid when someone is on remand because even at this time they are detained in legal custody. If an individual is subsequently not imprisoned, the benefit withheld is paid in full. Finally, the suggestion that the Carson judgement somehow prevents the Secretary of State having such a policy is misplaced, as has been confirmed in subsequent cases.

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

‘Big thanks to HMP La Moye’

...................................................................................................... A PRISONER’S FIANCÉ My fiancé (English resident) has recently been transferred to an English jail after spending 8 months in HMP La Moye (Jersey). I would like to thank all the staff and HMP La Moye for making this hellish experience as bearable as possible. There were occasions during visits when emotions got the better of me but the staff always made sure I was ok when leaving. I was his only visitor travelling from the UK. One instance my flight had been delayed an hour he didn’t know this. The staff had checked on my flight prior to visit time as they knew I would be travelling over and the weather was bad. They updated my fiancé who was in a holding cell awaiting visit to start so he didn’t worry. I arrived late and they rushed me through, they knew how precious every single second was to us. The small things the staff did for us both really did make our life that little bit easier and believe me there was a lot of small things they did. I know this isn’t ‘Trip Advisor’ but from a loved one’s perspective I would rate HMP La Moye very highly. Thank you all for the numerous photos and of course helping with his marriage proposal.

‘HMP Bronzefield do not accept deliveries from Amazon’

........................................................................................................ NADINE WALLACE - HMP BRONZEFIELD I have a general enquiry about which I would like would like a response from NOMS. Here at Bronzefield, staff have made a decision (who knows the reason?) not to accept deliveries from Amazon. This has not been made formal by way of official notice, it’s just that our deliveries are flatly refused and our families have only discovered this via emails from Amazon that tell them when they reach the prison ‘delivery is refused’. I am aware that PSI 30/2013 has a list of approved suppliers, but I cannot get hold of a copy in order to start a complaint using the correct information. Is Amazon on the ‘Approved Suppliers list’? And if so, why has the regime at Bronzefield put a ban on receiving deliveries from this company? We await a response. Editorial note: The approved suppliers are: Blackwells, Foyles, Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, Waterstones, WH Smith and Wordery. More information on the update to PSI 30/2013 (updated September 1st 2015) can be found on page 34.

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Mailbag

If you would like to contribute to Mailbag, please send your letters (including your name, number and prison) to ‘Mailbag’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB.

‘Setting us up to fail!’

1 J-Cloth per week!

I need to tell you about a problem we have here at HMYOI Aylesbury. It is about ship-outs - we cannot seem to get any to adult prisons. This prison is keeping us here at the ages of 22, 23 and in one case 24 and I wonder if this is the policy in other YOIs? I am 21 in 2 months time and I am afraid that I will do my remaining 8 months in this prison instead of in my local adult jail - HMP Bullingdon. I want to be closer to my family for visits and resettlement but this jail seems reluctant to let any of us who are over 21 move to adult prisons.

I read in the August issue that an inmate at HMP Styal was having a moan about only getting one J-Cloth per day for cleaning. Think yourself lucky, here at The Mount I get one J-Cloth per week! We also get 4 disinfectant tablets, 1 piece of green pad, half a litre of washing up liquid and 3 sachets of shampoo to last us a week. From the sound of things the real cut-backs haven’t arrived at HMP Styal yet! There’s something to look forward to!

........................................................................................................ AARON HUDNOTT - HMYOI AYLESBURY

In an adult prison we would get access to the Virtual Campus, not available here, so that we can at least be released with an up-to-date CV in order to help with employment, or a chance to look at jobs or careers before release. How can they expect us to not reoffend when they seem to make things more difficult for us? It is like they are setting us up to fail! A shame, really. © Fotolia.com

....................................................... CHARLES DABIN - HMP HEWELL

..................................................... ADRIAN ALSOP - HMP LINCOLN

Two such cases were the infamous CIA double agent Aldrich Ames, who was able to sail through a barrage of CIA lie detector tests despite his double agent status. Then there was serial killer Gary Ridgeway who was able to go on and kill another 50 women after passing an FBI lie detector. American courts no longer accept lie detector results due simply to the fact that they only measure a human being’s anxiety levels. There is now a more accepted test, the MRI lie detector, the brainchild of Daniel Longleben of the University of Pennsylvania. MRI tests your brain for activity whilst you are undergoing the lie detector, and there is now a commercial company offering this service privately and it is used for insurance claims, etc. The company is called ‘No Lie MRI’. Although I should add that even an MRI lie detector is not conclusive proof of innocence. Would I lie to you? Page 40

..................................................... DAVID ENGLAND - HMP THE MOUNT

What about Health and 1 J-Cloth per month! Safety Inspections?

Lie detectors can be beaten

Over recent months I have noted several letters and discussions in your pages on the subject of lie detectors which people seem to think will prove their innocence. Some even seem frustrated by their lack of acceptance by the authorities. It may be of interest to know that in 2003 the US National Academy of Sciences issued a report on the unreliability of polygraphs and listed all the ways by which they could be manipulated. It was clear that lie detectors can be beaten by sociopaths who have no remorse for their actions.

7

‘Stop stereotyping and targeting our families’

....................................................... ANDREW ROBERTS - HMP WYMOTT The local police here are engaging in somewhat underhanded and unethical behaviour by intercepting prisoner’s families just outside the prison. They stop visitor’s cars to check named drivers, tax, insurance details, tyre, tread and pressure, overloading and the contents of the boot! This is not only a poor use of resources but several families have only managed to get a 20 minute visit with their loved ones after having been stopped and put through examination by the police! Considering the police are complaining so much about the cuts and their lack of manpower, one couldn’t really consider this the best use of the resources they do have. Prisoners’ families are already enduring a very difficult situation without the added burden of police harassment. Maybe the police could go and do some real work and stop stereotyping and targeting our families.

Parole Board Hearing? IPP, Lifer, Standard, Licence Recalls. Independent Adjudication? Sentence Wrongly Calculated? Oral Hearing? - Tariff Reduction? Appeal against Sentence or Conviction? Second Appeal through the CCRC? The above issues are still covered under Legal Aid! So if you need help get it from dedicated London based Prison Lawyers, helping prisoners fight for their rights throughout England and Wales.

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I write in response to the letter by Suzanne Cleaver of HMP Styal (‘One J-Cloth per day August issue) and also the mailbag from someone in HMP Swaleside who reported there was no washing-up liquid or sanitizer, etc. and how men were coming down with stomach problems. I would like to mention that before prison I was a chef at a posh hotel for two years and we had regular health inspections and always came out with a good report. If the Health and Safety Inspectors found no cleaning liquids at our hotel then, by law, he would have to shut the place down immediately. So, my question is, when was the last time either Styal or Swaleside was inspected by the Health and Safety Inspectors? Because I smell a rat. Are prisons hiding behind that old ‘Crown immunity’ chestnut or do prison kitchens get regular inspections and if not, why not? Editorial note: This letter has been sent to NOMS for a response.

D AV I E S & J O N E S

..................................................... PHILIP CANT - HMP CHANNINGS WOOD I write in response to the letter by Suzanne Cleaver, referring to J-Cloth rationing. Suzanne should think herself lucky to get one per day as here at Channings Wood we get one per month, and that’s only if they have any in the stores! We also get one bar of soap and toothpaste per month, if available. There are ongoing budget cuts here, and in every other prison I should imagine, and this leads to restraints on everything from food and toiletries to clothing and cleaning materials. And I have no doubt it will get worse. As prisoners we are often unsure what we are entitled to and even when we do know we have very little chance to have those entitlements enforced. Yes, these cuts in basic rights are probably making short-term savings, but at what long-term cost?

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8

Mailbag

‘Scottish system is much better’

A dose of reality for Charles Salvador

........................................................................................................ AARON BARLOW - HMP HOLME HOUSE I am writing this in reply to Charlie Bronson, or whatever he is calling himself. First of all he says he has had a 3 year IPP and he is 13 years over his tariff. Well I find this quite laughable. He is trying to claim he got an IPP sentence before they came into play in the UK. They only started giving IPP sentences out in 2005 so I think he should read up on things before he tries to have yet another pathetic claim to fame On the matter of the Kray twins only doing 15 years before they got re-categorised to B Cat, has he ever thought to himself it might have something to do with them not being stupid and being involved in prison riots or taking prison officers and governors hostage. They weren’t stupid, they worked the system and were not trying to be Britain’s most famous prisoner. God how it paid off for him, now he is feeling sorry for himself; he brought it all on himself anyway. I am only writing this as I am actually an IPP prisoner and I just wanted to set people straight, the IPP sentence came out in 2005 not 1999 as Salvador says and they were found inhuman in 2012, the year I got my IPP.

..................................................... NIKKY WOODFIELD - HMP CHANNINGS WOOD n I am writing in reference to the letter written by ‘Charles Arthur Salvador’ formerly known as Charles Bronson. Firstly, Charles stated he was a forgotten IPP prisoner, 13 years over tariff! Well unless he has invented a time machine or is very bad at maths - I suspect the latter, but you decide. The IPP sentence was introduced in 2005, therefore an impossibility to be 13 years over tariff. Secondly, I too am an IPP prisoner, yet I have been in for over 7 years and have been told to expect another knockback. Yet I have completed 56 courses, no IEPs or nickings. I am a peer mentor and have held a position of trust since 2008. So when I hear the notorious Charlie Bronson fishing for sympathy, my blood boils. If you spend decades holding hostages, assaults on staff etc. you play up to the name YOU created, then when YOU decide you don’t want the attention anymore you wonder why no-one can trust you. YOU created the ‘monster’, you signed away your right to be treated with respect and dignity. You can’t be trusted to do even the most basic of social interaction. Five minutes of good behaviour does not undo decades of horrendous behaviour. The only loser in this situation is you. Frankly you have been in control of your destiny the whole time. But you have spent 40 years destroying any chance of anyone taking responsibility of progressing you. YOU made your bed, now lie on it.

SCC

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

If you would like to contribute to Mailbag, please send your letters (including your name, number and prison) to ‘Mailbag’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB.

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..................................................... NAME WITHHELD - HMP GRAMPIAN

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The benefits of education in prison

..................................................... ANDREW IBBOTSON - HMP LITTLEHEY In many ways Michael Gove’s recent comments about the benefits of education in prison make good sense although there are a few things that he might need to bear in mind when it comes to providing effective education which leads to positive rehabilitation. Firstly, education in any establishment should never be motivated by financial profit. The payment by results system often used by commercial education suppliers in prison can all too easily leads to a ‘bums on seats’ mentality where the quantity of learners is more important than the quality of learning. Given that a fair proportion of people who access education in prisons might be doing so for the first time in their lives it is unrealistic to then tell them that a course must be completed in a certain number of sessions. This cannot allow for different learning styles, specific educational needs or even creative or innovative teaching. Secondly, all the certificates in the world will do an ex-offender no good if employers in the community are unwilling to offer jobs to those who have been in prison. Every ex-offender who struggles to find work because of their past becomes a burden to an already overstretched benefits system. Maybe the government should look at offering tax incentives to employers who will actively seek to offer work to ex-offenders. Also, maybe it is time to re-evaluate the process of disclosing offences to potential employers so that people can have a fair crack of the whip when applying for jobs after prison. Finally, I wonder if Probation and local CRCs could do more to encourage companies in their area to look beyond peoples’ offences and offer jobs to ex-offenders, especially for those who may have long license periods to whom the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act will not, in its current format, apply.

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Affordable expert legal advice is available from a Direct Access Barrister who you can instruct to represent you. Over 15 years’ experience in the legal profession www.sterlingcourtchambers.co.uk Sterling Court Chambers is regulated by the Bar Standards Board

It is not without its faults but our incoming mail is opened in front of us, they check for money or other articles and then hand us our mail unread. There is no reading of your mail, both incoming and outgoing. Unlike the English system where they seem to believe the system will crash to the ground if they don’t read incoming and outgoing mail! Wages are set at a comfortable rate so that every prisoner can afford a half-decent living whilst in jail. Wages are from £13 to £20 per week. The food may not be the greatest but we do not go hungry. If anything, the only crime with the food is the amount of waste. There is no such thing as Basic, Standard or Enhanced - so no carrot and stick regimes. I know that Grayling practically brought the English system to its knees but he had little effect here in Scotland. Even the healthcare, run by the Scottish NHS, treat us as humans and not just prisoners. It is not perfect but is a damn sight better than in England. And finally, Mr Charles Salvador we hear and feel your pain brother. Why not put in for a cross-border transfer, you’ll get a single cell with shower and be treated with some dignity. Good luck and I hope you get release soon.

Religious items

..................................................... ALAN MARTIN - HMP WHATTON I found it interesting reading that John Chadwick (June issue) was denied his Book of Shadows as a Pagan. I am a Christian and have been denied the right to have my cross and chain and St Christopher medal by HMP Whatton. They have placed them in my stored property and say that I cannot have anything from my stored prop until I leave the prison. Can anyone tell me what my rights are regarding having these religious items in my possession? Editorial note: This letter has been sent to NOMS for a response.

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Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

If you would like to contribute to Mailbag, please send your letters (including your name, number and prison) to ‘Mailbag’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB.

Mailbag

9

Proper assessment requested

‘NOMs appear happy to break to law’

Since being in prison I have tried many many times to get an accurate assessment and some proper treatment for my mental health problems that have been affecting me for a number of years. I committed my current offence while under the influence of a psychotic episode which with the medication I needed would never have happened.

Section 7 (4) Prison Act 1952 states ‘The Chaplain and any assistant Chaplains shall be clergymen of the Church of England. This refers to the Prison Staff Chaplain, that is to say the paid Staff Chaplain. I was very concerned that the Assistant Chaplain at this prison is not a clergyman of the Church of England and therefore made a request to the Ministry of Justice under the Freedom of Information Act. The MoJ reply states ‘As at 31 March 2015 there were 240 Chaplains and Assistant Chaplains employed by NOMS who were not recorded as Anglican’. So, prison governors and NOMS appear happy to break the law whenever they feel like it whilst telling prisoners that we are ‘offenders’. Is this a case of do as I say not as I do?

........................................................................................................ PAUL - HMP HAVERIGG

Upon sentencing the judge stated to me personally and said ‘I believe it would be beneficial for you to be put on some medication and when you leave prison you can lead a productive life’, he said this after he asked me if I had been receiving any treatment in prison for my mental health problems to which I replied ‘No, they have done nothing’. He did not look happy with my reply. I am over eight months into my sentence and am currently in my second prison and the healthcare and mental health service have done nothing for me. They have not put me on any medication or given me any kind of treatment at all. I have been feeling worse over time and despite going down all the correct paths with apps, all they have done is make promises of appointments and not kept them; told me I am next in line to get help and left me for weeks without telling me a thing. They do nothing. I feel worse. © Fotolia.com

Innocent and blackmailed by the state

..................................................... DEL PATTERSON - HMP FRANKLAND

Steel guitar strings

..................................................... MARK LEWIN - HMP GRENDON You may recall that under PSI 30/2013 IEP policy, all guitars with steel strings were banned, including all electric guitars (which, by their nature, have to have steel strings). The only guitars allowed were the Spanishtype ones with plastic strings. This silly ban was lifted following a high-profile campaign and a dose of common sense and steel string guitars were reinstated. However, why does the ban on electric guitars and small amplifiers remain? Is this just an oversight? Ironically the steel electric guitar strings are of a lighter gauge than acoustic ones and therefore are potentially less dangerous. Can someone tell me why we are allowed steel string acoustic guitars but not electric guitars? When will they lift this silly ban? Editorial note: This letter has been sent to NOMS for a response.

trapped? trapped?

It never ceases to amaze me how the National Probation Service, along with NOMS, refuse to help those prisoners like myself who totally maintain their innocence. In spite of all my efforts I have not been helped by anyone to move on. And, in spite of all directives, my Probation Officer still makes recommendations to the Parole Board to stop me being released or going to open conditions. It is all down to one thing, if I don’t do courses then they say I am getting nothing. This comes from Probation and OMU and it is a form of blackmail. If they were to actually think about it they might realise that it is impossible to do an offending behaviour course if you haven’t offended in the first place!

emmersonssolicitors 52 John Street, Sunderland, SR1 1QN Freephone 0800 193 0146 or 0191 567 6667 emmersons-solicitors.co.uk

Editorial note: This letter has been sent to NOMS for a response.

NOTICE BOARD

Write All About It: We want to hear your voice!

........................................................................................................ Here at De Montfort University in Leicester we are currently researching the role of the written letter for those in prison. We would like to know more about letter writing whilst in prison; do you enjoy writing letters? What is special about writing a letter? Does it give you something that phone calls or visits don’t? Would you be willing to contribute to research about prison through writing letters to researchers, discussing your experiences and views? How would you feel about anonymously sharing your thoughts and experiences with a researcher through letters? We know that you are able to communicate with family and friends via the telephone, face-to-face visits and for some of you via

email type messages. How might these compare to the traditional postal letter? All of our research is anonymous and all responses will be kept strictly confidential - your identity will never be revealed in our reports and publications. Please write to us at: Dr Victoria Knight & Christopher Stamper Community and Criminal Justice Division Faculty of Health & Life Sciences De Montfort University, Freepost MID 20741 Leicester LE2 2ZE We will write back confirming the receipt of your letter and give you some more details about our project. Many thanks for taking time to read this. We hope we have inspired you to put pen to paper and write to us!

Clearly Probation, the OMU and Parole Board are a law unto themselves, it’s about time they took some responsibility for their vindictive and negative attitudes. In a nutshell, it’s not about Risk Factor, it’s all about conning the taxpayers out of millions for crappy courses that have no proven effect. I will never do the courses as I did not commit any crime in the first place. They can blackmail me and throw threats all they like but they cannot break a man who is innocent. If I were to commit blackmail I’d rightly be arrested for it.

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THE INSPECTOR CALLS ... Nick Hardwick - HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Inside Time highlights areas of good and bad practice, along with a summary of prisoner survey responses at HMP/YOI Stoke Heath and HMP The Mount. These extracts are taken from the most recent Reports published by HM Inspectorate of Prisons. mainly low level, though some weapons had been found. Inspectors felt that levels of violence was linked to alcohol, drugs and new psychoactive substances. They also thought boredom and inactivity contributed to violence; they found 40% of prisoners ‘milling aimlessly about on the wings during the working day’.

HMP/YOI Stoke Heath

Closed adult male category C establishment with young adult designation and small remand function Managed by HMPS CNA: 634 Population: 745 (17:04:15) Unannounced Full Inspection: 13-23 April 2015 Published: 19th August 2015 Last inspection: March 2012 SAFETY: Reasonably good RESPECT: Reasonably good PURPOSEFUL ACTIVITY: Reasonably good RESETTLEMENT: Reasonably good

‘Managing change well’

8.4% Recall 2.1% Foreign Nationals 9.3% Sentenced to less than a year 16% Lost property on arrival 84% Treated well in Reception 35% Had legal letters opened 60% Food is bad or very bad 37% Don’t know who IMB are 82% Treated with respect by staff 36% Number who have felt unsafe 27% Victimised by staff 74% Difficult to see dentist 50% Easy to get drugs 24% Not engaged in any purposeful activities 14% Less than 4 hours out of cell Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick said; ‘HMP/YOI Stoke Heath has weathered the pressures on the prison system better than most, and outcomes for the prisoners held were better than in many prisons we have recently inspected. Priorities for the future should include a focus on tackling violence, improving support for prisoners with protected characteristics, keeping men fully occupied and doing more to reduce the risks that they will reoffend after release.’ Although Inspectors said there were problems with prisoners access to Listeners, levels of self-harm were low and safeguarding for vulnerable adults was better than they normally see. Levels of violence were high, although

The report says; ‘The prison was overcrowded, some cells were very small and the overall environment was worn. Prisoners complained they could not get access to cleaning materials but cells were generally clean. Prisoners could wear their own clothes but prison clothing was often ill-fitting and in poor repair.’ Although activities were insufficient for the number of prisoners, Inspectors said that; ‘The quality of activities was good and the achievements of prisoners were outstanding. There was a very welcome focus on functional skills such as maths and English.’

HMP The Mount

Male adult category C training and resettlement prison Managed by HMPS CNA: 996 Population: 917 Unannounced Full Inspection: 7-17 April 2015 Published: 21st August 2015 Last inspection: October 2011 SAFETY: Reasonably good RESPECT: Reasonably good PURPOSEFUL ACTIVITY: Reasonably good RESETTLEMENT: Reasonably good

‘Performing well’

6.1% Recall 15.9% Foreign Nationals 7% Sentenced to less than a year 26% Lost property on arrival 76% Treated well in Reception 41% Had legal letters opened 54% Food is bad or very bad 22% Don’t know who IMB are 84% Treated with respect by staff 32% Number who have felt unsafe 29% Victimised by staff 68% Difficult to see dentist 40% Easy to get drugs 27% Not engaged in any purposeful activities 27% Less than 4 hours out of cell

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This latest report says; ‘The Mount was performing well and was better than many similar prisons’. It had recently opened a new 250-bed resettlement wing which was being filled as the inspection took place. This was a good report, Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector, saying; ‘The Mount was achieving better outcomes for the men it held than most prisons inspected recently, despite facing similar challenges and despite the disruption caused by its expansion and the imminent transfer of much of its resettlement function to a new Community Rehabilitation Company. Outcomes for prisoners were reasonably good in all the main areas inspected and there were credible plans for further improvement.’ The prison is described as being safe, calm, and well ordered although Inspectors say the ‘use of force’ was high but proportionate and well managed. Inspectors did have concern about vulnerable prisoners, they said; ‘Care for men at risk of suicide or self-harm was generally adequate but some lessons from previous deaths in custody had not been fully embedded … Listeners were not sufficiently available. Too many victims of bullying sought sanctuary in the segregation unit and most were then moved out to prisons with insufficient effort to resolve their concerns and reintegrate them back on the wings where appropriate.’ The prison has a good environment and most prisoners had access to on-wing cooking facilities which they appreciated. Staff were stretched and busy, but relationships were good although ‘the applications system was inconsistent and slow and too many minor issues that should have been sorted out informally were dealt with as formal complaints which created extra work.’ Despite staff shortages and a restricted regime, time out of cell was reasonable and consistent. Ofsted assessed the overall effectiveness of learning and skills and work as good. There was a welcome emphasis on ensuring prisoners had basic maths and English skills. Library and PE provision were also good. In summing up Nick Hardwick said; ‘the prison is very well led with a stable senior management team; the regime and staff are consistent - prisoners know what to expect; and there is excellent use made of peer workers. There is much that other prisons can learn from The Mount.’

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Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

‘Extreme custody’ a report on Close Supervision Centres A recent report from Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick on Close Supervision Centres (which hold 40 of the most ‘dangerous’ and ‘disruptive’ men in the prison system) has labelled CSCs ‘extreme custody’. (Noel Smith writes) The aim of the CSC system was to remove the most dangerous prisoners from ordinary location, manage them in small units and use individual or group work to reduce their risks so that they could eventually return to normal or other suitable location.

Inside Products A company aimed at rehabilitating prisoners called Inside Products was launched in April in partnership with the Ministry of Justice, with the aim of selling products made inside prisons to the public. Currently it’s operating from: HMP Featherstone, HMP Long Lartin, HMP Hewell, and HMP Stoke Heath Local prisons have historically operated schemes which see offenders making a range of products as part of their rehabilitation & re-training - ranging from chess sets through to garden furniture. This new company gives them a way of getting those goods to market, but also improves both the volume of people who can benefit from training, and means they get a better, more relevant experience. It’s hoped that this programme will help reduce reoffending, by not only teaching offenders new skills, but also putting those skills to work within a proper business environment. They will have to not only ‘produce something’, but to also think about things like costs, deadlines and quality control as well. All of which should improve their job prospects upon leaving prison, but also - boost their self-esteem and self-worth whilst they are serving their sentence. robincorbettITad.qxp_Layout 1 21/09/2015 10:28 Page 1

PRT is pleased to announce that applications for the Robin Corbett Award for Prisoner Rehabilitation are now welcome.

The Inspectors were pleased to find that some aspects of this was working, prisoners and staff ‘generally felt safe’ and staff/ prisoner relationships were ‘reassuringly good’. However, Inspectors were concerned to find no independent scrutiny or external involvement in decision-making, which is particularly important given the ‘highly restrictive’ nature of the units. They also reported a very high proportion of black and minority ethnic prisoners and Muslim men held, and management have commissioned research to find the reasons for this. Nick Hardwick reported: ‘Leadership of the system as a whole was clear, principled and courageous’. There were, however, ‘a number of important issues that needed to be addressed’.

Complete review of prison education announced

Along with Lord Corbett’s family, the Prison Reform Trust established and administers this award for prisoner rehabilitation.

It has been announced that, over the next year, there is going to be a complete review of education in prisons and YOIs. Paul Sullivan writes.

This annual award, kindly supported by the Worshipful Company of Weavers, is for outstanding rehabilitative work with prisoners done by a small charity or community group working in partnership with prison staff. Robin Corbett had a developed interest in prisoners' education and people in prison 'learning through doing'. So, uniquely, the award champions work that fosters personal responsibility and encourages people in prison.

It will examine the scope, quality and effectiveness, support for learners, and how this supports rehabilitation. It will look individually at different segments of prisoners: for example; older prisoners, female prisoners, young adults, life sentenced prisoners, and young adults.

