the National Newspaper for Prisoners & Detainees a voice for prisoners 1990 - 2015 A ‘not for profit’ publication / ISSN 1743-7342 / Issue No. 195 / September 2015 / www.insidetime.org

11 Barack Obama on prison reform “Any system that allows us to turn a blind eye to hopelessness and despair, that’s not a justice system, it is an injustice system”

21 The psychopathy spectrum “What we want, we take - with no thought of the damage and suffering that we create in others” Sarah Baker

31 A ‘Shameless’ plug for Bound - a National Prison Radio drama “It tells the story of a young pregnant prisoner fighting to keep her baby with her inside prison”

Transforming lives: An average of 60,000 copies distributed monthly Independently verified by the Audit Bureau of Circulations

Reducing women’s imprisonment Mark Day - Prison Reform Trust Head of Policy and Communications

T

oo many women, many of whom are mothers, are sent to prison every year to serve short sentences for non-violent crimes, often for a first offence, a new Prison Reform Trust (PRT) briefing reveals. The briefing marks the launch of a drive by the Prison Reform Trust, supported by a £1.2 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund, to reduce the number of women who are sent to prison for minor non-violent offences. The three-year UK-wide programme Transforming lives: Reducing women’s imprisonment will promote more effective, early intervention and non-custodial responses to women in trouble, working with national and local governments, statutory agencies, and voluntary and community sector organisations.

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l Eight in ten (81%) women entering prison under an immediate custodial sentence had committed non-violent offences.

l More than half (53%) of women in prison report having experienced emotional, physical or sexual abuse as a child, compared to 27% of men.

l In 2014, women accounted for 26% of all self-harm incidents in prison in England and Wales despite representing only 5% of the prison population.

l Women serving custodial sentences are twice as likely as men (21% v 10%) to have no previous convictions or cautions.

l Women in prison are more than three times as likely to be identified as suffering from depression as women in the general population (65% v 19%).

l Fewer than one in ten women leave custody with a job to go to, most face mounting debt and struggle to find safe housing.

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Two thirds of women sent to prison are mums and over 17,000 children are separated from their mothers by imprisonment every year. Imprisonment has a devastating impact on the life chances of these children, who as a result are more likely to experience homelessness, disruption to their family and home lives, problems at school and local authority care. Women released from custody are more likely to reoffend, and reoffend quicker, than women serving community sentences. Jenny Earle writes page 30

A female prisoner writing a letter, HMP Styal © prisonimage.org

Mailbag

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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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..................................................... LAURENCE PETCH HMP FRANKLAND

I have been here for 11 years now and it has always been the case that religious items were exempt from Volumetric Control, but now they have suddenly been included! Except for - 2 sets of religious clothing, a prayer mat and one religious book.

Board of Directors

Trevor Grove - Former Editor Sunday Telegraph, Journalist and Writer John Carter - Former international healthcare company Vice-President. Geoff Hughes - Former Governor, Belmarsh prison. Eric McGraw - Former Director, New Bridge (1986-2002) and founder of Inside Time in 1990. John D Roberts - Former Company Chairman and Managing Director employing ex-offenders. Louise Shorter - Former producer, BBC Rough Justice programme. © © a Alistair a H. E. Smith B.Sc F.C.A. - Chartered not Trustee and Treasurer, not Accountant, New Bridge profit profit Foundation. publication service

Religious discrimination

After reading a letter in your pages about religious discrimination from ‘John’ at HMP Forest Bank there was a sneaky attempt by the governor here to bring in religious discrimination by the back door.

Inside Time is wholly responsible for its editorial content. Comments or complaints should be directed to the Managing Editor and not to New Bridge.

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Justice in this country seems to be all about the money

.................................................... A J REID - HMP SWALESIDE

I am 27 years old and have been in custody for over a decade, in which time I have found myself incarcerated in over 20 prisons, from the juvenile estate to YOI to Cat A, B and C establishments - all of which seem to substitute the definition of rehabilitation with the warehousing of offenders.

Moreover, throughout my prolonged period of being warehoused by this not-fit-for-purWhilst watching one of those ‘Police, Camera pose criminal justice system, I have witnessed Action’ type programmes on the box the the transformation of Micky Mouse offenders other night, I witnessed a significant error into career criminals! And, as I witness the on the part of the British criminal justice same old faces continue to enter the system. Following a stop and search, a man revolving door of the criminal justice system with a drug addiction was convicted of I can only conclude that this system does not possessing Class A drugs. The drug addicted rehabilitate offenders, it creates them! geezer was ordered to pay over £200 as punishment, with an additional £100+ in people who13/11/2012 run our criminal court costs. in question BlavoThe Novoffender 2012_Blavo Dec 2008has redaborder The SHADOW.qxd 09:42 justice Page 1 system have this deluded belief that the long history of petty thefts and shoplifting, rehabilitation of prisoners consists of the which I can only assume to be directly linked following simple steps - make prisoners sit to the funding of the offender’s addiction to level one maths & English, then stick them in Class A drugs. Therefore, the criminal justice a muggy workshop packing tea packs for a system not only fails to deal with the issue wage of peanuts and every now and then in hand, but also provides a counterproducforce them to do so-called offending tive punishment as the imposition of a fine is behaviour programmes which are comlikely to breed further criminal behaviour in pletely unproven and do nothing except order to pay the fine and continue to fund keep trainee psychologists in employment. the drug addiction! If that is rehabilitation then release me tomorrow because I’m good to go! It is no secret that those who run the criminal justice system are completely I don’t claim to have the solution but what I detached from even the definition of the do know is that the current system is word ‘rehabilitation’, which has become definitely not fit for purpose. Just take a look nothing more than a word used to manipuat the reoffending rates. late the voting public just before every General Election.

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So let us look a bit more closely at these exemptions. Who wears religious clothing and uses a prayer mat? Oh yes, that’s right, Muslims - so he’s not going to upset them. As for one religious book - well that’s the Christians sorted, so his own lot are okay. So the governor has covered his own religion and made sure he hasn’t upset the Muslims, so who does that leave? Well, everybody else. He even came and sat in on one of our Pagan meetings but couldn’t seem to grasp the fact that we do not have clergy to bow and scrape to our Gods as we are personally in contact with our Gods and Goddesses. He could not understand that if we feel guilt then we deal with it personally, between us and our deity. He also could not understand that we do not need a confessional box. Pagans were here long before other religions, around two-anda-half thousand years before Christ followers and even longer before Muslims. And we will still be here long after these religions are gone. Isn’t church attendance falling? Whilst ours is rising. So can you ask NOMS or whoever professes to run this failing system whether religious exemption is for all religions or just the chosen few they worship or are terrified of? Editorial note: This letter has been sent to NOMS for a response.

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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.

Why the closed visits?

I have unlawfully been denied progress. Even the Kray twins were de-categorised to CAT B after 15 years. I have been on it 40 years, this alone stops my progress.

..................................................... LYNSEY BLOOMER - A PRISONER’S PARTNER My partner is currently in HMP Stoke Heath. He was transferred there from HMP Hewell just over 3 months ago for what they said was progress through the system! We had 3 normal visits booked at HMP Hewell which they kindly transferred over after two weeks of waiting to see him. Me and our 3 children arrived at Stoke Heath booked in at the visitors centre went through security stood in a queue to go through to the visits hall to be called out and told - ‘You’re on a closed visit!’ We have been visiting my partner for nearly two years at 5 different jails never been on a closed visit never caused any threat to security and we are his only visitors. We were given no prior warning and neither was he! The children were sobbing. I was clearly upset and so was he. They have never seen him like that and we weren’t given a choice. I demanded to see a governor who came and told us his letter was still in the pigeon hole on his wing. She promised she would look into it then came back and told us there was no specific reason for him being placed on closed visits just ‘suspicion’. She also promised that after a month it would be reviewed. I waited a month, no review. Apparently due to staff shortages. After nearly two months a review was done but we were kept on closed visits for a minimum of three months. It has now been a week over that three month period. I rang, they said no review due to lack of staff! It will be done next week! I am absolutely disgusted with the way we as a family and my partner have been treated at that jail. Those visits are a big part of his rehabilitation and to take all contact away from me and our children has had a serious effect on our family. And worst of all, we have done nothing wrong, we are no threat to security and haven’t had one open visit at that jail! I have written to the governor and head of security yet had no reply. I’ve read the PSO on closed visits and transfers, I suggest they read this too!

CAT A prisoners are deemed a danger to the state and a danger to the public. My crimes outside, are actually very low grade, they do not warrant or justify a Cat A status.

A forgotten IPP prisoner

.................................................. CHARLES ARTHUR SALVADOR HMP WAKEFIELD I am writing this in the hope someone will read it and help me to get justice from the system that has created me and possibly take up my cause to obtain progression through the system. I am one of the forgotten IPP prisoners left behind after IPP was deemed unlawful in 2012. Everyone in jail is allowed certain rights, especially progress. How can I ever progress whilst I am on CAT A? To be on CAT A you are a danger to the state, public and prison. So how can I be freed? Who is going to free me whilst I am still on CAT A? I was sentenced to life with a tariff of three years. I am 13 years over that tariff. At my trial I was denied witnesses, I was denied a duress plea and I am an ex Broadmoor patient (I was certified insane) so how was I allowed to defend myself? I have spent decades, unlawfully held in solitary.

I am constantly denied my basic human rights i.e. attending family funerals, being kept hundreds of miles from my home town, being denied the right to associate with fellow inmates, not allowed to work or attend courses. No form of rehabilitation whatsoever. Going ahead with my two yearly parole hearing without me after I made it clear, in writing, I wished to attend so I can express my true self in a polite and respectful way. All I received was a sealed envelope from the judge which read ‘your next review is in June 2017’, he had made his decision without hearing my defence. How am I ever going to be freed? I recently read of inmates suing prison headquarters over being kept in solitary for more than a week, well I have been kept in isolated conditions for well over 35 years, out of 40 years inside! Don’t I have any human rights?

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Contents Mailbag ............................................. 2-9 Newsround .................................... 10-16 Website Comments ............................. 17 Diary .............................................. 18-19 Ombudsman - Nigel Newcomen, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman writes about the risks from new synthetic drugs ............. 20

Comment ....................................... 21-31 Drink and Drugs .................................. 32 The Rule Book ................................... 34 Art - Inside Out from The Ingram Collection launches with exhibition at The Clink ..................... 35

I recently applied to attend my mother’s funeral because she is very old and very ill, so I am prepared for the worst. The answer I received is basically saying ‘apply when she is dead’. I sit in my cell month after month, year after year creating my art. I have rehabilitated myself. It’s time to go home now, but how? Charles Salvador, is the prisoner formerly known as Charles Bronson

Short Story ....................................... 36 Faith in Prison ................................... 37 Terry Waite Writes ............................. 38 Wellbeing .......................................... 39 Education ....................................... 40-41 Legal ............................................. 42-45 Legal Q&A ..................................... 46-47 Reading Groups ................................... 48 Book Reviews ...................................... 49 Inside Poetry .................................. 50-51 Jailbreak ........................................ 52-55 National Prison Radio ......................... 56

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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To avoid any possible misunderstanding, if you have a query and for whatever reason do not wish your letter to be published in Inside Time or appear on the website, or yourself to be identified, please make this clear. We advise that wherever possible, when sending original documents such as legal papers, you send photocopies as we are unable to accept liability if they are lost. We may need to forward your letter and/or documents to Prison Service HQ or another appropriate body for comment or advice, therefore only send information you are willing to have forwarded on your behalf.

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Views expressed in Inside Time are those of the authors and not necessarily representative of those held by Inside Time or the New Bridge Foundation.

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Mailbag

‘HMP Highdown is a dirty hellhole!’

The 2nd Chance Programme

..................................................... JAMES - EX PRISONER

..................................................... STEVEN LEE SAUNDERS HMP HIGHDOWN

After getting sentenced to 6 weeks custodial sentence at Brighton and Hove Magistrates court for a driving offence I found myself, later that day, being booked into HMP Highdown. I deserved my sentence and have been to Prison before but as I am from Cumbria I have previously spent time at HMP Durham and HMP Preston. From previous experience of prison it is tough and you’re there to lose your freedom but not be treated like an animal and be housed in very shocking conditions. As I am disabled, on arrival I went through the process of seeing the on duty nurse / doctor to go through my affairs as one of my disability’s is sciatica and I receive medication for this. In fact I had my medication with me on arrival but as they were controlled drugs (strong painkillers) I was told I had no chance of getting my medication in there. I was then told I would see a doctor in the next few days which turned out to be 4 days. Until then I was put on basic pain relief that you can buy over the counter anywhere and totally ineffective for my needs. When I finally met with the prison GP he continued me on basic medication that just did not work and I could not sleep through the pain or eat for the first days at all. After getting moved wings my medication stopped altogether, this place was totally unorganised, I spent 3 weeks in there unable to sleep and in pain all the time with no relief, totally the opposite experience to what I have encountered elsewhere. I had to share a single cell and the conditions were very cramped and disgusting. The staff couldn’t be bothered with anything really and it was all a hassle for them.

Insidetime September 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.

Campaign against this lion killer

I would like to say how the 2nd Chance Programme here at HMP Highdown has helped me engage more within the prison. The objectives I identified with my mentor have allowed me to be more positive and since my mentoring sessions I have gained employment on the wing, something I had failed to do in the past. I now engage more with staff and fellow prisoners. I am due for release soon and the 2nd Chance Programme’s mentoring has given me a more optimistic outlook to life as I have seen that the cycle of prison and reoffending can be broken. It is also a good feeling to know that people care and the bonus is that these people are fellow prisoners offering a second chance. I would certainly advise other prisoners to apply for this programme.

I recently saw a familiar face on the news and what really upset me is the fact that it took the murder of a ‘famous’ lion called Cecil for the story and murders by Walter Palmer to go viral.

Disgusting treatment at HMP Albany

Walter Palmer and Cecil the lion

........................................................................................................ AUSTIN KING - HMP AYLESBURY

Two years ago, before I came to prison, I campaigned against this man. He would post images of his kills on Facebook and gained a huge following. I worked closely with a group to start a petition to get Facebook to remove his page and get the police notified. Our petition ended up getting 200,000 signatures and was sent to a site official. The response from Facebook was that his posts were not breaking any of Facebook’s rules. If Facebook had acted then maybe Cecil and many other rare or endangered animals would still be alive. I’ve never been one for animal rights but when it comes to endangered species it is ridiculous that someone would be happy and boast of being the possible reason for their extinction. If I were not in prison I would continue to campaign against this guy until he gets what he deserves. Now he is being hunted let’s see how he likes it.

When I found out that Highdown had a Clink Restaurant I was shocked as the place is vile, both physically and mentally, and I was shocked that prisoners were being held in these conditions in the 21st century. You are banged up 23 hours a day, and if you press your cell bell too many times you get put on basic, a first for me. The governor should be ashamed, considering it is a modern London jail. I have been locked up in Spain and France and even Mexico for a night once and HMP Highdown is the worst I have experienced. HMP Highdown is a dirty hellhole!

Editorial note: August 10th was World Lion Day. l West and Central African lions have been deemed ‘critically endangered’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). l The estimated African lion population was 250,000 in 1975. l The estimated number alive in Africa today is 30,000. l The amount of its habitat the African lion has lost in the past 50 years is 80% - largely a result of population growth - more than 300 million more people. l Five countries have lost their entire lion population since 2002. l 100 lions killed each year in Kenya.

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

Things people say page 11

..................................................... A PRISONER’S RELATIVE I am writing to you about the disgusting way prisoners are treated in HMP Albany. I have always believed that if you break the law then you get taken out of society as punishment. The prisoners there are being locked up in their cells more and more, even in the temperatures that we have been having lately, for example on a Friday they were allowed out of their cells till 19.30 and all of a sudden they are being locked up at 17.00, and there is no logical reason for this to happen. The food they are given is just about fit enough for a Primary School or it is barely edible. I also know that they are opening Rule 39 correspondence and that I can send an Email and the recipient does not receive said Email for days afterwards. I have known him to wait a week to receive my correspondence, which I think is despicable.

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We all share one thing in common...

........................................................................................................ STEPHEN WEST - HMP BURE Every month there seems to be at least one prisoner who writes to Inside Time and attempts to compare their own crime(s) and/or sentence length/conditions to that of another. Yet, like it or not, we all share one common element as a result of us committing a crime. Irrespective of what type of crime that may be, each one of us has created victims. A crime can be compared to a stone being thrown into a calm pond. The initial impact is felt on the person or persons we offended against. Yet, as these ripples spread they have the potential to hit and consume more and more people. None of our victims or those on the periphery asked for it, yet they are the consequences of our actions. Therefore, to say that one crime has less of a capacity to create victims to that of another, is - in my opinion - small-minded, but, above all, very callous towards your own offence and victim and their and our families, none of whom asked us to do what we did. Maybe this is naïve but I wish that those who choose to judge and cast negative aspersions towards others would look at their own crimes and the people they have hurt. We are all prisoners and we all have victims.

Asthma and no alarm

..................................................... MALCOLM HALFORD - HMP/YOI DONCASTER I am a young offender aged 19 and I have been here for 4 months. I have asthma and breathing problems but, luckily, I haven’t yet had any problems with breathing. But I would just like to point out the fact that here at Doncaster if I was to have an asthma attack the only thing I can do is to press the call button which makes no sound but lights up. Even when I press that button for a simple thing they never acknowledge it and there have been times when it has been more than an hour before a member of staff comes. I am reporting this for the safety of myself and any other prisoners, as if there was an emergency we would surely be dead before anyone answers the light. Surely they are not allowed to turn off or disable the actual alarm? Editorial note: This letter has been sent to NOMS for a response.

‘Mental health and addictions ignored’

..................................................... STEPHEN WOOLEY - HMP WYMOTT Older prisoners (I’m 53 and have had a double heart bypass) should have a wing of their own and should have life-threatening illness treated seriously and not ignored, as they are now in HMP Wymott. Mental health and addictions are ignored here as though they don’t exist. We older prisoners are paying for our crimes by losing our freedom, which we all accept, but to have our physical and mental health and serious illnesses ignored is pure cold sober abuse of our basic human rights. I and many others here have to suffer in silence whilst the daily battle for decent healthcare rages on, something should be done to restore our dignity.

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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.

Requests from all Jurisdictions Initial Hearings Bail Applications Remand / Review Hearings Full Hearings Appeals Judicial Reviews All Nationalities / Languages covered

Nick Hardwick, missing the point completely

..................................................... SIMON M - HMP NORTHUMBERLAND When I read the piece from Nick Hardwick, HMCIP, in the June issue of Inside Time I almost snorted my rice crispies as I read the part where he stated - ‘Let us know whether you think we’ve got it right’. I contacted Mr Hardwick when my old prison, HMP Wakefield, was inspected in July 2014. I asked for a copy of the draft report so, as a person pretty much on the coalface, as a prisoner, I could provide feedback on any obvious errors or omissions. I was politely rebuffed and told that there was no chance a prisoner would ever get to see the draft report! So much for ‘fighting the prisoners’ corner’. They did, however, provide the MoJ with a draft report, and no doubt incorporated much feedback from the governor. I was upset and angry when I received the final published report on HMP Wakefield only to discover it contained so many inaccuracies and missed the point entirely. Wakefield holds some 150 Category A prisoners and 600 Category B prisoners, yet only 4 Category A and 20 Category B prisoners get progressed per year! If you do the maths you will discover that it would take approximately 30 years to get recatagorised at Wakefield. This is a major failing by the prison and yet the inspectors had nothing to say about it. An obvious error in the final report, para 2.43, ‘The prison reported that 98.5% of complaints received a response within the required timescale.’ I would say that is not true, the actual figure being around 20%, if that. I cannot believe that experienced inspectors would swallow, unquestioningly, such obviously false statistics given to them by a

prison. A cursory check would have found that figure is pure fantasy. This gives me no confidence in these people. Perhaps HMCIP can find a way that prisoners can examine and comment on draft reports. This can only result in more accurate and focused final inspection reports. HER MAJESTY’S INSPECTORATE OF

PRISONS

NICK HARDWICK - HM CHIEF INSPECTOR OF PRISONS What prisoners tell us is at the heart of our inspection. Each inspection begins with a detailed survey of a random survey of prisoners - a survey sample that we select and administer - and includes discussion with groups and with many individual prisoners. Once we have completed the draft report we send it to NOMS and ask them to comment on any matters of factual accuracy. We received just two comments on the last Wakefield report to which Simon M refers; one on relationships with the local authority adult safeguarding board and one correcting a reference to the ‘prison health service, pointing out that health services in prison were run by the NHS. We cross check what prisoners tell us with what staff, governors and other visitors say, with records and written documents and by observing what is going on. We do not allow just one prisoner to claim to speak for all in our reports but seek to incorporate the widest possible cross section of prisoner views. It would not be possible to allow all prisoners to comment on the factual accuracy of a draft report - and I do not think we would get a consistent view if we did. What we do is discuss our emerging findings with prisoners as the inspection progresses and record the different views prisoners express to us.

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Mailbag

6

Creating an illusion of support

..................................................... AN EX-PRISONER - DETAILS WITHHELD Over 3 months of leaving prison - having served almost 7 years inside - and I am starting to appreciate why so many ex-prisoners end up returning to those dungeons of darkness. After being cut off from society for so long, you find much has changed. Employment prospects are practically made nonexistent by a criminal record. In turn, accommodation is severely limited and hampered even further by the lack of employment. Both aspects feed into each other. The ever-shrinking State safety network is being buffered by a plethora of organisations and companies who profess to offer support. They don’t. These profiteering entities offer nothing but the guise of assistance, which lead to no real opportunities. They create an illusion of support in the public’s eye, which can lead to some people wondering why reoffending is so high. And, in prison, even I laboured under the perception that there were various avenues of support available. What has happened thus far? 1. I was directed to reside in a ‘probation hostel’, which initially at least provided a place to live - albeit at a cost. Now it is just a pressure point, reminding me that I need to move on. 2. I search for employment, finding that recruitment agencies have almost entirely cornered the market. Not a single one is

interested in taking someone with a criminal record. Those few that profess to help those with records never even responded to my enquiries. 3. I then search for accommodation, swiftly finding that the waiting list for council housing is years long. Private is the only way to go - yet once again agencies have usurped a formerly open marketplace. None want people on benefits, least of all someone coming out of prison. And, of those two who proclaim to take those ‘on DSS’, one has not even responded and the other only accepts those on a higher rate of housing benefit which is practically impossible to get. 4. I seek the support of various charities, businesses and organisation that proclaim themselves to assist people like myself. A few respond - either saying that there are no opportunities presently available or that I don’t fit ‘the criteria’. Against this utter void of support is probation, whose primary concern is on setting up obstacles to moving forward. They require a person to find private accommodation by themselves, yet need to approve any relocation. Last time I found somewhere it took over a week to be checked, and I was reprimanded for putting a deposit down. The place slipped away at the last minute when the landlord decided she didn’t want a former prison inmate living in her property (one of 6 in the city). Then there’s the Job Centre, whose idea of support consists of bi-monthly sign in dates and a referral to a company that provides a mislabelled ‘work programme’ which doesn’t actually lead to any work.