We look forward to receiving applications for this exciting award. Nominations must be endorsed by the prison governor/director To apply go to: www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/robincorbettaward (please note that applications close on 30/10/2015)

The review will look at domestic and foreign prison education in an attempt to identify what works and look at how prison education can emphasise rehabilitation for the different prisoner segments. Under consideration will be prisoners’ access to education and current strengths and gaps in provision (for example: those with learning disabilities). The review will also consider the quality of delivery and how to recruit and retain the best teachers for the prison environment. An interim report is expected in January 2016 and a final report should be available by the end of March 2016.

The things people say…

“We can’t carry on like this. It’s immoral, it’s cowardly and it’s not the British way… it should be possible for the UK to take some 10,000 people seeking to escape the totalitarianism of Isis.” Yvette Cooper MP, former Shadow Home Secretary speaking at the Centre for European Reform on Sept 1st 2015. What the present migration crisis teaches us is that when a government allows uncontrolled immigration it then becomes very much more difficult to respond to an international humanitarian crisis, like the one we are now facing. Yvette Cooper was a member of the last Labour government that allowed uncontrolled immigration (apparently for political reasons) which produced almost four million additional people - equivalent to 15 cities the size of Southampton. This happened at a time when the UK needed 3.5 UKs to feed and provide energy for a population of 60 million (it still does). At that time the UK was also issuing, it was reported, a British passport every four minutes to recently settled migrants. Desperate Journeys: Europe’s Migrant Crisis pages 28-29

pa Se ge e 39

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THE PRISON PHOENIX TRUST Head doing you in? Stressed out? Can’t sleep? Simple yoga and meditation practice, working with silence and the breath, might just transform your life in more ways than you think ... Interested? Write to The Prison Phoenix Trust P.O.Box 328, Oxford, OX2 7HF. We’d love to hear from you anytime and have several free books, which could help you build and maintain a daily practice.

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Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Gambaccini attacks abuse inquiry

Beware embarrassing online postings Nine out of ten bosses vet job applicants on Facebook. Half have reconsidered offering a job after seeing a candidate’s social media accounts. But recruiters are looking out for profanities, spelling and grammar mistakes. Scrutiny also includes illegal drug references, sexual posts and mention of alcohol. (John O’Connor writes) Findings revealed by a survey carried out by recruiting software company Jobvite also disclosed: • Nine out of ten employers admit they always check social media before hiring applicants; • Ninety-three per cent use Facebook and Twitter ‘to keep tabs’ on potential candidates and to vet them pre-interview; • But over half of recruiters have second thoughts about offering someone a job based on their social profile - with 61% of these U-turns due to ‘negative’ reasons. A separate survey of 2,000 14 to 25 year-olds by Barclay Bank LifeSkills initiative found that one in five (22%) admit to posting pictures from nights out. One in ten regularly share photographs of themselves drinking. This is despite the fact that 77% of young people are aware that potential employers are checking social media profiles before hiring. Almost a quarter still have no privacy settings in place and a further one in ten are unsure if they are protected or not. LifeSkills was created by Barclays to help young people get the skills they need to enter the world of work. ‘Right to be forgotten’ page 19

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Police halt ‘VIP sex murder ring’ inquiry

The broadcaster Paul Gambaccini has compared the Operation Yewtree investigation into allegations of historical child sex abuse to a lynch mob in 1930’s America. Mr Gambaccini, 66, was arrested over allegations of sexual assault against two teenage boys in the early 1980’s and spent a year on police bail. He was not prosecuted because the Crown Prosecution Service concluded there was insufficient evidence. In a new book he likens the experience to The Scottsboro Boys, a musical based on the true story of a group of black teenagers sentenced to death after two white women falsely accused them of rape. “A lynch mob gathered outside their cell, just like the witch-hunt mentality that has gripped Britain in the wake of Savile,” he wrote. Mr Gambaccini told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that sex crime suspects should be given anonymity before they are charged. Consideration should also be given to how false accusers are treated.

Police drop Cliff Richard case One of the three investigations into alleged sex abuse by Sir Cliff Richard has been dropped by police according to a close friend of the pop star. The inquiry is said to have stalled because the police have been unable to find evidence to support the claims. Sir Cliff is understood to have provided police with evidence that he was never alone with two men who allege that he sexually attacked them in separate incidents in the 1980’s.

A police investigation into claims of murder by a VIP paedophile ring has been halted after detectives could find no evidence to support the allegations. Officers from the Suffolk force became so worried by the behaviour of the “witness’ who made the claims - known only as Darren - that they have referred his son to social services. Darren has now said that he will no longer co-operate with the police. He had previously given lurid accounts of two incidents in which he claimed people died at the hands of a paedophile gang that included a senior Conservative politician. The declaration that there is no evidence to support Darren’s claims is another setback to the campaign by the new deputy Labour leader Tom Watson and others to show that a paedophile ring once operated at the highest level of the government. It has been reported in the Daily Mail that police had “grave doubts” over allegations by a second witness, known as “Nick”, who claimed to know of three murders by the gang, but officers could not find a “shred of credible evidence” to substantiate them. In addition, a source has told The Sunday Times that Operation Midland - a separate investigation by the Metropolitan police into the alleged Westminster ring - is “going nowhere” because detectives can find no evidence to corroborate the stories of witnesses.

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Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Bang to rights

The things people say…

A police officer is arrested on suspicion of criminal offences almost every day, according to figures released under freedom of information laws.

Call for review after 2,300 ruled ‘fit to work’ die The Government is under pressure to review its fitness-to-work tests benefit claimants after charities, unions and MPs expressed concern about the number of people who die after being assessed as able to work. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), which disclosed the figures after a freedom of information request, announced that more than 2,300 people who had been told they would no longer qualify for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) died between December 2011 and February 2014. Of 50,580 ESA claimants who died over the period, 2,380 were classed as “fit to work” and told they would switch to standard unemployment benefit - meaning a cut of up to £30 per week. Critics claim people who are ill or even dying have to spend months fighting for state benefits to which they are entitled.

A total of 1.629 officers were arrested over the past five years - one almost every 27 hours. Almost a third were detained on suspicion of committing violent offences including assault, grievous bodily harm and manslaughter, according to data released by most of the 43 forces in England and Wales. More than 500 officers went on to be convicted, cautioned or punished for crimes ranging from rape, drug trafficking and sexual offences, to fraud and traffic offences. Some received jail sentences.

Judge attacks social worker over baffling language A social worker’s report about a woman who wanted to care for two children may as well have been written in a foreign language, a judge has said. The social worker had used phrases such as ‘imbued with ambivalence’, ‘having many commonalities emanating from their histories’, ‘issues had a significant interplay on (her) ability’ and ‘I asked her to convey a narrative’. The judge rejected concerns raised by the social worker and ruled that the woman should care for the children - who faced being placed for adoption.

“The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015, which came into force in April, creates at least eight new offences, increases the penalties for a number of crimes and levies new charges on anyone convicted of a criminal offence.” Former Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, writing in an MoJ press release. Robert Rhodes QC writes: “The recent outcry over the criminal court charges imposed by the last Justice Secretary, Mr Grayling, is justified. The charges are wrong, both morally and practically. I have been in practice in the criminal courts as both barrister and judge for more than 40 years and most of the defendants I have seen are from the poorest elements of society.

The charges are wrong morally because many of the defendants I have seen do

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not have 1,200p, let alone £1,200, which is what they will be ordered to pay if convicted after a Crown Court trial. It is wrong practically, because the costs of trying to collect the charge will be considerable, and many (if not most) of the charges will eventually have to be written off after a significant waste of court time. In any event, the charges seem not to have been thought through because it is the same for a defendant whose shoplifting trial takes one day or whose complicated fraud case takes three months.” The Act also introduces a new criminal offence of revenge porn, meaning that those who share private sexual images of someone without consent and with the intent to cause distress will now face up to 2 years in prison. Changes in the law to stop teenagers from being criminalised for ‘sexting’ are being called for after a 14-year old boy ended up with his details on police records for sharing a naked image of himself. The details of the incident will remain on record for 100 years even though he was not arrested or charged. Mark Fenhalls QC, Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association says that the law is in need of ‘urgent review and reform’ or the public would consider it ‘an ass.’ He added; ‘Another example of legislation rushed through Parliament without proper scrutiny’.

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Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Why we need more iodine

The expanding continent

© Fotolia.com

Expectant and breast-feeding mothers should take daily iodine supplements to boost their babies intelligence, according to a new study. Iodine is known to help brain development, and supplements can raise IQ levels by an average 1.22 points. But unlike some other countries, Britain does not fortify food with the mineral, and levels have fallen with a decline in the consumption of milk - a major source of iodine - particularly since the ending of free school milk in the 1970s. A 2013 review found that the UK ranked among the world’s ten worst countries - between Angola and Mozambique - for iodine deficiency. The study’s author, Professor Kate Jolly from Birmingham University, warned that “even mild iodine deficiency during pregnancy is associated with children with lower IQs”.

Smoking ban curbs infant deaths

© Fotolia.com

Stillbirths across England have fallen by 8% since the introduction of the ban on smoking in public, according to a study carried out at Edinburgh University. The researchers examined data on more than ten million births across England between 1995 and 2011. Their findings suggested that in the four years after the ban was introduced in 2007, nearly 1,500 stillbirths and newborn deaths were averted. They also found a significant decrease in the number of low-birthweight babies.

© Fotolia.com

The expanding world population will rise by almost three billion by the end of the century, to reach 11.2 billion, according to the latest UN projections. And Africa will account for much of this “explosive growth”. Fertility rates have been in steady decline across much of the globe since the 1960s: worldwide, the average woman has 2.5 children over her lifetime. But the figure for Africa - though falling - is 4.7 children per woman. Even assuming a continued decline, current projections would see the continent’s population roughly double by 2050. In Nigeria, where birth control has stalled, the population is set to hit 439 million by 2100 - 2.5 times its current size. A further ten other African countries among them some of the world’s poorest, are likely to experience a steep population rise, said the UN. Such rapid growth would “make it harder to eradicate poverty and inequality” and to “combat hunger and malnutrition”.

Diabetes could ‘bankrupt’ NHS Over prescribThe rising number of people being diagnosed with diabetes threatens to “bankrupt the NHS”. Cases have risen by twothirds in a decade: the condition now affects 3.3 million people - 5.5% of the population, says Diabetes UK. Around 90% of them have Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to lifestyle, the remainder have Type 1, which is genetic in origin. Treating diabetes costs the NHS nearly £10bn a year already. And that bill could soar, says the charity, if the Government doesn’t act to slow the growth in diagnoses (currently running at around 3% a year) and ensure that existing sufferers are properly treated. It estimates that a third of diabetes sufferers in England and Wales are not being given the right checks to prevent serious, and expensive, complications such as amputations, blindness and strokes. “With a record number of people now living with diabetes in the UK, there is no time to waste,” said a spokeswoman. NHS figures show that GP’s now spend 10% of their budgets on prescriptions for diabetes medications.

Teen angst

• Re-categorisation • Category A Reviews • Adjudications • Home Detention Curfew • Judicial Review

If you require assistance with any Prison Law issues, whether or not listed above, please contact our specialist Prison Law Solicitor - Hannah Rumgay

ing antibiotics

© Fotolia.com

Doctors who prescribe too many antibiotics should face disciplinary proceedings, a leading NHS figure has said. Mark Baker of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) , says that a quarter of the 42 million antibiotic prescriptions issued in England each year are unnecessary. Nice has issued new guidelines on antibiotics - and Baker called for GP’s who don’t follow them to be brought before the General Medical Council, which can order retraining and even strike doctors off.

Children having children

© Fotolia.com

Teenagers are drinking and smoking less than previous generations, are taking fewer illegal drugs, and are less likely to fall pregnant. But that doesn’t mean teenagers are all right. According to a Government paper, today’s teenagers are increasingly prone to self-harm; a third of 15 year-old girls are believed to have deliberately hurt themselves. And many teens suffer from a chronic lack of sleep and get alarmingly little exercise. In 2012, the proportion of teenage boys taking the recommended amount of exercise was 21%, down from 28% in 2008. The paper concedes that there is “considerable” uncertainty about the impact of the digital revolution on young people, but notes that there has clearly been a rise in cyber-bullying, and that teenagers are increasingly exposed to pro-anorexia and self-harm websites.

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The number of babies born to teenagers in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level in almost 70 years. 25,977 females aged under 20 had babies last year - the fewest since 1946.

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Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Polar bears are starving because of climate change

TREES IN NUMBERS

Photographer Kerstin Langenberger’s tragic image of an emaciated polar bear (above) in Svalbard has gone viral and highlighted the climate change crisis.

The earth has lost more than half of its trees since the dawn of civilisation when mankind started cutting them down. A study published in the journal ‘Nature’ shows how researchers have for the first time been able to estimate accurately the number of trees growing on all continents.

422

Number of trees for every person on earth

1 Tree for every person in Saudi Arabia

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15 billion Trees cut down each year

Extreme warmth in the Arctic has also disrupted the jet stream in recent years, causing severe winter weather in eastern North America and Southeast Asia, and is implicated in this year’s massive wildfire season in Alaska and Canada.

182

The Svalbard islands are in the Barents Sea, an area of the Arctic Ocean bordered by

Trees for every person in France

716

Trees for every person in India

Trees for every person in the USA

47

4461

Trees for every person in Britain

For the polar bear to survive in the wild, the Arctic must remain extremely cold and largely covered in ice year-round. Unless nations slash burning of coal and oil for energy in the next few decades, scientists believe, Arctic summer sea ice will likely disappear by midcentury, and much of the region will become too warm year-round for polar bears and the ice seals they prey on to thrive.

Trees for every person in Russia

© Fotolia.com

3 trillion

Trees on the planet

She sighted the bear stranded on an ice floe, its bones visible through its wet fur, in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, far north of the Arctic Circle. She posted the image to Facebook on August 20, writing that the bear’s terrible condition was not an unusual sight. The photo quickly made its way from Facebook to other social and viral news media sites.

Scandinavia and Russia. Sea ice there has diminished even more quickly in the past 35 years than on the side of the Arctic bounded by the United States and Canada, putting polar bears in increasing peril.

This 16-year-old male polar bear died of starvation resulting from the lack of ice on which to hunt seals. On the other side of the Arctic Ocean, summer sea ice dwindled to an area of 1.7 million square miles as of Sept. 11, according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center. This is its fourth-lowest extent on record, with all four lows occurring since 2010. The extent of 2014-15 winter ice was the lowest ever recorded. With temperatures in the Arctic warming at twice the rate of lower latitudes, Arctic Ocean ice pack has dropped by 40 percent overall since the late 1970s.

Newsround

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

m Do you know...? l The UK’s foreign-born population have topped eight million, according to the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford. In 2013, 2.7 million of foreign born people were from the EU, and 5.2 million from elsewhere in the world. l Airport staff have been ridiculed for confiscating a three-year-old boy’s “Fart Blaster” toy on security grounds. Leo Fitzpatrick, from Nottingham was told he couldn’t take his noisy, megaphone-shaped toy on an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin because it had a trigger. “Would you shake with fear if I pointed a Fart Blaster at you?’ demanded his mother.

l An academic is spending a year living like David Bowie at various points in his career to get a better understanding of the pop icon’s mind and work. Will Brooker of Kingston University is wearing Bowie-style make-up and clothes, visiting Bromley and Berlin, and submitting himself to sleep deprivation. But he has drawn the line at matching Bowie’s cocaine consumption in the 1970s, opting for a six-pack of energy drinks instead. l The first dance at weddings used to involve only the newlyweds. But now a growing number of couples are insisting on their guests taking part in complex, choreographed routines - all ready for YouTube. There are even dance companies dedicated

to preparing parties for the routines.

l Princess Beatrice has taken 16 holidays in the past ten months. Among other places, the 27 year-old has been to New York, Switzerland, Colorado, Beijing, Greece, Florida, Bermuda, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Florence. She is currently enjoying a break on Roman Abramovich’s yacht, moored in Ibiza.

In response to Jeremy Corbyn’s idea to have ‘Women Only’ carriages - trials begin.

Toby has an entry in the record Book of Guinnesses.

l 72% of British adults define themselves as entirely heterosexual and 4% as entirely homosexual. But among 18 to 24 year-olds only 46% say they are 100% heterosexual, while 6% say they are entirely homosexual 6% of Tory voters and 3% of Labour voters identify as 100% homosexual.

Image courtesy The Week

The working membership of the House of Lords will now stand at a record 826, making it the world’s biggest legislative chamber outside China! The question is; why in a democracy is it OK to create 50 more seats in the (unelected) House of lords yet abolish 50 in the (elected) House of Commons?

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NEWS IN BRIEF

l One Direction were praised by ChildLine for breaking the news of their split gently, saving their millions of young fans unnecessary distress. The band announced that they would be splitting up.

l Young shoppers are taking a new kind of selfie: Before buying an outfit, they post photos for themselves wearing it on social media to get their friends verdicts. According to one poll, one in seven shoppers under 30 takes a chelfie before every purchase. Vogue advises wearing “basic but good underwear” for the practice.

l British parents are having more children than at any time since the 1970s. In 2013, 9.5% of babies born in the Uk had three or more siblings - up from 5.3% in 2009. The EU average is 5.6% falling to 3.1% in Italy and 2.6% in Spain. The rapid increase in Britain is thought to be due to the trend for wealthy parents to have larger families, and to rising levels of immigration (immigrant families also tend to be larger).

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The canteen mystery Inside Time’s Paul Sullivan has a look at the Prison Canteen system in England and Wales Local Product List:

Paul Sullivan

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he whole area of Canteen provision is seen by many prisoners as one surrounded by mystery and designed to relieve them of as much of their meagre weekly allowances, and those of their families, as possible. The Prison Service produces a ‘National Product List’ (NPL) which is up-dated about four times a year. The content of this list is agreed between NOMS and the Canteen providers (DHL/ Booker) and, according to NOMS, takes into account: market trends; sales volumes, selling prices; staff and prisoner requests. Brands, sizes and colours (where appropriate) are all set centrally. The administrative section which deals with this is called ONE3ONE Solutions. When considering items for inclusion in the NPL, NOMS considers if any item poses a threat to good order and control, whether the product could aid escape, and whether the item could hamper the detection and control of illicit substances. The NPL, which NOMS does not publish (but you can place a Freedom of Information request for a copy), contains around 1,000 items from which Governors can select about 375 items for inclusion in their prison’s canteen list, known as the Local Product List (LPL). PSI2013-23 has a list of criteria which establishments must consider when setting up their

• Consultation with prisoner representatives, including members of protected groups; • Equality Impact Assessments; • Consultation with the chaplaincy and healthcare teams; • HMCIP reports; • Views of the Independent Monitoring Board; • Local security and regime restrictions; • Storage facilities - eg chilled items should not; be chosen if prisoners do not have access to adequate refrigeration facilities to store their purchases; • Discussions at workshop cluster meetings. The Local Product List should be reviewed and updated at least every three months. Each prison should have a nominated member of staff, called the ‘Retail Liaison Contact’ who is the main contact for any Canteen issues. Prices are set for products centrally by NOMS and all items must only be purchased from the agreed contractor. The prices are set at manufacturer’s Recommended Retail Prices (RRP). Where items are price marked lower than the Canteen price list the lower price should be charged. Where there are statutory price increases, for example tobacco, the prices should impact prisoners at the same time as the general public. The date the order is placed should reflect the price charged. Prisoners should be issued with an order form (provided by the Canteen contractor) which lists the Local Product List. Printed onto each form should be the prisoner’s name, number, cell location and available spends. Order forms

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must also be available in Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Punjabi and Welsh. Prisoners with special needs must be assisted to ensure they are not disadvantaged. Some new prisons now have an automated kiosk system which can be used for ordering. Orders are picked and packed by prisoners for DHL/Bookers in a number of prisons. The pickers should not know who any order is for. After delivery to a prison the orders must be stored appropriately to comply with food safety regulations; for example, in chilled cabinets. Prisoners should normally collect their own order, and may not collect orders for other prisoners. PSI2013-023: Para 6.12 has a mandatory instruction which states: ‘Irrespective of the approach to distribution, prisoners must be given a reasonable opportunity to inspect the products being sold to them before acceptance. Prisoners may reject products according to their statutory rights. Proof of acceptance must be gained from the prisoner and the prisoner issued with a receipt clearly itemising the products that have been sold to them, the unit price paid, and the total amount charged to them. If goods are rejected, then a credit note must be given.’ PSI2013-023: Para 6.16 says; ‘On receiving their packed bags, if a prisoner has a query or believes there is an error with their order, then they must inform the staff distributing the bags of this before their bag is opened or in any way tampered with. Goods are packed in clear plastic bags which are heat sealed, so the contents can be inspected before opening.’

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PSI2013-023: Para 6.17; ‘The retail workshop must provide appropriate buffer stock as agreed with the establishment of essential items to facilitate the prompt replacement and resolution of queries or errors that may arise from time to time. Proper arrangements must be in place to account for this buffer stock.’ PSI2013-023: Para 6.18; ‘In the event that after inquiry it is agreed that an error has been made, and this cannot be resolved through use of the buffer stock, then a credit must be made to the prisoner.’ PSI2013-023: Para 7.1; ‘Specialist products including music CDs, DVDs (not 18 rated), an extended range of products suitable for vegans, an extended range of religious items, electronic games, electronic equipment, clothing, footwear, books, mother and baby requirements, and cosmetics may, at the discretion of the establishment and subject to the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme, be purchased by prisoners for their own use, through catalogue suppliers. This may not include any item which is on the NPL, as these can only be purchased from the agreed contractor. Exemptions are not permitted for buying differing sizes, brands, colours, or any other product detail, where a suitable product is available on the NPL.’ PSI2013-023: Para 7.5; ‘A handling fee for catalogue and specialist items will be added to all orders to cover administration costs. This is separate to any carriage/postal costs charged by the catalogue supplier, which should be considered as part of the purchase price paid by the prisoner. The handling fee will be set centrally and reviewed annually.’ PSI2013-023: Para 8.1; ‘Newspapers and periodicals may, at the discretion of the establishment, be purchased by prisoners through the use of local supplier agreements … Para 8.4; ‘A local description of newspapers and periodicals allowed to be purchased must be available to prisoners.’ Copies of PSI2013-023 are available in Prison Libraries.

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‘Right to be forgotten’ requests flood in Google to remove 63% of links flagged on UK website writes John O’Connor unpleasant look. Both in the UK and Nigeria, the ugly news of the unfortunate incident that buried my personality has been the ongoing talk of the town for over 15 months; even after I had left custody. “I have been further exposed to danger as a rival tribal group in my home-town of Nigeria who have never seen my pictures or photographs now have easy access to both my pictures and full details. There has been a huge risk of irreversible harm to me and in fact, my details and pictures uploaded on the internet can be printed off by unscrupulous

elements, who have always wished me dead, for either spiritual attacks, black magic curses and even risk of assassination”, he wrote. So far the “right to be forgotten” ruling only affects European versions of Google’s search operation, such as the google.co.uk website in Britain and the google.fr site in France. However, data protection watchdogs in Europe and privacy campaigners in the US are pushing to make it global. If that happens, Google would be forced to delete web links listed by its .com search engine, making it almost impossible to find links to certain articles.

Helping teenagers remove embarrassing online postings

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© Fotolia.com

t’s a year since the Inside Time article about the “right to be forgotten” appeared and Google has now confirmed the massive scale of the requests it has received. So far is has been asked to take down more than a million links. Requests have flooded in from across Europe since the law came into effect last year including many from people who want to use human rights legislation to hide their criminal pasts.

Facebook was the website which had the most links removed, followed by the social network search site Profile Engine and video sharing site YouTube. However, according to the Daily Mail, the European ruling has also been hijacked by killers, sexual predators and terrorists trying to airbrush their wrongdoing from history. Examples of links deleted by Google include a number of Mail articles detailing issues ranging from drug abuse to incest, murder and spying.

The European Court of Justice ruled in May 2014 that internet service providers (ISP) such as Google must remove links to websites that include content that is “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant”, which may include criminal convictions. Since then the web search giant has received more than 281,000 requests from people who wanted information about themselves to be suppressed.

Under the European ruling, people who have been convicted of serious crimes “do not have the right to be forgotten”. However, other individuals named in the articles can request the removal of links which appear in searches for their own name. That means they can exploit the controversial ruling by asking friends or family mentioned in the same article to make the request on their behalf.

The requests asked for 1.1million web links to be removed - of which 602,000 have now been deleted. Google agreed to remove 63% of the links flagged for removal on its UK website, compared with just 5% of those on its French operation. Many requests come from ordinary people trying to erase embarrassing information from the internet, such as posts on social networks or online dating sites.

Following the Inside Time article a number of readers made contact seeking assistance when removing internet links to their name. Some had valid reasons for doing so including one reader who wrote: “My children had to change their school, my partner had to stop going to her church and, in fact, I myself cannot walk comfortably on the streets without seeing someone giving me [an]

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Facebook and Twitter messages risk damaging ex-YOIs’ future prospects says John O’Connor

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ndoubtedly teenagers are the most prolific users of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. And teenagers being teenagers more often act first and regret later especially when it’s too late to undo something they posted on social media. For there must be plenty of lads presently in YOIs who now wish they hadn’t left a trail of incriminating messages or embarrassing pictures of themselves on the internet. Some of this material may have even resulted in criminal convictions; other still may have simply confirmed just what an idiot they were at the time it was uploaded. Moreover, some probation staff do regular trawls of an offender’s internet postings when gaining insights into their attitudes and behaviours. But soon teenagers, including those in YOIs, may be able to wipe their online past clean when reaching 18. Government ministers have thrown their weight behind the “iRights campaign” backed by industry and charities which would give anyone over the age of 18 the right to amend or delete embarrassing digital content from their past. So no longer will youngsters be haunted by the fear of their online indiscretions catching up with them, especially if discovered by a prospective employer. This campaign highlights growing concern at the way the internet permanently records teenagers’ errors of judgement, unhappy experiences, and worse. This has seen ministers at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport publicly endorse a crossparty campaign that would force social media firms such as Facebook and Twitter to adopt the new standard voluntarily. But there are currently no plans to introduce a law obligating technology companies to comply.