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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. Overall, people seem less open, more judgmental, and generally uninterested. Opportunities that might have formerly existed are now shut. The population has risen and the pressure on services has escalated - but rather than being expanded they have been cut back. Social divisions are worse than before. Perhaps the most irrational aspect of this mad cocktail is a blanket prohibition on leaving the UK to get work (and accommodation). Opportunities exist overseas, but probation do not allow you to access them. Even though other European countries are

more progressive in how they supervise those on license, with European law directing that any restrictions on free movement should be proportionate and necessary. But all is not lost. Persistence, coupled with a viable business idea, could be the platform to a better future. Trapped within the UK’s shores, there’s gotta be a way to move forward. Where all others turn their backs, when all faith in you has been cast into darkness, your spirit within can still prevail. If you can trudge through the walls of shite that get built up around you, try to think of one thing: never give up.

‘Take responsibility for your own actions’

........................................................................................................ NIKKY WOODFIELD - HMP CHANNINGS WOOD I am writing in response to a letter you published in the July issue by Zeyad El-Kaissi, titled ‘Muslims discriminated against by the Courts’. Well, I am sick of hearing about people being discriminated against every time something doesn’t go their way! The law and the ‘political correctness police’ within our country pretty much ensure that racism or discrimination only comes from individuals, and not by institutions or organisations. You would clearly have a case to sue otherwise, which is why these people do their whining in Inside Time and not in a courtroom. Maybe you should look at your attitude towards your crime, the fact that you feel it is ‘not a bad crime’ says a lot about you. You stated that you claimed £130,000 from hardworking British taxpayers whilst you yourself were working and this isn’t pocket-change. If you had robbed a bank you would not have gotten anywhere near that amount but you would be looking at a double-figure sentence. With several thousand people like you committing the same crime we are all hit in the pocket as a result. You have cheated the system and brought heat onto the honest claimants who can barely survive on what they receive. So, no, the judge was not discriminating against you because of your race or religion, you committed a crime and you’re not even sorry, that’s why you go to prison.

Preventation is always better than cure however it seems even harder to apply the sentiment when you’re in prison. 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 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 repercussions far into the future which is why you need expert, experienced advice to secure the compensation which is due to YOU. 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. 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.

Call: 0161 925 4155 I Click: jefferies-solicitors.com I email: [email protected] write to us at: Jefferies Solicitors Limited I Ashley House I Ashley Road I Altrincham I Cheshire I WA14 2DW

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Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

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.

7

Too many deaths at HMP Exeter

..................................................... GARY NASH - HMP EXETER Someone needs to ask the question of what has gone so seriously wrong here at Exeter prison to make 5 people hang themselves in almost as many months. And we should be given an answer. If this was happening anywhere but in prison this would be classed as a very serious matter. That’s 5 families whose lives have been wrecked yet this jail goes about its disgusting daily business of treating us like animals, devalued by those who seem to look down their noses at us.

........................................................................................................ ANTHONY DAVID SIMPSON - HMP LEEDS Here at HMP Leeds we recently had the bizarre sight of Healthcare handing out NHS ‘5-a-day’ leaflets to prisoners when our daily menus often provide only 2 distinct portions of fruit and vegetables, perhaps 3 if you allow the dubious proposition that baked beans or mushy peas can be counted. Of course, ‘5-a-day’ can be achieved if choice is restricted to choosing the vegetarian option for both midday and evening meals. However, recognising few of us are, by choice, vegetarians the menus should be constructed to meet the ‘5-a-day’ recommendation regardless of choices made. This could easily be achieved by making 3 small changes; 1) Provide a carton of unsweetened fruit juice with the breakfast pack, which in most prisons is distributed with the evening meal, despite the fact that HMCIP dislike this as it leaves us with a fast of up to 18 hours for

those prisoners who eat the packs early. 2) Change the evening meal sweet choice from fruit, coffee or desert to one of fruit and coffee or fruit and desert. 3) Instead of providing only a vegetable accompaniment to the hot meal, make the available choice of vegetables, pulses and unsweetened fruit juice/ dried fruit allowing 2 from the 3. This would cater for those, like myself, who dislike the majority of vegetables. The response must not be that extra fruit and vegetables can be purchased by prisoners, we should not have to pay for our own health whilst being in the care of the government. There should be a group campaigning for a prison diet that meets NHS recommendations. It is clear that at HMP Leeds Healthcare does not communicate with the Catering Department.

Breakthrough Group at HMP Stafford

........................................................................................................ PHIL HARRISON - HMP STAFFORD I am the co-ordinator for the Breakthrough Group here at HMP Stafford. The group’s primary role is to support prisoners who identify as gay, bisexual or transgender. From its conception 5 years ago with just 3 members, it now boasts an average attendance of 50 prisoners at our monthly meetings. We are holding an event here to commemorate World AIDS Day on the 1st of December 2015 and I am extremely interested in hearing from other LGBT prisoners on their views and ideas for activities we could include in the event?

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Sadly, soon after, a 22 year old took his life, the 5th death since Christmas. I really hope that one day the prison system will take some responsibility for what they are presiding over as all who work for this monster should be accountable due to the nature of the horrible beast they voluntarily serve. And if any of you who are responsible for this murderous system are reading this then I hope you do feel some degree of responsibility for leaving a human being locked in his cell with nothing to relieve his mental anguish. You left him to suffer. There is something seriously and frighteningly wrong with this system and it should be rectified, and not just buried like those 5 poor men who died in the so-called care of HMP Exeter. Can you please ask the PPO what their stance is on these deaths as I cannot get any answer from them?

D AV I E S & J O N E S

The PPO carries out independent investigations into all deaths in prisons to understand what happened and identify any lessons that might help prisons avoid such deaths in future. At the time Mr Nash wrote, sadly, there had been four deaths at Exeter since Christmas 2014. They were not all by hanging as he suggests. Two were apparently self-inflicted and two were from natural causes. Subsequently there has been another death from natural cause. Exeter has a specialist facility for end of life care, which leads to a higher than expected number of deaths from natural causes, as prisoners transfer from elsewhere for the facilities it provides. In the cases where were we have completed investigations, we have generally found that Exeter provides good palliative care. As Mr Nash says, he wrote to us after one of the deaths complaining about staff behaviour at Exeter. We found that Mr Nash had submitted some complaints at Exeter about his treatment, and had received replies from prison staff, but that he had never completed the second stage of the internal complaints process. We, therefore, explained to him that our Terms of Reference did not allow us to investigate his complaint until he had completed the prison’s internal complaints process. However, we did not ignore Mr Nash’s concerns. The PPO Investigator who was investigating the death at Exeter contacted Mr Nash directly to give him the opportunity to share any information he might have with us. Mr Nash did not know the man who had died and had no information that was relevant to the investigation.

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4

A healthy diet for prisoners?

I wrote to the Ombudsman after the 4th death because the complaint I made to the prison about it was obviously binned. My complaint involved assaults by staff and highlighted the general staff intimidation. The complaint was signed by a dozen prisoners and sent to the Ombudsman.

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4

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8

Mailbag

Forced detox?

Information suppressed

I am being told that I have to detox off Subutex because it is national policy to take all current inmates who are on opiate substitute medication off their prescriptions regardless of circumstances. Also, all inmates have to detox because maintenance prescriptions are no longer offered in the community, therefore, in line with the outside community prisons also need to do the same.

I would like to thank the Prison Reform Trust for sending me a copy of the new ‘Release on Temporary Licence PSI 13/2015’. Here at HMP Humber the governor and OMU team have been suppressing the document since its publication on the 23-3-2015, so that prisoners of high risk status cannot see the information they need to challenge Cat D refusals on the grounds of being ‘high risk’. The powers here feel that this document does not apply to HMP Humber OMU department, who have their own rules. In the words of the new OMU Manager (stated at a prisoners rep meeting) - ‘I am not risking my job giving Category D to prisoners who are high risk or have outstanding POCA’. This is the dictatorship we are living under here. But the essential paragraph in the PSI (the front page!) states its purpose, and I quote - ‘Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) is the mechanism by which offenders may undertake activities in the community that are necessary and/or which cannot be facilitated within a prison’.

........................................................................................................ PAUL WHITTAKER - HMP DARTMOOR

I am confused because I took it upon myself to contact the outside Probation Service and drug support agencies who have all told me that I can still get support for my addiction from the NHS and appropriate agencies should I request a maintenance prescription of Subutex, is this true? Also, can I get some advice or clarification on whether or not it is national prison policy to detox all inmates off their opiate substitute medication regardless of their circumstances? Because I am led to believe that all people are entitled to the same medical treatment in prison as they are on the outside? Document PSI 45/2010 - Integrated Drug Treatment Service, states repeatedly that a maintenance prescription of opiate substitute medication is an option that IDTS treatment should be delivered in line with its community based counterpart. Failure to follow this rule contravenes Article 3 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as inhuman and degrading treatment.

No safety on G4S transport

..................................................... GORDON BENZIE - HMP BOWHOUSE On Friday 10th of July I was due in court and was placed on a G4S prison van. The seatbelt in my cubicle was broken and not fit for purpose. I called out to the two guards and informed them that my seatbelt was broken but they simply turned the radio up to a higher volume in order to drown me out. This was dangerous and unprofessional. Are these privatised prison transports ever inspected for safety? And, are the staff who work on them given ANY training at all?

SCC

Insidetime September 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.

STERLING COURT CHAMBERS

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

‘Duff advice’ by solicitor - be warned! ........................................................................................................ DEAN MORRIS - HMP LEWES I got 3 years for a Section 20 GBH when I was told by my solicitor to go not guilty right from the start. Yet when the case finally reached Crown Court he told me I had no choice but to plead guilty. If I had said guilty from the start, as I wanted to, I would have been entitled to one-third off my sentence. I have since met 6 other inmates who have had the same experience, being advised by a solicitor to go not guilty at the start and then guilty when the case comes up. The reality is that the longer a solicitor can drag a case out the more money he earns. A quick guilty earns a solicitor very little so they are giving duff advice in order to line their own pockets. If you are on remand, beware of this!

..................................................... JON WALDRON - HMP HUMBER

A high risk prisoner cannot reduce his/her risk unless in open conditions! So, inmates cannot access vital rehabilitation or resettlement needs because this prison wants to keep us high risk in case someone relapses and the head of OMU loses her job! This not only fails the prisoners but also their families, MoJ, Courts, communities and society at large due to the selfish act of job protection not public protection. This is why the Chief Inspector of Prisons stated on the news yesterday ‘There is no rehabilitation in prisons’. In my view, HMP Humber is contributing to reoffending rates.

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Insidetime September 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.

Sentence Plans are like unicorns

..................................................... HANS CRUMP - HMP LITTLEHEY © Fotolia.com

‘Book Rooms are meaningless’

..................................................... JASON SMITH - HMYOI DEERBOLT Re; Month by Month (August issue) how can Rachel Billington say that ‘the library is important but not the books’? Yes, a library can be multipurpose, but without the books it then becomes just another building for meetings. As for not having books in any form or order - that’s a joke, right? If you walk into a library looking for a certain book or author and there is no system in place then where do you start? I love to read and reading has kept me sane in prison. I also have a friend who wasn’t a good reader but because of the library he was able to build and develop his reading skills and is now an accomplished reader. If we did not have libraries we would not have a place to go when we need to look up information. The library is a great resource with an abundance of information. ‘Book Rooms’ are meaningless, and should only be used as a satellite of the library, not a replacement. Support libraries not book rooms.

Rachel Billington

Writes

I’m sorry Jason Smith misunderstood my intention in welcoming Book Rooms. I actually wrote ‘Libraries are all important in prison’. I assumed everyone understands that books are their primary purpose and added the list of events held there merely as a further reason for their existence. Of course Book Rooms are ‘satellites’. I couldn’t agree more. In an ideal world, they would not be necessary and libraries would be open and available every hour of the day. But in the present circumstances, Book Rooms are a useful additional resource. They should never ever supplant libraries. Indeed I’ve suggested that details about how to access the library should be pinned to their walls.

I would like to respond to the mailbag from Robert Gray - HMP Highdown (July issue) titled ‘A system to work with, not against prisoners’. Prior to coming to prison I too was under the delusion that prison establishments were run like clockwork, with well-oiled procedures and paperwork. I’m afraid Sentence Plans, in particular, seem to be often talked about but rarely seen - they seem to be the unicorns of the prison system. I was sentenced to 2 years, 8 months in August 2014 and I have still not received a Sentence Plan even though I am over halfway through my sentence. Having had discussions with both my Offending Manager in the Probation Service and my Offender Supervisor here, I get the impression they don’t agree on my plan! OMU have verbally informed me that I am too low risk to undertake any of the offending behaviour courses on offer. I have a paper trail of app receipts showing I was willing to do the courses and volunteered to do them even if I was not eligible (though I’ve been told that this is not possible). This, of course, means that I can’t reduce my risk, which seems to be the essential requirement for getting reviewed down to Cat D, leading to open conditions - even though I am already ‘low risk’. For me I have found it helpful to develop a fairly relaxed attitude to all this. And with the right motivation/determination for self-improvement a Sentence Plan is not essential to turn my life around, make personal progress and address my past mistakes. Everyone’s journey is different, but I’ve actually come to be grateful for the time and space to re-evaluate and nurture the neglected creative and spiritual side of myself. Personally I’ve achieved this by doing all the interesting education courses I could - even though they are only Levels 1 & 2 and technically ‘below’ my level of having a degree. It has helped re-engage my brain to different areas and new thinking. I have also undertaken a distance learning course. Finally I have found studying mindfulness and joining meditation/ Buddhist meetings really helped me see where I had gone wrong in my thinking and behaviour, which led to me losing a good job and marriage in the process. Good luck in your journey and I hope you find peace and calm.

Mailbag

9

‘Here’s an insight for you, Mr Green’

........................................................................................................ HOLLIE ROBINSON - HMP STYAL I would like to respond to the mailbag from Phil Green at HMP Hull (July issue) titled ‘Why pander to some addictions and not others?’ I’m not a person who particularly cares what anyone else is in prison for, but when someone is clearly guilty, because he refers to his crime of cocaine importation as ‘bringing joy and happiness to the UK’ and then ignorantly refers to ‘most murderers’ getting less than 15 years, I must speak up. Here’s an insight for you, Mr Green. I was sentenced to life under joint enterprise, along with 3 others. The primary offender, aged 20, got a 22 year tariff. My sister, who was 19, was a secondary party but also got a 22 year tariff. My boyfriend, 20 years old and also a secondary party, got a 20 year tariff. I was 16 and also a secondary party and I got an 18 year tariff. All of the secondary parties in the case, including me, are maintaining their innocence and have done since arrest. I also know many people in prison for joint enterprise and all are serving more than a 15 year tariff. And on Mr Green’s main point, the difference between alcoholics and drug users is this - the Prison Service prefer to keep regular drug users on methadone because upon their release they know they will once again use drugs, whether it be crack or heroin. If drug users lower their tolerance they can easily overdose and die when they use on release. Before the intervention of maintenance scripts in prison, many drug users were found dead within hours of leaving prison. There is also medication supplied in prison that stabilises alcoholics when they arrive. Oh, and by the way, if there was a ‘conspiracy’ to keep prison staff, solicitors, barristers and judges in full employment then it is certainly failing somewhere or how else would they be able to cut legal aid. You should know your facts before making sweeping statements.

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10

Newsround

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

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 Wandsworth. This extract is taken from the most recent Report published by HM Inspectorate of Prisons. self-inflicted. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman had published his report into one of these deaths but the recommendations it contained were not yet fully embedded in practice. Inspectors were notified of two further deaths as this report was being prepared: one was self-inflicted and the other an apparent homicide.

HMP Wandsworth

Cat B local male prison with a Cat C resettlement unit Managed by HMPS CNA: 963 Population: 1,658 (Feb 2015) Unannounced Full Inspection: 23 February - 6 March 2015 Published: 29th July 2015 Last inspection: June 2013

‘Deterioration due to staff shortages and overcrowding’

8% Recall 37.3% Foreign Nationals 12% Aged over 50 25% Lost property on arrival 56% Treated well in Reception 40% Had legal letters opened 51% Food is bad or very bad 37% Don’t know who IMB are 59% Treated with respect by staff 47% Number who have felt unsafe 35% Victimised by staff 63% Difficult to see dentist 28% Easy to get drugs 41% Not engaged in any purposeful activities 61% Less than 4 hours out of cell Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons says that ‘overcrowding and severe staff shortages mean that almost every service at HMP Wandsworth is insufficient to meet the needs of the prison population.’ He said; ‘HMP Wandsworth is a Victorian category B prison with a category C resettlement unit. It was unacceptably overcrowded. It held 1,630 adult men, more than any other in the UK, and almost 70% more than its certified normal accommodation of 963. The population had grown and changed since the prison’s last inspection in 2013. The prison had been designated a foreign national prisoner hub and held over 700 foreign nationals. The category B prisoners were typical of inner city local prisons, with a high incidence of mental health and substance abuse problems. Category C prisoners had needed work, education and training opportunities. Severe staffing shortages compromised the prison’s ability to meet the needs of either group. Since the last inspection, staffing levels had been reduced by about 100 across all grades. This was compounded by difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff.’ Ten prisoners had died in the two years since the last inspection. Four of the deaths were

Most prisoners were doubled up in small cells designed for one, with an unscreened, shared toilet close to the beds. Prisoners struggled to obtain sufficient clothing, bedding and cleaning materials. Call bells went unanswered for long periods. The application process which prisoners used to make simple requests was ineffective. The third of prisoners who were unemployed - more than 500 men usually spent 23 hours a day locked in their cells, and the frequent curtailment of activities meant that many more were frequently confined to their cells for most of the day. Daily exercise periods might be as little as 15 minutes and staff shortages meant that association periods were restricted and inconsistent so prisoners were unable to use the phones or showers. Prisoners told Inspectors, and they observed, that landings were unstaffed for long periods and this created potential for violence to take place unnoticed and unchallenged. Health services had deteriorated since the last inspection mainly because of staff shortages. The quality of nursing care by some nurses was poor. Medicine management was also weak. The regime in the Jones unit - the inpatient unit for patients with physical health needs - was very poor. Inspectors said; ‘There were insufficient activity places for the population and attendance at those available was poor. Under A4e, the previous learning and skills provider, the leadership of learning and skills and the quality of provision had declined considerably. Manchester College, the new provider, was beginning to address this as the inspection was underway but the provision should not have been allowed to deteriorate in this way. Ofsted, our partner inspectorate, declared the provision inadequate … It was a great concern that no extra activity places had been provided for the 350 category C prisoners who had been taken on when the Trinity unit opened in 2014 … The library and gyms were good, but too few prisoners could access them even when staffing shortages did not mean they were closed.’ ‘Offender management was in disarray, with severe staff shortages and disorganisation creating a backlog of risk assessments, inconsistent quality, and weaknesses in public protection arrangements. Throughout the inspection we were inundated by prisoners with concerns about delays to the categorisation process, without which they could not

progress their sentences. Their concerns were justified: out of 847 prisoners who should have had a security category set, only 531 had been completed.’

prisoners were inadequately met. There was not enough space for all prisoners who wanted to attend religious services to do so and there were insufficient activity places. Some essential processes that enabled prisoners to progress and reduce the risk they would reoffend had long backlogs, and procedures to protect the public were not sufficiently robust. Anxious family members could not get an answer from the visits booking service.’

Visits are very important for prisoners and their families. 700 prisoners at Wandsworth had children under 18 yet Inspectors report: ‘The visits booking system was in disarray, and prisoners and visitors said that they had considerable difficulty in booking visits. There was a backlog of over 1,000 emails to the visits bookings team and yet there were still vacancies for visits during the inspection and for the following weekend.’

Recently published HMCIP Reports Belmarsh - May 2015, Brinsford - July 2015, Bristol - February 2015, Brixton - March 2015, Deerbolt - May 2015, Dovegate (Training Prison) - May 2015, Dungavel IRC - July 201522, Foston Hall - February 2015, Guys Marsh - March 2015, Highdown - June 2015, Hull - March 2015, Kirklevington Grange - June 2015, Littlehey - July 2015, Long Lartin - March 2015, Low Newton - March 2015, Manchester - May 2015, Nottingham - February 2015, Oakwood - February 2015, Pentonville - June 2015, Stoke Heath - August 2015, Styal - March 2014, Swansea - February 2015, The Mount - August 2015, Wandsworth - July 2015, Wetherby - June 2015, Wetherby - Keppel Unit - August 2015, , Copies of the most recent report for your prison are available in the library.

In summing up the report Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons said; ‘Overcrowding and severe staff shortages had led to deteriorating outcomes at HMP Wandsworth. It was not simply a matter of prisoners spending practically all day confined in shared cells the Victorians had designed for one - unacceptable though that was. Overcrowding, combined with severe staff shortages, meant that almost every service was insufficient to meet the needs of the population. There were not enough staff on the wings to engage with prisoners; sometimes they were absent altogether. Essential safety processes were inconsistently applied. The needs of foreign national

Midlands & South: 0121 North: 0114

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Newsround

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

Record number of prisoners killed

11

The things people say…

The number of incidents of murder and manslaughter in prisons in England and Wales last year reached the highest level since records began 36 years ago.