The iRights campaign report insists young people should be able to clean up their “digital footprint” easily when they reach the age of maturity. It follows a number of recent high profile cases in which the online history of young people has come back to haunt them, notably Paris Brown, Britain’s first youth and police crime commissioner, who came unstuck in 2013 when embarrassing tweets documenting her sex life and drug-taking came to light. The campaign group, backed by Schillings, a law firm, insists that free speech will not be compromised because young people would not have an automatic right to delete reproduced data or content written or produced by others. This reports states: “It is essential that there is an easily accessible route for children and young people to resolve disputes or correct misinformation that does not require recourse to the courts.” The iRights report states that websites and apps that claim to delete their data have loopholes and warns that online games and social networks are compulsive and dominate children’s time to an unhealthy extent. Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, has launched a task force called “Growing Up Digital” dedicated to improving the online lives of young children by adopting this framework. She said: “If children of today and tomorrow are to grow up digitally, we need to be sure that the rights to protection and empowerment that they enjoy in their lives are embedded in the new digital world they inhabit.”

John O’Connor is an ex-offender. He is London representative of Restore Support Network, a registered charity which mentors/befriends older ex-prisoners.

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Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org is often accompanied by the onset of mental health issues. This type of reaction to change is also apparent in other situations, however in the majority of these, people are given the opportunity to make a change. Attempting to generate change whilst in prison is almost impossible, due to being directly and indirectly controlled by the environment lived in and the people they are surrounded by. Having to cope with time inside means having to get to grips with the person inside you, spending hour upon hour alone in such an intense environment isn’t for the weakminded. Which makes me wonder why the public are so ‘pro-prison’; why anyone would actually believe that putting someone into these conditions will create a ‘perfect citizen’ is beyond me. The person themselves should want to change and not be forced into it; if they are aware of the positive outcomes to change then perhaps they will go on to do so. Photographs inset © prisonimage.org

A life of routines Evie Pardoe wonders why the public are so pro-prison

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he ‘prize’ at the end of prison is being released back into the world you once lived in, thus, being seen as a success. The majority of the public forgets to look further into the issues of prison, the physical abuse and equally as important, the psychological/mental damage individuals’ experience. After taking these things into consideration it is difficult to perceive this as

success at all. It seems in ‘normal’ life people can easily get lost in the routines they re-enact each and every day, making each day seem no different to the last. When that routine is swept from under our feet and replaced with a new one, it’s difficult to adapt, which is why when entering prison it

Struggling? abandoned angry anxious ashamed condemned crushed despairing discouraged distressed empty enslaved grieving guilt-ridden hungry insecure insulted isolated lonely lost maligned oppressed overwhelmed rejected restless scared sinking troubled unloved unworthy weak weary worried worthless

It’s quite easy to throw around opinions about prison, crime and criminals when it’s not been part of the life you’ve lived, but one day life might not be so simple and entering prison might be next on the cards. Without any preparation you are thrown into another world, which you might see as unjust, but this is overruled by society, and you are powerless. With only yourself to comfort you, getting used to the routine ahead of you seems like the only option. Routines make life that little bit easier; knowing what is round the corner can give you that sense of security. Without these routines then perhaps not as many people would survive prison, being able to get your head down and let time pass seems to be one of the only options inside. Although also having its positives, the fall downs of having

such a strict and unusual routine can make it almost impossible for a prisoner to succeed once released back into society. After spending months and even years getting to grips with a new routine and how to survive, it is taken away from them and they are expected to go through this dramatic change once again. They now have to learn how to survive in society, which the majority have never done before, potentially suggesting why so many people reoffend. Perhaps we should take note on how the prison system is run in Norway and alter time inside to mirror outside society, giving prisoners more responsibility and respect, making each transition into and out of prison that little bit easier, reducing the likelihood of reoffending. Life outside of prison is dominated by routines and what you’re ‘supposed to do’, individuals are continuously being indirectly controlled by the environment as well as directly by the laws put in place. Whether inside or outside of prison I think people should be given more information on how to benefit more from their personal situation. The majority of us are guilty of failing to make the most of our lives, being led to believe that the corporate routine lifestyle is the only and best way to live. It seems we are presented with only two options, to be rich or to be poor. I think society is therefore as much to blame, in most cases, as the individual who committed the crime itself. I do not have the perfect solution for the ideal Criminal Justice System, but I think if the UK as a whole was properly educated on the subject then we might get that little bit closer to the answer, and could make a useful change to the routines currently in place. Evie Pardoe, Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice Graduate

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Putting Research Into Practice Trevor Grove reports from the Butler Trust 30th Anniversary conference l How can one overcome the lifelong stigma of having been to prison? l Can a convicted sex-offender ever shed that ‘master identity’, not just in the eyes of others but also in his own? If there was a consensus between practitioners and academics, it was plainly that rehabilitation should be a principal, maybe even the foremost purpose of our corrective institutions. The triumph of a good prison, as one of the distinguished professors put it, should not be a record of no escapes and no assaults, but of ‘many receptions and few returns’. Delegates at the Butler Trust 30th Anniversary conference at Cambridge University

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fter three decades as Patron of the Butler Trust, Princess Anne knows what she’s talking about. The charity gives awards to unsung heroes in the prison and probation services, and on those subjects she probably knew more than most of those who gathered in a Cambridge lecture theatre on a wet Wednesday in September to mark the Trust’s 30th anniversary. The celebration took the form of a conference, co-hosted by the university’s famous Institute of Criminology. The format was academic five of the world’s leading criminal justice researchers describing their work and exploring

its implications for prison and probation managers. But the questions from the hall and the discussions that followed were strictly practical, as one might expect from an audience made up chiefly of prison governors, senior probation people, health and education experts.

l How best to encourage good human relations between staff and inmates, a key to reducing re-offending? l What steps can be taken to turn a mere wish to desist from crime into a positive reality?

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Over three decades, she said, she had seen relationships between prisoners and staff improve. She’d noted the benefits of mixedgender staffing. She’d applauded initiatives such as the Listeners and Toe By Toe, the establishment of drug charities and veterans’ groups. All this, said Princess Anne feelingly, despite the frustration of endless changes of regimes and policies.

Likewise, other speakers acknowledged the hard truths of longer sentences, a bulging prison population and staff cutbacks. The research tended to show that more humane prisons and more educative rehabilitation programmes led to better outcomes or, to Princess Anne shares use the current catchmany of these views. word, more ‘desistance’. When she came to the But it all depends on podium she was firm effort and understandabout the importance of ing at every level - not rehabilitation and resetleast at the top. The new tlement. Impressively, Justice Secretary she had no need of believes that people PowerPoint to back up The Princess Royal giving her presentation ‘languishing in prison her observations. She are potential assets to spoke from the heart, citing 30 years of society’. Mr Gove was mentioned with working with the Butler Trust, making more cautious optimism at the Cambridge conferthan 200 prison visits and dropping in on ence. The hope must be that he is indeed a probation offices all over the kingdom. She rehabilitation man. had seen at first hand the rewards of good practice. She had met hundreds of men and Trevor Grove - Chairman of the Board women doing inspirational work on both sides of Directors, Inside Time. Former Editor, of the prison gates. Sunday Telegraph. Blackfords new ad 24.1.14:Layout 1 24/1/14 12:59 Page 1

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Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org twice that level for prisoners who have not received the support, the Scottish Government has declared it a success. Funding of £630,000 has been provided by the Big Lottery Fund and the Robertson Trust as well as the Scottish Government. Whist this provides a much needed safety net, surely it would be better if prisoners - in particular those serving long sentences - were given an opportunity to build up substantial nest eggs whilst in prison that could sustain them upon release without needing to claim benefits, or to earn money to help support their families during their sentence. A portion of their earnings could also be used for victim reparations. Instead, newly released ex-offenders are often left sitting at home with minimal or no support or money, twiddling their thumbs and being a drain on the taxpayer resources rather than contributing to the common good.

© Fotolia.com

Does work make you free? Why not allow prisoners to work asks Neil Robertson

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eter Gladstone-Smith wrote in The Daily Telegraph on 5th June 1965: “Sir Frank Solstice, the (Labour) Home Secretary, is planning a total reorganisation of prison work in which prisoners will be able to earn enough to support their families and start a new life when released. Most of the existing prison industries, including the hand sewing of mailbags, will be scrapped. Their place will be taken by a few specialised industries which can be run at a profit.” Inmates in British prisons would be available to do a ‘five day, 40 hour week’. Those of ‘high intelligence’, including some convicted for espionage and company fraud, would provide ‘management assistance’ to the prison that was suited to their abilities, rather than being trained in crafts and trades. It was by this point widely accepted that work was one of the most effective forms of rehabilitation for prisoners, preventing ‘institutionalisation’ and giving them a sense of pride. Gladstone-Smith also noted that the ‘natural public resistance’ to expenditure in prisons could be alleviated if prisons were able to generate their own income. Fast forward fifty years. These eminently sensible ideas have been adopted in many European countries: but sadly not in the United Kingdom, where attitudes towards work by prisoners remain firmly stuck in the 19th century. For example, in the Netherlands and several Scandinavian countries, many low-risk offenders are able to continue working in their existing jobs and are simply accommodated in prison at night and weekends. This means that they can retain their jobs rather than being unemployed upon release (and their employer having to go through the expense and effort of replacing them) as well as being able to

contribute to their families, therefore avoiding losing their homes. Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, has long advocated that prisoners should be allowed to pay tax and national insurance in exchange for being paid ‘a working wage’ by enabling ‘proper businesses’ to be set up within prison. The Howard League established Barbed, a graphic design studio in HMP Coldingley in Surrey, but had to shut it down in 2008 because prisoners are banned from paying tax and NI. The Howard League felt that the payment of prisoners on a ‘cash in hand’ basis resulted in mixed messages being conveyed about the acceptability of tax evasion and possible benefit fraud. The ban was set to be overturned by Ken Clarke, but was derailed when he was replaced by Chris Grayling in 2012. Ms Crook noted that work carried out under exploitative conditions such as factories in Bangladesh could be brought into prisons, and said, ‘It’s no good prisons sticking to their 19th century models. Prisoners should be allowed to pay tax and NI, be given a full day’s work in proper businesses, and bring prisons into the new millennium.’ Pretty much exactly what the Home Secretary said, half a century earlier. So why has there been no change? It costs approximately £50,000 per year to imprison someone - and that is not taking into account the costs of the crime itself, the police, courts and post-release supervision. Prison is a horrendously expensive way of warehousing people that could, quite literally, be better employed elsewhere. Many offenders will never have had a legitimate job in their lives, instead turning to crime

to provide funds needed to cover their expenses that in many cases will include drugs. It is therefore important that the process of developing a work ethos by those prisoners should be commenced whilst they are in prison. This cannot be achieved if prisons fail to ensure attendance at education classes or work; and in particular if the work provided is not something that provides meaningful qualifications that can be used to obtain work following release. There is no reason why prisons could not be entirely self-funding and indeed a profit centre for government, which would help defray the costs of justice including legal aid rather than the present policy of severe cuts to it. Already there are commercial businesses such as Timpsons and Speedy Hire operating within prisons that are benefitting from low cost labour whilst providing training and job opportunities for many upon release. Many prisoners are being released with nothing except their discharge grant of £46 - fixed since 1997 - which has to last them until their benefit claim is processed, and one third will not even have bank accounts into which those benefits can be paid. Faced with no money, no employment and often no accommodation, it is unsurprising that many feel they have no option other than to return to crime. In order to address this, in partnership with two charities the Scottish Government has piloted a scheme at HMP Low Moss near Glasgow to help prisoners claim benefits, set up bank accounts and re-register with GPs after leaving prison in the hope that it will reduce re-offending. Whilst it was originally designed to support vulnerable prisoners with learning difficulties or disabilities serving less than four years, in practice the service is available to anyone that wants it. With a 15% re-offending rate compared to more than

Perhaps more importantly, being unable to access legal and productive employment simply causes resentment, anxiety and depression and may result in the ex-offender feeling that he has no alternative than to return to what, for some, may be the only way they have known to make money - through crime. This, of course, means that the ex-offender is once again an offender and is destined to be returned to prison on a longer sentence. A solution to this would be to actively encourage and incentivise ex-offenders to find work. In many cases, the best option for them will be to set up their own business, and again support for this in the form of facilities, mentoring and funding is required: local Business Gateways already do this, so are the logical providers. The Prison Reform Trust’s Summer 2015 Bromley Briefing states that only a quarter of prisoners were employed following release in 2013-14, with outcomes for women ‘significantly worse’ than for men; and just 12% of people referred to the Work Programme found a job they held for six months or more. Many employers are understandably concerned about the possible impact on their staff, customers, stock and cash if they were to take on people with a criminal history and are prejudiced against ex-offenders. A recent Scottish Government study showed that over 50% of employers surveyed said they would be unlikely to employ someone they knew to be an offender. The reality is that remarkably few ex-offenders offered employment cause trouble, with a few ‘rotten apples’ affecting the way all former offenders are perceived. The Prison Reform Trust says only 12% of employers surveyed said they have employed someone with a criminal record in the past three years. Employers should be incentivised to take on ex-offenders through the provision of financial incentives including, for example, the same waiver of Employer’s NICs as is provided to companies taking on apprentices. In an age of austerity, the country cannot afford to have so many potentially productive people barred from work and claiming benefits.

Neil D Robertson is currently resident at HMP Glenochil, Scotland.

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Free will - the lifer’s loss A life sentenced prisoner finds free will in the NHS system for this or not - and god help anyone who refuses.

by Terry Leggatt

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hen I was first sentenced to life in 1978 the average time served before the Parole Board released a lifer was between 12-15 years, unless there was a sexual element, say rape, then the average term was between 15-20 years. In short, as a lifer you could roughly gauge how long you would serve before the light of release shone on the horizon. Mentally, you could prepare yourself for a 15-20 stretch - you could map out, plan, how you were going to change, how when and why. You came in, served your sentence and were released. So today. In fact, today the life sentenced prisoner has no mental freedom whatsoever. He has little or no say in how he wants to do his sentence. His mental freedom, his mental choice of when to make amends or when to make changes in his life has been stripped away from him. Nowadays the prison psychologists have taken the lifers right to change when he wants to change, instead the psychologists rip away a lifers free will, emotionally blackmailing him into doing therapy groups whether he is ready

With the introduction of the Tariff system in 1984 by then Home Secretary Leon Brittan, and then the introduction of prison therapy in the 1990s, lifers could now be buried and alltoo-often forgotten about for years on end. Gone are the days of serving your sentence and getting out. A lifer’s mental and physical freedoms now depended on psychology trainees and students with no life experience to draw on at all. Failure to satisfy these psychologists, or if you are wrongly assessed and labelled as having a Dangerous/Severe Personality Disorder, means being buried in prisons such as HMP Whitemoor or HMP Full Sutton for years on end. There seems to be no set sentence to serve and any inkling of doubt or fear from a psychology trainee meant that a lifer sentenced in the 1980s or 90s could expect to serve double his tariff. Even lifers who did well in therapy and met all the therapeutic aims and goals could still fall foul of the PCL-R Assessment and find themselves warehoused in dispersal without any hope of being sent to open or released into the community. Many lifers now sitting in these DSPD Units having completed therapy cannot score low enough on the PCL-R because of their historic

high score. This then traps them on the therapeutic merry-go-round having to repeat the same courses over and over again. However, over the last two years or more a new avenue has opened up for lifers that allows them to make progress. These are the NHS Medium Secure Units. Over the past few years these units have started to take in lifers and the waiting lists are growing. I would advise any lifer to take the NHS route as it could make the difference between regaining your freedom or dying in prison. As a lifer who has served 37 years and having made no progress over the past 12 years I jumped at the chance when I realised there is little difference between being released on life license and being on a Section 47/49. For me it was the best thing I could have done and, whilst security on these units may be a bit tighter than prison, the sacrifice is worth making. Now, having spent 18 months in the NHS undertaking a number of therapy courses, I can see myself progressing. One of the situations that I have found to be most helpful to me is the way therapy and courses are delivered to the patients compared to prison. Prison therapy is usually run daily for 2 hours, 5 days per week. This can cause problems for the prisoner who is a slow learner

23

or has learning difficulties. More often than not the prison system fails to reach certain individuals, it is a ‘one size fits all’. On an MSU, therapy is still intense in its delivery but the way it is provided gives the patient time to think and discuss it with others. There is a 24 hour breathing space between groups and 1-to-1 support from tutors as well as meeting with a lead psychologist every week. For many slow learners or those suffering from learning difficulties therapy within the NHS would benefit from this approach. I received a lot of help and support during therapy in the prison system during the 1990s, but I have learned far more here in the last 18 months than I learned over an 8 year period in prison. The first thing I received on settling here was the return of my mental freedom, a situation where I could make choices for myself and my future. I actually have a sense of having my life back and not be belonging to what prison psychologists deem ‘suitable’ for me. To have a future again as well as having the choice to choose what is right for me really does return that sense of freedom. First comes the mental freedom and with it comes the hope of eventual progress and release back into the real world. I would recommend any trapped lifer to think about moving out of the prison system to continue their treatment with the NHS. Hopes and dreams restored, what more could a lifer hope for?

Terry Leggatt is currently resident at Bethlehem Royal Hospital

BITTER P ILLS YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO SWALLOW

As one of the countries leading personal injury lawyers Michael Jefferies have been successfully representing prisoners in cases of clinical and dental negligence for many years. We have won compensation from 100’s to 1000’s of pounds all on a NO WIN NO FEE basis.

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OF T H RS E P BE

or mentally, as a result you could be due 1000’s of pounds in compensation. Negligence may not just affect you now it could have painful or expensive

compensation which is due to YOU.

If you feel you’ve been badly treated, misdiagnosed or kept waiting for an unacceptable amount of time contact us now and we will get the compensation you deserve.

ME M

The reported cases of clinical and dental negligence during confinement is on the increase. Whether it is due to a lack of resources or inept practitioning there is no excuse if your health has suffered physically

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Clinical negligence is as unacceptable inside prison as it is out.

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Comment

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

True stories From October, we’re going to use our Past, Present and Future show to explore the lives of many more remarkable individuals. In the first few episodes, we’ll be hearing from Carlotta Allum, the Director of the Stretch charity who talks about her past conviction and what has inspired her to turn her life around and help others. We’ll also hear the stories and songs that mean the most to singer songwriter Henry Maybury, whose first song ‘Lost Days’ was written for his brother Tom who died as a result of alcohol addiction. We also want to hear from you. Choose 6 songs which have defined your life - why have you chosen them and what do they tell us about you and your story; who you are, and what you hope the future holds, and your unique story might just feature in a future programme.

What’s made you into the person you are today? Who are you and where are you going? These are questions everyone asks of themselves, and often they’re hard to answer. Coming soon on National Prison Radio, we’ll be asking those very questions of our guests in Past Present and Future. Our guests will be remarkable people, and the stories and songs they share will have shaped their lives. We ask where they’ve come from, what they’re doing now with their lives, and what they want their future to look like.

Past Present and Future: It’s about finding out more… Past Present and Future is on National Prison Radio on Mondays at midday and 6pm, repeated on Sunday mornings at 9am.

Making waves behind bars at HMP Styal The women at HMP Styal will be presenting Past, Present and Future. The radio project at HMP Styal was set up just over 5 years ago, and the women in Styal present two other NPR shows each week.

It’s an hour long show presented and produced by the women from HMP Styal - a prison near Manchester. If you’re fascinated by what makes people tick it’s a must listen.

Sound Women is a programme for and about women, covering a range of topics including healthcare, education and rehabilitation, and there’s also loads of great music. You can hear Sound Women on Wednesdays at midday and 6pm.

Over the last 5 years HMP Styal have played host to loads of interesting and inspirational guests, from Rosetta from the Happy Monday’s to author Martina Cole, from broadcaster Clare Balding to inspirational humanitarian author Terry Waite.

The Family and Friends Request Show is on Thursdays at 1pm and 7pm, and features the songs requested by family on the outside for listeners on the inside. If you want a request, ask your friends and family to visit nationprisonradio.com

PROBLEM? WE CAN HANDLE IT! We guarantee a prompt response, friendly advice and thoroughly reliable representation from an experienced team.

Parole Hearings, Judicial Reviews, Recalls, Adjudications, & Categorisation Reviews We are Criminal and Prison Law Specialists The latest video link interview facilities are available to speed up the processes and avoid delay in having your concerns addressed. Write to Mark Bailey 0208 418 2909 Bailey Nicholson Grayson Solicitors 15 Bourne Court Southend Road For a prompt service throughout the midlands and the south of England Ilford Essex IG8 8HD

On licence for a sex offence? PRISON REFORM TRUST

Francesca Cooney Advice & Information Manager

T

he Prison Reform Trust is updating its booklet on sex offender licences which was first produced in November 2013. It will be out at the end of October. We have rewritten it because there have been some changes. The law has changed and from 8th March 2015, SOPO’s (Sexual Offences Prevention Orders) ceased to exist and were replaced by Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPOs). The leaflet covers release on licence, the sex offenders’ register, police monitoring of sex offenders (MAPPA), SHPOs and when information can be disclosed about you. It also contains new sections on risk and polygraphs. If you have been released on licence it means you will serve the rest of your sentence in the community. Your licence says what you should do. You may be taken back to prison if you do not follow the rules. This may be because you offend again or break some other rules. This is also called breach of licence. There will be some standard conditions for all released prisoners. They are to keep in touch with your supervising/probation officer and if required, to receive visits from them at your home or where you are living. You must also permanently live at an approved address and only take work as agreed by your probation officer. The other standard conditions are not to travel outside the UK and to be of good behaviour. There may be more conditions for people convicted of a sex offence. These can be restrictions on activities you can do (such as using the internet) or places you can go or people you can speak to. The sex offender notification requirements sometimes known as the sex offenders’ register - were introduced in 1997 to allow the police to keep track of people. Anyone convicted of a sexual offence is required to tell the police their details. If you do not do this, it is a criminal offence with a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.

You must go in person to a police station and fill in a form, to tell them your details within three days of leaving prison. When you leave prison you will be given a list of police station addresses near to you. The police should give you a copy of the form, which you should keep to show that you have registered. If you are on the register indefinitely, (for a sentence of 30 months or longer) you can apply to the police to see if you can have your name removed after 15 years on licence. The police will consider whether you still need to be on the register. They will consider the seriousness of the offence, the length of time since the offence was committed and your behaviour since then and any other evidence of risk of sexual harm. A query that we often get relates to people maintaining innocence and their eligibility for sexual offending behaviour courses in the community. The guidance we have says that someone maintaining innocence would not be expected to attend these as they should not be accepted on to the course. However, there might be a condition on the licence that you need to attend a pre-course interview or an assessment. This can be a condition that could lead to breach, and recall, if you did not turn up for the meeting. It is also worth noting that courses for people maintaining innocence are being developed. They may become available for people on licence in the community. If this happens, a course could be added to your licence conditions if you were assessed as fitting the requirements. If you didn’t attend the course, you could be breached and recalled to prison.

If you would like a copy of the leaflet or have any questions about the process please contact us. Please note that we cannot advise you on what your licence conditions will be. You can contact us at Prison Reform Trust, FREEPOST ND6125 London EC1B 1PN. Our free information line is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 3.30-5.30. The number is 0808 802 0060 and does not need to be put on your pin.

ON YOUR SIDE Being on your side is one thing. Fighting your corner is another. We do both. • Miscarriage of Justice experts • Defending false allegations • Crown Court advocacy • CCRC applications • Prison law specialists • Parole applications • IPP and Lifer reviews • Adjudications • Recalls • Sentence progression We offer Legal Aid and Fixed Fees along with a nationwide service. For more information contact us using the details below.

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Comment

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Victims should not have the right to personalised justice by Jon Holbrook Barrister

T

he decision of the Court of Appeal to view the sexual abuse of Asian girls as more serious than sexual abuse of other girls is an outrage. But the outrage should be directed not at the judges who passed the sentence, but at the victims’ rights discourse that has been challenging the objectivity and universality of criminal justice for many years. It has now achieved its objective of a ‘justice’ that varies according to a victim’s personal circumstances, such as his or her culture, values or mental fortitude. The Court of Appeal judgement on the sentencing of Jamal Muhammed Raheem Ul Nasir has ended the idea that justice is objective and universal. Ul Nasir appealed against his sevenyear prison sentence for six counts of sexual assault with two girls aged 13 and 9. Last December, the sentencing judge, Sally Cahill QC, found as an aggravating feature of Ul Nasir’s offending the fact that his victims were Asian, for which she increased his prison sentence. In refusing his appeal against the length of sentence, the Court of Appeal noted the impact on the girls and their family due to

the values held by ‘their particular community’, which meant that ‘great shame’ was brought upon them. Justice Walker also accepted as relevant the father’s concern ‘about the future marriage prospects for his daughters’. So now we know that, in the eyes of the law, identical abuse may be more serious if perpetrated on a ‘particular community’. The sexual abuse of Asian girls, the logic goes, is likely to be worse than the same abuse of non-Asian girls. In fact, from now on, the court’s power to deviate from a universal and objective standard when sentencing an offender should not be limited to particular offences or to particular circumstances that engage the politics of diversity. The Court of Appeal has given the green light to judges to administer victimfriendly sentences in respect of all crimes and the circumstances personal to the victim. The Ul Nasir judgement hit the headlines because it touched a raw nerve in British society about diversity and the privileging of one community over others. But the willingness of the judiciary to privilege one victim over another has been clear for years. In 1995, in the case of R v Doe, Justice Sedley referred to ‘the valuable practice of putting before the sentencing court what is sometimes called a “victim-impact statement”’. But the use of victim-impact statements can only detract

from the objective facts of what the offender did by considering as relevant the victim’s subsequent circumstances. As the Court of Appeal stated in 2013, the purpose of a victim-impact statement is to allow the victim to explain ‘how [he or she has] been affected by the crime or crimes of which they were victims’. A victim may be affected by a crime in many different ways, which in a case of sexual abuse may turn on the victim’s culture and morals. But, with other offences, the impact on the victim will vary for a whole host of subjective reasons, such as his or her mental fortitude or views on criminal justice. The wealthy man may (although, equally, he may not) view the street robber who steals £100 from his wallet differently from the poor man who experiences the same crime, or it may be that one victim puts before the court an impassioned and articulate victim-impact statement, while others do not. But such circumstances which are personal to the victim should have no bearing on criminal proceedings. Every victim, whether they are Asian or non-Asian, rich or poor, out for revenge or a believer in dispassionate justice, is entitled to the same protection from the criminal courts. As Libby Purves put it in The Times: ‘Crime is crime is crime: if you rape, steal, beat, kill or intimidate you should be sentenced… A drinkdriver who hits a vicious gangster is not less “guilty” than if they hit a virtuous young mother walking to evensong.’ The arrival of victim-impact statements in court has not been without controversy; most judges have traditionally recognised the need for justice to be objective, universal and unyielding in the face of a victim’s particular personal circumstances. The US Supreme Court warned of the dangers of allowing victim-impact statements to be used in capital cases (although the US moved more quickly than the UK in allowing victim-impact statements in other cases). In 1987, in the case of Booth v Maryland, the Supreme Court held that a victim-impact statement ‘creates a constitutionally unacceptable risk that the jury may impose the death penalty in an arbitrary and capricious manner’. The court noted how evidence of the psychological impact of the crime on the victim’s family may be entirely unrelated to the blameworthiness of the defendant, who could be sentenced to the death penalty merely because family members are willing and able to articulate their grief. Most judges in the UK have traditionally recognised the cogency of these objections and have applied them when it comes to the sentencing of criminals, irrespective of the crime.

Canter Levin & Berg 1 Temple Square, 24 Dale Street, Liverpool, L2 5RL

Only last summer, a UK judge caused a storm of protest when he was recorded in private as saying, ‘I feel so very sorry for these families. They make these statements thinking they are going to make a difference, but they make no difference at all. Someone should tell them.’ The judge’s statement prompted the victims’ commissioner Baroness Newlove to note: ‘Victims pour their hearts into these statements to make sure they do their loved ones the best possible justice - they should never be

25

dismissed like this.’ Since the victims’ commissioner urged judges to take into account victim-impact statements, it looks like she and the victims’ lobby, of which she is a part, has got its way with the Ul Nasir judgement. But this is hardly surprising since a desire to reorganise criminal justice around the wishes of victims has been government-backed policy for many years. In 2003, the government passed a law requiring judges to consider ‘any harm that the offence caused’ - the word ‘harm’ was a gateway through which a victim’s personal circumstances would eventually walk. To make victims’ views more central to the sentencing process, the government then passed a law requiring judges to pay due attention to sentencing guidelines from the Sentencing Council. Judges were ordered to consider ‘the impact of sentencing decisions on victims of offences’. It was these guidelines, and their reference to considering the psychological effect of any abuse on the victim, that the Court of Appeal followed in Ul Nasir. New Labour’s mission to reorganise criminal justice around the victim’s personal circumstances has been followed by the Conservatives. In 2012, UK home secretary Theresa May said that ‘For too long, victims of crime have had no voice, but this government is giving victims back their voice’. To this end, there are now some statutory duties on prosecutors to consult with victims about what sentences should be sought from a court. Philip Davies, the Conservative MP for Shipley, was quick to condemn the Ul Nasir judgement: ‘To suggest that to sexually abuse Asian girls is more serious than sexually abusing white girls is completely unacceptable. One has to wonder from where they manage to dig up these politically correct judges. The principle that everyone is equal before the law - once the cornerstone of British justice - appears to have been thrown out of the window.’ Davies was right to note the harm that the Ul Nasir judgement has done to the principle that everyone is equal before the law, but he was wrong to scapegoat ‘politically correct judges’. It has been state policy for many years to undermine the objectivity of criminal justice with a focus on the personal circumstances of victims, promoted in the name of ‘victims’ rights’. All that has changed with the Ul Nasir judgement is that the Court of Appeal has given legal recognition to this long-standing state-backed policy. In criminal proceedings the state should, as a matter of common decency, look after victims and inform and support them during the prosecution of a defendant. But the state should never lose sight of the fact that the criminal law is concerned with the application of universal and objective standards. With the Ul Nasir judgement, the personal and subjective has been allowed to trump the universal and objective. It is no longer the case that all members of society are entitled to the equal protection of the law. Victims have been given a right to personalise justice. And this is no justice at all. Jon Holbrook is a barrister based in London. He was shortlisted for the Legal Journalism prize at the Halsbury Legal Awards 2014. Follow him on Twitter: @JonHolb

Originally appeared on www.spiked-online.com 22nd September 2015

THE 2015 KOESTLER AWARDS RE:FORM is the UK’s annual national showcase of arts by prisoners, offenders on community sentences, secure psychiatric patients and immigration detainees. It is the eighth exhibition in an ongoing partnership between the Koestler Trust and Southbank Centre. The Trust received 8,509 entries to the Koestler Awards 2015 including writing, music, film, fine art and design from 285 prisons, special hospitals and other establishments. There were 984 paintings, 838 drawings and 1297 poems from approximately 3,200 unique entrants. This year’s show was curated by Southbank Centre and the Koestler Trust to showcase many of the pieces chosen for Koestler Awards by over 150 arts professionals including Carol Ann Duffy, Speech Debelle, the BFI and Hot Chip. Specially commissioned texts by artists Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane, curator and writer Shama Khanna, editor of Afterall Books Caroline Woodley and Koestler Award-winner Ben add insight and context. Working alongside Southbank Centre exhibition hosts, to welcome visitors and invigilate the exhibition, are ex-offenders, specially recruited, trained and employed by the Koestler Trust. As well as gaining unique work experience and new skills, the hosts deepen visitors’ engagement with the exhibition, enabling audiences to hear first-hand how the arts reflect and enrich the lives of people in secure and criminal justice settings.

Whitby Bay, HM Prison Hull, Orpington Methodist Church Silver Award for Mixed Media

Exhibition open from 1 Oct - 29 Nov 2015 Daily, 10am - 11pm FREE ENTRY Spirit Level, Royal Festival Hall, South Bank Centre, London SE1 8XX. All images courtesy of the Koestler Trust.

Harley, HM Prison Whatton, Gold Award for Matchstick Models

Don’t Be Quiet, Heatherwood Court Hospital, Felix Kelly Gold Award for Mixed Media

Dragon, HM Prison Whatton, Space Station Sixty-Five Platinum Award for Matchstick & Mixed Media Models

You May Have Your God But I Have My Bloodied N Highly Commended Award for Painting

Les Paul, HM Prison Maghaberry, Irene Taylor Trust Commended Award for Woodcraft

Untitled, Brook House Immigration Removal Centre, Rosemary Bartholomew Commended Award for Painting

Sleep Fruit Tree, HM Prison Full Sutton, James Wood Q.C. Silver Award for Watercolour and Gouache

Towards Bannockburn from My Cell, HM Prison Glenochil, Evelyn Plesch Platinum Award for Watercolour and Gouache

Nose, HM Prison Shotts, oil on canvas, Swain & Co. M.G. PIT, HM Prison Usk, Needlecraft

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Comment

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

T

he refugee crisis that has focussed the world’s attention recently has been several years in the making, driven by a destructive mix of conflict and violence in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan - in Libya and other regions of North Africa. But it took one searing image in September to produce an evident change in public opinion here in the UK and around the world. The body of a little Syrian boy found on a beach in Turkey will forever be linked to this crisis. A crisis that is clearly going to be Europe’s most important challenge for years to come.

LIBYA

Quentin Somerville reports from Tripoli.

Fergal Keane reported from a refugee camp outside the Syrian border. From across the seas, along endless roads. From the east, from Africa - a story of departure. Driven by desperation and by hope. We live in a great age of migration. They are refugees from war, or come fleeing poverty and oppression. To them, our Europe is the Europe of the rule of law, of work, of education. But it is the story of Syria’s refugees which has this week forced the crisis to the forefront of public imagination and political debate. It is a story of millions of people fleeing a nation that has been torn apart. Now 4 million live outside their country.

“We got on the truck and they shot at us. We arrived at the checkpiont and they shot at us. A lot of people were fleeing with us, including our neighbours. We saw someone who died there.”

Desperate Journeys: Europe’s migrant crisis of population than Germany. The EU’s border force, Frontex, reckons 350,000 people have crossed into Greece and Italy so far this year, around 94,000 Syrians escaping the civil war there: 32,000 more have reached the EU from Afghanistan. Add to that another 26,000 from Eritrea, escaping a repressive dictatorship and 12,000 from Nigeria. There are three main routes to Europe. Through the central Mediterranean - just over 91,000 so far this year got in that way. A little more than 102,000 used the path through the Western Balkans, up through Hungary. But Europe’s challenge in dealing with the migration crisis is dwarfed by that of Syria’s neighbours. Of the four million people who have fled the war, the overwhelming majority are in refugee camps in places like Lebanon and Turkey.

Two children tell of their crossing over the border from Syria to a refugee camp

All day people continue to arrive here. Some 3,000 in the last 24 hours. And we are told there are tens of thousands more waiting on the other side of the border. All of this is putting a huge strain on the resources of the camp. The Arab world and the rest of the international community failed to meet its promises on aid. For people who had homes and jobs, who were farmers or craftsmen, life in the camps often led to despair. The numbers involved in this ongoing drama are truly staggering. Not far off 500,000 asylum applications (438,000 according to the UN) have been made in Europe so far this year. Here in the UK, 25,000 have applied. In Germany, where it appears many refugees want to go, there have been 188,000. But in Sweden there have been eight applications for asylum for every 1000 people in the country - more per head

Libya, lacking a stable government, is an ideal base for people traffickers. As the chaos in this country deepens, it gets deadlier for refugees. This week alone we saw 200 people drown in the waters just off Lebanon. Earlier I travelled to the very heart of Libya’s smuggling trade, Zuwara. This week, the bodies of men, women and children have been washing up on this beach. A week ago two hundred people died here when two boats were lost at sea. The clothes of the dead litter the beaches for hundreds of miles. This Mediterranean summer nightmare will soon ease though. With colder weather coming, fewer will attempt to cross these waters.

SYRIA

Jeremy Bowen reports from Latakia. Becoming a refugee is not a decision that people take lightly. It means leaving your home, leaving your family, leaving your friends, everything that is familiar and you might hold dear. People take a decision like that because they fear that otherwise they might get killed or because their homes have been destroyed. The first step is often to be internally displaced, becoming a refugee in your own country. In Latakia, on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, there is an estimate that there are about one million internally displaced people who have lost their homes, sometimes more than once.

TURKEY

Ian Pannell reports from Turkey. It is fair to say that Turkey has taken in more Syrian refugees than any other country. In fact, almost half of those people who fled Syria have ended up here. Many of them are living in makeshift camps in rudimentary conditions, fleeing from war conditions. Many are living in makeshift camps, others are living in towns and cities across Turkey and many describe life as ‘intolerable’. They are not given refugee status, allowed citizenship or given work permits. A lot of them can’t find jobs and when they do, the pay is very low and rents are very high. People ask, why would you put your children onto a boat and the answer is simple; Europe looks like a promised land compared to what you see here.

KOS

Chris Butler (on Kos)

During any normal summer, the seafront at Kos would be lined with tourists. But this year it’s lined with tents. Despite dangers and drowning, the sea is proving no deterrent to those desperate to get to Europe. There have been queues, crushes and conflicts. To tackle tension, tear gas has been used more than once. On islands like Lesbos, makeshift camps have been set up but many are little more than waste ground without the basic facilities needed for the thousands of people who have found themselves stuck here.

Comment

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Refugees in the UK

29

Quote of the Month

20,000

more refugees will be resettled in the UK by 2020

4,980

Syrian asylum seekers have been allowed to stay since 2011

HUNGARY

Emily Maitless, at the Central Station in Budapest, now a temporary refugee camp. Never before has the description of Hungary as ‘Central Europe’ seemed more appropriate. The people here have left the harshness of the east but they have yet to arrive at what they consider to be the sanctuary of the west. They are in limbo. Why? Because Hungary is to all intents and purposes a gateway to a zone of free movement between European states, the last country of border control. In other words, if people can leave here they can get to pretty much anywhere.

AUSTRIAN BORDER

Matthew Price is walking towards the Austrian border with migrants there.

25,771

CALAIS

people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to end June 2015

Lucy Manning reports. This is a corner of Calais in the camp now known as ‘The Jungle’. It’s home to people from across the world; walking through today I’ve met people from Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Eritrea and Egypt but it’s not where they want to call home. Some people here have claimed asylum in France but many more are making those nightly dangerous attempts to get over to the UK. In the summer there were thousands of attempts every night. Now that is down to a few hundred attempts but they are still trying. But the announcement the government made to take more refugees doesn’t apply to anyone here and I met a group of Syrian refugees who say there are only around 120 Syrian refugees in the camp here and that the UK should be able to take them.

This is an extract taken from a BBC News Special presented by Huw Edwards, with reports from BBC correspondents across two continents. 4 September 2015

This is Europe’s migration flow. Its refugee crisis is playing out in front of us at the moment. One thousand people have been marching from the station in Budapest through the afternoon and into the night and they are heading towards Austria and then to Germany. Why do the parents do it? Every single parent that I’ve spoken to says this isn’t out of choice, it’s out of necessity and they do it for the future of their children.

2,204

were from Syria

87%

of Syrian requests for asylum were granted

145

Syrian asylum seekers have been removed from the UK since 2011

60 million

Forcibly displaced people seeking asylum in the world

1 in 5

Owing to fake passports EU figures show only one in five migrants is Syrian Source: Home Office

Wrongly convicted of a crime?

Lost your appeal?

What next? BERLIN

Jenny Hill, in Germany which is planning to take as many as 800,000 refugees this year. Germany. This is the end of a long road. And maybe it’s the start of a new life. Volunteers provide hot drinks and clothing. Officially, the refugees are welcome. Some say this country is too open, but the Chancellor, Angela Merkel, says they have a moral and legal obligation. Every day migrants and refugees arrive at Munich railway station. Germany is unique for two reasons; first, the high number of asylum seekers it attracts and secondly, the welcome they receive here.

The CCRC can look again If you think your conviction or sentence is wrong apply to the CCRC

• • •

It won’t cost anything Your sentence can’t be increased if you apply You don't need a lawyer to apply, but a good one can help You can get some more information and a copy of the CCRC's Easy Read application form by writing to us at 5 St Philip’s Place, Birmingham, B3 2PW. or calling 0121 233 1473

Prisoners in Scotland should contact; The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, 5th Floor, Portland House, 17 Renfield Street, Glasgow, G2 5AH. Phone: 0141 270 7030 Email: [email protected]

Accepting these migrants is a huge mistake Melanie Phillips, The Times, 10 September 2015 Britain can’t be expected to take in a flood of displaced people that will alter the cultural balance of the country forever. This is not a humanitarian refugee crisis. It is a political migration crisis: an enormous and unprecedented movement of peoples from the developing to the developed world which threatens to engulf Europe. It’s complicated. The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone with a well-founded fear of persecution, which clearly doesn’t apply to the majority of these people who are not running for their lives. Even the family of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, whose drowned body provoked this mass outpouring of publicly proclaimed compassion, weren’t desperate to reach sanctuary at all. They had already been living in safety for three years in Turkey. Given this convulsion of entire civilisation, the line we are being fed that Britain and Europe have a moral duty to take hundreds of thousands of those who are affected is spectacularly misguided. Firstly, why is this our responsibility? The Gulf states have not volunteered to take a single refugee. But isn’t this migration principally the responsibility of the Arab and Muslim world? Second, the idea that Britain and Europe can accommodate this flood of people is delusional. According to the UN, by the end of last year almost 60 million people had been forcibly displaced or seeking asylum. Britain certainly can’t take them. Public services are already being stretched to breaking point, with a record population being further swelled by an unsustainable annual net immigration of a third of a million people. The consequences will change Europe for ever. The vast majority of this tide are Muslims, The UN estimates 70 per cent of these people are young men. If they settle in Europe, their families will probably follow. Europe’s culture will therefore be transformed. Angela Merkel has already admitted Germany will be changed by this “breathtaking” influx. Christians in the Middle East have been crucified, beheaded, raped, forcibly converted and ethnically cleansed. Yet our government has so far refused requests to grant asylum to Christians trying to flee Iraq and Syria.

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Comment

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org them are afforded a certain amount of kudos and criminal admiration. The ‘cat burglar’ for example. Professional cat burglars are as rare as hen’s teeth, though every second burglar you come across in prison claims to be one, just as every GBH merchant who has ever pulled on a Boy Scout uniform in their youth will have fantasy stories of their years in the French Foreign Legion or the SAS. Prisons are full of Billy Bullshitters. Cat burglars risk their lives climbing the outside of tall buildings, usually at night, in order to steal cash and jewels. These men (as cat burglars are invariably men) are not interested in your telly or DVD player, or the kid’s PlayStation, they are professionals with a plan and usually a bit of inside information. Their aim is to get in and out with the prize with as little fuss and mess as possible. The mark of a good cat burglar is that you will never know they have been there until you discover items missing.

© Fotolia.com

Burglars - where do they stand on the pecking order? Inside Time’s Noel Smith does his best not to judge house burglars

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Noel Smith

make no bones about it, I used to be a serious criminal. Armed crime was my milieu and I was not shy about pointing loaded firearms at people and threatening death or serious injury in order to get what I wanted. I was no angel, and I served a long time in prison for my crimes. I now seriously regret that part of my life and I do my best not to judge others. But sometimes a seemingly innocent question can bring forth old prejudices. Since my release from prison I do a lot of public speaking, mainly to university students, and I am often asked about the ‘hierarchy’ of prison life. People with no experience of incarceration in UK jails tend to think that murderers will be top of the pecking order when, in reality, the majority of convicted murderers are what are known as ‘domestics’ - people with no criminal background but who may have killed a wife, partner, friend or neighbour. Usually a ‘one off’ crime. I try to explain that those at the top of the criminal/prison food chain are actually the professional criminals organised crime figures, armed robbers and usually those who earn a living from crime. Those at the bottom are sex offenders (child killers and those who sexually abuse children are particularly hated), granny bashers or people who con and abuse the elderly. It may

sound absurd that some criminals look down on and judge other criminals for their crimes but I suppose no matter what terrible deeds we do ourselves can be contextualised by pointing the finger at others and being ‘horrified’ at their crimes. Essentially, it makes us feel better, but it also trivialises other crimes that seem ‘acceptable’ when buying into the twisted logic that is the prisoner hierarchy. Just recently I have been asked about the status of burglars behind bars. I never really thought about where they would fit in the hierarchy of prisoners but, after giving it some thought, I have realised that on a personal

level - I don’t really care for burglars! Perhaps I should clarify that somewhat; the kind of burglars that really irk me are dwelling house burglars, a distinct sub-species of the burglar genre. Now that may sound strange, or even a tad hypocritical coming from a former career criminal who made a living from crime, but, having been a victim of burglary myself, I know first-hand the devastation that some of this sub-species leave behind. Though the general public make no real distinction when it comes to burglary it is a fact that under the law there are several different types of burglar. And, in the criminal world, some of

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Then there are commercial burglars - those who break into warehouses, shops or factories in order to steal high value, high volume items for resale. There is nothing personal in commercial burglaries, they are usually carried out by professional criminals. This does not mean there are no victims of these crimes, there are, nor is it some sort of endorsement of certain types of burglary, all burglary is crime and all crimes have victims. I am merely pointing out that some burglars are deemed more ‘acceptable’ in the criminal world. But, as far as I’m concerned, the lowest rung on the burglary ladder are the common or garden dwelling house burglars or housebreakers, who make up the vast majority of burglars operating in this country. It has always amazed me that burglars seem to get a free pass from the majority of UK prisoners (perhaps because of the sheer numbers of them in almost every prison) and are not treated with contempt on a par with others who commit crimes against families and children. I mean, think about it for a second what do dwelling house burglars actually do? The facts show that they break into the homes of ordinary people, sometimes doing terrible and expensive damage, they then rifle through the personal belongings of whole families, children and babies included, and take what they want. And sometimes (all too commonly) leaving behind devastated and frightened victims whose lives have been impacted by this most personal of crimes. During my three decades spent incarcerated at

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Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org Her Majesty’s pleasure I met a lot of these dwelling house burglars and they seem to come in all shapes, sizes and hues. Mostly they look just like me and you and it is part of their ‘job’ to pass unnoticed as they trawl residential areas looking for places to break into (though, obviously there are some freakish exceptions to this rule!). When quizzed about their crimes, they invariably talked of burgling ‘stately homes’ and ‘stealing from the rich’. I once questioned one such burglar on what he actually stole from these rich stately homes he was forever burgling, he shrugged and mumbled ‘You know, the DVD players (!), paintings, antiques…and all that.’ Though I got the distinct impression that he wouldn’t have been able to recognise an antique if it was in a box marked ‘antique’ and was bang in the middle of the front window of an antique shop.

victims. It took 5 years of intense therapy for me to finally realise the damage I had left in my criminal wake. But becoming a victim of burglary myself made me think about burglars. My home was burgled whilst I was serving a long prison sentence and my wife and children were so terrified that the burglars would return they moved home. Up until that incident I’d had the same attitude as the majority of prisoners when it came to burglars - I would just shrug my shoulders and say ‘Well, that’s what they do’, but seeing the fear and misery on the faces of my children made me think again about burglars. I was a different character back then and saw violence as the answer to most questions, so I went around the wing until I found someone serving time for burglary and gave him a few right-handers. It didn’t make my children feel any better but it gave me a little bit of satisfaction. And no, I’m not advocating violence towards burglars and I would never take the same actions today as I am a lot more mature but unfortunately that was my response at that time. Though I’d bet there are a few victims out there who would love to have been in my place!

In reality the highest burglary blackspots are in the poorest inner-city areas so the majority of burglars are not noble class warriors taking from the rich but callous sneak thieves who don’t give a toss who they take from. This is the reality of dwelling-house burglars. But they are accepted as ODCs (Ordinary Decent Criminals) by the majority of other criminals who are very quick to point the finger at various ‘unacceptable’ offenders who target ordinary families and children.

As a footnote; it was revealed recently that the crime of burglary appears so far down the list of priority crimes for the police that they will no longer be visiting the scene of burglaries and ask that the victims just phone it in! I suppose they are too busy arresting people who ‘hog’ the middle lane on motorways. It really is a funny old world.

I wonder if burglars ever stop to think about the devastation they cause to ordinary people? I’d guess not as, going by my own experience as a criminal, I had no thought for my own

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To rebel with a cause Owen Davies believes the British Criminal Justice system can learn from Dostoevsky to be a success. He does take money and valuables from the flat but he never spends any of it. He cannot allow himself to profit materially from the murder. When he decided to go through with the murder, Raskolnikov felt ‘that he had thrown off that terrible burden which had been weighing him down for so long and his soul began to experience a sense of lightness and peace.’ His murder was a great release from the shackles of conformity and obedience to a society that had, as he saw it, treated him so badly. His release is derivative of his obedience to the laws of the universe.