7

Prisoners killed in the year to the end of June

16,885

Barack Obama on prison reform

Speaking at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) convention in Philadelphia July 14, 2015 I want to focus on one aspect of American life that remains particularly skewed by race and by wealth, a source of inequity that has ripple effects on families and on communities and ultimately on our nation - and that is our criminal justice system.   Let’s look at the statistics:  The United States is home to 5 percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. Think about that.   Our incarceration rate is four times higher than China’s.   We keep more people behind bars than the top 35 European countries combined. It hasn’t always been the case. In 1980, there were 500,000 people behind bars. Today there are 2.2 million. It has quadrupled since 1980.  Our prison population has doubled in the last two decades alone.  Over the last few decades, we’ve also locked up more and more nonviolent drug offenders than ever before, for longer than ever before. And that is the real reason our prison population is so high. In far too many cases, the punishment simply does not fit the crime. If you’re a low-level drug dealer, or you violate your parole, you owe some debt to society. You have to be held accountable and make amends. But you don’t owe 20 years. You don’t owe a life sentence. That’s disproportionate to the price that should be paid. And by the way, the taxpayers are picking up the tab for that price. Every year, we spend $80 billion to keep folks incarcerated. Now, just to put that in perspective, for $80 billion, we could have universal preschool for every 3 year-old and 4 year-old in America. For $80 billion, we could double the salary of every high school teacher in America. For $80 billion, we could finance new roads and new bridges and new airports, job training programs, research and development. It’s a lot of money. For what we spend to keep everyone locked up for one year, we could eliminate tuition at every single one of our public colleges and universities. Roughly one-third of the Justice Department’s budget now goes toward incarceration. But every dollar they have to spend keeping nonviolent drug offenders in prison is a dollar they can’t spend going after drug kingpins, or tracking down terrorists, or hiring more police and giving them the resources that would allow them to do a more effective job community policing. 

African Americans and Latinos make up 30% of our population; they make up 60% of our inmates. About one in every 35 African American men, one in every 88 Latino men is serving time right now.   Among white men, that number is one in 214.  So I want to begin with the community because I believe crime is like any other epidemic - the best time to stop it is before it even starts. If we make investments early in our children, we will reduce the need to incarcerate those kids.   Also I’ve asked my Attorney General to start a review of the overuse of solitary confinement across American prisons. The social science shows that an environment like that is often more likely to make inmates more alienated, more hostile, potentially more violent. Do we really think it makes sense to lock so many people alone in tiny cells for 23 hours a day, sometimes for months or even years at a time? That is not going to make us safer. That’s not going to make us stronger. And if those individuals are ultimately released, how are they ever going to adapt?  It’s not smart. Our prisons should be a place where we can train people for skills that can help them find a job, not train them to become more hardened criminals. Let’s reward prisoners with reduced sentences if they complete programs that make them less likely to commit a repeat offense. Let’s invest in innovative new approaches to link former prisoners with employers and help them stay on track.  Let’s follow the growing number of our states and cities and private companies who have decided to “Ban the Box” on job applications, so that former prisoners who have done their time and are now trying to get straight with society have a decent shot in a job interview. And if folks have served their time, and they’ve reentered society, they should be able to vote. Any system that allows us to turn a blind eye to hopelessness and despair, that’s not a justice system, it is an injustice system. What the marchers on Washington knew, what the marchers in Selma knew, is that justice is not only the absence of oppression, it is the presence of opportunity.

Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organisation

Assaults in the year to the end of March

3,372

Assaults on staff

27,315

Incidents of self-harm

Michael Gove, Justice Secretary said ‘Our prison estate is out of date, overcrowded and in far too many cases insanitary and inadequate’. He added ‘This is compounded by a prison population consisting of more serious prisoners than in the past, and the greater availability of new psychoactive substances which cause violent and psychotic behaviour’.

‘Cecil the lion was yours and you failed to protect him’ Robert Mugabe (91) President of Zimbabwe using the death of the much loved lion at the hands of an American dentist to criticise his country’s citizens for not working to preserve natural resources from ‘Western vandals’. Mugabe has been President of Zimbabwe for more than a quarter of a century certainly long enough to do something about the lucrative hunting trips organised by Zimbabwe for rich Westerners. Walter Palmer, the US dentist paid £35,000 to hunt Cecil the lion. At Mugabe’s ‘obscene’ 91st Birthday Party, he and his estimated 20,000 guests were fed a young elephant and two buffaloes. A local landowner also donated a lion and a crocodile to be killed and stuffed as an extra gift for Mugabe.

More released than deported at Yarl’s Wood More than double the number of migrants removed from the UK after being detained at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre were released into the community, according to an inspection report. Almost 900 women were released during a six-month period in which 443 women were removed back to their home countries. Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons, said he was particularly concerned about the length of time the female migrants were being held at Yarl’s Wood without a clear reason. And now Sasha Barton, a partner of the Human Rights law firm Hodge, Jones and Allen, has warned the situation was similar at other privately run detention centres. Ms Barton called on ministers to take much greater responsibility for what was happening in their name. “We have seen physical violence from staff, gross failures in medical care, shambolic record keeping, limited understanding of mental health issues and poor communication between staff, often leading to devastating consequences such as preventable deaths” she wrote. “We believe that the impact of the devolution of such public duties to private companies – whose primary duty is to other shareholders and who lack a culture of public service, needs to be urgently assessed.”

12

Newsround

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

IMB reports:

The things people say…

n The Independent Monitoring Board at HMP-YOI Portland have produced a damning report of the prison in which they say it is plagued with ‘Legal Highs’ which has led to a criminal network and targeting of prisoners’ families. They say the drugs have led to trading, debt, bullying, violence and unpredictable behaviour which the cannabis substitute causes. The IMB say they have serious safety concerns because it can ‘incline prisoners to be aggressive, uncontrolled, peculiarly strong and difficult to subdue.’ Because, during the reporting period the ‘Legal Highs’ were not, by definition, illegal, the police were unwilling to assist. Governor James Lucas said that now the prison also took adults and as a consequence the drug culture came with them.

Serco problems in Eden “Fight clubs. Illicit drug use. Lockdowns. An organisation out of control.” These are just some of the allegations made about Serco-operated Mount Eden Prison in New Zealand. (John O’Connor writes). The Government has fined Serco NZ$500,000 in penalties for failing to maintain terms of its contract. The privately-run prison hit local media headlines after revelations of fight clubs, under-staffing, and inmates with drugs and home-made alcohol surfaced with shocking footage filmed on contraband cellphones. A Government management team has taken overall charge of the running of the prison while reviewing Serco’s contract. The decision was made after invoking the ‘step in’ clause in Serco’s contract. Responding to this decision, a leading media commentator said: “It is totemic in the debate on whether the outsourcing of public sector services to private entities is something we can trust.”

.....................................................

n The latest IMB report on HMP/YOI Rochester, in Kent, has been dominated by the ongoing effect of Ministerial decisions to reduce staff numbers and the result of this change has led to ‘harmful effects’ throughout the establishment. The changes have led to low morale amongst both staff and prisoners alike. Staff shortages have continued to impact on the prison and have forced the establishment to put in place a restricted regime. The prison has had to cut back on the rehabilitative aspects of the regime and education, work, training, P.E and external health appointments are regularly cancelled. Overall, the IMB says prisoners at the jail are spending more and more time locked in cells. They state that ‘…(rehabilitation) continues to be put aside in favour of shortterm financial gains’. The Board say that Rochester is still generally a safe and decent environment for prisoners, but more has to be done.

“It is time to come out fighting” Former Olympic champion, Sebastian Coe dismissing the latest doping scandal made by The Sunday Times. He said ‘the allegations were a declaration of war on athletes’. The leaked blood doping database contains more than 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 athletes. It also reveals that a third of medals, including 55 Gold, have been won in endurance events at the Olympics and World Championships by athletes who have recorded suspicious tests, yet the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has failed to take away any of the medals. It has now been further revealed that the IAAF - the governing body of athletics has suppressed a damning survey, for the past four years, that reveals a third of the world’s top competitors admitted cheating by using banned performanceenhancing techniques. Late News: Lord Coe was appointed President of the IAAF on Wednesday 19th August, before the World Championships in Beijing. In his acceptance speech he pledged to beat the drugs cheats, but also come to the defence of the IAAFs record in the fight on doping.

DOES THE TAXMAN OWE YOU MONEY? IF YOU ENTERED PRISON AFTER 6 APRIL 2011 AND PAID TAX YOU MAY BE DUE A REFUND.

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Prison number Your full name including middle name Your date of birth National insurance number Employment history Contact address/number on the outside

Please advise if you change Prisons after responding.

The Tax Academy™ is a Social Enterprise created by Paul Retout , a Tax Specialist to help Prisoners with their tax affairs in Prison and on the outside. He was recently profiled in ‘ The Times’ – ‘ Tax Rebates for Cellmates’ having run tax seminars for inmates in HMP Wandsworth.

David Gilmour with Pink Floyd for the 2007 London Live8 concert

Pink Floyd’s Gilmour records prison choir Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour has recorded a new single featuring a choir made up of former prisoners from the prison where his son Charlie served a sentence in 2011. Gilmour recorded ‘Rattle that Lock’ with the Liberty Choir, a project that includes former prisoners from Wandsworth in South London. He will help fund an expansion of the project in other prison establishments.

Newsround

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

13

August 4th 2015

NEWS IN BRIEF

A senior police officer stood outside the gates of the home in Salisbury of the late Sir Edward Heath - the Conservative Prime Minister from 1970 - 1974. The police officer appealed for ‘victims who support the allegations of child sex abuse’. He was not disappointed: in two days allegations ‘poured in’, as they often do, after the ‘blame and claim’; culture took root in Britain. One commentator who had worked for Edward Heath for over 25 years said: ‘When you visited him you were greeted by a policeman carrying a gun. When you walked in his garden you were greeted by another policeman with a gun. When you went to a restaurant the man with the gun came too.’ Phrases such as sexual abuse have become so toxic that in the public mind truth or proof has become largely irrelevant. Any mention of them is enough to deliver a verdict and a sentence all at once - best illustrated when the police call for victims not complainants.

In response to the migration crisis in Calais, David Cameron sends a sniffer dog.

Amnesty votes for legal prostitution Human rights group Amnesty International has voted to support the decriminalisation of prostitution at their biennial International Council Meeting. Amnesty argues that criminalisation can push the trade underground and lead to greater abuses. It said its policy was based on consultation with a broad range of groups including sex workers and anti-trafficking groups. Amnesty International now joins a host of other groups in their support for decriminalisation, including the World Health Organisation, the United Nations AIDS programme UNAIDS, and leading medical journal The Lancet.

Sex offenders crowding prisons One in eight of the sentenced prison population is now a sex offender after a record number of convictions for sex offences in the past year. The MOJ report also disclosed the extent to which rehabilitation of prisoners was failing. For the first time since records began a decade ago, more than half of all the people sent to prison for serious offences in the year to March had 15 or more previous convictions or cautions, up from a third a decade ago.

Chris Sims, the West Midlands Chief Constable, warned last month that budget cuts would mean ‘fewer bobbies on the street’. How reassuring that two West Midlands police officers could be spared to patrol the sun-kissed streets of Magaluf to confront drunk, grunting British teenagers. It seems that the only thing police officers Brett and Martina found was the beach. And, of course, the bar. PC Martina was forced to delete a Facebook post in which she boasted she was ‘sozzled’.

The general shopper at Poundland is reported to spend an average of £4.72. August 6th 2015

Police have been refusing to investigate attempted burglaries if the victims live in a house with an odd number - a bizarre experiment aimed at saving money. Leicestershire Police trialled the scheme to assess the effectiveness of sending forensic officers to a crime scene and found it had no impact on the number of incidents or victim satisfaction. If the victim reported blood at the scene or if a suspect had been arrested officers had to attend regardless of the door number. Forensic officers also had to attend any scene involving a vulnerable victim or believed to be part of a series of crimes. Last week Chief Constable Thornton said forces needed to shift their focus away from ‘traditional’ crimes and admitted that officers might not call round for offences such as break-ins. Lee Marlow on Twitter suggested: ‘Maybe they should trial giving a council tax rebate - and an apology - to all those living in odd nos’.

GPs should be able to prescribe e-cigarettes on the NHS, government health officials say, in light of a review showing that ‘vaping’ is 95 per cent less harmful than smoking traditional tobacco. Public Health England (PHE) said the gadgets do not carry the same risks as regular cigarettes, and that 76,000 of the 80,000 deaths caused by smoking every year could be stopped if smokers converted to ecigarettes.

14

Newsround

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

© Fotolia

© Fotolia

© Fotolia

1 in 6

44%

670,000

People aged 80 and over have dementia.

Percentage of dementia sufferers who receive a diagnosis - the rest don’t.

Number of people who care for someone with dementia.

© Fotolia

© Fotolia

© Fotolia

Dementia is being diagnosed in people a decade earlier than it was 20 years ago, prompting experts to warn that the world is facing a ‘silent epidemic’ Source: Alzheimer’s Society

Two Thirds Two Thirds £11 Billion

Of sufferers are women.

Live in the community.

The amount family carers save the country each year.

© Fotolia

© Fotolia

© Fotolia

80%

60,000

£26 Billion

Percentage of people in care homes who have a form of dementia.

Deaths a year from dementia.

The annual cost to the country.

© Fotolia

1 Million British people suffering from dementia by 2025.

rmnj solicitors

Recalled? ... let us fight for your freedom Give our experienced Prison Law Team a call on 0151 200 4071 - we can help you. Email: [email protected] Web: www.rmnj.co.uk 63 Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, Wirral CH41 5JF

Newsround

Prime minister urges action to tackle rise in obesity during primary school years

Obesity rates higher among London school children than anywhere in UK Childhood obesity rates are higher in London than the rest of the country with one in five children classed as very overweight by the time they leave primary school, figures showed recently. In eight London boroughs, including Southwark and Westminster, more than a quarter of 11-year-olds are considered obese, while one in ten five-year-olds across the capital are seriously overweight. Medical evidence shows that obese children are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes in later life. Labour mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan, who compiled the figures, set out plans to prevent new fast food outlets opening within 400 metres of schools. If elected, he would use City Hall’s “planning bible” the London Plan to support local authorities bringing in tighter controls on opening junk food shops. There are over 8,000 fast food outlets in London, many close to schools, and the number is thought to be increasing by 10 per cent every year.

135 diabetes amputations every week: Obesity blamed for 17% rise in operations l Now an estimated 3.9million adults with diabetes in the country. l Figures show 7,041 amputations carried out a year due to condition. l Diabetes UK says 80 per cent of operations could be avoided. l Claim many doctors miss early signs of problems in the feet and hands. l More than 135 patients undergo an amputation every week due to diabetes,

figures show.

l The number has increased by 17 per cent in the last five years alone.

Prime Minister David Cameron has asked the Department of Health and Department of Education, along with TV-chef Jamie Oliver, to look at what can be done to prevent the rise in obesity during primary school, saying “It’s a fact that 10% of children go into primary school obese but 20% are coming out of primary school obese and so it’s this primary school period where we really need to do better”.

© Fotolia.com

Food industry associations sue government over soda warning labels The American Beverage Association, The California Retailers Association and California State Outdoor Advertising Association are suing the San Francisco city authorities over proposals to put mandatory healthwarnings on advertising for sugar-sweetened nonalcoholic beverages with caloric sweeteners that contain more than 25 calories. The warning will read: “WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco.” The soda makers say the rules are “suppressing private speech” and fail to acknowledge that soft drinks can, according to dietary guidelines, be consumed as part of a healthy diet.

World Obesity Day The first World Obesity Day is to be held on 11th October 2015. The World Obesity Federation will be using the day to raise awareness and stimulate action on obesity-related issues around the world. You can get involved by organising a World Obesity Day event, for more information visit: www.worldobesity.org

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15

Junk food at the checkout encourages excess consumption The presence of junk food at checkout aisles, in both supermarkets and non-food stores, induces unplanned purchases and excess calorie consumption that undermine consumers’ health, according to a new report by the Amercian non profit organisation, Centre for Science in the Public Interest. Placing junk food at checkout is a powerful form of marketing for which food manufacturers pay retailers handsomely, according to the report. In addition, putting candy at children’s eye level creates unhealthy norms for snacks and incites conflict with parents. Adults also are susceptible to impulse buys, as decision fatigue results after choosing among the 30,000 to 50,000 items in the average supermarket, according to CSPI. About $5.5 billion of foods, drinks, and other products are sold from checkout aisles at supermarkets alone. The majority of foods and beverages at checkout are candy, gum, energy bars, chips, cookies, soda, and other sugary drinks, according to research done by CSPI and others. Another survey found that shoppers who bought candy and soda at checkout are often the same people who deliberately avoid such products elsewhere in the store.

pa Se ge e 39

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

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.

16

Newsround

m Do you know...? l London is the most googled city in the world when it comes to art galleries, performing arts and innovative design. The capital’s theatres also generate more searches than those in any other city, research by Google showed. The research also revealed that for international searches, the Science Museum in London ranks on average as the most googled museum in the world. The Natural History Museum comes second and third is the British Museum. l Eating spicy food has been linked to living a longer life. A study analysed the food habits and health details of nearly half a million Chinese people. It found those who ate spicy food six or seven days a week had a 14% reduced risk of dying compared with people who ate it less than once a week. Eating spicy food was also associated with a lower risk of death from cancer, heart diseases and respiratory illnesses. l Smartphones have overtaken laptops as the most popular device for getting online, in what is described as a “landmark moment” by Ofcom. Britons are spending an hour and 54 minutes accessing the Internet on their mobiles every day compared to just an hour and nine minutes on PCs. This has been attributed to the rising popularity of high-speed 4G. l Manchester United and England football captain Wayne Rooney has signed up as the NSPCC’s first ambassador for childhood. The striker, a father of two boys, will help the charity fight abuse of children by promoting its campaigns and services, especially those supporting other fathers. The charity hopes Rooney’s support will encourage more boys to speak out about abuse or if they are struggling with bullying or to cope with depression.

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

l Nepal is one of only two places in the world that has a quarter hourly time zone, the other being the Chatham Islands. The odd time difference between Nepal and India has resulted in a national joke that Nepalis are always 15 minutes late (or, Indians are 15 minutes early). l Britain produces about 14bn litres of milk each year, and shoppers buy about 5.2 billion litres of liquid milk each year. All in all, we buy enough dairy products every year to fill nearly 4,500 Olympic-size swimming pools. l The UK’s legal aid budget is about £2 billion annually, compared with France’s £290 million and Germany’s £272 million, according to the Council of Europe. l British families pay almost three-quarters of a million pounds each in tax over the course of a lifetime. The £734,240 - in 2013/14 prices - totted up by the average household over 40 years in work and 15 years of retirement includes £253,040 of income tax, £146,775 in VAT, £92,795 in National Insurance contributions and £59,955 in council tax, as well as many other levies. l The British Army has been scaled down by more than 20,000, three years ahead of target. Latest Ministry of Defence figures, outlined in the department’s monthly personnel report, show there are 81,700 full-time trained servicemen and women in the Army as of June this year, falling from 102,260 in 2010. l Beijing was selected to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming the first city awarded both the winter and summer games. Beijing narrowly defeated Almaty, Kazakhstan, in a vote of the International Olympic Committee. The vote was surprisingly close: 44-40.

l A London apartment has gone on sale for £75m. The five-bed flat in London’s One Hyde Park is thought to be the most expensive flat to go up for sale on the open market. l The new owner of the most expensive house bought in Britain this year faces a bill of £10.7million… for stamp duty. The mansion in London’s Mayfair was sold for £90million after a major makeover. It has a ballroom for 200 guests and a separate mews home for servants. l In 2013, Welshman James Howells threw out his old computer hard drive - forgetting it had 7,500 bitcoins on it, worth about £4.6 million. He searched local landfill sites for the hard drive without success. l Chris Froome became the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France twice, with a performance so powerful it sparked allegations of doping in the French press. There were a record ten Britons in the Tour this year, with Geraint Thomas of Wales the next-highest placed at 15th. Froome last won the world-famous race in 2013. l American Barry Nelson was the first actor to play the character James Bond, appearing in the 1954 TV version of Casino Royale. The first Bond film, Dr. No, starring Sean Connery wasn’t made until 1962. l A Facebook study suggests that people are choosing to use “haha” and emojis over “LOL” to express laughter. The research claims more than half (51.4%) opt for “haha”, while just 1.9% are LOLers, although it didn’t look at direct messages. LOL was added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in 2011, but the origin of the phrase can be traced back to the 1980s.

Quote of the Month

Shaffy translating for David Cameron in 2011

What a shoddy reward for Britain Colonel Tim Collins, The Daily Telegraph 15th August 2015 Britain should be ashamed of itself. On the one hand, we appear unable, or unwilling, to expel Jihadi preachers who foment hatred for this country. On the other hand, we’re refusing sanctuary to people who have this country’s interests at heart and have served us loyally. One of those people is an Afghan translator known to the British forces in some of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan (including working as a translator for David Cameron in 2011). He did so in the belief that Britain would look out for him in the future. Yet now that Shaffy is facing credible death threats from the Taliban, Britain is refusing him asylum. The Government has decreed that only Afghans who served the UK forces on or after 1 January 2013 should be eligible to move here. That leaves Shaffy and hundreds of others “at the tender mercy of the Jihadis”. How shoddy. If we’re really powerless to deport those extremists who hate our country, “so be it”, but let’s at least “do right by these loyal translators who have served the UK so well.”

l An independent scientific advisory body wants the government to recommend that Britons take vitamin D supplements because the country lacks the bright sunshine necessary to provide enough naturally. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to musculo-skeletal health, heart disease, type 1 diabetes, cancer and multiple sclerosis.

NEWS IN BRIEF

l Communications regulator Ofcom says that 1.2 billion selfies were taken in the UK in 2014. Almost a third of people questioned admitted to having taken a picture of themselves in the past year, with one in ten having taken one in the past week. The regulator also found that smartphones are used more than stand-alone cameras now. l The Channel Tunnel was recognised as one of the “Seven Wonders of the Modern World” by the American Society of Civil Engineers, alongside the Empire State Building, the Itaipu Dam in South America, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Panama Canal, the North Sea protection works in the Netherlands, and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Last year tens of thousands of Africa’s elephants were killed to supply alleged ivory to markets throughout the world. Increasingly, revenue generated from the sale of ivory is being used to fuel war and terrorism. Animal rights groups estimate that poachers in Africa kill between 25,000 and 35,000 elephants annually - meaning more than 100 die a day.