I

n Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel of 1865, ‘Crime and Punishment’, the reader is given unparalleled insight into the mind and character of a murderer. Raskolnikov is a student in St Petersburg, ‘remarkably handsome, taller than average, slim and well-built.’ He is intelligent yet has been ‘crushed by poverty.’ Raskolnikov is a very moral individual. When he sees the young prostitute Sonja, drunk and defenceless, and being accosted by a predatorial, young male, he fights him off and gives her all the money he has in his pockets. He is tormented by the poverty in which his mother and sister live in order to permit him to study. When his sister tries to marry an older man to help Raskolnikov’s financial problems, Raskolnikov protests violently and prevents it from happening. Dostoevsky portrays his hero or more accurately his anti-hero as a very good man, a very honest man. In fact it is Raskolnikov’s honesty that finally brings him to the point where he can murder the money lender, a miserly old woman and the symbol of everything he loathes in the world. In Raskolnikov’s mind the action is unavoidable and any attempt not to do an action that is unavoidable cannot be anything but dishonest. The murder in hindsight, ‘constantly seemed to him as if it were a predetermination of his fate.’ It is intervention from a greater power into the life of a lowly student in St Petersburg. His murder is a protest against the injustices of the world. The money lender is symbolic of the world he hates; by murdering her he is striking a blow for the underprivileged and marginalised. He is striking out at the world that has placed him and his family in such horrendous circumstances. He will put up with it no more. He wants the world to know that he will not suffer in silence. He is satisfying something in him that will not stand by and let the divisions of the society get away with undermining his potential and others like him

Raskolnikov’s experience of murder upsets him enormously but it is mostly the fear of punishment and the confusion of what lies beyond that causes this. It is not guilt or remorse that drives him to confess but a need to tell the world what he has done, though it could be argued that he confesses as a result of the police officer’s investigations. But freely confesses he finally does. The freeing up or cleansing he experiences as a result of his confession is due to him finally obeying the laws of the universe but has little or nothing to do with remorse or guilt. He stoically accepts his punishment and Sonja the prostitute follows him to Siberia to help him through his sentence. The Criminal Justice System can learn a substantial amount from ‘Crime and Punishment.’ The CJS looks at superficial motives for crime such as material gain, personal revenge, sexual gratification … but ignores deeper motives that are explored in Dostoevsky’s work. Many criminals may be crushed by poverty, but their wounds are deeper, their motives subconscious. Raskolnikov cannot have remorse for his crime because it is an act of fate, yet the CJS insists that criminals show remorse. How can they, if indeed their crime is unavoidable? In my experience of crime it’s extremely common for the victim of the crime to be a symbol of something loathsome to the criminal (even if on the surface there is no apparent connection between the victim and the symbol) and that his loathing for that general condition is perfectly reasonable and justifiable, as it is in Raskolnikov’s case. So instead of condemning the criminal, for me, it would make much more sense to remove what is loathsome, to remove the injustices of the world that bring so many people to the point where striking out seems the only alternative. Crime is rebellion. The criminal is a rebel and the CJS, it seems, wants to keep him a rebel with superficial motives, a rebel without a cause. Raskolnikov only got seven years. It is not revealed whether Russia had or did not have conjugal visits in the middle of the 19th century. Owen Davies is a released life sentenced prisoner

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News from the House

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

News from the House The Government is seeking to close some courts to save money. MPs were invited to debate the Consultation paper on 17 September. Andrew Bingham MP was not alone in describing the content of the Consultation as ‘Slapdash’. Andrew Bingham (High Peak) (Con): I have witnessed many consultations in my 12 years as a borough councillor in the High Peak, and in my five years as a Member of Parliament, and I am sorry to say that I cannot remember seeing one as poorly written and riddled with errors and inaccuracies as this one. It contains basic mistakes regarding the High Peak magistrates court in Buxton. For example, it claims that it has no public lift, when in fact it has one. That is a basic error, and I shall talk about other such errors in the document later.

The document states the Buxton court is not compliant with the Equality Act 2010. That is wrong; it is fully compliant with the disability legislation under that Act. The document states that there are two consultation rooms and that they are in poor condition. That is again wrong; there are three, and they are of a high standard because they were refurbished in 2010.

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Our specialist team are committed to helping victims of abuse and are experts in bringing authorities, such as social services, and residential Many people takeaction a dim against view of local consultations, institutions, such as children’s homes. which are often seen as window dressing, while theOur result of the process is inevitable. dedicated team of male and female lawyers have a proven track record with I am sorry to say that the mistakes that have Andrew Bingham abuse claims. sexual, physical and emotional been made in this consultation will only feed abuse take apublic. long time to come The to terms with and it can be difficult for is one document also claims that there that viewChild among thecan general waiting room available, thereby victims to speak out about their traumatic experiences. Regardless of how long preventing ago thebe“desired segregation” It is a slapdash piece of work, I have the abuse tookand place, you to may still able to make a claim. of parties. Yet again, that is wrong. In 2010 the waiting ask whether its author has actually been to Anything you to usorwill be handled the utmost of professionalism, were levels reorganised so now there is a Buxton and visited thesay court, whether it is withareas sensitivity and understanding. separate entrance and room in the courtmerely a regurgitation of a consultation unforand witnesses, andrecognised the “desired dertaken yearsare ago. Haseligible someone funding Jordans are by segChildabout abuse10claims often for pubichouse regation”, as it is termed, is therefore simply the dusted off that document, changed a legal services commission as one of the few specialist providers of legal aid for now in place; witnesses are segregated from defew of the names and dates and decided that this type of workfendants in the UK.at all times and can be taken into that would do? Whichever it is, it is not acthe court without any communication with ceptable. At best it is inaccurate; at worst it others waiting in the court waiting room. is misleading. It has been pointed out to me by somebody with a far more qualified legal I am sorry to labour this point, but the errors brain than mine that so great are the inacare multiple. The document claims that vulcuracies in this consultation that any CallonChristine and the teamwitnesses on 01924 868911 nerable have to use a waiting decision based it could be Sands open to legal Email room across the road. There is a room challenge, and I would [email protected] to see that. I across the road from the court; used for want Write to run to through one or two of the inacNeil Jordan House, Wellington Road, Dewsbury, WF13it is 1HL vulnerable witnesses giving evidence via curacies.

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video link. That has proved to be a valuable asset and is one not offered by all courts. It reassures vulnerable witnesses to know that they do not even have to enter the court building where, despite the segregation offered, they would fear bumping into the defendants. That gives huge reassurance to those who need it most. The document goes on to talk about using Chesterfield as an alternative, claiming it is fully compliant with health and safety regulations. By omitting the fact that Buxton is also compliant, there is implication by omission, and yet again in my view that could be seen as misleading. If someone had bothered to visit Buxton and do their homework they would realise that Chesterfield is just not practical. It may look a good solution on a map but in reality it does not work. The consultation talks about travel times from Buxton to Chesterfield. It completely ignores the fact that the court serves not just Buxton but the whole of the High Peak, including Glossop, which has a larger population than Buxton. Getting to Chesterfield from Glossop is just not practical by public transport. A move to Chesterfield would see 73% of my constituents facing a journey by public transport of over two hours. The hon. Member for Stockport talked about Macclesfield. As we both know, the transport links between the High Peak and Stockport are a lot better than those between High Peak and Chesterfield. If there are going to

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be closures in the High Peak, has any thought been given to sending people to Stockport? Or has that not been looked at because Stockport happens to be in a different county or region from the High Peak - or could no one really be bothered? I understand the need to look at issues such as the cost to the public purse and whether we can do things differently. The savings for the courts on the High Peak, however, are projected at about £46,000, but the moving to Chesterfield will incur extra costs elsewhere, such as the travelling costs of defendants and, indeed, the magistrates. Does a magistrate who is living and serving in High Peak really want to be going over to Chesterfield? Those who know the area will be aware that it gets a touch cold in the winter and we have quite a bit of snow, and people who try to drive from High Peak to Chesterfield in February sometimes do not have the best of chances. This move will discourage people from High Peak from becoming magistrates, and I would not like to see that. The magistrates do a great job and I support them in everything they do. People will face additional travelling costs, leaving aside the inconvenience, but we also have to consider the costs for other organisations, such as the police. Officers of High Peak Borough Council have to go to court for various things and at the moment they have only to go across the road from the town hall. They can go across, do what they have to do and be back behind their desks fairly quickly. Moving the court to Chesterfield will mean that council officers will be taken out for at least half a day, if not more, and then we have to add on the travel costs and so on. Given the lack of feasible public transport between High Peak and Chesterfield, I can see money being spent on taxis to get people to and from the court. That would be an expensive and unacceptable outcome; The Minister should think long and hard about this decision. He should not base it on this woeful and sloppy piece of work masquerading as a consultation. He should look carefully at the submissions from people in High Peak, mine included. They will give him an accurate picture of High Peak, not the one put out in the consultation. If he is determined to reconfigure the court services in High Peak, I ask him to find a way of doing so that does not force my constituents into long unsustainable journeys.

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investigating alleged miscarriages of justice Insidejustice

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

marriage. Rice successfully appealed the NFL’s suspension and his team settled his request for $3.5m in back pay. While he has been eligible to play for a team since November 2014, no team has signed him. This would appear to align itself with Ched Evans’ situation in Britain. However, Tony Porter and Ted Bunch - co-founders of A Call To Men, a national organization that encourages men to end violence against women - have worked with Rice since November and say he deserves an opportunity to play football again.

Ched Evans

Ray Rice

Chris Brown

Stars in your eyes For celebrities, the 12 jurors in court might not be as important as the verdict of the general public Max Davies Freelance Writer

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round a century ago, Robert Frost said, “A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer”.

With the recent news that UK legal aid has been cut, forcing more people to represent themselves, Fiona Kendall, from Jones Myers solicitors remarked, “Someone who isn’t properly represented needs additional help and the trouble is that there just isn’t the court time for it”. There is no shortage of high profile businesses or celebrities who pay large sums of money to avoid criminal charges. An embarrassment of riches, so to speak. It is also clear the general public are only exposed to only a fraction of instances where those at the top of the food chain are caught doing something they shouldn’t. At first glance, there seem to be many situations where the rich or famous experience a different justice system compared to those less fortunate. Footballer Ched Evans was convicted of rape in 2012 and was sentenced to 5 years. He was released on licence in 2014 and whilst continuing to protest his innocence, attempted to

fisher meredith

re-establish his career. A number of clubs attempted to sign him, but each was met with a huge public backlash including multiple petitions, threats to boycott the clubs, pulled sponsorship and resignations. This seemed at odds with the perception of how American celebrities are treated after breaking the law. In 2012, Dallas Cowboys’ Josh Brent was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation for a drink driving incident that killed the passenger, teammate Jerry Brown. Despite minor protests from several antidrink-driving groups, The NFL suspended Brent for only 10 games and he returned to the team in 2014. Clubs standing by players convicted of violent offences is not without precedent in the UK. Examples include the footballers Jonathan Woodgate and Eric Cantona, suggesting that English sport is not immune to showing favour to valuable assets. Luke McCormick and Lee Hughes have both been convicted of ‘causing death by dangerous driving’ and returned to professional football relatively easily. In 2013 NFL footballer Ray Rice was arrested on domestic violence charges. When TMZ released the infamous video footage, there was an immediate outcry and the NFL suspended Rice indefinitely. Janay Palmer, the victim, forgave Rice and went ahead with their

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We certainly see this attitude in the entertainment industry. Chris Brown saw continued success after the public learned of the physical abuse he inflicted on Rihanna whilst threatening to kill her. After the initial negative publicity, he hired a Crisis Management team, entered a guilty plea, avoided jail time and released an album a month after sentencing. There appears to be a sliding scale for how much attention the public pays to celebrities being charged with certain crimes. The conclusion I draw is that, regardless of guilt, if you admit to the crime, show remorse and promise to be a better member of the community, you will be judged more favourably. Continuing to protest your innocence may serve your personal quest for justice, but its effect on public opinion is in complete contrast to contrite cooperation with the appropriate governing bodies. Given the way juries can be swayed and public perception altered, returning to the opening quote, maybe it should be adjusted for the modern day to be, “A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer and PR firm”.

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If there is any pattern in the cases I have researched, it is that charges against celebrities are less about the law and more about how much the celebrities can manipulate the situation. Professional media, social media, TV and radio interviews can all be used to tell people what they need to hear. The public need to believe you are not above the law. They won’t forgive you until you show humility and remorse. As Ched Evans now understands, the 12 jurors in court might not be the most important jury you face. It is not necessarily the case that celebrities are dealt with more leniently in the USA, it may just be that they are better and more experienced at understanding and dealing with the bigger picture. In the cases I have examined, administering justice is now only partially about the law.

Max is a freelance writer with enthusiasm for exploring the philosophical side of the law and the implications beyond the sentence.

Inside Justice, part of Inside Time, is funded by charitable donations from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Inside Time and the Roddick Foundation. Website: www.insidejusticeuk.com Facebook: insidejusticeUK Twitter: @insidejusticeUK

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

The Rule Book

The PSI sets out three desired outcomes:

l Providing reminders about the need for hygiene to be maintained;

l All formal arrangements for prisoners to provide assistance to other prisoners are governed by a clear and consistent set of principles; l There are clear boundaries around the role that prisoners may play in providing assistance in meeting the care and support needs of other prisoners, and both those receiving and providing such care and support are safeguarded; l Governors have the ability to mobilise assistance from other prisoners for a prisoner with care and support needs who has a care and support plan or is awaiting a care and support needs assessment, should it be needed. © Gstudio Group - Fotolia.com

Prisoners Assisting other Prisoners PSI 2015-017

Issued: 31 March 2015, Effective from: 01 April 2015, Expiry Date: 31 March 2019 This is a new PSI Prisoners have always helped each other in many ways, often unofficial and in an ad hoc way; just as people outside prison often assist each other where there is no official or easy assistance available. Prisoners who have problems with literacy will usually know another prisoner who is willing to read correspondence for them or write responses and it has, for many years, been part of the official Complaint System instructions that other prisoners can write out application forms and complaint forms for other prisoners under their instruction (although this is often frowned on by staff).

Amongst the principles explained in the PSI are: l Prisoners must not be relied upon to provide assistance that is the statutory responsibility of another service, for example health or social care services; l All prisoners providing assistance to other prisoners as part of a formal scheme must be appropriately selected, risk assessed, trained, supported and supervised; l Formal arrangements for prisoners to provide assistance to other prisoners may utilise support from prisoners who are paid by the prison as a form of work or prisoners acting as unpaid volunteers; l Formal arrangements for prisoners to provide assistance to other prisoners may utilise support from prisoners who are paid by the prison as a form of work or prisoners acting as unpaid volunteers;

All prisoners providing and receiving assistance must be made aware of the types of activity that are and are not considered appropriate. Annex B provides a list of ‘appropriate’ activities for prisoners providing assistance: l Transportation - to help prisoners move from one area of a prison to another due to a physical impediment permanent or temporary; l Transportation of food to and from the designated kitchen areas; l Cutting up food where appropriate; l Helping to keep a prisoners cell tidy and accessible;

l Helping to reorganise prisoners cells so that necessary items are accessible; l Accessing work, training, education, volunteering or recreational activities that are available in the establishment; l Helping prisoners to raise concerns regarding abuse and neglect where their impairment prevents them from doing so; l Moving and handling, including manual lifting where appropriate; l Helping prisoners to read and have an improved understanding of instructions that are labelled throughout the establishment. Copies of all PSIs are available from your prison library. PSIs only apply to prisons in England and Wales. Prisons in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey do not have an equivalent. Scotland publish ad-hoc policy up-dates from time to time. We will be looking at these in a future issue.

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Inside Time’s Paul Sullivan has a look into Prison Rules and Instructions

l Assisting an adult with cleaning himself or herself following a soiling or wetting episode.

E

The Rule Book

The PSI states; ‘It is important to be clear about the circumstances in which it may be appropriate for assistance from other prisoners to form part of the arrangements to meet care and support needs that are not being met by the local authority, and to be clear that there are forms of assistance that are not appropriate for them to provide, including those that are concerned with meeting needs that are the responsibility of the local authority to meet. Care and support needs will now be clearly defined in care and support plans or written information provided by local authorities. This development, together with the necessity to work alongside local authorities as they discharge their duties to prevent need escalating to the point that it requires their intervention and to promote wellbeing more generally, means that all Governors must have the ability to mobilise prisoners to provide assistance to other prisoners, should it be needed.’

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Family and friends can now send books to prisoners Update to PSI 2013-030 Incentives and Earned Privileges An amendment has been made to Annex I of the PSI - Sending and Handing in of Books to Prisoners - to reflect that, from 1 September 2015, families and friends will be allowed to send and hand in books for prisoners. Visitors will not be allowed to hand books directly to prisoners; they will need to be left with staff to process; all books will be searched. Prisoners will also be able to order books themselves through the normal channels. Books can also be ordered and sent in from Blackwells, Foyles, Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, Waterstones, WH Smith, and Wordery. The numerical limit on the number of books which can be held in-cell will also be removed but the volumetric limits will still apply to the overall amount of property held in possession. The sending or handing in of audio books is no longer limited to prisoners with learning difficulties or disabilities. These may be cassette or CD format and will be classed as ‘books’. Prisoners can hand books they no longer wish to keep to the prison library as a donation; or send them out, or have them placed into stored property. The PSI states; ‘Restrictions on the books which prisoners are allowed to have access to remains unchanged. The Public Protection Manual sets out the books that no prisoner can have access to and Governors can extend this list if the nature of the particular prison’s population requires it. In addition, Governors can decide whether an individual prisoner should have a particular book, taking into account the prisoner’s offending behaviour.’

l DETAILS OF THE REGIME, VISITING AND FACILITIES IN ALL UK ESTABLISHMENTS l HELP AND SUPPORT l THE 2015 HARDMAN TRUST PRISONER FUNDER DIRECTORY l FACT SHEETS (INC SCOTTISH)

Prisoners must not be permitted to handle, store or administer medication provided to other prisoners nor may they provide intimate care.

l LEGAL DIRECTORY

Intimate care includes:

l USEFUL ADDRESSES

Over time the ways prisoners assist each other has progressed and been modified. The two most obvious examples are the Listeners Scheme and Toe by Toe. Schemes such as these have developed, saving the Prison Service many millions of pounds but they have been concerned that they had no real control over them, so this PSI has been written to address that problem.

l Assisting with eating and drinking (in the sense of placing food or drink into the mouth, as distinct from other activities to manage and maintain nutrition such as cutting up food and transporting food);

This PSI reiterates that; ‘It is normal and acceptable for prisoners to assist each other with various day-to-day tasks on an informal basis as one would expect to occur between friends or neighbours in the community.’

l Dressing and undressing body areas that are usually clothed for reasons of privacy and dignity;

l Oral care, including teeth cleaning; l Washing body areas that are usually clothed for privacy and dignity;

l Toileting support e.g. changing continence pads or sanitary towels;

l RULES AND REGULATIONS l GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS l INSIDE TIME ARTICLE ARCHIVE

Inside Time is proud to publish the 2015/16 EDITION of the most comprehensive guide to prisons & prison related services Supplied free of charge to every UK prison library - it’s even bigger & better!

Online at www.insidetime.org for £25 +£7.50p&p or £35 from all good bookshops To order your copy contact: Inside Time, PO Box 251, Hedge End, Hampshire SO30 4XJ.

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Terry Waite Writes

36

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

From over the wall

help them adjust to the British way of life and also to help the local British community understand other cultures. Without such programmes we get the development of ghettos and conflict between groups. Such a situation is unfair to both the immigrant and to the local population. It’s a good thing for people to feel sympathy for those who have left their homeland but sympathy is not enough. A good understanding of the problems facing both the immigrant and the locals is required and sensible fair policies need to be put in place. Many immigrants have a great deal to contribute. Without them the National Health Service, of which we are justly proud, would collapse tomorrow.

Terry Waite writes his monthly column for Inside Time

Terry Waite CBE

A

couple of years ago I returned to Beirut where 25 years previously I had been captured and held hostage for almost five years. Lebanon is a lovely country in many respects. The people are friendly and the diet is one of the healthiest you could find anywhere. It’s a small country with fertile land and stunning scenery. The problems facing the country are well known as the political and religious divisions are a constant source of conflict. Not only that but it is surrounded by problems. On one side, the ongoing conflict between the State of Israel and the Palestinian people continues year after year and it’s a standing disgrace that the international community has been unable to find a solution to a problem that has caused so much suffering to so many. On the other side, warfare rages in Syria and thousands and thousands of refugees have flooded over the border into this little country. Since I visited the refugees, the camps are four times as large as they were then and the future for those who live there is far from bright. The UK government has said that we will take in twenty thousand asylum seekers over the next five years. Lebanon already has about a million and a half! What to do? I suppose the first thing to say is that the

Syrian children march to the refugee camp in Jordan problem of the mass migration of people is a global problem that is likely to get worse in the coming years. The vast majority of migrants would prefer to stay in the land of their birth but they leave because the situation facing them has become intolerable. Warfare has destroyed communities that once lived in harmony, one with another. Corruption in Government has led to vast inequalities and made the poor even poorer. Law and order has broken down with the result that people live in fear and terror. Religious conflict has brought nothing but misery. These problems are not easily resolved and certainly will not be resolved in the short term, but resolved they must be. We need a total overhaul of the way

in which the richer nations of the world give aid. A global coordinated policy is required directed at dealing with some of the problems I have mentioned. As for the immediate problems, I have nothing but contempt for the criminal gangs who have exploited those fleeing for their lives and have sent them to Europe in unseaworthy vessels or packed them into cargo containers. Many have got rich on this evil trade and they need to be stopped in their tracks. Europe needs a coordinated policy but at the moment that seems far away. I firmly believe that if people are going to settle in this country we need to have proper educational schemes in place to

Mc. IVOR . FARRELL

Northern Irish Solicitors

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Years ago I went to visit a British lady who lived in Liverpool. Her son had just been beheaded in Iraq and I was in touch with the lady and her family. She was ill in bed and I sat by her bedside and she talked about her sorrow. ‘Nothing,’ she said, ‘can describe the sorrow I feel at this time.’ Then she said something truly remarkable, ‘but my sorrow is no different than the sorrow a mother in Iraq feels when she has lost her son through war or insurgency’. In those few words she pointed to a profound truth. Despite differences of culture, religion, nationality or what have you we are all members of one human family with hopes and desires. We live in a world that is sadly divided and often locked in conflict. It can and will be changed as each one of us takes our responsibility to help make it a better place. Government must give a lead but nothing will happen if ordinary men and women, such as you and me, don’t make it happen. It’s never too late for any of us to do that. Terry Waite was a successful hostage negotiator before he himself was held captive in Beirut between 1987 and 1991 (more than 20 years ago). He was held captive for 1763 days; the first four years of which were spent in solitary confinement.

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Education

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Beyond literacy in prisons Susannah Henty PET Media and Public Affairs Manager

B

ack in August two charities teamed up to make a film about literacy in prisons. Prisoners’ Education Trust and Prison Learning TV wanted to showcase the prisons, charities, staff and individuals who are working hard to ensure prisoners of all backgrounds and abilities have access to a wide range of opportunities to develop and progress with reading. In our film we journey through entry level literacy classes, Shannon Trust Turning Pages, the Reading Agency’s Read Ahead scheme, Story Book Dads, creative writing courses and Prison Reading Groups. At HMP Thameside, the library has a crucial role in coordinating many of these schemes so we visited the team and were shown around by enthusiastic staff and prisoner orderlies. Neil Barclay, the Librarian, said some prisoners had never picked up a book before starting their sentences, but now they have become avid readers. At HMP Lewes, we looked at the role the education department plays in enabling people to progress through distance learning courses. Robert told us that his creative writing course has given him the confidence to start a writer’s group with a few other prisoners, and they have been encouraged by the prison to help organise a literary festival, which will bring the community and prison together. We asked the Big Issue founder John Bird, who is a passionate writer and learned to read in prison when he was 16 years-old, to contribute to the film. He says: “Reading and writing to me is one of the most important things, it has certainly changed my life.” The film will be screened at a Prison Libraries event next month and on PET’s website. HMP Thameside’s library orderly writes about filming at Thameside: “Last month HMP Thameside was asked to work with Prisoners’

Education Trust (PET) on the production of a film about learning and education resources available to prisoners. Thameside was one of two prisons which had this unique opportunity to showcase the variety of such services offered by our Library and Education departments. “The project was facilitated by the HMP Thameside Library and coordinated by our Head Librarian Neil Barclay. The film crew consisting of PET’s representative, Susannah Henty and Prison Learning TV’s director, Antonio Ferrara, arrived at Thameside on a Thursday morning and settled into the library in preparation for their two-day tour of our prisons education facilities. In order to get a full picture they would have to interview both prisoners and staff as well as film some of the activities and classes. “Filming started by interviewing one of Thameside’s language learners to talk about his experience learning French on Rosetta Stone - an interactive language learning software which is available to prisoners on three terminals in the library offering a total of 12 sessions a day. Due to constant efforts and supervision of the Rosetta Stone coordinator - Michael, sessions are easily accessible and scheduling flexible which allows prisoners to spend their time productively regardless of their engagement in other activities. This initiative works particularly well with our library’s foreign language books section allowing prisoners to utilize their newly acquired skills and follow through with learning once they’ve completed the course. “The camera crew then moved on to film a Prison Reading Group (PRG) session. Book Club sessions attract a large number of prisoners every week who come to exchange opinions about pre-selected books. Book Club sessions at HMP Thameside Library are frequently visited by distinguished authors willing to share their passion for literature and discuss their own work. Thanks to Neil’s efforts in reaching out to potential guests we’ve had a rare and exclusive opportunity to talk to celebrities such as Andy McNab and Russell Brand and are due to meet Martina Cole in October.

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“This time, although they didn’t meet an author the film crew had an opportunity to film a lively debate about Daniel Keyes’ ‘Flowers for Algernon’ and interview two of PRG volunteers Graham and Maggie.

Suite, a recently refurbished facility equipped with 8 new Apple desktop computers. Prisoners are encouraged to use the suite to learn Imaging Software skills and produce our prison’s monthly newsletter.

“Since opening in 2012 Thameside prison has been working closely with Shannon Trust to improve the literacy of prisoners who struggle with reading. Turning Pages is another initiative coordinated by the library and we are responsible for recruiting mentors, distributing learning materials and holding weekly meetings during which mentors can talk about and resolve any issues associated with the programme. We’ve had an amazing track record in this to date and currently enrol over 70 learners who are supported by 10 trained and passionate mentors. Following one such weekly meeting, one of our learners was happy to have his mentoring session filmed by the PET crew and interview two mentors (Olsi and Kevin) about the many benefits of the initiative. Olsi said he gets a great deal of satisfaction helping others to read: ‘When I’m teaching, I’m learning.’

“The following day, to conclude their tour, Susannah and Antonio moved on to film the education department and various classes on offer to prisoners ranging from functional English skills to Creative Writing. Finally, they visited one of the cells to see how our in-cell Content Management System (CMS) provides prisoners with the best access to breadth of learning and education resources available at HMP Thameside. Using computers in their cells prisoners can select and apply for courses, schedule their own library sessions and send messages to the education department.

“Next on the schedule was the charitable initiative Story Book Dads, which allows prisoners to connect with their young children by sending them recorded stories read from a wide range of children’s books available in the library. James was filmed as he enthusiastically enacted “The Scary Lion and The Little Owlet” for his 10 year old son. Stories are recorded by the prison’s Family First team in the Media

“Prisoners’ Education Trust’s filming project was an encouraging experience to all of us involved in running the library and education departments. It sparked interest and excitement among the prisoners who were constantly peering from behind the camera like curious children. I was surprised to see how many of them came forward offering to express their views and experiences in front of the camera. Those of us who try to make HMP Thameside a place of rehabilitation with opportunities to make a fresh start were uplifted by the many positive contributions made by prisoners and passion they showed for initiatives they are involved in.”

If you would like advice or funding to study a distance learning course or tell us about your experiences of prison education - write to FREEPOST Prisoners’ Education Trust (PET) or call 0203 752 5680.

Looking For money To heLP you move Forward? The Prisoner Funder

Directory 2015 The Prisoner Funder Directory 2015 should be in your library. Ask to see a copy today! If it’s not, please ask the librarian to email: [email protected] for 2 free copies.

38

Legal

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org Advertorial

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Wells Burcombe The countdown - an overview to Christmas David Wells Senior Partner, Head of Complex Crime & Criminal Appeals Department - Wells Burcombe Solicitors

W

ells Burcombe was set up just 7 years ago and in that time there is no doubt that we have established ourselves as a nationwide leading firm in all aspects of criminal law. Most of the articles written each month in Inside Time focus on issues concerning prison law and criminal appeals. The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the other areas within the criminal law that Wells Burcombe specialise in, and to highlight other departments that can help inmates at any stage of their sentence. Over the last year, the prison law and appeal’s departments at Wells Burcombe have achieved remarkable success and have achieved some commendable results for clients. Senior prison law advisor Joe Chapman in just one week in September alone has helped three IPP inmates secure release on parole. Criminal appeals are lodged at the court of appeal on an almost daily basis. Following my recent article on compensation for inmates who have suffered delay during the parole process, the Parole Board have begun to start paying compensation for those affected. For one inmate who suffered an extensive delay, the Parole Board has just offered £3,500 compensation. Wells Burcombe helped secure his release. Others members of the Wells Burcombe team continue to investigate convictions for those convicted of historical allegations. Such cases are now more common and the courts are seeing more and more prosecutions for alleged offences which are said to have occurred a very long time ago. These cases are littered with difficulty and sadly all too often result in conviction. In my view, the courts often impose wholly excessive sentences upon conviction. It is truly remarkable just how many of the ancillary orders imposed by crown court judges are either simply wrong in law, not at all necessary in the circumstances, are excessive or, in the case of orders such as SOPOS for example, worded in a such a way which make them difficult to enforce or in some cases difficult or impossible to abide by. Wells Burcombe currently have an expert team looking at SOPOS on behalf of inmates. Legal aid is available for Counsel to review such orders. In other areas, Wells Burcombe has continued to be recognised in the field of complex crime and Fraud. Partner Ravinder Khumra has dealt with numerous fraud cases and has a growing reputation. In one of her last cases she represented a city accountant charged with insider dealing. The evidence against this client was strong. He

pleaded guilty and having done so, Ms Khumra was able to achieve the lowest reported sentence for an offence of this type. Similarly, Senior Partner Alan Burcombe is an exceptional fraud and complex financial crime lawyer. He is often referred clients being investigated for such cases by some of the most recognised city law firms whose clients require a lawyer specialising in cases of this type. Alan also represents clients facing POCA and confiscation matters and is often instructed after conviction by inmates who face confiscation proceedings and issues of financial and asset restraint. The reality is that many solicitor firms simply don’t understand confiscation and financial restraint. The consequences of getting things wrong for those involved can be severe. Furthermore, Appollonia Avanzi, head of family law, continues to receive instructions from inmates with family law issues, although she only represents clients on a privately funded basis. Issues such as contact, divorce and financial settlement are sadly common within the prison system. If you are an inmate wishing to discuss an issue concerning any family law matter, simply write to Miss Avanzi. Wells Burcombe is also being increasingly instructed nationwide by inmates who face interviews by the police during sentence. This can either be for an investigation linked to the original offending conduct (where for example further complaints have been made following conviction), or where the prison itself refer allegations to the police following alleged misconduct said to have occurred during the sentence. For both, it is just so important to treat these cases seriously. The consequences on the issue of release can be so severe. Wells Burcombe can provide inmates advice and assistance on any of the issues mentioned in this article. The vast majority of inmates qualify for legal aid. For those inmates who do not qualify for legal aid, fees can be discussed on a case by case basis.

Matthew Smith, Head of the Prison Law Department, alongside Nicola Maynard of Reeds Solicitors discuss the most popular wish and request of Recalled inmates in the lead up to the festive period and how to make the wish a reality.

H

owever you wish to countdown to Christmas, it still seems a significant period of time, especially considering the fact that the Parole Board should review any recalled prisoner’s case at the 28 day point. Unfortunately, those who have been made subject to recall proceedings will be aware that being recalled in October onwards will make it extremely difficult to have their case reviewed and a release direction made before Christmas. In order to ensure that your case is being dealt with expeditiously, it is imperative to contact a Solicitor at the earlier opportunity. However, if you are reading this article after being recalled, it is not too late. A Solicitor can ensure that the Public Protection Casework Section (PPCS) and your Offender Manager are adhering to procedure and your case is not being delayed. They will be able to obtain your recall pack, take your instructions and prepare representations on your behalf. These representations will be considered by the Parole Board when reviewing your case. There are many benefits in submitting written representations but the main benefit for determinate sentence prisoners is that the Parole Board have the power to direct release on the papers alone. This means you do not need to wait months for an Oral Hearing but could be released in a matter of weeks. This will, of course, be the preferred option for those wishing to be released in time for Christmas. For those of you who have already had their case considered by the Parole Board and your

application for release has been denied or you have been granted an Oral Hearing, it is not too late to seek assistance and attempt to be released before Christmas. The PPCS have the power to reconsider a recalled prisoner’s case at any time if there has been a significant change of circumstance or there is information that was not previously considered by the Parole Board. A common example of this is being recalled for committing a further offence which is later discontinued. If you believe that you meet the criteria above, contact Reeds and we can advise you whether you meet the criteria. If you have been granted an Oral Hearing and have been told that you have to wait until 2016 for a hearing, there is also the possibility that your hearing will be treated as a priority. In order to gain ‘priority status’, an application must be made to the Parole Board for consideration. Examples of cases to have recently been granted such status are those where inmates have had severe medical/psychological issues and those who have pressing matters in the community such as an ill relative or partner. Reeds Solicitors appreciate the pressures that inmates have when being recalled at this time of the year and can only advise you to be proactive and seek Legal Advice. There are no guarantees when it comes to the Parole Board and PPCS but Reeds Solicitors can guarantee to assist you in a timely manner and, wherever possible, reunite you with family and friends in time for Christmas.

Our Prison Law Department can assist prisoners under Legal Aid for a number of issues including: Specialists in: Appeals against Conviction & Sentence, CCRC, IPP Appeals and Parole, Prison Adjudications & Discipline, Criminal Investigations, Confiscation & POCA proceedings. For advice and assistance anywhere in England & Wales, either in person or via video link, please call or head office: 5 Holywell Hill, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 1EU

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Legal

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Another trial by media? the complainant should be protected, because they are often vulnerable children or disabled adults, and far less powerful than the accused. 2. Is this a witch hunt against homosexuals? The Salem Witch Hunts of many years ago involved witches being hunted down and put to death by the authorities for simply being witches without any evidence of wrong doing. The analogy being drawn is clearly wrong in that here we have actual allegations by individuals being investigated by the police against certain accused individuals. If there was no evidence to investigate then the Witch Hunt analogy would hold more water. In a civilised society, with all the rules of evidence there are, then a Witch Hunt by the Police could clearly not happen. 3. Should the Policeman in charge of the investigation resign if he has got it all wrong?

Harvey Proctor press conference

Peter Garsden - Senior Partner Quality Solicitors Abney Garsden

I

was asked, as an experienced Child Abuse Lawyer, to give an interview to LBC Radio this morning about the recent press conference given by former Conservative MP, Harvey Proctor, who has now been interviewed twice by the Metropolitan Police about serious allegations being investigated by Operation Midland concerning his connection with the Dolphin Square child abuse paedophile ring, and various serious allegations. My view is that we should not be judging guilt or innocence at this stage, nor should Mr Proctor be attempting to manipulate the press and public into believing that he is innocent in advance of any criminal charges. The venue for the trial of guilt or innocence is the criminal court, not the media. If it is wrong for the allegations to be made public, so is it wrong for him to hold a press conference in an attempt to clear his name. I also do not think that this is anything approaching a witch hunt. The questions posed by LBC Radio were:1. Is it correct for the identity of a suspect to be made public before charging him/her with a criminal offence?

In cases where the individual has based his/her career upon promotion through the media, and is a public figure, then different rules should apply in that they have based their popularity upon the help they get from the media and the public. “Live by the sword, die by the sword” In other cases against celebrities, the media exposure has brought other complainants forward, who otherwise would not have been contactable by the police in that the abuse had taken place many years ago whilst the celebrity was making public appearances. This has had the effect of reinforcing the case against the accused, and assisted the prosecution. In Group Actions I have been involved in, after charges have been brought, admittedly, in care home cases the accused has appealed for witnesses to come forward to support his good character, which has back fired on him/her, in that it has brought forward other complainants of abuse against him/her. The debate on anonymity goes on. I can see there is an argument that no details of an offender should be released until after charge, when the reporting restrictions clearly apply, in order to prevent justice being affected. No such prohibitions apply pre-charge, which place the debate into clearer focus. I think that

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Clearly not. The policeman in charge has an obligation to the public to investigate all allegations made to him/her by the individual concerned. It is his/her job to seek out all the available evidence, then refer it to the Crown Prosecution Service, who will decide whether it meets the threshold required by them to charge or otherwise. Again, because of the independence and power of the CPS, it would not be possible for the police to charge someone on the basis of bias even if he wanted to do so.

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The allegations of child sexual abuse are said by Mr. Proctor in the press conference to be so fanciful and extreme that they could not be true. He does maintain that he is innocent, and as such should not be pilloried by media exposure. On the other hand these allegations are so serious that they must be rigorously investigated by the police in great depth. It is undoubtedly correct that if an allegation has been made, then the person against whom it is made must be entitled to counter them at a police interview or criminal trial in a balanced way. Mr Proctor denies the allegations, and as such he should be given the right to defend himself at a trial before a Judge and jury, if indeed he is ever charged. The trial should not take place in the glare of the media before charges have even been brought. At the press conference yesterday, there was no representative from the police, or the complainant. It was simply an opportunity for Mr Proctor to make allegations against the police, and to suggest that the complainant was making false allegations. It was therefore a one sided debate clearly designed to influence the media in his favour. Arguably such publicity could affect any criminal trial, should there ever be one. To hold a press conference about the wrongfulness of media exposure concerning allegations of abuse, is somewhat paradoxical. This argument has been made by public figures against whom allegations have been made many times before. The same is true, of course, of non-famous people, but their stories are of limited media interest due to their low media profile. Hopefully, one day, some legislation will be passed to clarify the position one way or another. Meanwhile, it provides opportunities for debate to take place by those for and against.

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Legal

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Would I lie to you? Emma Davies looks at why offenders might be subject to Polygraph Testing, what is involved in the testing process and what happens if a test is failed. Emma Davies Head of Prison Law and Partner at Hine Solicitors

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to this testing, what it is about and what would lead to their recall to custody. This article seeks to explain the process and what will happen if those tested are found to have lied.

olygraph testing was introduced as part of certain offenders licence conditions in January 2014. Most offenders will know that polygraph testing is in essence a lie detector test. The introduction of this testing as a licence condition has caused many offenders to be concerned about whether or not they would be subjected to this testing, and if so how it would affect them.

What is Polygraph Testing?

In August this year it was reported that in the last 12 months, 492 people convicted of serious sex offences have been forced to take polygraph tests as part of their licence conditions. The same report confirmed that 63 of those offenders had been recalled “after the tests showed they had breached the conditions of their release.”

The imposition of Polygraph testing as a licence condition is meant to assist the Probation Service in ensuring that an offender is complying with other conditions of their licence and is meant to provide information about an offender’s behaviour to improve how they are managed during their licence period.

The way in which this information has been reported has done little to assist offenders in understanding whether they would be subject

Who will be subject to Polygraph testing?

The Polygraph is a device that measures certain physical responses, such as heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure and skin resistance. Changes to these physical traits are thought to indicate that the person being tested is lying. If an offender is made subject to a Polygraph condition on release they will be required to take part in polygraph sessions as instructed by their Offender Manager.

Polygraph testing can only be used for qualifying offenders who are over 18 and are serving a

sentence of 12 months or more for a specified sexual offence. Offenders must also be assessed as high or very high risk of serious harm, and high or very high risk of sexual reoffending using the OASys and Risk Matrix 2000 systems. There is also provision for additional offenders across England and Wales to be subject to the polygraph condition when it can be shown that such testing is necessary and proportionate to manage that offender’s risk. In order to undertake a polygraph examination an offender must be able to do the following:1. Sit still for the duration of the actual testing phase of each test (3 or 4 spells of 3-6 minutes per test); 2. Understand the difference between telling the truth and lying; 3. If the offender has any physical or psychological problems which may suggest the polygraph examination is not possible or suitable, the Offender Manager should notify the examiner and an assessment will be made regarding suitability. However, in most cases, providing the offender is able to understand the difference between the truth and telling a lie there are very few situations where the examination should not be carried out.

What will the condition require me to do? The wording of the polygraph condition on an offender’s licence conditions must be:To comply with any instruction given by your Offender Manager requiring you to attend polygraph testing. To participate in polygraph sessions and examinations as instructed by or under the authority of your Offender Manager and to comply with any instruction given to you during a polygraph session by the person conducting the polygraph. This means that offenders subject to this condition will need to follow the directions given by their Offender Manager and attend examinations when asked to do so. At the beginning of an offender’s licence period their Offender Manager should make sure that the offender understands the condition and should provide them with a leaflet called “Information about Polygraph Licence Conditions”. The Offender Manager should make sure that they remind the offender of the need to be tested when the date of the polygraph examination draws near.

How often will I be tested?

Our open, friendly solicitors working in Criminal Defence will help you with all aspects of Prison Law including: Licence recall • Adjudications Parole hearings • IPP queries Judicial review • Sentence planning issues

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Those offenders who are subject to a polygraph condition will be asked to undertake their initial polygraph examination early in their licence period. This will however only be done once sufficient time has elapsed for aspects of an offender’s behaviour to be tested. The first test will normally take place within 8 - 16 weeks of an offender’s release. The Offender Manager will then arrange for subsequent tests to occur according to the initial test result as set out below:1. If the test result indicated that the offender was not lying then the next test will take place after a further 6 months. 2. If the test shows that the offender was lying then a further test will be carried out after 3 months. 3. If the result is “Inconclusive” or “Countermeasures Indicated” then a further test will be arranged after 4 weeks.

Can I be recalled if I fail a polygraph test? There appears to be some confusion as to what happens if an offender is found to have lied during a polygraph test. The legislation that governs the use of polygraph testing makes it clear that the results of a failed polygraph examination cannot be used in the Criminal Courts or be the basis of an offender’s recall. However, if an offender fails to attend the examination, deliberately sabotages it or fails to co-operate with the examiner then this may be sufficient enough for a recall to custody to be instigated. Offenders are advised that they should therefore comply with a polygraph condition. If they do not, then this could result in their recall to custody. If they do comply but are found to have lied, this will not on its own result in a recall. Those who fail a test are given an opportunity to explain the test result. However, if the offender admits to or discloses behaviour that would constitute a breach of their licence conditions either before taking the polygraph test, or afterwards when “explaining” a failed test result, enforcement proceedings may follow and may result in either of the following:• Immediate recall; • Warning letter from Assistant Chief Officer grade; • Breach warning letter from the Offender Manager. When deciding the most appropriate and proportionate response to a breach of the polygraph licence condition, Offender Managers should consider an offender’s past compliance, current behaviour and whether there is a risk of serious harm to the public. An offender’s risk of harm to the public should be assessed as unmanageable in the community in order for a recall to be justified. If an offender finds themselves recalled for breach of a polygraph condition, it is important to ensure that they seek legal advice as soon as possible. Those representing offenders can properly assess whether recall has been instigated appropriately and in accordance with the law. Polygraph testing is a relatively new concept in the management of offenders in the community. What is clear from recent reports is that offenders are being recalled on the back of this testing. It is important to know your rights, understand what is required of you, and if you are recalled to ask for help from a solicitor who can look at whether you have been recalled appropriately.

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Legal

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

41

From Oxford to Rotherham and beyond what is the truth about the ‘Grooming Gangs’? especially where the events in question are long past and there may be financial incentives for complainants, with a troubled past.

By Margaret Jervis Consultant Legal Analyst and Researcher with Chris Saltrese Solicitors

S

ince the explosion of allegations about the late Jimmy Savile in 2012, we have become accustomed to a plethora of inquiry reports pronouncing guilt without the merest whiff of due process. In a similar vein in August last year, the Rotherham Independent Inquiry into Child Exploitation came to the shocking verdict that at least 1,400 children in the town had been hideously abused over 14 years in plain sight of the protective authorities with barely a prosecution to show for it. During the past few years public awareness of the ‘grooming gangs’ has increased through a number of high-profile prosecutions, but if the claims made in the Rotherham Report have substance, these are indeed the tip of the proverbial iceberg. However at Chris Saltrese Solicitors, we have learnt to be wary of presumptive and stereotyped claims - and how they can preface a witch hunt. With investigative expectations to the fore, too often evidence may be coaxed and confabulated to fit a pre-conceived image,

In the Oxford Bullfinch case - the highest profile criminal prosecution to date - a jury found several men guilty of a string of quite hideous crimes verging on ‘ritual abuse’. But did the actual evidence really match up to all the lurid claims?

“ Now it has emerged that there are more white men in Rotherham under suspicion for ‘grooming’ than Asians ” In the Rotherham Report, a handful of extreme case history allegations documented are said to typify the speculative number of victims’ experiences as a whole predominantly at the hands of ‘Asians’. We have in the past written critically of the oversight of police and social workers in allowing young girls to engage in sexual activity detrimental to their welfare, while urging caution in accepting oral testimony uncritically.

Criminal Appeals Criminal Appeals

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But when Rotherham exploded, we decided to take a closer look and published a critique. Because frankly, the evidence for the conclusion did not add up - and it still doesn’t, even though a Government appointed team endorsed the Jay findings. Our critique met with a deafening silence - this is not unusual for counter ‘received- message’ child protection industry research. But in this case, we did have an important child protection message. We pointed to the hypocrisy of the child protection establishment in their support for the Gillick ruling in the 1980s which granted children sexual autonomy as if they were adults by permitting contraception and abortion services without parental notification and consent. Little wonder therefore that some girls were easily vulnerable to persuasion as to perceived sexual freedom, aping the culture of clubbing and recreational casual sex that the adult and media world shamelessly flaunts. While the Rotherham Report clearly documents the processes that failed potential victims and their families over the years, it is far from clear how reliable and extensive the violent exploitation, trafficking and multiple perpetrator rape claims were. Furthermore the source of much of the ‘hard core’ evidence appears to emanate from an untrained advocacy source, Risky Business. But now it

chris saltrese

has emerged that there are more white men in Rotherham under suspicion for ‘grooming’ than Asians. Does that mean the report got it wrong? Or that the criminalisation of mostly young working-class males has reached even greater epidemic proportions even while the welfare services hand out underage contraception and allow abortions without parents having any knowledge or say in their children’s wellbeing. Stripped of hyperbole, the fact is we know very little of the nature and extent of the criminal activity underpinning the conclusions of the Rotherham report or anywhere else. Training for front line investigators includes ghosted pseudonymous ‘misery memoirs’, known to be an unreliable guide, and the evangelising of professional victims. In a climate of fear, the more severe the conclusion the more likely it is that sexual abuse inquiries are guaranteed virtual immunity from critical scrutiny. ‘Better safe than sorry’ is the understandable overriding maxim. But this is misconceived. A rush to presumptive judgment will do little to ensure justice, or protect future children from harm and fosters widespread injustice and avoidable harm. An earlier version of this article was published on chrissaltrese.blogspot.co.uk in November 2014

solicitors

Chris Saltrese Solicitors is a specialist law firm addressing alleged sexual and physical abuse offences for defendants since 1996. We have unrivalled experience and reputation in all types of cases with particular reference to • Evidentially complex cases with multiple complainants and defendants • Historic investigations • Forensic and medical evidence • Memory and psychological issues including 'recovered', 'false memory', confabulation and progressive narrative • Institutional, domestic and acquaintance cases • Exploitation and grooming cases • Computer and mobile phone illegal images

We offer an in-depth personally tailored defence service on a privately funded basis and,where possible in high cost and complex case, on legal aid. We include an Urdu/Punjabi speaking service where indicated.

We regret that due to caseload our current capacity to take on legal aid appeal cases is severely limited and may only be accepted in exceptional circumstances. We would be happy to advise further on enquiry, please contact:

Chris Saltrese Solicitors 13 Scarisbrick New Road, Southport, Merseyside PR8 6PU 01704 535 512 [email protected] www.chrisaltrese.co.uk

42

Legal Q&A

If you have a question you would like answered please send to: ‘Legal’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB. (including your name, number and prison)

ER - HMP Swinfen Hall

Q

I am a life sentenced prisoner with a tariff of 17 years. I recently read the article by Harriet Gilchrist on pre-tariff reviews. Does this mean if a life sentenced prisoner is in a Cat C they can apply for D-Cat four and a half years before the tariff expires? Also if the Governor refuses your application, can you challenge this?

A

Inside Time Legal Forum Answers to readers’ legal queries are given on a strictly without liability basis. If you propose acting upon any of the opinions that appear, you must first take legal advice. Capital Defence Solicitors, Olliers Solicitors, Hine Solicitors, Cartwright King Solicitors, Crowns Solicitors, Wells Burcombe LLP Solicitors, Carrington Solicitors, Pickup & Scott Solicitors Send your Legal Queries (concise and clearly marked ‘legal’) to: David Wells, Solicitor c/o Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB. For a prompt response, readers are asked to send their queries on white paper using black ink or typed if possible.

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As a life sentence prisoner with a 17 year tariff you are not guaranteed regular parole reviews until your tariff expiry date. However, those prisoners who are not serving a short term tariff may be eligible to be considered for open conditions at a pre tariff review. A pre-tariff review is not however an automatic right and only those prisoners who are assessed as having a good chance of their risk being managed within the community will be recommended for a Pre-tariff Review. These prisoners are identified via a system known as the Pre-tariff Sift - which helps prison staff short-list prisoners who may be eligible for a Pre-tariff Review. A Pre-tariff Sift will be undertaken as part of a Sentence Planning and Review Meeting (SPRM). Prisoners are able to submit representations to argue that they should be eligible for a pre tariff review. The Governor will take the final decision about whether a prisoner should be recommended or not for a Pre-tariff Review. If the prisoner disagrees with the decision made then they can challenge this by way of Judicial Review, if it can be said that the decision was unreasonable, irrational or unlawful. Unfortunately none of these matters are covered by way of legal aid, and although you would strongly be advised to instruct a solicitor to assist you, you would only be able to do so if you are able to pay privately. If you disagree with the decision of the Governor in not allowing your case to proceed to a Pre-tariff review, it would be an idea to submit a complaint under the COMP procedure. In the event that you are not happy with that response then you can refer your complaint to the Prisons and Probation

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Q

I was attacked on the landing by another inmate with a weapon which staff had witnessed and stopped the attack. Although staff saw me trying to get away from the attack, I was still placed on an adjudication, lost my job, got put on basic and had my TV removed. I’ve even been refused a complaint form! I pleaded not guilty at my adjudication and now for the next three weeks, I have no job, no spends, and no TV! Is that not punishment?

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

MF - HMP Bristol

Q

I seek clarification of the license recall process. I already know that I am subject to a standard recall as this is my second recall after having a 28 day fixed term recall, I therefore know my SED - 12th August 2016. However at what point do I get a review of this or a hearing to consider re-release? I am also over the 28 day mark and have been almost 5 weeks and still haven’t received or seen a copy of my recall dossier. Can I apply to get the recall scrapped due to the time limit passed to fairly appeal? Can I apply for compensation through breach of this process?