Osborne, who now finds the final nail, searches for the coffin.

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Website comments via www.insidetime.org

‘My Friend Tom’

An ex police officer discovers the truth about crime and punishment J - This same exact thing is happening right now to my husband. The hardest part is I am in the States and he is in the UK. I am trying to do my best to get an appeal from here by myself. I know without a shadow of doubt that he is innocent and I will fight until my last breath to get him out of there and back home to me and our kids. The justice system in the UK is anything but just.

the ignorant public. Tom’s plight will never change as long as the justice system is used to make the public feel (falsely) secure, tabloids can sell adverts based upon circulation, politicians get elected by being ‘tough’ on sex crimes - real or imagined. And the good people of the UK get off their collective arses and take to the streets (peacefully) and demand that justice is done - that a person is really innocent until proven guilty. I do have to laugh when I read of another ‘get tough’ on sex crimes by MPs and other males in the justice system - if they had half a brain they’d realize that being ‘male’ they are a target also for false accusals and it’s not a matter of if it will happen to them, but WHEN will it happen?

Without them there’s a better chance of acquittal says John O’Connor

Prisons are in their ‘worst state for 10 years’

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Nick Hardwick launches his latest and last Annual Report 2014-15 G - You want to reform prisons and stop the overcrowding? Then start with the corrupt justice system from the cops to the CPS to the judges. You’re a nation of punishers for

S - I vividly remember when we went for one of the “pre-trial” hearings we were put in a fully enclosed dock. The 3 defendants were one severely disabled old man, one old man and me, a slightly built lady who couldn’t run even if she wanted to! I also happen to have severe claustrophobia, so the experience left me totally traumatised. Whilst I agree that there should remain a few fully enclosed docks for those violent criminals that are KNOWN to be violent, for all other cases, the accused should be sat alongside their barrister to enable them to tell them exactly what they SHOULD be doing, instead of them being allowed to dither about and fail to bring to a jury’s attention the relevant points that will free an innocent person.

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Up in smoke

Why a smoking ban in prisons has led to trouble Down Under

Time to destroy courtroom cages?

M - This is the truth and not only should every MP be told but it should be on the front of the paper, not only this one but every paper. Well said. My vote is for this ex copper. G - This story goes on and on and on and as far as I can see there’s no one willing to change it in Parliament. Better to send innocent people to prison than let them go. It looks bad for the justice system to allow someone to be found innocent. The main reasons I see that convictions of innocent people happens is: 1) Police and CPS too lazy to do anything called a thorough investigation. 2) They are all wanting to look good to

anything that appears to be wrong to support further corrupt politicians who provide fodder for the corrupt tabloids. The UK justice system is a joke. The difference between a Monty Python joke and the UK justice system is that Monty Python’s laughter brings you to tears while the UK justice system leaves you in tears.

L - So they want prisons to go non-smoking because one prisoner was put in a cell with a smoker? Sorry but I thought it was cell only smoking or is that different in every prison? I thought you went to prison as punishment not for punishment. How much would be lost on DHL who supply the canteen? 50%? 70%? So the smoking ban comes into place, how long before another ‘Strangeways’ happens? Have the authorities thought about it 100%? Obviously not. L - Absolutely brilliant news! I hope the smoking ban comes in sooner rather than later. The idea that prisoners smoke only in their cells is a nonsense and widely abused with prisoners smoking all round the wing. Non-smoking prisoners and staff have to suffer second hand smoke as a result. Let them use patches or e-cigarettes. I’m confident DHL will be just fine profit-wise. The prisoners now crying about a ban and threatening potential disorder are probably the same idiots that broke the no smoking on the landings rule and spoilt it for everyone.

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Diary

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

Month by Month by Rachel Billington

Rachel learns about prison, police and more varied criminal slang from Noel ‘Razor’ Smith’s new book, ‘The Criminal Alphabet’. and informative. Now he breaks new ground with his sixth book ‘The Criminal Alphabet.’ As ‘Razor’ Smith, Noel spent thirty three of the last fifty four years in and out of prison or, as he writes ‘mainly in.’ He also tells the reader in paragraph one of the book, ‘I have fifty-eight criminal convictions, for everything from attempted theft to armed robbery and escape from prison.’ His point is that he is just the person to let us into the secret of criminal slang, the subject of his book. ‘What I do not know about criminal and prison slang could be written on the back of a postage stamp and still leave room for the Lord’s Prayer.’

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anguage can be coldly informative, tragically emotional or gloriously funny. The English language is particularly impressionable and changes constantly so that words may have half a dozen different meanings. Probably the area where words come and go with most ease and invention is slang. Noel Smith, my colleague on Inside Time, is already well known for writing books which are both witty

So we can assume we are in the hands of a master as skilled in his subject as Cristiano Ronaldo in finding the goal or Stephen Hawking in defining the universe. As its title, the book is laid out alphabetically so, for example, if you randomly look up , ‘COWBOY HAT’ you will get this explanation: A cowboy hat is the cardboard waste pot supplied in the strip cell or ‘strongbox’ of the segregation unit, so-called because it very much resembles a cardboard Stetson when turned upside down. (And because they are sometimes worn on the head by mentally disturbed prisoners.) If someone in prison tells you they’ve just been two weeks ‘wearing the cowboy hat’, it means they have been held in a strip cell.’ This is a good example of the interesting information coupled with sly humour which is typical of this book and makes it such a good

read. A longer paragraph in the introduction puts together a whole lot of words found in later pages: “Armed robbery, the criminal offence that became my raison d’etre, is a game that is littered with slang. Sometimes known as the ‘heavy’ (because of the heavy prison sentences it attracts), or ‘pavement work’ (when it’s robbing security vans in the street), or just work (because professional robbers class themselves as working men; it just so happens that robbing at gunpoint is their job). In order to carry out an armed robbery you need certain tools of the trade, such as a ‘shooter’ (gun), a ‘smother‘ (mask), ‘turtles’ (gloves), a ‘happy bag’ (the bag used to carry firearms to and the cash from the job) and a ‘jam jar’ (getaway car). Once you have the tools, you’ll do a ‘recce’ (reconnaissance) on your target, whether it be a ‘jug’ (bank - from the days when people buried their money in a pot or jug) or the ‘corey’ (security vehicle), unless, that is, you are just going out on a ‘spec’ (speculation). You must keep your eyes open for police ‘obbo posts’ (observation points) or a ‘readyeye’ (police ambush) by the ‘Sweeney’ (The Flying Squad). Once you go across the ‘pavement’ (start a robbery) you must be on guard for any ‘have-a-gos’ (member of the public who want to be heroes) and go for the ‘prize’. Now for a sample of alphabetical section entries (I have taken them from ten separate sections): BEGGAR’S LAGGING Beggar’s Lagging is two months imprisonment under the Vagrancy Act. BAKE Bake means I’ll see you later (rhyming slang: baked potato = later). It only works due to the cockney pronunciation ‘potater’.

JOHNNY CASH The name of Johnny Cash, a world famous country and pop singer who started out at the small Sun studios in the early 1950s, is now used as rhyming slang for a medical complaint: Johnny Cash = rash. KANGA This is yet another (rhyming) slang word for a prison officer (kangaroo = screw). Kanga is of course the shortened version and is widely used in every prison by cons.

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JOHN WAYNE John Wayne is prison-issue toilet paper, because it is so very tough, just like the cowboys played by the actor.

STRING VEST Rhyming slang for pest, and frequently used in prison as a light insult where there are plenty of people with enough time

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HANDBAG To be described as a handbag in criminal circles is to have your manhood called into question. A handbag is an effeminate or drippy person, someone not to be trusted in a fight.

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HOTPLATE HAMSTER A hotplate hamster is a screw who wangles duty on the hotplate in order to eat prisoners’ rations rather than pay the price of a meal in the subsidized staff canteen.

BALLOON A Balloon is a packet of drugs that has been placed inside a rubber balloon and swallowed.

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CAKOBAKO To be cakobako with something means that you’ve got more than enough of it. It’s from ‘caked’ meaning to be heavily covered with something, and is used quite a lot by North London heroin addicts when describing someone with a lot of drugs or money, as in ‘The geezer’s cakobako with tackle but his prices are bollocks’.

PONY In racecourse parlance a pony is £25 and this was soon adopted by the criminals who frequented the races in order to extract money from the bookmakers for ‘protection’. It comes from the old Indian rupee note which featured pictures of animals. The twenty-five rupee note featured a horse.

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Diary

on their hands to become string vests, as in ‘That Freddie is becoming a right string!’ SNOWDROPPERS A Snowdropper is someone who makes a living by stealing clothes from washing-lines (as opposed to someone who steals only underwear from lines and is known as a pervert!). TWOCKERS Twockers are car thieves, usually of the teenaged joyriding variety. In fact, there’s more to this book than intriguing and/or humorous definitions of slang. Reminiscences, historical references and imagined conversations to make a point, take it well out of the reference book category. To end with here’s an example of a conversation (if you call it that) between prison officer and prisoner, both in prison speak and in more normal mode: ‘Con: Oi, guv, what’s the apple with my peter? I’m feeling tom and need to get in my flowery but there’s a gang of kanga giving me a spin. (Excuse me, officer, what’s going on in my cell? I’m feeling quite ill and need to get in but there are several officers searching it.) Screw: Wind yer neck in, fella. The DST are doing LBBs in there, so stop being a numpty or I’ll stick the red pen on your page 16 and get you put on Basic. (Stop bothering me. The Dedicated Search Team are checking Locks, Bolts and Bars, so be patient or I’ll write you up and have you put on the Basic regime.) The Criminal Alphabet by Noel “Razor” Smith Published by Particular Books RRP £14.99 (hardcover)

HMP High Down launches Prisoner Services Directory written by prisoners, for prisoners Finding your way in custody can be tough at times, particularly when you do not know which way to turn for information. Prisoners at HMP High Down have recently started work on a Prisoner Services Directory called ‘The Seven Pathways to Reducing Re-offending’. Each section of the directory explores in great detail the options and services available at HMP High Down. These services include: Housing; Education, Training and Employment; Mental and Physical Health; Drugs and Alcohol; Finance, Debt and Benefits; Attitudes, Thinking and Behaviour; and Children and Families. Each section comes with a summary of what the organisation does and how best they can provide help and assistance both inside and outside the prison. The Prisoner Services Directory itself is an ever-changing entity, one which will be updated to include new services in the prison as well as updates to existing ones. The Prisoner Services Directory can be found at HMP High Down Prison Induction or by contacting Prisoners’ Representatives.

the PAROLE BOARD

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he Parole Board is constantly looking for ways in which it can deliver its services efficiently and effectively and this has become more important since the Supreme Court judgment in 2013 and the rising number of cases we are dealing with each year. As part of the constant review we do of our resources and staff we have looked at developing a change to the way our Operations teams are structured. At the moment, we have four case management teams who deal with prisons across all of England and Wales, as well as the few cases from Scotland and Northern Ireland each year. One of the disadvantages of this system is that it can be confusing for offenders to try and find out who they should contact if they have a question about their case. To remedy this and to improve our engagement we are moving to a regional model. This means that each of our four case management teams will focus on all the prisons in one specific area. By making these changes we will be able to: l Allow you to see which team will be dealing with your case and to know which team you need to contact if you have questions about your case; l Develop good, strong and long term working relationships with our colleagues in probation and prisons in this area allowing us to deliver a good quality service and ensure that your hearing runs as smoothly as possible We have designed the areas so that they mirror those of our colleagues in the National Probation Service and the teams will cover the following:

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UPDATE

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

Team 1 - NPS North East and North West Prison Service - North East, Yorkshire & Humberside, North West, Part of East Midlands (Lincoln, Morton Hall, North Sea Camp only) HSE (Frankland, Full Sutton, Wakefield, Manchester) COP (Northumberland, Forest bank, Doncaster). Team 2 - NPS Midlands Prison Service - West Midlands, East Midlands (excluding Lincoln, Morton Hall and North Sea Camp) HSE (Long Lartin) COP (Lowdham Grange, Ryehill, Birmingham, Oakwood). Team 3 - NPS South and South East, London Prison Service - East of England, Kent & Sussex, Greater London, HSE (Whitemoor, Belmarsh) COP (Peterborough, Bronzefield, Thameside). Team 4 - NPS South West, South Central, Wales Prison Service - South Central, South West, Wales, HSE (Woodhill) COP (Parc, Ashfield) This team will also manage cases within Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is our aim to have this new structure in place for 1st September 2015. We will be doing a lot of work behind the scenes to prepare for this with the aim that all the cases we are dealing with suffer no disruption. In order to achieve this we are leaving cases which have a listing date already confirmed with the current case manager. These cases will stay where they are, irrespective of area, to allow continuity in the management of the case. Cases which are active, but do not yet have a hearing date, will be moved at one time. As part of this work we will be updating our contact lists, to reflect the case managers and the prisons and area they cover. This information will be on the Parole Board pages of the Gov.uk website presently.

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Ombudsman

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org l Prison staff often know little about NPS and need to be given better information about them and the signs that a prisoner is using them;

Why risk it?

l Governors need to make sure that NPS are addressed by effective local drug supply reduction and violence reduction strategies; l Drug treatment services should identify prisoners with issues arising from the use of NPS, and offer relevant treatment; l Bullying and intimidation need to be robustly challenged and victims supported, including taking into account the impact of bullying on the risk of suicide and self-harm; and l The Prison Service needs to put in place a national education programme for prisoners outlining the effects and risks of using NPS.

Nigel Newcomen, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman writes about the risks from new synthetic drugs that he has recently highlighted in some of his investigations into deaths in custody © Fotolia.com

Nigel Newcomen CBE Prisons & Probation Ombudsman

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n July, I published a short bulletin about lessons that could be learned from the worrying deaths of prisoners which my independent investigations found to have been associated with taking synthetic drugs, such as spice and mamba. These drugs imitate the effects of controlled drugs, particularly cannabis, stimulants and hallucinogens. They are sometimes incorrectly described as “legal highs” - but are certainly not legal in prison. They are officially known as New Psychoactive Substances, or NPS for short, which is what I will call them in this article. NPS are made up of a bewildering and ever changing array of compounds. They are also unregulated and the chemicals used to make them vary over time and even from batch to batch. This makes testing difficult but also means that it is very hard to know what the effects are likely to be, or how to treat people experiencing bad side-effects. To complicate matters further, in many cases in our study, the prisoners had been using NPS alongside prescribed medications or illicit drugs. The effect of such combinations is particularly hard to predict. The bulletin looked at the deaths of 19 prisoners between April 2012 and September 2014, who were known or strongly believed to have been using NPS. These identified three possible risks associated with NPS about which staff and prisoners need to be aware: l There may be a risk to physical health; l There may be a risk to mental health, including suicide;

l And there may be a risk of bullying and debt from trading in NPS, which can sometimes be linked to suicide among the more vulnerable. While the precise impact of NPS on health is hard to gauge, there are published reports of users needing emergency treatment for heart problems, high blood pressure, psychosis and seizures. Some of our investigations found prisoners suffering similar symptoms, including raised pulse rates, sweating and vomiting. Some prisoners were found incoherent and unable to stand up properly. There were also cases where the prisoner collapsed, or experienced something like a psychotic episode. For example, one man became very unwell in a prison workshop after smoking NPS. He threw up and began behaving very strangely. He was also aggressive and swore at staff, which was unusual for him. Staff said he was pale, sweaty and appeared short of breath. He refused to go to hospital and was returned to his cell, but was found unresponsive later the same day. The Coroner’s inquest concluded that he had died from a heart attack hastened by the use of NPS. Our investigations also found examples of an apparent impact on mental health from using NPS. In some cases, we found evidence of erratic, violent and out of character behaviour by users. This included a small number where the prisoner had taken his or her own life, yet this action seemed out of character, and there were no obvious triggers or warning signs for self-harm other than the use of NPS. One woman was over a year into her sentence, and had been to prison before. She was well known to staff and prisoners who described her as ‘bubbly’. On the day she died, she had been laughing and joking with friends, and gave no indication that she might hurt herself.

Staff heard some loud noises from her cell and, thinking she was having a bad dream, went to check. The woman had made a very deep cut and severed an artery. Despite a swift emergency response, she later died in hospital.

This last lesson makes the important, if obvious, point that prisoners also need to help themselves and each other. NPS are only the latest in a long line of dangerous substances smuggled into prisons and abused. Perhaps it is unusual that some NPS are or have been legal in the community (although not inside) and also that clear evidence about ill-effects has, until now, been hard to come by. But the risks to physical and mental health and to safety in custody are now clear. These risks need to be understood throughout the prison community. You don’t have to be a drug treatment mentor or Listener to advise others about the risks of NPS, everybody needs to be aware of the risks and to ask themselves whether using them is worth it. My fatal investigations make clear it isn’t.

How to complain to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman

She had no history of self-harm and gave no sign she was at risk, but after her death other prisoners told our investigators she had been using NPS and other drugs. Our medical reviewer considered that these drugs might have triggered a rapid onset psychotic episode. Otherwise, her actions were entirely out of character. In addition to the potential physical and mental health risks of using NPS, our investigations also found examples of bullying and violence when users got into debt as a result of trading in these substances. Some prisoners reported being assaulted, or asked to be moved because they were being threatened. The impact on more vulnerable prisoners can be fatal. One man’s prison record was very positive; his behaviour was described as ‘exemplary’ and he was due to be assessed for suitability for an open prison. One day, he became uncharacteristically angry and shouted at a doctor. Early the next morning, he was found to have hanged himself in his cell. After his death, a close friend told our investigator that the man had recently begun smoking NPS frequently. He had also got into debt as a result, and had apparently been forced to sell personal possessions to pay his debts. The risks associated with using NPS are clearly illustrated by our bulletin and, as a result, a number of lessons were identified to help prisons deal with the issue:

© prisonimage.org

l The PPO investigates complaints from prisoners and those under probation supervision in England and Wales, and from immigration detainees anywhere in the UK. l We are independent of the Prison Service, the Probation Service, NOMS or Immigration Enforcement: we are impartial and unbiased. l We can investigate complaints about most aspects of your management, supervision, care, and treatment. We can’t investigate complaints about medical treatment or about decisions by a court or the Parole Board.. l Before you complain to us, you must complete all the stages of the internal complaints process first. If you are still unhappy: • Write to us within three months of receiving the final response. • Send us a short note telling us why you are not happy with the response to your complaint. • Send us your completed complaint forms we will copy and return them to you. (If you don’t have the complaint forms you can still complain to us but it will take us a bit longer to respond). Write to us at: Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, PO Box 70769, SE1P 4XY.

Comment

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

us, and this trait is obviously the main hindrance to any recovery, as we make it difficult for professionals to clearly identify our needs and plan an effective course of treatment. We can be great actors. Our many years of dedication to our ‘craft’, together with the ruthless trait of our condition, can make us some of the ‘slipperiest fish in the sea’! Our ruthlessness will sometimes know no bounds. We struggle to forgive and the word compromise has little meaning to many of us, as we often allow our emotions to cloud our judgement.

The psychopathy spectrum

Sarah Baker lays bare the traits of personality disorders

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ying, conniving, deception, manipulation, call them what you will, but these were all skills that I had finely developed and honed as, for twenty-seven years, I struggled to walk the landings of some of Britain’s most dangerous prisons. Valuable assets behind prison bars, where craftiness and ruthlessness are qualities that will keep a prisoner’s tobacco tin full, and are considered admirable traits in macho alpha male-driven institutions, these self-same qualities that ensured my daily survival are also the ones which could lead to me rotting and dying of old age in a prison hospital. Whilst some prison staff will use the more dominant, controlling and psychopathic prisoners to maintain order on a landing, psychiatrists, psychologists and Parole Board members will spot psychopathic traits in a heartbeat and almost immediately recognise the high level of risk that we could pose to the public, should we ever be released. With an ever-increasing public awareness of numerous ‘mental’ conditions over the last ten years, and in particular the autistic spectrum (Asperger’s, Tourette’s, etc.,), what is less well-known is the existence of the psychopathy spectrum. Although a majority of mankind will have within their personality one or more of the behavioural traits that characterise a typical person with a personality disorder, they will not be as severe and dangerous as to warrant mental health intervention or enforced separation by a criminal justice system. Generally, most people pose little or no threat to their fellow human beings. We all know someone who can be described as ‘not quite right in the head’, who lies for no apparent reason, steals when they have no obvious reason to, and cheats with absolutely no thought of the consequences. Some of us will spin elaborate tall tales of how miserable our childhoods were, to elicit sympathy, and try to justify our dysfunctional and feral lifestyles, with many of us also claiming to have qualifications which, in reality, are no more than a figment of our own rather colourful

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© Fotolia.com

imagination. We can be annoying and tiresome to our families and those around us, but we are not necessarily a threat to public safety. However, when a person with a propensity towards criminality, who has experienced childhood trauma, also has psychopathic traits, their effect on society can be catastrophic. When we hurt, we often lash out physically or verbally and hurt others with our fists, weapons or our rapier-like tongues. What we want, we take - with no thought of the damage and suffering that we create in others. We struggle to see any other points of view, as not only do we believe that we are smarter than those around us, but some of us are indeed more intelligent than the average member of the public, and it is this intelligence that allows some of us to pass unnoticed, like a chameleon, as we live according to our own warped sense of ethics and morality. On the other side of the coin, many of us have become great artists, writers and musicians, as we can think ‘outside of the box’ and are sometimes extremely creative in the ways we act, speak and perform.

that we end up being detained under the Mental Health Act, and although we may achieve much in our lives, our successes are soon forgotten when the men in white coats arrive to take us away!