A

I will first deal with your adjudication enquiry. As you have described the circumstances in your letter, you are perfectly entitled to plead not guilty to this allegation as you would be relying on self-defence. Although you do not state what the allegation is, given that violence is involved I would imagine the matter has been referred to the Independent Adjudicator. I would advise that you seek specialist legal advice and representation at your hearing as you may receive extra days if you are found guilty. In terms of your treatment, the Incentive and Earned Privileges scheme (IEP) is utilised differently at each prison under PSI 30/2013. As this is a PSI, each prison is allowed a small amount of discretion in how it is implemented so long as the core function of the PSI remains. It is noted at 8.1 of PSI 30/2013 that although adjudications and the IEP scheme are separate, there will be times where a prisoner is, in effect, penalised twice for the same incident. Regrettably, it is common practice to be downgraded on the IEP scheme whilst an adjudication is decided. You also state that you have been refused a complaint form. The Prisoner Complaint system was introduced in 2002 through PSO 2510 and further detail can be found in PSI 02/2012. Paragraph 2.1.1 of this PSI states that: ‘Complaint forms must be made freely available to prisoners on the wing near the place where the box for the receipt of completed forms is situated. Prescribed complaint forms, for ordinary complaints (Form COMP 1) and appeals (Form COMP 1A) must be available’. As they are not available, you may wish to consider complaining to the Governor in the first instance through a written letter submitted in the Complaint box and then to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman if you remain dissatisfied.

Although you have been recalled to custody and your sentence expiry date is 12 August 2016, you are entitled to a review of your detention after 28 days (PSI 17/2013, paragraph 5.3) and then if unsuccessful and no further date for a review is set in the initial refusal, then an annual review would be undertaken (PSI 17/2013). However, please note that there is a requirement that your detention is continually reviewed. For instance, if you were recalled in respect of further allegations and they were not proved against you, this would trigger a review prior to the annual review as there is new information which directly impacts on the perceived level of risk.In order to request a hearing you would need to submit representations to the Parole Board outlining why you believe one is necessary. However, the Parole Board can direct one of their own volition, although this is rare. These submissions must be submitted within 28 days and upon submission the case will be referred to the Parole Board immediately (paragraph 4.14 PSI 17/2013). I would advise that you seek specialist legal advice in this regard. Although you state that you have not received your recall dossier, it clearly states at paragraph 13.8 of the same PSI that the dossier must be issued to the prisoner within 24 hours of the prisoner receiving the dossier from the Public Protection Casework Section (PPCS) who themselves must issue it 24 hours after being notified you are in custody. The fact that you have not received your dossier after approximately 5 weeks is very concerning and I would advise you to submit a formal complaint using the COMP1 procedure to ascertain where your dossier is. In terms of legal challenges and compensation I would advise you to seek formal legal advice in this regard.

Response supplied by Pickup & Scott Solcitors

Response supplied by Pickup & Scott Solicitors

A

Stevens S o l i c i t o rs Incorporating Rose, Williams & Partners

Criminal Litigation & Advocacy Specialists Prison Law Experts Please contact Andrew Mandleberg, Steve Lee, Michelle Patterson, Harpreet Jhawar for • Parole Applications • Lifer Panels • Adjudications • Licence Recall • All criminal proceedings & appeals

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Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

If you have a question you would like answered please send to: ‘Robert Banks’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB. (including your name, number and prison)

A

Banks on Sentence Robert Banks, a barrister, writes Banks on Sentence. It is the second-largest selling criminal practitioner’s text book and is used by judges for sentencing more than any other. The book is classified by the Ministry of Justice as a core judicial text book. The 2015 edition of the book and app was published recently. The app is for Apple iPads and Windows 8/10 tablets and computers and costs £99 (incl. VAT). Updates will appear in the relevant paragraph. The print copy costs £106 and there will be regular updates on www.banksr.com. There is also a discount available when the print copy and app are purchased together. If you have access to a computer, you can follow Robert on twitter: @BanksonSentence and you can receive his weekly sentencing Alert.

www.banksr.com

Q

I received 2½ years and the barrister never came to see me. I spoke to the solicitor and I was told there would be an appeal. I never spoke to the barrister. I then discovered the appeal was about the sentence and not about the conviction so I never had an appeal. Surely I am entitled to an appeal and be involved in it? I want my say. It is my appeal in any event.

A

You say that the barrister did not come and see you after your sentence. The Court of Appeal in the Guide to Commencing Proceedings in the Court of Appeal 2008 para A1-1 says that legal representatives must see the defendant at the conclusion of the case. Sometimes advocates can’t see defendants because they are being loaded into a van but it is an important rule that should be adhered to where possible. You note that the barrister did not involve you in the appeal paperwork. It is normal for the barrister not to involve defendants in the details of the appeal points in the same way that advocates do not tell the defendant every question they intend to ask a witness. However, for the witnesses, advocates should discuss with the defendant the general areas that are to be questioned. The same is true about appeal documents. He should have told you his views and given you an opportunity to comment. The real issue is, however, your appeal against conviction. After you were convicted you should have been seen by the barrister and told whether or not there was an appeal. If you are legally aided, the solicitors are also obliged to send you a letter at the conclusion of the

case. The Legal Aid Agency Specialist Quality Mark Standard lays down at para F3 that the letter should include ‘what happened in the case and what further action may be taken or may be necessary’. That would inevitably include information about your appeal. You state you must have your say and input about the appeal. The same principles apply about your involvement with a conviction appeal as with a sentence appeal. You should have been able to discuss with your barrister the reasons why you think there should be an appeal. However, as the issues are primarily issues of law while you are represented, it is the barrister’s judgement that determines what issues/grounds of appeal are taken. If you write your own grounds of appeal then you decide what is included. The problem with grounds of appeal written by defendants is that virtually every such appeal fails. Here, the problem seems to be that the barrister did not inform you about the prospects of an appeal against conviction. Not only was he obliged to see you after you were convicted (which may or may not have happened), he was also obliged to tell you the prospects of a successful appeal and, if there were no grounds, he was obliged to set that out in writing so that you could see his reasons.

Q

[This is part of a long letter.] I have been reading your column for some time and see all the cock-ups there are, but no one ever seems to get any blame. How can they claim it’s because of low fees? Surely we are entitled to a proper service? Who is going to do something about it?

Parole? Recall? Life Sentence?

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Legal Q&A

43

You say no one ever gets the blame. Many Judges are reluctant to blame lawyers in case it damages the system. The problem is that this failure to confront the issues makes the problem worse. Long ago, Richard Crossman, a Minister of Health, was presented with a damning report about abuse in mental hospitals. It made chilling reading. The civil service said it was so bad it would be devastating to their department if the report was published and the report must not be published. Richard Crossman said the public had a right to know. He gave a long press conference about it and the report received massive publicity and the universal reaction was total shock. The result was that the money was released to do something about the problems, massive changes were made and the reputations of Richard Crossman and his ministry were enhanced. The government and the public worked together to improve matters. Since then the default mode of the establishment is to cover problems up and so improvements are delayed or never materialise. You mention the low fees. As I said last month, that cannot be an excuse but it is an explanation. Much of what a criminal barrister does is paid for at a rate less than the current minimum wage. Many advocates believe they cannot afford to buy the necessary books. It is not surprising that cock-ups occur. But the problem cannot only be about low fees. Let me tell you about JW. The court reference is 2015 EWCA Crim 599. Few will know about him because his court judgment was put in the ‘restricted publication’ list of cases. The establishment might say it was in the restricted list to protect the name of the victim involved. If that was a cause for concern, the simple way to deal with that is not to put the name of the defendant in the report in full. The victim’s name is not mentioned. The case deserves publication. JW was tried in 2006. The Judge gave him IPP with a minimum term of 6 years less time served. The Judge, the counsel, the solicitors and the Court did not notice that JW’s offence had been committed before 4 April 2005, so IPP could not be passed. He was no doubt erroneously advised that there was no appeal. In 2011 he had served the minimum term and there followed four reviews by the Parole Board. None of the people involved in reading the papers, which must have clearly stated the date of the offence, noticed that the sentence was unlawful. His lawyer then launched an appeal but it was not about the unlawfulness of IPP but about JW’s lack of opportunity to undertake rehabilitation work and therefore his inability to be released or transferred to another prison. The Administrative Court adjourned the case pending a decision of the Supreme Court. After the Supreme Court had made its decision, the Court ordered fresh

papers to be served and then for the first time someone noticed the date of the offence. JW’s lawyers then applied for a writ of habeas corpus because the order was unlawful. A sillier application is harder to imagine because all orders are treated as lawful until a court quashes them and the Administrative Court had no power to quash the IPP sentence. As was inevitable, his application was dismissed. On 30 January 2015 his lawyers at last made an application to the Court of Appeal and in February the Lord Chief Justice quashed the IPP sentence and so JW was released. The reason I tell you this sorry tale is because in 2006 barristers were generously paid. Further, the law about when IPP is available and which court a barrister should appeal to is so basic that no one can say that all those people who failed to spot the problems did so because of low pay. You ask whether you are entitled to a proper service and indeed you are. The problem is that so many prisoners are not being given a proper service. You also ask who is going to do something about it. I fear the answer is no one. If a light plane crashes there is massive publicity and a report makes a whole list of recommendations. If JW stays in prison 3 years 3 months longer than he should, nothing happens. I wish I could be more optimistic. Because this answer criticised the barrister for JW, I sent him a copy of it. He demands I correct the errors in my article and put forward points of law and facts which contradict the judgment of the Court. I have asked him to allow me to put his remarks in context by telling me when he was first instructed and who first noticed the significance of the date of the offence and when. No answer has been received. I will update you next month and if there is a point that can be made in his favour I will tell you.

Have your lawyers let you down?

J D Solicitors

Do you want Robert Banks or Jason Elliott to represent you? Robert is a specialist in criminal appeals against sentence. Jason is a specialist in criminal appeals, trials and prison law. Contact: David Wells, Wells Burcombe, 5 Holywell Hill, St Albans AL1 1EU

Asking Robert and Jason questions: Please make sure your question concerns sentence and not conviction and send the letter to Inside Time, marked for Robert Banks or Jason Elliott. Unless you say you don’t want your question and answer published, it will be assumed you have no objection to publication. It is usually not possible to determine whether a particular defendant has grounds of appeal without seeing all the paperwork. Analysing all the paperwork is not possible. The column is designed for simple questions and answers. No-one will have their identity revealed. Letters which a) are without an address, b) cannot be read, or c) are sent direct, cannot be answered. Letters sent by readers to Inside Time are sent on to a solicitor, who forwards them to Robert and Jason. If your solicitor wants to see previous questions and answers, they are at www.banksr.com.

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44

Reading Groups

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Reading group round-up Image courtesy of Matthew Meadows

HMP Thameside enjoyed a recent visit from author Cathy Rentzenbrink when she came to discuss her new book, The Last Act of Love. The report comes from PRG volunteer Maggie Gallagher, and one of the reading group members

Shared Reading There are several Reader groups on the Westgate unit at HMP Frankland, some led by prisoners. Andy, a resident of Westgate, discusses a group he led reading a short story by Chekhov The third session of the morning is peer-led, allowing prisoners who have completed the DIY shared reading course to facilitate if they want. The third and final session of the morning can be a ‘tough crowd’ as some of the lads are all read out after two hours. I chose Anton Chekhov’s short story A Work of Art. Luckily the group seemed up for it and the story’s humour kept it from seeming hard going.

Cathy Rentzenbrink (left) and PRG volunteer Maggie Gallagher Making the decision to turn off a beloved brother’s life support system after eight years of keeping him alive through ‘clinically assisted nutrition and hydration’ or, in plain language, tube-feeding, is fortunately not one that falls to many people. However, it is also a rare person that is able to write down the story of that decision, including the circumstances leading up to it and its aftermath, with the clarity, humanity, courage and wit of Cathy Rentzenbrink who recently visited HMP Thameside to discuss her justpublished account of those events. The eagerly anticipated visit was a huge success with a well-attended book club session, most of the participants having finished or almost finished the book and being happy to engage with Ms Rentzenbrink in spirited discussions about life, death and everything in between. One of the book club members was inspired to contribute the following review. The Last Act of Love Book Club sessions at HMP Thameside Library are frequently visited by distinguished authors willing to share their passion for literature and discuss their own work. Thanks to Neil’s (Library Lead) efforts in reaching out to potential guests, we’ve had a rare and exclusive opportunity to talk to celebrity calibre personalities such as Andy McNab and Russell Brand. During our last session Thameside Library had the pleasure to host our perhaps most special guest to date - Cathy Rentzenbrink - who recently released her first and very special book - ‘The Last Act of Love’. Since Book Club members receive free copies of the books before they are discussed, everyone had an opportunity to read Cathy’s memoir and prepare questions and comments for the author. It was a lovely hardback copy: beautifully designed, printed on high quality paper which made reading it all the more

pleasurable. During the session, each member spoke in turn, expressing his opinion about ‘The Last Act of Love’ and praising Cathy for the accomplishment of publishing such a successful and moving first book. Next, Cathy talked to us about the struggles of writing such an emotional book and the role it played in the healing process of dealing with the grief and guilt in losing her brother. We talked about the beauty of damaged people, something prisoners could easily relate to, and the Japanese art of fixing broken china in a way which exposes and embraces the damage. Our lovely morning session concluded with a book-signing (for which Cathy used the trademark purple fountain pen) and photo-taking. It was a remarkable experience, one that HMP Thameside was privileged to have facilitated. Maggie adds: ‘The group also enjoyed the author’s descriptions of how she creates characters (she is currently writing a work of fiction) and about the use of creative writing as therapy - something to which many in the group related. The next book for our group is Rose Tremain’s 2008 novel, ‘The Road Home’, about an east European immigrant’s struggles on arrival in Britain.’ The Thameside groups are part of the Prison Reading Groups (PRG) network, sponsored by the University of Roehampton and generously supported by charities including Give A Book www.giveabook. org.uk If your prison doesn’t have a reading group, encourage your librarian to have a look at the PRG website www.roehampton.ac.uk/ prison-reading-groups PRG also worked with National Prison Radio to set up their book club. If you have access to NPR, listen out for details and ways to take part.

At the outset we were introduced to Sasha Smirnov, the only son of a widowed mother, thanking Dr Koshelkov for saving his life. This thanks culminates in Sasha presenting the doctor with a bronze candelabra. The doctor’s views were summed up thus: “The serpenttempter himself could not have invented anything worse … why to put such a phantasmagoria on the table would be defiling the whole flat.” He is also worried that children and women would see it as the form depicts two naked women with ‘coquettish smiles’. This idea of bowing to the perceptions of others rather than ones own artistic preferences led to our first discussion. Z thought the doctor should keep and display the gift. I prompted him further and he added confidently “It’s rude not to accept and display this thing given the importance it has for Sasha, the opinions of others shouldn’t matter.” There was a general murmured agreement to this view which I felt was missing something as others opinions often do matter. J put this into words tentatively with “the doctor’s business could suffer as a result” and “he could keep it somewhere the public wouldn’t see it.” A nice balance was found between these views with the group deciding in a case like this that there are no easy answers with considerations not readily apparent. B took up the next section which was excellent as he is usually very reserved. We continued reading about the doctor’s dilemma with Sasha’s advice being to “rise superior to the crowd.” For a while the doctor is convinced to keep the gift but once Sasha leaves decides to give the troublesome thing away to his friend the lawyer Uhov.

I could tell N had something to say which I jumped on as he is a quiet group member who doesn’t talk much but when he does it is always interesting. “It feels wrong somehow” he said, unsure why exactly but trying to work the answer out. “He should have kept it, if feels dishonest to give it away.” He added, “Once you get a gift the person who gave it thinks you will keep it, this seems underhand.” We picked this view apart a bit and most agreed the lawyer should have kept it. The lawyer Uhov is at first moved to ‘indescribable delight’ by the piece but then considers that his mother and clients would see it. Once the doctor departs Uhov resolves to give it away to Shashkin the comedian, with R likening the candelabra to a ‘hot potato’ that no one can hold onto for long. The comedy of the situation wasn’t lost on the group with members openly laughing at the absurdity adding to the light-heartedness that was working so well with no ‘3rd session blues’. The pattern had been set with the anticipated actions of the next owner Shashkin who found he didn’t want the actresses who visited him to see it due to embarrassment. The group were laughing and rolling their eyes as the story came full circle. Shashkin hears of an old lady, Madam Smirnov, the mother of young Sasha, who collects such things. Everyone could see the punch line coming. Sasha’s mother accepts the candelabra, thinking it the pair to the original given to the doctor at the start. Sasha runs excitedly to the doctor presenting him with the same candelabra he had at the beginning. The group was delighted by this with B saying this was “the best short story” he had yet read. I had been worried that the whimsical jokey tale would irritate the group and was very pleased it was accepted in what felt like the right humour. Another discussion arose about what defines art as art. C threw out a question: “What makes some art more desirable and expensive?” I asked “what was more important: artistic intention or perhaps the process involved in making it?” J was of the opinion that “intention and emotion matter more that process”.

TurningPages Prisoners who can read teach prisoners who can’t The Shannon Trust Reading Plan (Turning Pages) is a simple & efficient way of  helping people to learn to read. If you would like more information on how to become involved, as either a Mentor or a Learner, contact the Reading Plan Lead in your prison (ask a Shannon Trust Mentor who this is) or write to: Shannon Trust, Freepost RTKY-RUXG-KGYH The Foundry, 17-19 Oval Way, LONDON SE11 5RR.

ShannonTrust

Understandably we couldn’t define exactly what makes art good or bad, worthwhile or not. I think the group coming to this realisation was important and being okay with not pinning it down was enlightening for everyone.

The Reader is an award-winning charitable social enterprise working to connect people through great literature. In weekly sessions, a practitioner reads aloud a short story or extract and a poem. Anyone in the group may choose to read too: some do, others don’t. In this way, connections are made with thoughts and feelings; some people reflect on these privately, others are more vocal. Either is fine. The emphasis is on enjoying the literature.

Wellbeing

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Freedom Inside

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Warrior 5 slow breaths on each side

The Prison Phoenix Trust This yoga routine will make your body feel more free - your muscles will become less tense, your mobility will increase, and any back pain will ease. Do it slowly, enjoying the movements and focussing on your breathing throughout. If you practice it every day, you may find that you quickly become much more comfortable and happy in your skin.

Extended Side Angle 5 slow breaths on each side

Yoga and meditation will also give you another kind of freedom - you may find that your thoughts will also become less tense, you will be less angry, and acceptance and tolerance will come more easily to you. Try it for a week, and see how you feel. Happy Cat

Forward Bend

Breathe in

5 slow breaths

Bridge Flow slowly between these movements, lifting your hips as you breathe in and lowering them as you move out. Repeat five times, then hold your hips up for a few more breaths.

Angry Cat Breathe out - Flow between these movements slowly 10 times

Down Dog 5 slow breaths

Knees to Chest 5 slow breaths

This sequence was taken from our newest CD, which features two complete yoga, relaxation and meditation lessons, plus a bonus yoga moves track. It is based on our radio show, Freedom Inside, which airs every week at noon on Friday and 7am and 6pm on Sunday. If you’d like a copy of this CD, write to us and ask for Freedom Inside. Baby Camel 5 slow breaths

If you want a free book and CD to help you set up a regular yoga and meditation practice write to: The Prison Phoenix Trust, PO Box 328, Oxford OX2 7HF. The Prison Phoenix Trust supports prisoners and prison officers in their spiritual lives through meditation and yoga, working with silence and the breath. The Trust supports people of any religion or none. We also run weekly yoga classes for inmates and prison staff.

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Inside Poetry

If you would like to contribute to the Poetry section, please send your poems to ‘Poetry’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB.

When a Boy, When a Man

Star Poem of the Month

Kraig Mellor - HMP Forest Bank

Weather

When a boy’s got money he’s a man The whole world is his ‘Master Plan’ Picking, choosing, making, losing Spending, playing, drinking, flossing, He’s got the key to the Kingdom And a look in his eye Doesn’t stop questions and doesn’t ask why

Paul Robinson - HMP Highpoint Captivated by the movement of the stars, Transmuting as they orbit past, Infinite expansion, It’s an intricate dimension, A complete divine invention, Rumbles of passion in the night sky, Clashing the lightning flashing brightly Elusive and pretty and oh, so frightening Beautiful and destructive The sound of crashing clouds So seductive Freezing rain, forming hail Violent wind causing gales Frantic thoughts admiring the storm Extra sun and water I wonder what will be born A spectrum forms in a bow Colourful and loud with complete silence Performing a vibrant illusion Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet A joyful intrusion Rain to snow Amazing glow Spoilt by morning Icy road slippery and daunting Tiny flakes descending before me Crunches forged with my feet Walking on the snow beneath Congratulations to this months winner who receives our £25 prize for ‘Star Poem of the Month’.

Pets Barry Britton - HMP Rye Hill Once I had a budgie I had named him Fred But one day the cat got him Now poor Fred is dead Next, I bought a goldfish Hmm, I wondered about that And sure enough, the very next day He disappeared inside the cat Then I got a hamster A lovely little chap But one day, when he was out He was eaten by the cat Now I’m not a violent man Believe me, that’s a fact But by this time, I’d had enough So I shot the bloody cat

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

The Raven and the Dove Simon Cowie - HMP Manchester

A look for desire, honesty and lust But, if he doesn’t be careful This man will go bust! As just because he’s a man Doesn’t mean he is wise And too many people, have their eyes on the prize And too many conflicts only means one thing Back to the start, that’s where he’ll begin That, when a man has no money A BOY AGAIN

Swooping raven, dark foreboding Feathers black as sticky tar The scent of death between its beak Landing heavy on lungs and heart

4 O’ Clock Eyes

Contrast, camouflage of cloud Masks the emergence of the dove No olive branch to wave, nor offer Lightness of breath on the breeze above

I’ve got pockets of thread and silver To throw away at Looney Fair I turned around to stare out loud And spelt 10 colours red in the air

Let not size or strength preside Nor leave it to the hand of might The dove we wish victorious Anticipate the looming fight But it’s the raven who brings Peace to the wing tonight

Lost Daniel Smith - HMP Nottingham Now her pen traces over paper The way her hand used to trace on mine Her words read off the page so delicately Between the lines a torrent swells in her mind When she feels alone her thoughts tend to race Hearing rumours back through the grapevine How can she stay this strong for so long? Reminds me of the beauty I have left behind She drives 100 miles to visit Sometimes I don’t feel I am worth the time Somehow she puts me back together again I always feel like she’s improved the design Despite all this current adversity She sits across from me and seems to shine It doesn’t make sense, in this room I know well That I still get so lost in her eyes

Dave Roberts - HMP Norwich

The colour 13 shone bright in the sky As 4 o’clock eyes came my way I knelt down on my toes high in the snow And tasted she wanted to stay The Looney Fair it got wider As the field it started to shrink I put out my joint and held on tight As I fell into 4 o’clock drink The time it was just past a kilo Flowers grew out in the road The beginning I wanted to start again As the sky turned into a toad Behind my ear the joint came to life With a puff I started to swim She whispered out loud… come very slow And 4 o’clock eyes laid within Time it had stopped forever Never to finish, once more Together they’d taken my energy As I started to fall through the floor Looney Fair was ending My head had gone to the skies I shouted my name in Black ‘n’ Blue As I laid with 4 o’clock eyes

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

If you would like to contribute to the Poetry section, please send your poems to ‘Poetry’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB.

Behind Bars Caroline Sanders - GP at HMP Bedford In gratitude to those I work with and serve The old man in cell 10 who’s served many years Your burden seems heavy and face worn. Though tears I have not seen, your calling and fights With the bed and the buzzer speak of anguish each night. Once day dawns, your demeanour returns to a state Of quiet acceptance of the Time that awaits You. Only death holds the key now, no man will release Your soul from these walls, your form to the streets. The hardened and challenging man in the Seg Your hurls of abuse and your threats now I beg You to stop. Lie and rest. Kick no more. Adjudication accused, closed your isolation door. Your term of separation will come to an end Your meal choice, your shower, your phone call to a friend That now punctuate your day, will soon be enhanced By association on main wings and out in the yard. The Rule 45 which protects the ensnared I am mindful to watch for your acts of despair And self-harm. Imprisoned yet still on trial Your crimes not of violence but of grooming and guile. Truth often finds you wanting but begs you to stay Close, hold fast to it, leave behind games you may play. You reflect and your past clings with talons and stench Freedom within these walls the greatest wrench.

Inside Poetry

That you’d patched up through living the day in a haze Now your past in full colour, the pain in full blaze. D wing your routine of methadone gives some Security knowing the next hit will come. For others, the bullies create living hell You loathe your existence, you’re sick of the smell. Will this be the sentence that marks something new For your partner, your children, you’ll see this one through? Will the lure of the next fix, the line, the snowball Consume mind and body, fill your life, take your all? The YA, a fruit of your life and its past The youngest of inmates will this crime be your last Or will it mark the next step of a career A vocation, a lifestyle that traps you for years? I long for the first, yet the choice is not mine I can show you, I can talk, I can give you my time Only you, though, can turn from the claws and break the Chains, choose to take life, let strength set you free. Awaiting deportation, I cannot know The furnace you came from and where you will go. Your sentence complete, yet the bars still remain You long now for liberty, your freedom to gain Not to walk in the ashes in fear of your life But to hold tight your children, to cling to your wife. I cannot change what turns lie ahead on the path That is marked for you but will pray on in faith.

The man off the streets who some say is now blessed With a roof and a shower, you often seem stressed By routine and hot meals. In your cell You stand, bereft of your liquor and living in hell. Anxiety shouts, gnaws your bones, seeps through pores The detox you went through opened wounds, picked at sores

My choice is privilege, to stay or to leave I struggle with chains and with bars where reprieve Is not found as I leave the great gates, head for home. I carry my burdens and stumble where none Has forced me to go. Where liberty whispers ‘freedom’ I ignore. Sleepless nights, thoughts of fear how stubborn My soul! At last, on my knees, I cry out, strength now gone You whisper again, ‘Take my love, come on home.’

Prison Aviary

Chimpitus

Jason Smith - HMP Featherstone I observed a starling on the exercise yard Having entered under a gate it feasted on insect delights That other birds do not dare beneath the netting On satiated, food stored in gullet for spring chicks With flies in beak ready to leave Starling had forgotten the way it had entered and the way to freedom Back and forth, up and down in increasingly harried flight Only to come up against its aviary like prison Eventually I no longer saw starling, perhaps he found a way out Perhaps he tried and still flies back and forth even now… But my view is limited to my own prison

Out The Gates

Allan Cook - HMP Lindholme Finally, at last the day has come round My feet once again get to touch my home ground I walk through the gate out into the world Like a map out before me it all lays unfurled Cars screeching by, everything moving so fast The day has come round, finally, at last.

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Alex Carr - HMP Wandsworth When a human is kidnapped, abused and locked up in a cage He can develop Chimpitus, because he is treated like an animal He begins to act like one, symptoms include Random shouts and screams, quick to anger Very quick to violence, they are just as likely to bite you As they are to have conversation with you More common in the working class humans as they are The most likely to be kidnapped and incarcerated We will award a prize of £25 to the entry selected as our ‘Star Poem of the Month’. To qualify for a prize, poems should not have won a prize in any other competition or been published previously. Send entries to: Inside Time, Poetry, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire, SO30 2GB. Please put your name, number and prison on the same sheet of paper as your poem. If you win we can’t send your money if we don’t know who or where you are! By submitting your poems to Inside Time you are agreeing that they can be published in any of our ‘not for profit links’, these include the newspaper, website and any forthcoming books. You are also giving permission for Inside Time to use their discretion in allowing other organisations to reproduce this work if considered appropriate, unless you have clearly stated that you do not want this to happen. Any work reproduced in other publications will be on a ‘not for profit’ basis. WHEN SUBMITTING YOUR WORK PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING PERMISSION: THIS IS MY OWN WORK AND I AGREE TO INSIDE TIME PUBLISHING IT IN ALL ASSOCIATE SITES AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS AS APPROPRIATE.

Jailbreak

48

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Crossword

TWENTY QUESTIONS TO TEST YOUR GENERAL KNOWLEDGE es on Desert Island Discs? 10. Which night of the Promenade Concerts or ‘Proms’, held at the Albert Hall, is marked by the singing of patriotic songs? 11. ‘Strong as an ox’ and ‘brave as a lion’ are both examples of which figure of speech? 12. Ergophobia is an abnormal dislike of what? 1. Which Welsh actress played Gladys Pugh in the TV sitcom Hi-De-Hi!? 2. In the natural world, is an octopus classified as a squid or a mollusc? 3. What was the name of the band formed by former Beatle, Paul McCartney, in 1971?|

Across 1. Colourless transparent variety of quartz (4,7) 9. One appointed to take care of an organisation’s finances (9) 10. Movable objects used on the set of a play or film (5) 11. Unit of length used in nautical measurements (6) 12. The island of Zanzibar is part of this country (8) 13. Margaret —, Canadian novelist whose works include “The Handmaid’s Tale” (6) 15. “Are You — Tonight?”, hit song for Elvis Presley (8) 18. 1935 movie starring Shirley Temple (5,3) 19. A craftsman who makes furniture and light woodwork (6) 21. An incident in which two vehicles narrowly avoid collision (4,4) 23. A hard aromatic seed, grated and used as a spice (6) 26. Claude —, English actor who appeared in many Hollywood films (5) 27. A vertebrate typically living on land but breeding in water (9) 28. The first actor to play James Bond in films (4,7)

1. A flavouring essence made with the essential oil of almonds (7) 2. “Falcon —”, aTV soap of the 1980s (5) 3. The science of the origin and development of the universe (9) 4. A fine cord of twisted fibres used in sewing (4) 5. A bullfighter, especially on horseback (8) 6. Capital of Bolivia (2,3) 7. Song that was a hit for Petula Clark in 1964 (8) 8. “The Great —”, 1963 prisoner-of-war movie (6) 14. An anticoagulant used as a rat poison and in the treatment of thrombosis (8) 16. Art of public speaking (9) 17. African country formerly known as Bechuanaland (8) 18. Sir Samuel —, Canadian-born shipowner who founded a famous shipping line (6) 20. Period of British history from 1811 to 1820 (7) 22. Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites from Egypt (5) 24. A state in New England (5) 25. A long narrative poem of heroic deeds (4)

Rosalyn Bullman HMP Peterborough (A0615DC) Steven King Novels C M I S E R Y Y H F L A H K R A D E H T

A Y W T H E T A L I S M A N S T E H T H

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Blockade Billy Carrie

I R G X E C V N M H F E T E A U C G S E

Stephen King Novels E G E R A L K D E R E A M C A T C H E R D H Y J N F D V G H V V N H Y R A T A M D F U L T H I N G S O O G E R A L D S G Q F U C J F R D R N E Y T Y U I H D E P R U O H Q S E D T O T O P M E G T T R I Y F Z X V W M G A F F G S D G H E B T D H L K H G D S R S A D N A T S E H T E Q I N M O S N I J R W J Y U I H D T U I C H C E L L X C V F N A S D F V G A Q W E T A N H Y F S M J U A D Z O N E T Y U I Misery Needful Things

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D S F P S R E K C O N K Y M M O T E H T

Blockade Things ACTS Billy Needful MATTHEW

COLOSSIANS Carrie CORINTHIANS DEUTERONOMY Cell EPHESIANS EXODUS Cujo GALATIANS HEBREWS Dreamcatcher ISAIAH JAMES Fire Starter JEREMIAH JOB Gerald’s Game JOHN JOSHUA Insomnia LUKE It MALACHI MARK

Lisey’s Story

NAHUM

Pet Sematary PETER PHILIPPIANS

The Cycle of PROVERBS the Werewolf PSALM REVELATION

The Dark Half ROMANS SAMUEL THESSALONIANS The Dead TIMOTHY TITUS

Zone

The Stand The Talisman The Tommyknockers

Misery

Thanks to Rosalyn Bullman HMP Peterborough for compiling this word search. If you fancy compiling one for us please just send it in max 20 x 20 grid & complete with answers shown on a grid. If we use it we will send you £5 as a thank you!

14. A vexillologist is an expert in what? 15. Taken from the words ‘smoking’ and ‘flirting’, what new word describes outdoor socializing where smoking bans operate?

4. The ‘Sally Army’ is an abbreviation of the name of which international evangelical organization?

16. In teenage language, what is the word ‘peeps’ short for?

5. In which country is the town of Leerdam, where Leerdammer cheese originated?

17. In the French language, the word jupe denotes which item of female clothing?

6. The Basenji is a breed of which domesticated animal?

18. Relating to eyesight, which term describes the inability to perceive differences between some or all colours?

7. The coconut grows on which sort of tree?

Down

13. In the French language, the word reine refers to which royal figure?

8. Which twentieth-century artist famously said, ‘In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes’? 9. In 2006, which Tory politician selected Benny Hill’s song ‘Ernie’ as one of his choic-

Inside Chess by Carl Portman Cornel from HMP Thameside asks if Anatoly Karpov every played Garry Kasparov and what happened. The answer is yes he certainly did, many times. Kasparov won the world title from Karpov in 1985 after a marathon match over many months. The second Karpov-Kasparov match in 1985 was organized in Moscow as the best of 24 games where the first player to win 12½ points would claim the World Champion title. Kasparov won again. There followed another three matches which Kasparov won proving to be Karpov’s nemesis. I remember following all of these matches and especially enjoyed the ferocious rivalry between the two protagonists. They have played many times in tournaments also and were great adversaries. Nowadays though, both players have mellowed with age and appreciate that they both took something from each other, yet gave something too. Another question then and Gary from HMP Rochester asks if the film ‘The Grass Arena’ is available on DVD. This is the film about former prison inmate John Healy who found chess and how it changed his life. It is a Penguin Classic book but I do not believe it is available on DVD. There is though a DVD available called ‘Barbaric Genius’ based on John’s life. It is a documentary. On the subject of books I have begun to write my book about chess in prisons so now is the time to send in any comments about what chess means to you and if it has rehabilitated or changed your view on life in any way. Thanks to all those who have already shared their stories. It is very uplifting. The problem this month was submitted to me by Gary from HMP Frankland. It is white to play and

19. Which word comes from the French meaning ‘born’, and is used when citing a married woman’s maiden name? 20. Which word that rhymes with ‘bump’ describes a dance phenomenon that began on the streets of south central, LA in 2005?

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win. How? This will be too easy for some but let’s give a chance to beginners. A tough one next month, I promise. A chess magazine donated by Chess & Bridge of London is the prize. Write to me with your answer care of The English Chess Federation at The Watch Oak, Chain Lane, Battle, East Sussex TN33 OYD or you can email me at [email protected] and they will forward it to me. Please note that you should always write to me at the ECF not via InsideTime. Congratulations to Mr Black who was the winner of August’s problem which many people thought was ‘easy’ but got the wrong answer. Top tip: If you find a good move, STOP and find a better one. The answer to September’s problem was 1. g7-g8=queen (check) …Kf7xg8 2. Kd5-e6 Kg8-h8 (forced) 3.Ke6-f7 e7-e5 (or e7-e6, it does not matter) 4.Bh6-g7 checkmate. Beautiful.

Jailbreak

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

“QUOTES” I really wish I’d been in the Beatles David Gilmour, who has had to make do with being in Pink Floyd.

Stephen Hawking solves a physics conundrum by concluding that “things can get out of a black hole”.

I am a homosexual. I am not a murderer The former Conservative MP, Harvey Proctor, accuses police of an antigay witch hunt in pursuing claims he is a child killer and paedophile. Black holes ain’t as black as they’re painted

Harvey Proctor

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There’s a great many of these geezers who don’t actually do anything very much at all The House of Lords needs thinning out, says Boris Johnson.

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Algeciras Alhambra Almeria Baeza Constantina Costa del Sol Donana Estepa Flamenco Gibraltar Granada Iberia Malaga Marbella Ronda San Juan Sierra Nevada Teba Torremolinos

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Submitted by Lee Theobald HMP Lowdham Grange. If you would like to win £5, please submit your Pathfinder - grids should either be 15 x 15 or 12 x 12 squares. Remember when you send us your Pathfinder to include your name, number and prison otherwise you will not receive your prize money.

San Juan Neil Speed is a former prisoner who came up with the concept Sierra Nevada of GEF BAD CHI whilst in prison. Inside Teba Time features a GEF BAD Torremolinos CHI puzzle on this page. GEF BAD CHI by Neil Speed is published

Algeciras Alhambra Almeria Baeza by Xlibris. RRP: £12.35 Using the letters G,E,F,B,A,D,C,H & I fill Constantina Costa del Sol in the blank squares. Each letter A-I must appear only once in each line column and 3x3 grid. Donana Estepa Flamenco Gibraltar Submitted by Mark Lewington - HMP Stocken. Start on the left with the first number and work Granada your way across following the instructions in each cell. See how quickly you can do each puzzle Iberia and how your times improve month by month! Answers on back page. If you would like to submit Malaga similar puzzles we will pay £5 for any that are chosen for print. Please send in a minimum of three Marbella Ronda puzzles together with the answer!

MIND GYM

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He’s very f****** lonely. There’s a great sadness.” James Bond is a pathetic misogynist, says the 007 actor, Daniel Craig.

(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2015. All rights reserved.

SUDOKU & GEFBADCHI

David Gilmour

Pathfinder

Pathfinder Spain Lee Theobald HMP Lowdham Grange

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Daily Sudoku: Wed 2-Sep-2015

PROBLEMS FROM THE PRISON? YOU NEED

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6 5 3 9 2 7 4 8 1 8 2 7 4 1 6 3 5 9 JP The 4 Johnson 9 1 5Partnership 3 8 7 6 2 Prison Law 7 1 8 2 6 Service 3 5 9 4 2 6 5 8 9 4 1 3 7 Specialist Prison Law and Criminal Defence Solicitors 3 4 9 1 7 5 6 2 8 5 3 Recall 2 7 8 1 Adjudications 9 4 6 Licence 9 7 4 6 5 2 8 1 3 1 8Panels 6 3 4 9 Parole 2 7 Applications 5 Lifer Daily Sudoku: Wed 2-Sep-2015

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Magistrates & Crown Court Representation http://www.dailysudoku.com/ Immediate advice and assistance from one of the largest criminal law firms in the country, available 24/7.

Contact our Prison Law Department on: (0115)941 9141 at any time or write to us at FREEPOST NEA15948,NOTTINGHAM NG1 1BR Regulated by the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority Members of the Association of Prison Lawyers Criminal Defence Service

Specialist Appeals & Prison Law Solicitors Our experienced and established teams can help with: | Appeal convictions and sentences | Appeal IPP/EPP sentences | Appeal extended determinate sentences | Criminal Cases Review Commission applications | Variation/Appeal of Sexual Offences Prevention Orders | Prison law Funding | Legal aid available for those with limited funds | Private paying fixed fees available, with telephone consultations available on request Accreditations include: | Members of Criminal Appeal Lawyers Association | Association of Prison Lawyers | Manchester Prison Law Practitioner Group Initial enquiries to Appeals Correna Platt or Alison Marriott Prison law Mike Pemberton Wigan Investment Centre, Waterside Drive, Wigan, Greater Manchester, WN3 5BA call email

0333 344 4885 or [email protected]

www.stephensons.co.uk

MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE? CONTACT

ASHLEY SMITH & CO our experienced and dedicated team are specialists in

Appeals & CCRC Parole Board Representation Independent Adjudications Professional and approachable we offer a nationwide service, including full coverage in the West and South West For a prompt response call

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Ashley Smith & Co Criminal Defence Specialists 4-6 Lee High Road, London, SE13 5LQ If your prison based problem cannot be publicly funded we can quote a reasonable fixed fee.

50

Jailbreak

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Read all about it!

CAPTION COMPETITION A male elephant creeps up on a group of tourists taking pictures.

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Proud sponsors of Inside Time’s new PRIZE quiz ‘Read all about it!’

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5. Jenna Coleman is leaving which iconic TV series? 6. A plane belonging to which airline caught fire at Las Vegas airport? 7. Which ‘Jam & Jerusalem’ organisation celebrates its centenary this year?

Sponsors of Jailbreak SEPTEMBER WINNERS Maxine Robninson HMP Newhall £25 Karen Louise Lawson HMP Newhall £5 Paula Hammond HMP HMP Newhall £5

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8. Who won the Singapore F1 GP? 9. Which car manufacturer is in trouble for ‘fixing’ emissions? 10. Who was the first celebrity to leave ‘Strictly’?

The winner will receive £25 and the two runner ups £5. See black box to the right for details of how to enter.

Answers to last months News quiz: 1. Battle of Britain, 2. Antibiotics, 3. Cilla Black, 4. GCSE results, 5. The Oval, 6. Bangkok, 7. Cecil, 8. Walter Palmer, 9. Sir Seb Coe, 10. Stuart Henshall

The first three names to be drawn with all-correct answers (or nearest) will receive a £25 cash prize. There will also be two £5 consolation prizes. The The prize quiz where we give you the Questions and the Answers! All the answers are within this issue of Inside Time - all you have to do is find them!! winners’ names will appear in next month’s issue.

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1. How many trees are cut down each year? 2. Which prison did Cathy Rentzenbrink recently visit?

5. Who has worked over 30 years with the Butler Trust and made more than 200 prison visits? 6. Which book is considered morally wrong and deeply offensive? 7. What does ODC stand for? 8. How many asylum seekers has the UK government said we will take in?

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1. Joe Danny Outlaw, 2. Head of Prison Law, 3. Nelson Mandela, 4. David Gilmore, 5. Jack Reacher, 6. Prof Allan Jamieson, 7. L J Flanders, 8. Bridewell, 9. The Torah, 10. Car thieves, 11. Fair Trial, 12. Clyde Barrow, 13. Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas, 14. Psychopath, 15. The Oral Law

SEPTEMBER WINNERS £25 Prize: Sharlene Coatson HMP Newhall, Bradley Thorpe HMP Norwich, Wahid Youssef HMP Whitemoor £5 Prize: Thomas Thornton HMP Lowdham Grange, R J Lankshear HMP Usk

Women prisoners: Can you help?

For a free consultation please contact

Rebecca or Clair

Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB. You can use one envelope to enter more than one competition just mark it ‘jailbreak’. A 1st or 2nd class stamp is required on your envelope. CLOSING DATE FOR ALL COMPETITIONS IS 22/10/15

Answers to Last Month’s Inside Knowledge Prize Quiz

4. Who are at the bottom of the prisoner hierarchy?

• Personal Injury Claims • Dental Negligence

Please do not cut out any of these panels. Just send your entry to one or all of these competitions on a separate sheet of paper. Make sure your name, number and prison is on all sheets. Post your entry to: Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley,

9. Which campaign gives the right to anyone over 18 the right to amend or delete embarrassing digital content? 10. Who was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years probation for a drink driving incident? 11. Whose number is 0800 051 1069? 12. What is the name of the device that measures certain physical responses? 13. When can you hear ‘Sound Women’? 14. In which novel is the reader given an unparalleled insight into the mind of a murderer? 15. Who stated that sex crime suspects should be given anonymity before they are charged?

3. When was the Tariff system introduced?

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4. British Kayakers had what as an uninvited passenger whilst taking a trip round Monterey Bay?

Personal Injury Specialists

A £25 prize is on offer for the best caption to this month’s picture.

Calls to mobiles don’t have to be expensive!

3. What is the name of the barrister who took objections to admiring comments about her Linkedin profile?

RECENT ACCIDENT?

Does he really think I don’t know he’s eating a beef burger under there?

If you don’t want callers to be disadvantaged or put off by the high cost of calling your mobile - just get a landline number for it.

1. Which Man Utd defender underwent surgery for a broken leg after a match at PSV Eindhoven? 2. Who is the new Labour leader?

AUGUST £25 WINNER Name & Prison Supplied

Have you applied for a place in a prison Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) since Oct 2011? If so, would you be willing to complete a questionnaire about your experience? I am researching how fair the procedure is for getting a place in a MBU and I’d like to hear from you, whether you were given a place or were refused a place or didn’t take up a place. If you are able to help, I am offering a £15 Boots voucher to those who complete a questionnaire, as a token of appreciation for your time (I know you won’t be able to have this until you are released). I am doing this research as a fellow of the Griffins Society, and with the University of Cambridge, to try and make a difference to women’s lives in prison. If you can help, please write to me: Maya Sikand, Garden Court Chambers, 57-60 Lincoln’s Inns Fields, London WC2A 3LJ. If you are about to be released, you can e-mail me on [email protected]

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Jailbreak

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

ROCK & POP QUIZ

NEWS IN BRIEF

ANNIVERSARIES 21 Oct 1915 // 100th Anniversary The first transatlantic radio-telephone call was made by AT&T from Virginia, USA to Paris, France. (This was the first time speech had been transmitted across the Atlantic.)

1. Who played bass guitar with Rolling Stones from 1962 till 1993? 2. Pocketful Of Sunshine, from her album of the same name made the American Top Ten in May 2008 for which singer? 3. Which band comprised an American, Lady Miss Kier, a Ukrainian, Super DJ Dmitri; and a Japanese, Towa Tei? 4. Which singer, who was dubbed ‘The Female Elvis’, died in 2007, aged 67?

After the news that Russia has sent troops and tanks into Syria President Putin and David Cameron get down to business.

‘One Direction’ disbands and ‘No Direction’ is formed.

5. Lost In Love and Making Love Out of Nothing At All were big singles for which band?

29 Oct 1945 // 70th Anniversary The first commercially successful ballpoint pen went on sale at Gimbels department store in New York City. A Hooray Henry Hover is launched. At a farm in Wiltshire a long awaited family re-union ends in disappointment for one relative.

8. Which British singer, who had several hits in the 1970s, converted to Islam in 1977 - changing his name to Yusuf Islam? He was turned back on a flight from London to Washington in 2004 because his ‘new’ name aroused suspicion with the FBI. 9. ‘Like a movie scene in the sweetest dreams’ are the opening lyrics of which Jennifer Lopez song? 10. The Bee Gees broke up after the sudden death of which of the brothers in 2003?

They’ve really extended the Northern Line

Bookies favourite James Hill is the winner of Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother, leaving the Nation asking: James who?

Our Team of over 25 specialist advisors have a wealth of experience to offer you including:

Specialising in all areas of criminal law, from minor offences to serious crimes - Murder, Fraud, Conspiracy to Defraud, Confiscation Proceedings Appeals, Variation and Discharge of Restraint Order and Money Laundering

• Immigration and Nationality Law Comprehensive solutions to immigration and British nationality issues.

• Family Law

We cover the London area and all of the UK on serious matters.

National means near YOU! We can help you in ANY PRISON in England and Wales, at ANY TIME. You can also write to us FREEPOST at:

Please contact Anthony Mordi or Michael Okogwu

Mordi & Co Solicitors First Floor 402 Holloway Road London, N7 6PZ Tel: (020) 7619 96 66 24 Hour Emergency: 07904 953 427

25 Oct 1955 // 60th Anniversary The first microwave oven for domestic use went on sale in the USA. It was very expensive and did not sell well. 19 Oct 1985 // 30th Anniversary The first Blockbuster Video store opened, in Dallas, Texas, USA.

• Criminal Defence and Appeals

Divorce - sound advice about your rights and the options available

2 Oct 1925 // 90th Anniversary Scottish engineer John Logie Baird performed the first successful test of a working television system. (His system used a mechanical spinning disc. He gave the first public demonstration in January 1926.) 21 Oct 1945 // 70th Anniversary The United Nations was formally established, replacing the League of Nations.

6. Beach Boys Carl Wilson and Bruce Johnston sang backing vocals on which Elton John single? 7. Warren Beatty, Kris Kristofferson and Mick Jagger are all possible contenders for the subject of which song by Carly Simon?

51

FREEPOST RTAB-BATB-HGAU Carringtons Solicitors Nottingham NG2 2JR

986 3472 0983 Tel: 0115 958

• Parole Board Hearings • IPP Sentence Issues • Mandatory Lifers • Discretionary Lifers • Automatic Lifers • Sentence Planning Boards • Re-categorisation • Category A Reviews • DSPD Assessments • Accessing Courses • Parole • Recall • Independent Adjudications • Governor Adjudications • Challenge of MDT’s • HDC “Tagging” • Transfer • Judicial Review • Tariff Representations • IPP Sentence Appeals • Police Interviews

7 Oct 2000 // 15th Anniversary The last football match was played at the old Wembley Stadium in London - a 2002 World Cup qualifying game between England and Germany. The stadium closed after the match and was demolished in 2003. The new Wembley Stadium opened on the same site in 2007. 26 Oct 2000 // 15th Anniversary The BSE Inquiry Report was published. It concluded that the BSE (mad cow disease) epidemic was caused by the use of infectious meat and bone meal in cattle feed. It criticised agriculture officials, scientists and government ministers, who misled the public.

Lewis Sidhu Solicitors Prison & Criminal Law Specialists

020 8832 7321 CCRC Applications Recatagorisations Adjudications Complaints Appeals Parole Even as a serving prisoner you still have rights and we will do our best to protect and advance those rights.

11 T h e P a v e m e n t , P o p e s L a n e , Ealing, London W5 4NG

52 National Prison Radio

Insidetime October 2015 www.insidetime.org

Radio? Tue

Wed

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Fri

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hind Bars

Bars is your award-winning daily feature show focusing on a different side of prison evening. We bring you the best chat, music and information to keep you informed son life and give a voice to your thoughts about life behind bars s Induction Show - all the basics about how prison works s Women Inside - focusing on life for female prisoners days Your Life - looking at how to keep your body and mind healthy ys The Inside Story - your in-depth guide to staying out of jail The Album Show - we play an entire album in full from start to finish ys The Love Bug - helping you keep in touch with family and friends on the outside s The Magazine - featuring the best bits of National Prison Radio

Request Show

requests in to: l Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

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of this morning’s show

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The A List

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Running through the latest music to hit the National Prison Radio offices

The Brixton Hour

For information, see edition at 07:00

19:05 Oldies Sounds from the 60s, 70s & 80s

19:05 Gospel Hour Uplifting gospel music

20:05 This American Life Stories from the US

20:05

21:05 The State We’re In

Brit 40 A repeat of Friday’s show

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s of classic love songs, the perfect soundtrack for writing those letters home

Bull Music Academy Radio

dings, interviews, mixes and documentary features, exclusive to NPR.

Request Show

The Brixton Hour

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For information, see edition at 07:00

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