As those with an autistic spectrum disorder are often trapped by it, so, too, are those with a personality disorder. One easily recognisable trait of a personality disorder is when a person repeats the same pattern of behaviour time and time again, expecting a different result! We commit crimes over and over again and repeatedly end up being arrested or imprisoned; yet, left to our own devices, we lack the insight to change our lives and end our cycle of creating victims. Although those with a personality disorder are not generally classed as having a mental illness, some people who suffer with an autistic spectrum disorder or identifiable mental illness may also have a personality disorder. Whether due to genetics, the environment in which we were raised, or a combination of the two, our condition is not one that is easily overcome without years of therapy. Many of us with insight and knowledge of our disorder feel weak, powerless and a slave to a condition that can destroy us and those whom we do try to care about. We can be driven by it to act strangely and behave in such an incomprehensible way

There is nothing glamorous or noble about the crimes that many of us commit with abandon. Those of us with a personality disorder can be very demanding of prison and healthcare resources, and taxpayers’ money. We can be very tricky to manage as we are prone to be two-faced deceivers who rarely let anyone close enough to be able to help us manage our condition. We often display a lack of tact in interpersonal relationships and feel no shame in offending others with ribald or inappropriate comments. We can get under the skin of the most patient and agreeable of people and delight in shocking others, until we alienate most of those we know, starting with our families. We do not make a habit of listening to others or take advice. We are not often interested in communicating with others, as we force our opinions on anyone within earshot and employ little subtlety when we do so. We are basically a pain in the backside to many people we come into contact with throughout our lives. We feel that our beliefs are the only ones of value and we are no stranger to conflict. Truth is often a stranger to

Although the label ‘psychopath’ is one which the media will all too readily apply to a murderer or rapist, this label can also apply to a burglar, shoplifter, domestic abuser - or anyone! It is how society defines someone who has little or no empathy for the pain and suffering of others. What we fear, we lock away or try to destroy. This instinctive reaction may be an automatic response to any threat, possibly inherited from our ancestors. Unfortunately, as those with a severe personality disorder of a psychopathic type drift aimlessly through life with an inability to form meaningful bonds with others, they leave behind a trail of broken relationships, victims and emotional carnage in their wake. Their destructive behaviour is unlikely to elicit much sympathy and understanding from Government policy makers and the public.

Although adept at making friends and influencing people to achieve a specific goal or target, the often shallowness of our feelings and superficial charm frequently means that any relationships are destined to end. Those of us with the severest forms of our condition have littered the prison system and secure hospitals for years, with little or no opportunity to lead a relatively normal life. We are not a new phenomenon and have probably been around ever since homo sapiens first started to walk on two feet. We do not choose to have this condition, but I do believe that with intensive professional help and support, we can learn to manage the negative traits it brings with it. Without an initial diagnosis, some of us may not even realise that we have a personality disorder in the first place - and even after a diagnosis has been made, it is more than likely that we will not agree with it, in the belief that we know more about ourselves than a psychiatrist who may have been treating personality disordered patients for the last twenty years. We may display to the world behaviours which appear odd, bizarre, reckless or downright dangerous, but which to us appear normal. We may live parasitical lifestyles and act impulsively, with no thought for the feelings of others. However, now, in the 21st century there can be recovery from this condition. Great strides are being made all over Britain, within both the Criminal Justice System and the National Health Service, with the opening of personality disorder wings within prisons and dedicated units within hospital settings. Welcome as these units are, places will of course be limited by the resources available. Unfortunately, with a record number of offenders being diagnosed as having a personality disorder, it is likely that only those who pose the most risk to society will receive any form of intervention to enable them to learn the skills needed to manage their condition. Mental health professionals once believed that there was no effective treatment for those of us with a personality disorder, and many felt that the only way to ‘manage’ us was to lock us away until we became so old that we naturally ‘burnt ourselves out’. The only other options were to apply electric shocks to our brains or perform frontal lobotomies. Luckily for us, forensic psychology and psychiatry have moved on in the last fifty years, with a more humane and holistic approach to dealing with some of the most challenging people that you are likely to encounter in your life!

Sarah Baker is currently resident at the Bethlem Royal Hospital - London The Bethlem Royal Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Beckenham, South East London. It is the oldest psychiatric hospital in the world, dating back to 1247.

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Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org worker will meet you when you arrive at Dublin airport if you wish. This will provide you with an opportunity to discuss what will happen over the following days. Social Welfare: For returning emigrants, the main qualification to be aware of is the Habitual Residence Condition (HRC). This is a test to see if you have made Ireland your home, check your residency and employment history, family ties and future intentions. These key aspects of your situation will be examined by a deciding officer. Accommodation: If you are arriving back in Ireland with no pre-arranged accommodation or only temporary accommodation, we strongly advise that you access the support of the ICPO and CMP.

Going home Preparing for release, returning to Ireland and other issues Fr Gerry McFlynn Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas

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he time leading up to release can be particularly stressful for a prisoner. You may have a great many questions about your future, about where you will stay and what you will do. Some of you will opt to remain in the country you find yourselves in, while others will opt to return to Ireland voluntarily. It is good to plan for your release as best you can. Here are some practical things you need to consider along with information about the sort of support available to you. If possible, you should begin preparing well in advance of your release date.

The ICPO can provide you with the details of agencies and organisations which help with employment and accommodation. There are a number of residential programmes in Ireland for helping people who have recently been released from prison. The ICPO may be able to refer you to one of these programmes suitable for your needs. Please note that referrals to these programmes must be made well in advance of your return to Ireland. We can also set up a meeting for you with Crosscare Migrant Project (CMP) which can advise you about social welfare, healthcare or emergency accommodation. However, please note that the most the ICPO can do is put you in touch with these agencies; we cannot provide accommodation or employment ourselves. Arriving in Ireland: Where necessary and appropriate (for example, if you do not have any family support in Ireland), an ICPO case-

You should gather and keep any documentation you have in relation to your detention. This documentation will be helpful if you return to Ireland and wish to access social welfare. If you do not have a passport or it is out of date, you will need to apply for one through the Irish Embassy. The ICPO (Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas) can assist with this along with other documentation you may need, such as your birth certificate. If you are travelling to Ireland on an emergency passport or temporary travel document, you should make a photocopy or ask the Embassy to provide you with a photocopy. The original may be taken from you when you enter Ireland and a photocopy will help to verify your identification. Along with this documentation, keep anything that can prove you spent time living abroad and in Ireland previously.

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Healthcare: If you return to Ireland to live, you will be entitled to access the public healthcare system. Depending on your income, you may also be entitled to a Medical Card which would mean you would generally not be charged for any public health services including GP visits and most prescriptions. Post-Release Support: The ICPO invites all former clients to visit our office in Maynooth, Co Kildare, after they have been back in Ireland for a few weeks/months. This gives them the opportunity to meet with staff and to discuss any issues or problems they may be facing. We hope that this information will be helpful to those of you hoping to return to make your home in Ireland.

And now a word about two other issues. Deportation: The situation remains that Irish citizens will only be considered for deportation where a court has recommended deportation in sentencing or where the Secretary of State concludes, due to the exceptional circumstances of the case, the public interest requires deportation. However, no Irish national has been deported since the special agreement between the British and Irish governments in February 2007 which removed Irish prisoners from the deportation system. Transfer to Ireland while on Licence: If you have been released on licence in the UK, it may be possible to apply to have your licence transferred to Ireland. This is decided on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the ICPO for further information about this. Remember that there may be serious consequences for leaving the UK without permission while on licence. The only exception to this transfer of licence concerns prisoners on “life” licence. Currently, the Irish authorities will not take back any prisoner on a “life” licence. The ICPO is continuing to advocate on behalf of prisoners in relation to the serving of “life” sentences as well as the repatriation of prisoners serving IPP (Indeterminate Public Protection) sentences.

Brian Hanley - Co-ordinator, ICPO, Columba Centre, Maynooth, Co Kildare, Ireland Fr Gerry McFlynn - Project Manager, ICPO, 50-52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB. 12 August 2015

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A (slightly) more visible ethnic minority- travellers in prison Dr Conn Mac Gabhann Manager - Traveller Equality Project

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ver five years ago when I first started going into prisons as part of the Traveller Equality Project, there was an attitude amongst many Travellers of ‘just keeping your head down’. And who could blame a man or woman for not wanting to attract attention to their ethnicity given that hostility to their background was often at least a factor in them ending up in jail. Of course, we all know that we ourselves are responsible for our own actions. But being called a ‘dirty gypo’ in the middle of a school assembly or ‘a pikey’ in the local and national newspapers does not cultivate a respect for society and its laws. Many Travellers routinely prevented from entering pubs and restaurants (as I and a number of Traveller friends were recently), are a little cynical about the notion that the law is there for everyone. However, in prisons in England and Wales things are different. Many prisons run regular Traveller Groups, have Traveller Reps, and hold Traveller History Month celebrations in June. Focussed Traveller literacy and training initiatives exist in a number of prisons. Five years ago, there were about seven regular Traveller Groups running in prisons in England

and Wales. Now the figure is closer to fifty Traveller Groups. I am aware of prisons that have campaigned aggressively to stamp out racial name calling by staff and prisoners with regard to Travellers, even disciplining officers in response to prisoner complaints. At a national level, the criminal justice system has made big strides in addressing Traveller issues in prison. Two years ago NOMS with National Prison Radio established ‘Open Road’ a monthly radio show primarily for Gypsies and Travellers but also to promote cultural awareness amongst non-Traveller prisoners. Last year, HM Inspectorate of Prisons published a report ‘People in Prison: Gypsies, Romany and Travellers’ which detailed the challenges facing Travellers in prison and made recommendations. Likewise, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman published ‘Deaths of Travellers in Prison’ in January of this year which again identifies the main issues facing Travellers in prison and recommends many of the steps advocated by the Traveller Equality Project over the past years. Despite the cuts in staff and resources in recent years many Traveller Groups have survived and even flourished. If you read recent HM Inspectorate reports of London prisons for example, amidst the often dire picture you will see that support for ‘Traveller prisoners was good’ (Unannounced Inspection

of HMP Pentonville, 23rd June 2015). However, there is one major obstacle to making serious progress in achieving equality of opportunity within prisons for Gypsies and Travellers and that is proper, effective monitoring. Why does monitoring matter? It matters for a number of reasons. If a group doesn’t exist on the prison database then the prison has little duty to make provision for that grouping. This is bad for the particular group in that it doesn’t get the assistance that might help in terms of say, rehab, training and mental health provision. Poor monitoring of an ethnic group is also bad for prisons because when a prison ignores the needs of a group, that group are likely to be resentful and less likely to engage in rehab. Monitoring is a way of ensuring that the needs of a prisoner group are met by the prison system and if these needs are not met by the prison system then we can at least call the system to account for failing in its duty. Otherwise, as our campaign slogan goes ‘If you are not counted, you won’t count!’ As of 2011, the prison monitoring system P-NOMIS, included the monitoring of ‘W3 Irish Travellers / Gypsies’ on the system. And yet in 2015, many prison staff and Traveller prisoners are unaware of the category. I am regularly met with confused looks from staff

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and prisoners when I mention the category ‘W3’ in Traveller Group meetings. A few weeks ago, I was in a prison with over 1200 prisoners in an area with a large population of Travellers. There were six Travellers at this first Traveller Group meeting, none were registered as W3 prisoners before the meeting. Most shockingly of all not one prisoner in the entire prison was registered as ‘W3’. Given the fact that many Travellers have distinctive literacy, family and health needs, this seems to be a shameful waste of an opportunity. If a prison doesn’t know its prisoners how can it positively engage with them? As literacy problems are faced by almost 70% of Traveller prisoners, how can a prison provide proper rehab without knowing the size of its Traveller population? If prisons wish to capitalise on the huge interest amongst Gypsies and Travellers in prison for self-empowerment, for education and for training, then they need to pro-actively encourage self -identification. The HM Inspectorate report last year, using its own figures, stated that the Traveller population of prisons is 5% of the overall figure, 1 in every 20 prisoners. 5% is a significant slice of the expenditure on education, training, healthcare and rehab in prisons. All the more reason that now is the time that every Gypsy, Romany and Irish Traveller in prison stand up and be counted - Register today as ‘W3 Irish Traveller / Gypsy’ with your Personal Officer or Equalities Officer. Further advice for staff and prisoners is available from: Traveller Equality Project, 52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB.

THANKS TO A SAFETY RAIL AND A DODGY SCREW WE WERE ABLE TO CLAIM £30,000 FOR INMATE 3670 Inmate James Costelios’ top bunk didn’t have a safety rail, he rolled and fell 5 feet onto an unforgiving concrete floor and fractured his pelvis. Unfortunately the subsequent operation failed because a collapsed screw underpinning the fracture went undetected.

You may not have your freedom but you still have rights. You could be entitled to personal injury compensation caused by trips, burns, gym or workshop accidents, even attacks by cell mates or staff. Talk to the countrys leading prison injury lawyers and claim what is due to you.

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Bonnie & Clyde Does the brutalisation of Clyde Barrow, in a Texas prison at the age of 21 which set him on a path of revenge, have any lessons for today? Paul Sullivan Inside Time

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o many the image they have of the infamous 1930’s outlaws owes more to the 1967 film than reality. A recently found document, written in prison by Blanche Barrow, the wife of Clyde’s brother Buck, both of whom were in his ‘gang’, sheds new light onto what motivated Clyde to go on a spree of violence lasting around two years. After the ambush ‘execution’ of Bonnie and Clyde, on May 23rd 1934, Blanche was captured and sentenced to ten years in prison, of which she served six. She spent her time in prison writing the real story of what it was like being part of the gang and what motivated Clyde. Clyde Barrow was born into a poor farming family hard hit by the Depression. In April 1930, after a number of arrests he was sent to Eastham Prison Farm in Texas, thought to be one of the most brutal of Texas’ prisons; Texas boasted the most brutal prison system at that time with institutionalised brutalisation of prisoners by their guards. He committed his first murder at the prison, murdering a fellow convict who had been sexually assaulting him. A life sentenced prisoner agreed to ‘take the rap’ so Clyde could get away with it. He emerged from the prison a man changed fundamentally for the worse and Blanche, in her memoirs, considers his treatment there caused him such psychological damage that everything he did, post parole (February 1932) was about getting even with the prison authorities. He said that he would never allow the police to catch him and would only be taken dead; according to Blanche, this was because he knew he couldn’t cope if sent back to the brutality of the prison system. Clyde and his gang ranged all over the USA driving powerful stolen cars. At that time there was no FBI and local police often had to use their own cars and buy their own guns; as they were poorly paid this meant old cars and cheap weapons. Against Clyde and his fast cars and Browning machine gun they stood no chance. At that time their crimes were not federal crimes so they could escape just by crossing state lines. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in a photograph from the early 1930s.

In January 1934 Clyde got his revenge on the Texas prison system by mounting a raid on Eastham Prison during which five prisoners

escaped, one killing a prison guard. According to Blanche’s memoirs this attack was Clyde’s over-riding goal. So outraged was the prison department that they contacted Frank Hamer, a retired Texas Ranger, to track down and kill Clyde. Hamer tracked them and set the final ambush by predicting their movements. Just four months after the raid Bonnie and Clyde were dead. The six ‘executioners’ kept shooting until they had emptied all their shotguns, machine guns and pistols into Clyde’s car; both Bonnie and Clyde are said to have been hit by around fifty bullets each including several head shots. The execution of suspects in the USA by the police continues to this day with over 700 citizens killed so far this year (The Guardian), many innocent and presenting no danger. Given that Clyde said he would never be taken alive and was prepared to shoot his way out of any situation, irrespective of the loss of life, you might be forgiven for thinking there was no other way. Today the US prison system still has many prisons where prisoners are kept in appalling conditions and prisoners are treated like animals, often shackled when outside their cell, allowed no physical contact with relatives and subject to frequent and humiliating ‘cavity searches’ often in sight of female guards and other prisoners. Many prisoners are kept in indefinite solitary confinement with no human contact except for their guards. A normal person might ask if such treatment could affect a person so much that they may set out to seek revenge. If that is the case then the brutal treatment handed out to Clyde at Eastham ultimately led to the deaths of 17 people. The question is: does the UK system, especially in its treatment of children in privatised ‘child jails’ and our Young Offender’s Institutions, have anything to learn? Since the cutting back of Legal Aid, children and young people have limited remedies to poor treatment or abuse and reoffending rates amongst these groups are particularly high. Only now, 40 years later, is there finally an enquiry into the abuse of children at one detention centre (Medomsley) where there are said to have been over 1,000 victims. Men who were abused in borstals and detention centres many years ago post comments on our website and are still suffering the psychological trauma. Mr and Mrs Taxpayer may well say; ‘Who cares?’ but ultimately, as in the Clyde Barrow case, it may be them who have to pay the price.

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Prison Service faces new round of spending cutbacks Selling-off ageing prisons might soften impact on prison budgets says John O’Connor

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ll government departments other than health, education and defence now face a new round of cutbacks ranging from 20 to 40% of their annual budget. And there’s no reason to believe the Prison Service will be able to escape further cutbacks in addition to those imposed with ruthless efficiency over the past four years. Over this period the Prison Service made £900 million of savings and yet must now look for further cost-cutting efficiencies. But they have come at a heavy price including a “deterioration” of safety standards in prisons and a rise in suicides. The influential Parliamentary Justice Committee found there has been a steady increase in the number of assaults against staff and other prisoners, as well as prisoner deaths since 2011. It found the government had failed to plan adequately for risks arising from staff shortages and was responding slowly to problems caused as a result of cuts. The Committee’s Report of its year-long inquiry into the impact of prison reforms found they made a “significant contribution to the deterioration in safety.” Prison reforms include “efficiency savings,” by which they mean staff cutbacks, and “changes in operational policy, including a tightening of the Incentives and Earned Privileges scheme.” It’s hard to see how the Prison Service can make more savings over the next four years in order to meet the Chancellor’s objective of eliminating the budget deficit. But there’s one cost-saving idea being mooted by Michael Gove, the new Justice Minister, which if successful would see more ageing prisons dating back to the Victorian era sold to developers. Gaols such as Wandsworth, Brixton, Pentonville, Wormwood Scrubs, Bristol, Lincoln, Nottingham, etc. have long been condemned as totally unfit for purpose. So selling them off couldn’t come soon enough for the Prison Service. And the money raised would be much

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welcomed by the Chancellor. Replacing them would be new jails financed and operated by private contractors. Although located in prime residential areas most of the London prisons are listed buildings so getting approval for their demolition will be difficult but not insurmountable. Yet already a string of former prisons have been successfully given a new lease of life including Oxford which is now an up-market boutique hotel. Liverpool’s historic Bridewell Jail is presently undergoing conversion while a £2 million bid for crumbling Shrewsbury Jail will see it converted into residential accommodation. Canterbury Christchurch University has just announced plans to convert that city’s ageing prison into student accommodation. That there’s a healthy demand for redundant prisons is confirmed by the recent purchase of four jails in the south west of England. Shepton Mallet, Dorchester, Gloucester and Kingston (Portsmouth) were bought by City and

County, a developer which restores and converts listed and public buildings into homes. Shepton Mallet has special historic significance because it was opened in 1625 and was the UK’s oldest operating prison. But it isn’t only prisons which the Prison Service could sell off when raising money and at the same time reduce operating cost. What about cutting back on stand-alone administrative offices such as national and regional headquarters? There’s nothing new in this suggestion for I wrote about it over five years ago in an article which appeared in the February 2010 issue of Inside Time. Under the headline ‘Relocate the ivory tower’, this article asked: “To what extent did the last round of cutbacks impact directly on Prison Service HQ? Did delayering of middle management (aka the ‘suits’), so obvious at a local level, actually reduce the headcount within its palatial steel and glass edifice at Cleland Street?” For there has been an unhealthy silence about

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the extent to which ‘the bosses’ shared the pain they so readily imposed on their subordinates and prisoners alike. Or do they hope that by hunkering down they can survive the present economic crisis, to emerge unscathed when the promised good times return? If so they are detached from reality because the fallout from today’s economic maelstrom is predicted to last until about 2025. Mind you, by then most of these elite will have long retired on their gold-plated pensions, therefore long past caring. The future is someone else’s problem. Yet with an economic recovery phase spanning such a lengthy lifespan, there has to be more than just a short-term response when dealing with it. Long-term problems require equally long-term solutions. So now is the moment to apply such thinking to the future location of Prison Service HQ. Although first mooted over 15 years ago but quietly dumped after many millions of pounds were wasted (sounds familiar?) on a planned relocation to the East Midlands, it’s time to bite the bullet and get out of town and stay out. For what on earth is the Prison Service doing when maintaining its HQ in the heart of one of the world’s most expensive cities? With almost 140 penal establishments scattered throughout England and Wales, what is the administrative imperative that they have to be micromanaged from London? Decentralisation not only means delegating more responsibilities to a local level; it can also mean relocating the headquarters function to a less central area such as a business park in the provinces. The latter has many bottom line advantages apart from regional regeneration: less costly rent and rates, more stabilised workforce, less travel time between operating locations, cheaper housing, elimination of central London ‘weighing’ allowances, maximising on modern-day telecoms (including video links) and being nearer to the coalface. The value and importance of this last point in particular cannot be underestimated. For all too often remoteness exists between the reality of a prison and the ivory tower otherwise known as Prison Service HQ. And among the many useful cost-saving lessons to be learnt from the way private sector prisons operate, one of the most obvious is the latter’s lack of any need to have headquarters, palatial or otherwise, located in central London. Former prisoner John O’Connor is London representative of Restore Support Network, a registered charity which mentors/befriends older ex-prisoners. [email protected]

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Victims in prison PRISON REFORM TRUST

Francesca Cooney Advice & Information Manager

U Jonathan King writes Appreciating the good things about being alive

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n a recent edition of The Spectator I wrote a long piece about the false allegations industry. An abridged version is below:

Young people don’t know, and older people may have forgotten, but being gay or bisexual was illegal until 1967 and such behaviour was often prosecuted, leading to long prison terms and frequently death, either by suicide or murder. Even after it was legalised, the age limit was 21 and any activity below that age was regarded as paedophilia. It may seem absurd these days but until 1994, when the homosexual age of consent was lowered to 18, that was the case. And the ages of consent were not equalised and made the same for heterosexual and gay activity at 16, until November 2000, by co-incidence a few days after my arrest for alleged crimes that had never, in fact, taken place. Even as a teenager it was beyond my comprehension that men could be considered less capable of deciding who to love than women. Why should a man of 20 not be able to consent to love if a girl of 16 could? Being happily bi-sexual (I had very early decided that gender, like religion and skin colour, was less important than character in a person, when determining whether or not to love them) I simply chose to ignore this absurd law, as did millions of other men. Back in those days most intelligent people also felt this was a ridiculous law. And so Prime Ministers, Police Chiefs, Judges and others, many of whom were also gay or bisexual, tended to ignore it too. If a scandal emerged, unless it was impossible to suppress the news because of circumstances such as others witnessing behaviour in public toilets, it was discreetly concealed. A few stars like actors John Gielgud and Wilfred Brambell, were prosecuted and convicted but, even then, there was very little coverage. Remember, many newspaper editors, journalists and proprietors were gay

too, or, at least, reasonably fair minded. Times have changed. Positively, though due eventually to pressure from the more sane and less sexually obsessed Europeans, but also negatively, in that, these days, “a great story” is all that matters to the media. Particularly because of social media, and that small but loud section of humanity which enjoys causing and witnessing distress, and loves nasty, cruel and damaging stories which are considered the best of all. Paedophilia has replaced being gay as the current outrage. And “great stories” can now be constructed by making old gays, especially dead ones, out to have been paedos. So “cover ups” over men being gay decades ago have been adapted to appear to be cover ups of child abuse. Of course, the far more common area of heterosexuality has also now been used with normal relationships later twisted to be seen as child abuse too. It’s a better story. And broken or failed relationships which, again, have always tended to provoke angry, bitter exaggerations (friends tell me that divorce is the worst experience in the world) - now also provide “great stories”. Love can often turn to hate; one extreme goes to the other. It was always so but more now than ever and the horrible extra side of this has been that where, in the past, it just ended up as nasty media publicity, now claims and stories are regarded as evidence and frequently lead to convictions and prison sentences. So not only former celebrities but ordinary people end up locked up for years for “crimes” that literally never took place. I suspect a lot of this came from lawyers who suggested to divorce clients that allegations of child abuse against their spouses would ensure custody. Misunderstandings and drunken or drugged mistakes have become rapes. Imaginary encounters have become fact. Lives have been destroyed. But what the hell. It’s a great story!

nfortunately, assaults and crime in prison remain high. The recent annual report from the Chief Inspector of Prisons found that over the last year there were, on average, over 300 assaults a week on prisoners and more than 40 of them were serious. In addition, in an average week, there were about 70 assaults on staff and nine of them were serious. In terms of crimes, every year around 20,000 incidents are recorded in prisons that could be classed as crimes. In theory, victims of serious assaults, whether staff or prisoners, are entitled to services under the Victims’ Code. However, prisoners tell us that in practice, they are not always given the opportunity to report crimes committed against them. This means that they would be unable to access a criminal investigation and victims’ services and support. We are concerned that prisoners sometimes request to report an incident to the police but may be prevented from doing so. There is an agreement in place between NOMS, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Crown Prosecution Service ‘The appropriate handling of crimes in prisons’ that explains how incidents should be handled. Prison staff should facilitate the reporting of a crime to the police if the victim wants this to happen. This does not mean that a full criminal investigation will follow as this is a decision for the police. However, prison staff must allow a prisoner who is a victim of a crime to report that crime to the police if they wish to, even if the prison staff have decided not to report the crime directly themselves. Sometimes a victim might not want the crime to be reported to the police. The prison staff should consider the victims views but some crimes are so serious that the prison staff have to report it. The protocol sets out the situations where the prison has to contact the local police about the crime. Sometimes

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in these situations, a prisoner may feel vulnerable and it is therefore important that appropriate measures and safeguarding take place. It would be particularly useful for victims’ services to be made available in these cases, as the victim may not feel able to access support from prison staff. We believe that provision of victim services in prisons would support this process, provide advice and advocacy both for prisoners and staff and enable prisoners to access their rights as victims. If staff are not aware of the process or don’t follow it properly, mistakes can be made. The inspectorate found a situation where a prisoner had made an allegation that a staff member had seriously assaulted him. The inspectorate team were told by prison staff that they were not investigating because the police were actively investigating the matter. The inspectorate team contacted the police, who explained that they had advised the prison that they should investigate this in the first instance. The governor is not required to report minor allegations about crime or violence. These include less serious assaults, theft, disorder, criminal damage, and having drugs in possession. Although these are crimes in the community, the prison staff have the authority to deal with these through the prison discipline system. The adjudications system can be a quicker, more efficient way of dealing with less serious crimes as well as incidents in prison that are not crimes. We would like to see equal provision of services for prisoners. NOMS, the police and CPS have duties to comply with their responsibilities under the Victim’s Code. The operation of these duties need far greater oversight to be effective. If you have any general questions or comments about this or any aspect of prison life, you can contact us at the Prison Reform Trust, FREEPOST ND6125 London EC1B 1PN. Our free information line is open Mondays Tuesdays and Thursdays 3.30-5.30. The number is 0808 802 0060 and does not need to be put on your pin.

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Comment

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org neglect that are underlying factors in women’s offending.

© Fotolia.com

Transforming the lives of women in trouble Jenny Earle Programme Director, Reducing women’s imprisonment - Prison Reform Trust

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elissa (not her real name) had been arrested about 45 times and had over 35 convictions, mainly for theft from shops. As a child she had experienced domestic and sexual abuse. As a young woman, her life was chaotic and she was using drugs, developing a crack cocaine-induced psychosis that criminal justice agencies failed to identify. Over the years she was given sentences from fines to custody, with no-one picking up her mental health needs. Eventually she was referred to Anawim women’s centre in Birmingham to complete a ‘specified activity requirement’ (now a ‘rehabilitation activity requirement’) as part of a 12 month suspended sentence. There she was asked what support

she needed. “Everything” was her reply, but mainly she wanted help with substance misuse and housing, and support to enable her to deal with everyday life, including self-esteem and confidence. Melissa says “Anawim changed my life - everything they offered I took on and completed, even doing a maths course and counselling. Now I even have my child back.” Melissa eloquently makes the case for more constructive non-custodial responses to low-level offending such as shop-lifting. The latest Annual Report of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons 2014-15 reinforces the need for a new approach, identifying much higher proportions of women than men as having a drug problem (41% vs 28%) or an alcohol problem (30% vs 19%) on arrival into prison. The staggeringly large proportion of the women’s prison population who are on medication (77%) is evidence of the mental and physical health problems and histories of trauma and

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Women’s services like Anawim have better reoffending outcomes than prison and enable vulnerable and disadvantaged women, whose crimes are minor and whose needs have been long overlooked, to lead productive lives. Their effectiveness impressed the Soroptimists, an international women’s organisation with active clubs across the UK, during an inquiry with PRT into women’s experiences in the criminal justice system. In our report Transforming Lives - reducing women’s imprisonment we highlight the link between women’s experience of domestic violence and their offending, a link still not routinely informing police, probation and court practice. Programmes for women and men affected by domestic violence must be a priority both in prison and in the community. The report calls for more scrutiny of remand, improved provision of community orders, restricted use of custody for non-violent crimes, and simple measures like a local directory of services for use by the local bench. Change is in the air. In the Government’s response to the House of Commons Justice Committee report on women offenders, the Minister Caroline Dinenage MP, notes that “for the last two years, the female prison population has been consistently under 4,000 for the first time in a decade. I want to see still fewer women in custody, especially those who are primary carers of young children”. In Scotland, the decision to build a new women’s prison has been reversed in favour of small custodial units and community-based provision. The Scottish Justice Secretary, Michael Matheson, said that “Scotland has the second highest female prison population in Northern Europe.. this is completely unacceptable and does not fit with my vision of how a modern and progressive society should deal with female offenders.” In Northern Ireland the Minister for Justice David Ford understands that “the number of women offenders is comparatively small but the

impact is not and it is obvious that within the criminal justice system we cannot simply replicate what we provide for men and hope it will work for women.” In Wales the IOM Cymru Women’s Pathfinder project is successfully diverting women out of the criminal justice system and into support services at an early stage. Most of the solutions to women’s offending, as well as much of men’s offending, lie outside prison walls. As Melissa says, we should “listen more and don’t judge a book by its covers. Women like me need help and the first step is that someone listens, has empathy and shows some love and kindness. I see only good things in the future for me and my child.” Dedicated women’s services are needed more than ever now that anyone (in England and Wales) serving as little as a couple of days in prison is subject to twelve months post-custody supervision. Women are already being recalled to prison as a result of this. On the other hand the new duty on the Secretary of State for Justice in section 10 of the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 to ‘identify and address the specific needs of women offenders’ is supposed to deliver better outcomes for women. HM Inspectorate of Probation has just announced a thematic inspection of work with women offenders - something we called for in our Transforming Lives report. This is timely for the start of our new UK-wide drive to reduce women’s imprisonment. We want to make sure that more women like Melissa have their voices heard and get the opportunity to transform their lives. This will also reduce the toll taken on the children whose lives are turned upside down when their mothers disappear behind bars. If you would like a copy of the report Transforming Lives you can write to us at Prison Reform Trust, FREEPOST ND6125 London EC1B 1PN. We would also very much like to hear from women in prison about your experiences and what support would make the biggest difference to you.

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after a film he starred in was nominated. So I really was hobnobbing with celebrities! It was interesting to see how radio drama scenes are recorded. My favourite part of the recording in Styal was the birth scene, which involved one of the actors blowing into a plastic cup as a prop for gas and air - so much for the big BBC budget! The acting was so true to life that I actually thought she was going to give birth. There was a scene recorded in the gardens involving an argument between two of the actors playing prisoners. When the actors started shouting at each other, officers rushed over to break up what they thought was a real argument, involving real prisoners!

A ‘Shameless’ plug for Bound - a National Prison Radio drama

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It was produced and recorded inside Styal prison and at the BBC’s drama studios as a partnership between the NPR team and the BBC. Women in Styal along with awardwinning writer, Cat Jones, developed the idea for the story. Some of the roles were played by prisoners too - alongside a stellar cast, including Sally Carman, better known to many as Kim Haines from Prisoners’ Wives or Kelly Maguire from Channel 4’s Shameless.

Ruth was Styal’s radio station orderly at the time of the recording and she worked as the Production Assistant on the drama: My day with the production team and the professional cast was nerve wracking at first. I was very excited at the prospect of rubbing shoulders with some famous actors. On meeting the team I was quite impressed that they were so laid back considering it was the first time in a prison for most of them. A highlight of the day for me was interviewing the cast for NPR. Sally Carmen and Sam Holland are two of the famous actors in the drama. Sally told me that this wasn’t the first time that an acting role has taken her into a prison. Sam talked about attending the Oscars

Prison and the Family Prison and the Family is a research study looking at the lives and experiences of families with a Mum in prison Natalie Booth PhD Research Student, University of Bath

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he research examines how processes within women’s prisons are perceived to impact on mothering and the family, from the perspectives of family members both inside and outside prison.

Who can take part? The study is currently identifying two groups of family members in the community to take part in an informal interview as part of the research; (1) family members caring for a child/children (under 18 years old) whose Mum is convicted and serving a prison

Some of the women who live here at Styal also acted in the drama. It was quite funny to see how they really got into it, considering one of them is as quiet as a mouse! There was quite a buzz in the jail due to the fact that ‘Sally Carman from Shameless’ was here. The women were well chuffed that they had been asked to be involved. Overall, I can honestly say that I was proud to be given the opportunity to experience how a radio drama is produced. It also gave me the chance to experience being a production assistant for a day! Bound will be broadcast as part of Sound Women on Thursday September 17th at midday, repeated at 6pm.

The importance… of talking

Sally Carman (Shameless, Prisoners’ Wives) makes her National Prison Radio debut playing a social worker in the drama, Bound.

omething new and unexpected is coming to National Prison Radio. It is a radio drama called Bound. It tells the story of a young pregnant prisoner fighting to keep her baby with her inside prison.

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sentence of up to 4 years; (2) young people (aged 15-18) whose Mum is convicted and serving a prison sentence of up to 4 years. Taking part in the research would involve one face-to-face interview with the researcher at a time and place convenient for the family member. This interview is likely to last around one hour. With the family member’s permission, the interview will be audio recorded. Before the interview commences, family members will be given a detailed information sheet and asked to give written consent to taking part in the research.

small. Listeners won’t give you advice, but they will give you the space you need to talk things through, without being judged. People we’ve spoken on NPR to say it really helps that Listeners are prisoners because they get what it’s like to be inside, and speak to them on a level, which makes it easier to open up. The service is confidential so Listeners won’t speak to anyone about any of the conversations they’ve had. © prisonimage.org

Speaking out about what’s on your mind can be difficult, but even the toughest of us have bad days, and getting things off your chest can be a big help. During September we’ll be learning more about the benefits of speaking to a Listener. The Listener Scheme is a peer support service run by prisoners. Listeners are selected, trained and supported by Samaritans and provide confidential support around the clock to their fellow inmates. You can talk to Listeners about anything that is getting to you - it’s there for anyone who’s got something on their mind, no matter how

for female prisoners and their families. By talking directly to family members, the research will help us understand more about the experiences, challenges and issues facing families when a Mum is in prison. From the findings, the study aims to produce family-centred recommendations which will inform and improve policy and practice in women’s prisons.

Who has approved the research? The research has received ethical approval from the University of Bath, and has been approved by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).

Who is doing the research? The research is being done independently by Natalie Booth, a doctoral research student from the University of Bath. The research is not being done for the government or any other agency.

Why is the research important?

Who should I contact?

The research is important because policy has often overlooked the importance of family life

If you are working in an organisation interested in supporting the researcher to identify

To hear more about why it can help to speak to a Listener, tune into Check Up, Prime Time and Sound Women on 8th, 9th and 10th September on National Prison Radio. The shows are on air at midday or 6pm - or you can listen to all of them again on Sunday 13th September from 10am - 1pm. Thursday 10th September is World Suicide Prevention Day, so we’ll be exploring this important issue in more detail on that day’s edition of Sound Women. And if you’ve got something on your mind, whatever it is, remember that you can speak to a Listener any time - just look for someone wearing a Listener T-shirt, ask a member of staff or press the bell in your cell and ask to speak to a Listener.

family members, and/or would like more information about taking part, then please contact the researcher, Natalie Booth by visiting http://prisonandthefamily.myfreesites.net/ or on 07887 379 888 or n.booth@ bath.ac.uk

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Drink and Drugs

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

Inside Drink and Drugs News

In the news…

been launched by a coalition of more than 30 organisations. While the Home Office recorded 100 such crimes a week in England and Wales in 2013, it’s estimated that only around 6 per cent of incidences are actually reported. ‘We know that people can turn to using drugs or alcohol as a means of coping with the stress of being targeted in a hate crime attack,’ said London Friend chief executive Monty Moncrieff. ‘We want to help people recognise incidents of hate crime, and provide support for them to both report it and deal with the emotional issues this might bring.’

Drink and Drugs News (DDN) is the monthly magazine for those working with drug and alcohol clients, including in prisons. In a regular bi-monthly column, editor Claire Brown looks at what’s been happening lately in the substance misuse field

I

n our latest issue we shared expert opinion on a ‘white crystalline killer’ not a class A drug, but our old friend, sugar. According to nutritionist Helen Sandwell, a diet high in sugar is now thought to be a leading culprit in developing not just obesity, but also type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, fatty liver disease and some cancers. Research is also pointing at a link between a high sugar diet and Alzheimer’s. If we follow the World Health Organization’s advice from earlier this year, we should be limiting our sugar intake to just six teaspoons - and this includes sugars contained in fruit juice, syrup, honey and sources that we might consider ‘natural’, as well as all the sugar added to food. Drinking a 500ml bottle of coke a day would catapult you over your daily limit of sugar by a whole six teaspoons. Still, I hear your objection that there are many worse vices and I, for one, am not about to put down this packet of Jellybabies. What is interesting - and potentially useful - though, is to understand the effect sugar can have on our brains as well as our bodies, and Sandwell examines the hypothesis that sugar is an addictive substance.

are involved in the brain’s reward pathways.’ Furthermore, sugar consumption can share similar features to an addiction pathway, with the person becoming prone to bingeing, cravings and withdrawal. In the addiction treatment world, some organisations are starting to look closely at the effect sugar has on mood, and the way it interacts with addiction. This has led them to introduce a low GI menu in their rehabs to keep glucose levels steady, using wholemeal bread, rice and pasta, and cutting out chocolate, cakes and fizzy drinks. According to the British physiologist, Dr John Yudkin, who wrote the book ‘Pure, White and Deadly: The Problem of Sugar’, cutting down gradually on sugar has the added benefit of giving an increased appreciation of food. ‘Swamping everything with sugar tends to hide flavours,’ he says. ‘When you really have got used to taking very little sugar in your food and drinks, you will notice that all your foods have a wide range of interesting flavours that you had forgotten.’

‘Researchers have described it as acting in the body in a similar way to addictive substances,’ she says. ‘Like addictive substances, it releases both opioids and dopamine - chemicals that

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New psychoactive substances (NPS) are now being detected in Europe at a rate of two per week, according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). More than 100 NPS were reported last year, says the European drug report 2015, with the total number of substances being monitored by the agency now standing at more than 450. As in previous years the majority of substances reported were either synthetic cannabinoids or cathinones, with the internet now playing a ‘growing role’ in supplying both NPS and more established drugs.

.................................................. l Drug driving

More than 400 people a month are being arrested for drug driving in England and Wales, according to figures obtained under an FOI request by the Institute of Advanced Motorists. While more than 900 arrests were made by forces between March - when the new offence was introduced - and May, the figures reveal ‘little consistency’, with the Metropolitan Police making more than 200 arrests and other forces, including Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Gwent, making none.

.................................................. l Hate crime

A new campaign to raise awareness of LGBT hate crime, and urge people to report it, has

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Charities and liver specialists have written to health secretary Jeremy Hunt urging him to overturn attempts to limit the number of hepatitis C patients able to access new treatments. Organised by the Hepatitis C Trust, the letter expresses concern about NHS England’s ‘seemingly unprecedented requests’ for NICE to delay access to a new generation of drugs on affordability grounds. NICE has already ruled favourably on the cost-effectiveness of one drug, sofosbuvir, and is currently appraising others. NHS England’s arguments for delaying access were ‘absolutely ridiculous’, said Hepatitis C Trust chief executive, Charles Gore.

.................................................. l Diabetes danger

Consuming 26 units of alcohol over a three-day period can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to five times, according to a new fact sheet from Alcohol Concern, with the risk ‘particularly acute’ in women. Just two drinks a day, meanwhile, can increase the risk of breast cancer by 18 per cent. ‘Alcohol is no ordinary item for consumption and people need to be more aware of the risks associated with its use,’ said chief executive Jackie Ballard. ‘Alcohol is linked to over 60 medical conditions including diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure’.

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Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

The Rule Book

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

Disposal of Prisoners’ Unauthorised Property PSI 2015-014

Issued: 25 March 2015, Effective from: 26 March 2015, Expiry Date: 29 April 2016 This is a new PSI providing guidance on the recent power introduced by the Prisons (Property) Act 2013, which amends the Prison Act 1952, giving Governors and Directors of private prisons the power to destroy or otherwise dispose of certain property found in the possession of prisoners, in prisons or in prison vehicles. It applies to all prisons, including YOIs, in England and Wales. Disposal, in this context, includes destroying or selling the Property with any profits from sales going to NACRO. For the purposes of this PSI, ‘Unauthorised Property’ is property which is found inside the prison or in a prison escort vehicle and appears to have no legitimate owner or cannot be attributed to an individual prisoner. Unauthorised property also includes property that was authorised in its original format, but has since been modified by a prisoner or prisoners for an unauthorised purpose.

Governors have the power to destroy unauthorised or unattributable property which is found or confiscated on or after 26 March 2015. Governors must determine procedures which require such property to be retained for a minimum of three months after it is found, during which period a prisoner may make representations regarding how the property is to be dealt with. An item cannot be destroyed or disposed of while there is an outstanding dispute in relation to how it will be dealt with. The prisoner may use the complaints process to make representations about the decision. If a prisoner makes a successful claim for the return of their property it must be held in storage and returned to the prisoner on release in accordance with PSI 12/2011 – Prisoners’ Property; however, this PSI warns that prisoners who claim back what the Governor calls ‘Unauthorised Property’ may face an adjudication for a breach of the Prison Rules for possession of an unauthorised item if they claim back their confiscated property.

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The PSI states; ‘A legitimate claim might be if the prisoner can prove that the item is listed

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© Gstudio Group - Fotolia.com

It is important prisoners are aware of this notice within the PSI: ‘Unauthorised property is that which a prisoner is not authorised, in accordance with Prison Rules, relevant PSIs or the Governor, to have in their possession. Unauthorised property may vary depending on a prisoner’s Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) level. It includes items that are illegal to possess in the community such as

illicit drugs and offensive weapons, items that are illegal to possess in prisons such as mobile phones, property that has been used to conceal illicit items (e.g. drugs), and items that are otherwise inappropriate for a prisoner to have in his or her possession, such as items which may have been smuggled into the prison or coerced from another prisoner’. The reference to the IEP levels is important since it could be used against prisoners who have been moved to a lower IEP level and may still have items such as a PlayStation in possession.

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on their property card. However, where property is unattributed and therefore not listed on a property card, a prisoner may still be able to make a claim for the item. Where a claim is successful, the item can be added to the prisoner’s property card and placed in local storage until the point at which the prisoner is permanently released. Prisoners must be aware that they may face an adjudication charge for possession of unauthorised property’. It might be wise for prisoners to seek an immediate check of their Property Cards to ensure staff have recorded all their property properly. All articles confiscated before 26 March 2015 (except ‘Relevant Articles’ including “cameras, sound-recording devices, mobile phones and other devices capable of transmitting or receiving images, sounds or information by electronic communications”) must continue to be stored unless claimed or their continued storage would present a proven health hazard. Frances Crook of The Howard League says on her blog; ‘Prisoners are being told they can use the prison complaints system and put in a complaint to the Prisons Ombudsman. There are several problems with this. It takes months, and sometimes even years, to get a complaint resolved, by which time your book has been burnt. Also it requires a decent level of literacy to write out a complaint and many prisoners cannot write, have learning difficulties or can’t write in English … If we want people to respect justice and the rule of law, we have to apply them. These new rules are arbitrary and will create confusion, resentment and injustice.’

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Art

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

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Inside Out

n exhibition of artwork by prisoners chosen for one of the UK’s most important private art collections has opened at The Clink Charity’s newest restaurant at HMP Styal, Cheshire.

from The Ingram Collection launches with exhibition at The Clink

Featuring art created at HMP Altcourse, HMP/ YOI Bronzefield, HMP Send and HMP Stafford, the exhibition is the brainchild of Chris Ingram, entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of The Ingram Collection, the biggest privately owned publicly accessible collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art. Over the past decade, Chris Ingram has acquired almost 650 paintings and sculptures, over 400 of which are by the most important artists of the Modern British era - amongst these Edward Burra, Lynn Chadwick, Elisabeth Frink, Barbara Hepworth, David Hockney, Henry Moore and Eduardo Paolozzi.

“I want Inside Out, by acquiring offenders’ work and including it in shows alongside classic pieces of Modern British Art, to shake up the stereotype of offenders and show them as people with talent and potential - and feelings - shared by all of us.”

2B or Not 2B? That is the question (HMP Send) On display at The Clink HMP Styal to launch Inside Out from The Ingram Collection

Chris Moore, chief executive of The Clink Charity, added: “It’s great to have the opportunity to show art like this in the restaurants. The Clink offers prisoners the chance to change for the better through hospitality training and art in prisons can make a huge difference to an individual’s confidence and self-belief. As a charity we collaborate with other like-minded organisations, social enterprises and charities that are all working towards changing people’s lives for the better.”

Chris Ingram explained: “Engaging with art is a tremendous tool in rebuilding self-confidence and creating a purpose in life.” “Many of the artists included in The Ingram Collection created work in response to huge social change and upheaval that occurred in the twentieth century. Art gave these people a voice.” “I see parallels in prison art. Art in prisons provides a welcome channel for self-expression. It is a catalyst in reflecting upon the path that led offenders to prison and it provides an opportunity to develop skills and confidence, both of which are fundamental to building

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Opportunities to extend the exhibition to other Clink venues at HMP High Down, HMP Brixton and HMP Cardiff are currently being explored. If Only…..! (HMP Altcourse) Inside Out from The Ingram Collection on display at The Clink HMP Styal. Image: The Koestler Trust

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Chris Ingram is committed to widening public access to art for both enjoyment and educational purposes. Already this year almost 200 objects from the Collection have been loaned to exhibitions and to several of the UK’s most important museums. A current exhibition at The Lightbox in Woking, Surrey called Where’s God Now? looks at the way art has treated Christianity in the last seventy years and tells its story by bringing together work from across The Ingram Collection. Amongst the featured artists are Dame Elisabeth Frink RA, John Craxton RA, Leon Underwood and artist Paul from HMP Whatton.

“That’s not to say it lacks technical skill. This year, I was delighted to join the judging panel of the 2015 Koestler Trust Awards. Many of the pieces are both moving and inspiring and you can see that there is real creative talent behind it.”

The exhibition at HMP Styal marks the launch of Inside Out and celebrates the transformative powers of art in building better lives.

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successful lives outside prison.”

Chris Ingram continued: “I always buy work to enjoy it and share it, so that others can also enjoy it. The major point is that I have to be able to look at it again and again. I often find that art created by prisoners is, understandably, very emotional, presenting a real cry from the heart.”

More recently, Chris Ingram has been interested in ways that art can be used to help prisoners, young offenders and people affected by mental health issues to rebuild their self-confidence and sense of purpose in order to improve their lives. Chris has now added some 40 works by these artists to the Collection - which he has named Inside Out from The Ingram Collection, reflecting how art can help to ‘unlock’ thoughts and feelings, and ultimately be a catalyst in helping prisoners on their journey to a positive life on the outside.

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Wisdom (HMP/YOI Bronzefield) Inside Out from The Ingram Collection on display at The Clink HMP Styal

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Short Story

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

A Bra Too Far Vera Woodhall - Prison Supplied Since we can no longer have clothing sent in, several of us ladies have had difficulty getting suitable bras. So we were relieved to be told that a member of staff was to go out bra shopping on our behalf; until a rumour went round that it was a male officer who had been assigned to the task. Then my imagination went into overdrive. Picture, if you will, a busy lingerie department in Marks & Spencers on a Saturday morning…..

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Assistant: Good morning sir, can I help you? Customer: Er yes, I’d like ten bras please. Certainly sir, which colour would you like? Well, they’re not actually for me … Of course not, I wasn’t suggesting it would be you who would be wearing them. I just meant … OK, let’s start again. Does the lady like bright colours? Well, some of them, I guess. Some colours, do you mean? No, some of the ladies. Ahem, so they’re not all for the same lady then? Oh no, ten bra’s for ten different ladies. I see, so you’ve got ten ladies and you want a bra for each of them? That’s right. You obviously have a busy life! You can say that again, you’ve no idea what hard work it is keeping a group of women satisfied. Yes, well, I’m sure there are many men who would be willing to try. Anyway, back to the bras. Do you know the ladies sizes? Well, I suppose most of them are between 5’2” and 5’8”. No, no, I meant their bra sizes. Oh, do they come in different sizes? I thought a bra was a bra. Er, no, there’s a huge variety of styles and sizes. Oh, well, could I just take ten mediums? Medium? So you reckon the ladies are about 34 or 36? Oh no, some of them are only 18. And at least one of them is a pensioner. I actually meant bra size 34 or 36, but never mind. You seem to have quite a variety of ladies. Yes, it was quite a surprise to me at first, but I’m used to it now. I just treat them the same whether they’re 18 or 80. I bet you do. Erm, what cup size would you like? That’s very kind, but I really haven’t got time for a coffee. I need to get back with the bras. No, what I meant was bra cup size. For example, 36B or 36C. Oh, I see. Er, what’s medium? Well, everyone’s different. Shall I just give you a selection? Yes, that would be great. After all, variety’s the spice of life. Well, that would certainly seem to be true for you. Now then, do you want front or rear fastening? Well, I usually choose rear facing as it stops

me feeling travel sick. But what’s that got to do with bras? Er, it doesn’t matter. What about wiring? Wiring? You don’t have to charge them up do you? No, no, I mean...Shall I just give you wireless ones? Yes please. The electric bill’s already sky high. That’s probably not surprising. Would you like seamless bras? Er no, I don’t suppose that’s necessary. Cross your heart then? Of course. Why should I lie to you? Supportive? Well, I try to be, but it’s not always easy with so many women making demands. Yes, quite. Any padding? No, it doesn’t tend to get cold enough to need insulation. Would you like lace or bows? Oh there’s no need to gift wrap them. They’ll be fine in a carrier bag. Might I suggest you bring the lady - er ladies - in, so they could choose their own bras and try them on? Oh no, they’re not allowed out! Not allowed out? No, well, except in emergencies. So, let me get this right … You’ve got ten ladies aged between 18 and 80, and you never let them go out? That’s right. They’re locked up, you see. You keep them locked up? Well yes, can’t have them escaping can we? So they’re locked up constantly? More or less, obviously they get unlocked for work, but … For work? You make them work? Of course. Got to pay that electric bill somehow! Anyway, most of them enjoy working. I see. I think you’re pulling my leg; aren’t you? You’ll be telling me you handcuff them next! Well, actually, there are times when handcuffs are needed, but fortunately that doesn’t happen too often. I see. Excuse me a moment … Er, yes, it’s this customer here. Make sure you detain him until the police arrive. Police? No you don’t understand …. Oh, I think I do. I’ve read about men like you. No, that’s what I’m trying to explain. I’ve just come from prison …. That doesn’t surprise me in the least. And I’m sure you’ll be back behind bars very shortly. Over here, officer!

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Broken Bonds A short play - Verbatim Pieces. From the book of plays created by Beverley HancockSmith and the prisoners of HMP Leicester Phone on prison landing. Adam: You done with the phone, mate? (pause) Cheers. Adam dials the number SFX of phone digits. The phone rings and rings and rings. The answer phone finally kicks in. You’ve reached the Vodaphone voicemail for zero, seven, five, six, three…Adam hangs up. It’s not really prison that changes you, it’s… you shouldn’t be able to say this, but it’s true…prison is not that hard; life in prison is not hard. It’s controlling your mind while you’re in prison. Cos things change on the outside. When you land, when you first get here, you’ve got a certain circumstance to your life. When you get out, usually, nine times out of ten, all of those circumstances have changed. Before I came I had my son, he was just coming up to one, I had a close relationship with my daughter, my son was with me all the time, I was, I was close to a lot of friends, I was in a certain way. When I get out, after serving two years, a lot of them friends are gone. No-one’s around anymore, people have moved house, places you used to go aren’t there anymore. What your children are doing is different. Last week I tried to talk to my daughter on the phone, she’s not interested in talking to me. I’ve not spoken to her for a long time and on the phone…she’s five so the phone’s not really interesting to her, so I talk to her for two minutes, then its ‘Daddy can I go play now?’ You can’t say no. I can’t force her to speak to me, I have to let her go. But it’s that, losing bonds with people and growing apart.

I’ve got a best friend…well, we were best friends for years and years, but since I’ve been in prison, I’ve had no contact from him. I’ve wrote to him and he’s not replied and when I finally got someone to go collect him to bring him on a visit he says he just been too busy and that’s that. Those were his words: ‘too busy’. When you sit in here and you realise how much time you waste, it’s hard to imagine someone not having enough time, to be too busy, to spend five minutes putting a pen on a piece of paper. You can’t be too busy for that, but that’s life init. Adam re-dials the number SFX of phone digits. The phone rings and rings. Finally it is answered. Adam: Hi. Lucy? (pause) It’s daddy.

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Faith in Prison

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org an example of holiness and ethical behaviour to the rest of the world.

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Judaism Inside Time’s Paul Sullivan looks at world religions and faiths. This month he focuses on Judaism The actual religion of Judaism was founded by Moses over 3,500 years ago in the Middle East but Jews actually trace their history back to Abraham. There are about 13 million Jewish people in the World, with around 270,000 in the UK classifying themselves as Jewish. There are many subdivisions of Judaism and each has its own customs and rites. These divisions include Conservative Judaism, Liberal Judaism, Orthodox Judaism and Reform

Judaism to name a few. Jews believe that there is a single God who not only created the universe but continues to work in the world; they believe every Jew can have an individual and personal relationship with God. The Torah is the Jewish holy book which contains the five books of Moses. Appointed to be God’s chosen people, Jews believe that they must follow His laws and set

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The main beliefs and principles of Judaism are: • God is One. • God created the world as is recorded in the first chapter of Genesis. • God gave the Torah to the Jewish people to study and to uphold. • The Jewish religion is based on the laws contained in the Torah as expounded in the Oral Law (Talmud) and Codes of Jewish Law. • The Sabbath and festivals are days of holiness when all weekday activity is forbidden. • The Jewish dietary laws are a major aspect of Judaism religious observance. • Marriage is a holy act and sexual relations outside marriage are strictly forbidden. • The law of the land is sacrosanct and Jews must at all times be law-abiding citizens and must train their children accordingly. • Acting with kindness, compassion and respect towards all people, particularly the elderly and vulnerable, regardless of their cultural, religious or ethnic origin is a strict requirement of Judaism. • This world is a preliminary to the hereafter and all good deeds performed whilst on earth will ultimately be rewarded by God. The Jewish Sabbath (Shabbath) starts at sunset on Friday and there are many restrictions regarding work and other activities which also apply to other main festivals. Jewish prisoners should not be expected to travel on their Sabbath. The Prison Service accept Judaism and Jews are excused regime activities on their Sabbath. Orthodox Jews pray three times a day and this can be done in-cell. Other than a Prayer Cap there is no special dress required. For 2015 the Prison Service excused regime activities for Jewish prisoners for the following festivals: • 3 April sunset to 5 April nightfall- Passover (Pesach)

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• 9 April sunset - 11 April nightfall - Passover (Pesach) • 23 May At termination of Sabbath - 25 May nightfall - Pentecost (Shavuot) • 13 September sunset -15 September nightfall - New Year (Rosh Hashanah) • 22 September sunset - 23 September nightfall - Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) (Day of fast)) • 27 September sunset - 29 September nightfall - Tabernacles (Sukkot) (includes Sabbath) • 4 October sunset - 6 October nightfall Rejoicing of the Law As well as Kosher food, Jewish prisoners observing the Day of Atonement and Feast of the Passover are entitled to special meals and these are defined in the Prison Catering Manual section 3.22. PSI 2011-051 defines what religious artefacts prisoners can have in possession: Jewish prisoners may have a copy of the Torah, prayer books (Siddur), prayer cap (yarmulkah or kippah), prayer shawl (talith), Tefillin (Phylacteries - two strap-on leather boxes enclosing parchment sections of the scriptures), Tzitzit (four cornered garment with wool fringes attached), and religious study texts and educational material. Prison Rules 13 to 19 cover a prisoner’s right to observe the religion of his/her choice. If a prisoner wishes to follow a particular religion they must register this by application to the prison. If you do not have a Jewish faith leader at your prison you can ask the governor to arrange regular visits from an appropriate ‘minister’ (Rule 15). For more information about Judaism prisoners may write to: Rev Michael Binstock MBE (Member of Chaplaincy Council) Visitation Committee, United Synagogue, 305 Ballards Lane, London N12 8GB

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Terry Waite Writes

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

From over the wall

the trusted employee had done a runner and taken with him essential records and other items leaving his boss with one awful mess to clear up. That made me feel sick in the stomach. Not only did I feel sorry for the owner of the business but also for the idiot who once again had demonstrated that he simply could not be trusted. The havoc he has caused is one thing, but he has not only harmed himself and those for whom he worked, he has harmed all of us. He has added volume to the voices of those who say [and there are many] that once a con always a con. The ‘I told you so’ brigade will have a field day and I can understand that. He has certainly made my job harder because its made me question my own judgment. I thought the man had put the past in the past and was now prepared to settle down into a steady way of life. Obviously I was mistaken.

Terry Waite writes his monthly column for Inside Time

Terry Waite CBE

I

have often written in this column about my frustrations with the Prison System as it is and there is no doubt in my mind that it needs a good shake up. So far it looks as though Mr Michael Gove is set on making some improvements and one can only hope that he succeeds. However, to be fair, it is not only prison administrators and politicians who need to smarten up. Prisoners and exprisoners need to get their act together also. Having worked for some 50 years with exoffenders, I know as well as anyone how difficult it can be to help individuals who have fallen foul of the law get back on their feet and return to mainstream life as lawabiding citizens. There are some individuals who, without a doubt, are their own worst enemies and try as one might there is no assisting them. I am not thinking here of those unfortunates who suffer from some form of mental illness but more of those who simply do not know what it is to go straight and make a decent life for themselves and their families. I firmly believe that everyone should be given a fair chance in life but what do you do when you have put that into practice and are let down not only once but twice by the same individual? I am writing this as only this morning I

“ Not only did I feel sorry for the owner of the business but also for the idiot who once again had demonstrated that he simply could not be trusted ” phoned a good friend of mine. I won’t say what line of business he is in as I want to protect his privacy. What I will say is that he is a thoroughly decent man and does not deserve to be treated as he has been. In a few words this is the story.

the takings. Eventually he was caught and did time for the offence. My friend, who is no fool, decided to give him a chance and after a time took him back on. For two or three years he worked well and became a fully trusted employee once again.

He runs a small business and, some years ago, one of his trusted employees made off with

This morning, when I phoned to make an appointment with the business, I learned that

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There are some pretty clever con artists in our jails who will tell the most outrageous lies and will be prepared to knock their own grandmother on the head for sixpence. We all know that. But how do you judge? It’s all very well complaining about the difficulties of getting back into normal life, but when one man or woman breaks trust in the way I have described the repercussions are vast and they affect all of us. Yes, I know, there are many who have learned their lesson the hard way and have gone on to make a success of life. But one bad apple has an effect far beyond its size. It’s not easy to serve time. That I know. But believe you me it’s not easy on the outside for those who do their level best to help ex-offenders. It’s damn hard and today I feel badly let down.

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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Wellbeing

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

Waking up to life

39

Seiza Kneel with two cushions or a thick rolled up blanket between your bum and your feet.

a simple guide to meditation The Prison Phoenix Trust Meditation is something almost everyone has heard of. Most people who meditate say they sleep better, and worry less. Others say that their thinking isn’t such a problem anymore and that they’re not as depressed. Some people experience a radical shift in how they see themselves, and the world, where everyday events around them are much the same as ever, but they themselves have learned to let go a little (or a lot). They say they wake up to life, and it becomes a lot more interesting, because they’ve learned to step out of the way and let it happen. It’s hard to get started if you’re doing it alone, which is why we put this piece together, and why we offer to write to people in prison about their meditation.

Arranging your body If you can find the right sitting position - comfortable, stable and upright - you are 95% of the way to getting the hang of meditation. Take ten minutes or so to experiment with the positions in the pictures. Once you’ve found a position, make sure your back is upright and truly relaxed. Sit on at least four inches of support; if you try to sit directly on the floor with nothing under you, some of your back muscles will start to ache as they work unnecessarily to keep you from falling backwards or slumping. So sit on a couple of thick books, a folded pillow or anything you can find. That way, the backbones can stack up correctly, allowing the back muscles to be relaxed.

l Keep your neck long, with the chin not pointing up or down. l Keep your eyes open, gazing down past your nose, to a spot on the floor in front of you.

Full Lotus Might be difficult at first, but it’s a good, stable position. Put your right foot on your left thigh, then your left foot on your right thigh. Switch sides each time you sit.

Chair Absolutely fine to sit on a chair! Sit up straight towards the front of the seat; don’t lean on the back. Have your feet firmly planted on the floor (prop them up if they don’t reach the floor).

Attention with the breath Take three deep long breaths then start to breathe normally in and out through the nose. Count the breaths silently to yourself: in 1, out 2, in 3, out 4 and so on, up to 10, and then start from 1 again. If you lose count, it doesn’t matter. Just come back to 1 and keep going. Keep going like this for five minutes to begin with. That’s all there is to the practice. It is as simple as that! As you are counting your breaths, some thinking may be going on in your mind, and it is tempting to follow your thoughts. This happens to us all. It is what minds do. They wander and think and worry and plan. That’s fine. It is also possible for the mind to be still and focussed. This is also what minds do. And actually, you’ll find that your mind really enjoys being stiller. So when your attention wanders off from the breath, don’t worry. Just let it return very gently without any thought, back to the breath. You might have to do a lot of this returning. That too is normal. Keep with it, without judging yourself.

Half Lotus

How much and when? Meditation works when it’s practised every day. Some prisoners tell us that they meditate for several hours each day. Others might do five minutes in the morning when they wake up, and five before they go to sleep. If you can manage to work up to 25 minutes, that’s good. Final tip: See if you can let go of trying to get anywhere with meditation. Don’t try to do anything. Keep returning your attention to your breath when it wanders, and know that the time and energy you put in will lead somewhere, but don’t try to be anything other than exactly how you are. We’d love to know how you’re doing.

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Easier than full lotus. Pull your right foot in close to your body and then place your left foot on your right thigh. Switch sides each time you sit.

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Burmese A way of sitting with both legs bent and parallel in front of you, both ankles on the floor.

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

Please contact Anthony Mordi or Michael Okogwu

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Education

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org He then told them about how he ended up in prison, and encouraged the group to use education to help them gain qualifications like he did, he says it was a course he studied, as well as practice in the gym that helped him come up with a business model. He said: “I had the idea, the concept for the book in prison, I thought when you’re in 22 hour bang up, there’s a definite need for this. The Cell Workout offers body weight training in a confined space. I used my imagination to start putting it together inside, I couldn’t find anything I was looking for in the library, so I had to bide my time until I got out and could use the internet for research. Once I had the exercises, I wanted to break it down into muscle groups, I wanted it to be educational and help people learn how to train towards what they want to achieve.”

Cell Workout an interview with the author

L

J Flanders was sitting in his cell in HMP Pentonville when he had a light bulb moment. He was going to write a book to help people get fit. Three years on, that dream has become a reality and copies of Cell Workout are flying off Amazon’s virtual bookshelves. On a sunny Saturday in August, the author went back inside but this time he walked through the staff entrance to HMP Thameside and was escorted to the library, where he addressed a group of 15 prisoners about how he reached his goals, both physically and professionally. L J wanted to start with something active to break the ice: “When I first arrived, I thought I’d take them through my training programme to get everyone engaged so I did a 10 minute workout. I really pushed them, it is High Intensity Training, burpees etc, a few of them were really knackered so I knew it was definitely working” he says.

L J began working towards a career in fitness after studying a personal training course offered by City and Guilds, which gave him the qualifications he needed to get a job at Virgin Active after he was released, “If I hadn’t had taken on that course I never would have got a job, written the book or set up my own business.” But whilst he was motivated on his career goals, he explained the difficulties of staying focused and leading a normal life after leaving prison. He says: “The main thing is the distractions, in jail you can’t do anything for yourself and when you come out you have to do everything, but I stuck at it. I haven’t stopped since I got out because when I was in there I was climbing the walls, but hard work pays off. I said to them I’ve been where you’re

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Since publishing the book earlier this year, L.J hasn’t looked back. He says: “I’m really enjoying my fitness career and I’m still learning about running my own business, how many books to buy, cost of printing per copy, how to promote it etc. I’m currently looking forward to the future working on Volumes 2 and 3 and releasing my own sportswear range. I hope all my hard work will pay off.” His self-study exercise book is aimed to help people get fit on their own and was written with prisoners in mind but can be used by anyone. Written in simple, plain English, with pictures on every page and a glossy finish, L.J says visuals were important because as he is dyslexic he finds it easier to read that way, “I catered for myself and wrote it so it could appeal to everyone, I didn’t want it to be too scientific. I designed the logo, the front cover, I drew everything and gave it to a graphic designer to replicate the visuals.” L J adds: “I want to give a massive thank you to the librarian Neil Barclay, he has been so supportive, he’s helped get my book on the canteen sheet and brought me in for a visit and he also deserves a big thanks for what he has done in the library at Thameside, and for everyone in prison.” L J is currently working with the prison service to get the book approved so it can be available across prisons but if readers would like a copy now, family members and friends can buy it online from Amazon or they can visit: www.cell-workout.com

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.

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standing now. We can relate to one another.” I said “You may not write a book, do fitness or set up a business, but make the most out of your time in jail and achieve something. I told them about the interview I went to with Virgin Active, when I disclosed my conviction and the manager said he would take a chance on me. I worked there for two years as a personal trainer and worked round the clock to finish my book off when I didn’t have clients.”

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Education

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

Fashion classes for Holloway’s Women’s Institute

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Life changing learning at the Open University has now been released and is pursuing a career in drugs and alcohol counselling.

..................................................... Last year, in May, Rob walked across the stage at an Open University Degree ceremony to be presented as a graduate with a BA (Hons)(Open) having already completed two Higher Education certificates.

Mirriam, a Women’s Institute member at HMP Holloway, writes about the importance of the WI network as it marks its 100th anniversary year

M

embers of the Women’s Institute around the country made their way to the Royal Albert Hall to join the Queen in the celebrations of its 100 years anniversary, turning up in their best frocks and hats – no doubt to impress the monarch! Alas, here at Holloway, we laboured towards keeping matters reasonably sedate at our monthly Friday afternoon WI meeting, held in the Resettlement Area of the prison. Following on from the previous month’s theme, which had been presented by the wonderful lady who Heads the Fashion Workshop, we learned that one can make something out of anything… literally! We were shown some exquisitely crafted bracelets and chokers made out of brightly coloured leather. They were all beautiful. And after our tea, we

were ushered into the workshop to have some hands on experience and we produced a mixture of quirky and elaborate pieces. At this month’s meeting, one of the inmates who works in the Fashion Workshop took to the stage and gave us a quick demo of how to make flowers out of fabric. This can then be used to decorate otherwise drab looking head bands, corsages, broaches etc. Again we were given the opportunity to have a go among friendly and relaxed company. One could almost forget that we were women in prison. The impact of WI in a place like Holloway is truly profound. Practical skills as those I describe above are being imparted within the confines of a happy and non-judgemental atmosphere. The difference that this makes is incalculable. Long live WI...

‘Prison education can tackle reoffending from the inside out’ In one of his first speeches, new Justice Secretary Michael Gove called for radical improvements in educational opportunities for prisoners. Now the managing director of City & Guilds, Kirstie Donnelly, has joined the debate, agreeing with Mr Gove and says it’s not about the cost of providing the education but the cost of not providing it. She says that, like all reforms, there is no quick fix, but education within prisons must include training for work that actually exists outside prison. She said; ‘As a country, it’s time we committed to understanding and improving offender learning to equip prisoners with skills that come with real, lifelong benefits. Boosting prison education isn’t going to eliminate crime, but there is no question it can reduce reoffending and give people hope. We have to give ex-offenders the opportunity to make a life for themselves on the outside, and turn their lives around for good.’

Do you desire to know more of God and His Word? This correspondence course is for you!

We offer 10 Christian courses each with 6 to 14 lessons. If transferred or released you can continue your studies. The Bible-based courses are provided free of charge.

For an enrolment form, write to us: Crossroad Bible Institute, PO Box 53158, London E18 9AU

Interested in a career in PLUMBING? Then get the theory knowledge you need with LEARN PLUMBING Our courses start with the basics and cover the theory knowledge that a Trained Plumber (NVQ Level 2) or Advanced Plumber (NVQ Level 3) is expected to have… • Enrol at any time, work at your own pace; fit the learning into your life.

• Our courses are suitable for you, even if you are transferred to another prison.

• Many prisoners studying our courses receive

full funding, talk to your Education Officer or Distance Learning Co-ordinator about enrolling.

Or for further information write to Brian Curry at:

Learn Plumbing, 21 Cranbourne Road, Ashton under Lyne, OL7 9BH

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He’s still a serving prisoner but has weekend leave and time out of the prison, during the week, to study – and on this occasion to receive his degree. He was accompanied by a member of HMPS staff who acted as his helper because he also has a disability. Rob achieved his degree in six years and is currently registered to study a Master of Arts.

.....................................................

© prisonimage.org Open University working with prisoners in the education department at HMP Featherstone.

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elivering Higher Education to students in prisons and secure environments is key to the OU’s mission ‘to be open to people, places, methods and ideas’ and our modules and qualifications have been studied in prisons for the past 40 years.

Sean was convicted of a drug related offence. Although this was his first conviction, it was serious enough to warrant a long custodial sentence. Knowing he faced at least eight years inside, it seemed worthwhile for him to concentrate his efforts on self-development. He says his focus became education. Sean completed his first module with the Open University in 2004 and his first degree in 2008.

In the last twenty years we’ve awarded almost three hundred and thirty undergraduate honours degrees, almost two hundred ordinary degrees, and thirty three taught Masters Degrees as well as hundreds of Certificates and Diplomas of Higher Education to students in prisons, secure units and studying whilst released on licence.

He recalls often being asked by both prison staff and peers what he planned to do after his studies given that a criminal conviction is a bar to most types of employment. Admittedly, at the time he said he did not know. What he said he did know was that the process of learning in itself provides benefits which include improving self-esteem and self-confidence, opportunities to network and meet new people, participation in a positive and rewarding activity, and perhaps, employment.

And these are only the ones we know about! Many more students have continued to study post release and received their qualifications at one of the many Degree ceremonies the Open University holds throughout the United Kingdom.

Sean is now in paid employment working half the week as a Programme Manager for a charity led and delivered by ex-offenders and the other half for a large UK University which has just accepted his application to study part-time for a PhD.

Here are the stories (only the names have been changed) of some of the lives that Open University study has changed:

We would love to tell your story in a future issue of Inside Time. You can start at introductory level with an Open University Access Module. Funding for Access modules is available (subject to eligibility) from PET. Or if you’re ready to begin your Degree post Access level you’ll find all our accessible modules and qualifications in the Open University Guide for Learners in prison 2015/16. Ask your National Careers Service contact or Education Manager for details.

..................................................... Mel was given a life sentence as a teenager and was ordered to serve at least 15 years in prison. She hadn’t finished school and studied for A levels whilst in prison before she began her Open University studies when she was 20 starting with a 10 credit point Openings module. Five years ago she received a special award from the Open University as the student who in the opinion of a panel of senior Open University staff has “travelled the greatest distance” in their student journey. Mel achieved a BSc (Honours) upper second class degree in Social Sciences and Psychology four years ago and a High Court judge reduced her minimum term because of her ‘exceptional progress’ in prison. She

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Why did the government cover up child abuse by ministers and members of government? l Do remember though, that when these types of allegations started to become a national scandal in the early 1990’s - particularly the Frank Beck case in Leicestershire (now related to Janner), many members of public found it very hard to believe to be true. I can bear testimony to this as I started dealing with child abuse work in 1994.

Peter Garsden Senior Partner, Quality Solicitors Abney Garsden

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he recent revelation of papers found in a box marked “Cabinet Secretary Miscellaneous Papers” which shows that there was a cover up of allegations of child abuse is not surprising to me, not only because I have been hearing anecdotal allegations against senior public figures since at least 1997, but also because in the past we lived in a different age. A letter written in 1986 by Sir Anthony Duff, followed an inquiry into an MP alleged to have a “penchant for small boys.” Sir Anthony had apparently spoken to the errant MP, who denied the allegations. Rather than the allegations being referred to the police, Sir Anthony apparently accepted the denial and did not pursue it further. The letter from Sir Anthony Duff to Sir Robert Armstrong added: “At the present stage … the risks of political embarrassment to the government is rather greater than the security danger.” This letter had not been found when Sir Peter Wanless and barrister Richard Whittam did their review. In very guarded language on Radio 4 Today programme, Sir Peter was loath to allege a cover up. He simply commented that the reputation of public figures and government departments was given a greater priority than the allegations of abuse by children - a stark and surprising revelation through the eyes of 2015. There are yet further documents which have been found which concern Peter Morrison, Peter Hayman and William van Straubenzee. Wanless found that a number of documents were “missing”, and could not rule out the possibility that they had been “non-accidentally” destroyed, but there was no evidence of this. What we don’t know are the circumstances surrounding the documents going missing - something, no doubt, that the Goddard inquiry will look into. Certainly the whole contents of the box of papers has been passed to the inquiry to consider. Examine the evidence:l Allegations against Lord Janner never pursued in the 1990’s and 2000’s on 4 occasions. CPS have admitted that they made mistakes. Was there any involvement by government? l Cyril Smith not prosecuted after the Metropolitan Police were “leaned on” by a mysterious figure from government. Was this an MI5 officer? There is circumstantial evidence now in view of the above. l Jimmy Savile claimed to have “friends” in high places, particularly amongst the Leeds Police Force. I have read his police statement in which he threatened the police with legal action should they have the temerity to take their Duncroft school allegations further. He implied that he had friends in high places.

l So the public reaction to someone saying that a well-known member of government had been interfering with small boys in 1990 would probably have been one of disbelief. It is thus not surprising that a senior MI5 officer might also not have believed it was true.

© Fotolia.com

So is it surprising to read about such an attitude within government departments? l Through the eyes of 2015, it is shocking that criminal prosecutions could be stopped through the old boys network, and pressure being applied by government. It appears to be tantamount to corruption. l As recently as 1997 it was a different world where there was a lot more secrecy surrounding the operation of government. The Data Protection Act 1998, and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 had not been enacted. l It was only in the late part of the 1980’s (1987) that the Access to Personal Files Act gave children in care access to their personal files. l In living memory was the Cold War, the Second World War, and the danger of “national security” being in peril should government become destabilised. Thus the fear was that, if there was a scandal about the way in which a government minister had interfered with small boys, it could provoke riots, at worst, or the collapse of the system of government. l We still have the Official Secrets Act, which protects certain types of information from public knowledge, but the way in which it can be invoked, and its scope has definitely been

eroded over the years. There are now legal challenges into the way in which certain tribunals involving allegations against terrorists are to be conducted with decisions of the Supreme Court coming into play. l Looked at through the eyes of today, clearly the Official Secrets Act and threats to National Security was misused and stretched unreasonably to prevent serious allegations of child abuse against an individual.

• Confiscation Proceedings • Matrimonial Proceedings • Cohabitee disputes • Property disputes • Child maintenance disputes • Care Proceedings • Children Disputes Offices in Barking, Romford, Grays and Kentish Town In the first instance please contact us at:

102 - 106 South Street, Romford, ESSEX RM1 1RX Tel: 01708 766155

Peter is the senior partner at QualitySolicitors Abney Garsden. He is Head of the Child Abuse Department which he set up in 1994 and is now the largest dedicated Abuse compensation department in the country. Peter was recently awarded Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year at the Manchester Legal Awards.

CHILD

ABUSE

Helping victims rebuild their lives since 1994. Helping you achieve justice for the abuse you suffered. We have been helping abuse victims claim their legal rights for over 15 years.

Specialists in Family & Financial Disputes

l There are countless examples in the children’s homes cases that we have dealt with over the years of members of staff refusing to believe complaints by boys that another care worker was sexually abusing him. Thus the same sort of scandal is prevalent in a nonfamous, non-celebrity setting.

The law allows people to make claims for compensation even if the abuse they suffered took place many years ago. We also deal with cases against children’s homes, other institutions and social services for lack of care.

Our dedicated team of specialist, legal experts have a proven track record in handling child abuse claims and can help you if you have been the victim of sexual, physical or emotional abuse in childhood. In 2013 we secured nearly three quarters of a million pounds in compensation for our clients. Speak to one of our specialist male or female solicitors in complete confidence. • Prison visits • Legal Aid available • Complete confidentiality

QualitySolicitors Abney Garsden Changing the way you see lawyers.

0845 604 7075

[email protected]

37 Station Road, Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, SK8 5AF

www.abuselaw.co.uk

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Unfair evidence and the right to a fair trial

rticle 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides all persons with the right to a fair trial. Fairness is at the heart of all criminal proceedings. Sometimes, however, prosecutions seek to introduce inherently “unfair” evidence into the criminal process. When the Judge allows such evidence to be used, it is often difficult to challenge. This creates obvious unfairness and can have devastating consequences on the prospect of an acquittal.

evidence has been obtained in bad faith. The following are merely examples of circumstances which could fall within the remit of Section 78: l Oppressive or aggressive questioning by the police; l Evidence obtained in breach of the PACE Codes of Conduct; l Evidence obtained in the absence of an appropriate adult (if the accused was entitled to one); l Evidence obtained through an unlawful search; l Evidence obtained by trickery, or by deception; l Breaches of the European Convention on Human Rights; l Breaches of the Codes of Practice issued under PACE; l Bad faith on the part of the police.

This article will explain what the legal definition of unfair evidence is, what should be done in the course of a criminal trial to exclude that evidence, and finally, what can be done if you have been convicted on the basis of unfair evidence.

However, Section 78 can also be used as a general non-specific safeguard against unfairness and is an argument often relied upon by the defence to seek to exclude all sorts of evidence including bad character and hearsay evidence.

What is “unfair” evidence? Lord Lane C.J. in the case of R v Quinn Crim L.R. 581 stated the following in relation to criminal trials:

When in criminal proceedings does Section 78 apply? Applications to exclude unfair evidence have been made in relation to a wide range of evidential material. That material could include confessions, identification evidence, or alibi notices.

David Wells Senior Partner, Wells Burcombe Solicitors

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“...The function of the judge is therefore to protect the fairness of the proceedings, and normally proceedings are fair if... all relevant evidence [is heard] which either side wishes to place before the court, but proceedings may become unfair if, for example, one side is allowed to adduce relevant evidence which, for one reason or another, the other side cannot properly challenge or meet.” Unfair evidence deprives the Defence of being in a position to properly scrutinize what is being introduced. Miscarriages of justice can occur. Unfair evidence can come in a variety of forms but incorporates anything which on the face of it deprives a defendant of a fair trial. Discretion to exclude unfair evidence Fortunately, there is a safeguard against unfairness in all criminal proceedings. Section 78 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (“PACE”) provides the Court with a discretion to exclude any Prosecution evidence if: “…it appears to the court that, having regard to all the circumstances, including the circumstances in which the evidence was obtained, the admission of the evidence would have such an adverse effect on the fairness of the proceedings that the court ought not to admit it.” The key consideration is whether admitting a certain piece of evidence into the proceedings would render those proceedings as a whole unfair. This is a two-stage test. It is not always enough to demonstrate that the circumstances under which the evidence was obtained was unfair. The test usually will only be satisfied if in addition to the circumstances being unfair, admitting the evidence would have an adverse impact on the fairness of the proceedings. What types of circumstances could be considered unfair? Section 78 will usually be invoked to exclude evidence which has been obtained by an improper act on the part of the police, or if

How is unfair evidence excluded? Usually, the Defence will make an application in court to the trial judge in the absence of the jury stating the reasons why certain ‘evidence’ should not be admitted. The application is usually made just before the evidence is due to be put before the jury. The Prosecution may respond. It is then up to the trial judge whether or not to allow the evidence. Can the admission of unfair evidence amount to a ground of appeal? The test that the Court of Appeal applies in deciding whether or not to allow an appeal is whether or not the conviction is “unsafe”. This is an exceptionally high threshold, however, the Court of Appeal has previously allowed appeals on the basis that unfair evidence was wrongly put before the jury. Importantly, to succeed as a ground of appeal, the admission of that evidence must have had an impact on the jury’s verdict. David Wells (Wells Burcombe) & Rebecca Broadbent (Barrister)

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

Telephone: 01727 840900 24hr Emergency Number: 07592 034170

Segregation Solicitor Abigail Fogg reports on recent changes to the law on solitary confinement Abigail Fogg Duncan Lewis Solicitors

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egregation is supposed to be the last resort. It should only be used as a short term punishment (maximum 14 days after an adjudication) or as a short term measure to ensure the safety of prisoners and prison staff. However, segregation has been increasingly used as a long term measure to avoid difficult decisions in complex circumstances. Prisoners who are held in segregation are often isolated in cells for up to 23 and a half hours a day. This prevents them accessing education, employment, offender behaviour courses and from pursuing their rehabilitation programme. The use of long term segregation has been steadily increasing as there have been cuts to prison staff to deal with complex situations. Sadly, there has also been an alarming increase in depression, self-harm and suicides in prisons. Nelson Mandela was famously held in solitary confinement for many years. This was largely because the prison feared the ‘influences’ he was having on other prisoners. He experienced great hardships including hard labour in a quarry, but he considered solitary confinement to be the worst: “I found solitary confinement the most forbidding aspect of prison life. There is no end and no beginning; there is only one’s mind, which can begin to play tricks. Was that a dream or did it really happen? One begins to question everything? The effects of long term segregation on mental health are well known. The Istanbul Statement on the Use and Effects of Solitary Confinement, adopted on 9 December 2007. said the following: “solitary confinement may cause serious psychological and sometimes physiological ill effects. Research suggests that between one third and as many as 90% of prisoners experience adverse symptoms in solitary confinement. A long list of symptoms ranging from insomnia

and confusion to hallucinations and psychosis has been documented. Negative health effects can occur after only a few days in solitary confinement, and the health risks rise with each additional day spent in such conditions.” In a further UN report it was warned that: “some of the harmful psychological effects of isolation can become irreversible.” The Supreme Court made a significant ruling recently in the case of Bourgass that segregation that continued after 72 hours must be approved by the Secretary of State and not the Governor of the prison. The ruling stated that prisoners must be given valid reasons for them being moved to segregation and given the chance to put forward representations to move back to the ordinary wings. In the cases where prisoners cannot be given the full reasons for segregation due to security reasons they must be given the ‘gist’ of the reasons and allowed to respond accordingly. The prison must consider all alternative measures before resorting to segregation. These measures are to include transfers to other wings, to another prison, to a CSC, or to a Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Unit; or closer supervision on normal location, which might include constant CCTV observation, and resort to powers to use physical force so far as necessary; or the use of an incentives and earned privileges scheme. The ruling sent a loud message that long term segregation can only be used in rare and extreme circumstances and cannot be relied upon as a measure to keep good order and discipline at prisons. The case follows global concern that segregation or solitary confinement amounts to degrading inhumane treatment and in some cases torture. The UN has issued new guidelines to set new international standards for treatment of prisoners which include limits on solitary confinement. They have indicated that any period past 14 days can only be justified in rare and extreme circumstances and cannot be the norm. These new guidelines are being called the ‘Mandela rules’ which shows that his legacy continues in prisons today.

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Release on Temporary Licence… What has changed? Emma Davies Partner Nicola Blackburn Prison Law Hine Solicitors

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elease on Temporary Licence (ROTL) has played an important role in public protection by allowing risk management plans for offenders to be tested in the community under strict conditions before they are released. The procedure for ROTLs, who is entitled to them and when, is contained in the relatively new Prison Service Instrument 13/2015. This article looks into the new “two tier” ROTL system and what this could mean for indeterminate sentenced prisoners. What is ROTL? Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) is the mechanism by which offenders may undertake activities in the community that are necessary and/or which cannot be facilitated within prison. ROTLs will generally take place towards the end of an offender’s sentence and are to be used for rehabilitative purposes. Who is entitled to ROTL? The new provisions clearly state that there is no presumption that an offender is entitled to

ROTL. All prisoners are entitled to be considered for ROTL save for:l Category A offenders (adult males) or restricted status offenders (adult females/young offenders); l Offenders on the escape list; l Offenders who are subject to extradition proceedings; l Remand and convicted unsentenced offenders; l Sentenced offenders who are remanded for further charges or further sentencing; and l Offenders held on behalf of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) or the International Criminal Court (ICC). Offenders who have a history of escape, abscond or serious ROTL failure during their current sentence may no longer be deemed eligible for ROTL unless it can be argued that there are exceptional circumstances that mean they should. In addition, Category B offenders are not eligible to be considered for Resettlement Day or Overnight release. What types of ROTLs are there? There are numerous types of ROTLs that can be applied for and examples of the most common are listed here:

Resettlement Day Release (RDR) Such release is for offenders to undertake activities that are linked to objectives in their sentence plans. Such as paid and unpaid work placements, training and education, maintain family ties or other activities linked to an offender’s sentence plan. Resettlement Overnight Release (ROR) This is to enable offenders to participate in overnight release and spend time at their release address re-establishing links with family and the local community. Special Purpose Licence (SPL) This is a short duration temporary release, often at short notice, that allows eligible offenders to respond to exceptional personal circumstances, such as medical treatment or compassionate release to visit dying relatives or other tragic personal circumstances. What has changed? In 2013 and 2014 there were a series of reports of serious offending and abscond of offenders who had been released on temporary licence. As a result a review was commissioned to look at the current set-up of ROTLs and the procedure for granting these. The review recommended not only to increase the stringency of ROTLs, but also to ensure they were granted with greater consistency. Prison Service Instrument 13/2015 was issued in an attempt to do this. There is now a two tier approach to ROTL. More serious and high risk offenders are only considered under a new Restricted ROTL regime. Indeterminate sentence prisoners, all offenders subject to MAPPA and any offender assessed as high or very high risk are subject to Restricted ROTL. Standard ROTL will apply to all determinate prisoners who pose no higher than medium risk of serious harm and who are not eligible for MAPPA. Standard ROTL will essentially operate as ROTLs did before the change in procedure.

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

Call us on 01865 518971 or visit www.hinesolicitors.com Oxford Freepost address FREEPOST RTHU - LEKE - HAZR Hine Solicitors | Seymour House 285 Banbury Road | Oxford | OX2 7JF

Restricted ROTLs On arrival to an open prison, all Restricted ROTL cases will be considered for inclusion in the Enhanced Behaviour Monitoring (EBM) arrangements. These arrangements provide enhanced monitoring and this is meant to be done in collaboration with the offender to assist in their understanding of managing their own offence related risks more effectively. The process includes a review by a psychologist to see whether the offender would benefit from an increased level of supervision or management throughout their time in open conditions. This information will then be fed back into a review of OASys and the resulting assessment and risk management information will be fed into the Restricted ROTL application process. Further guidance was meant to be issued on the Enhanced Behaviour Monitoring arrangements and how it will work in practice. However, it is yet to be published. It is therefore unclear how the restricted ROTL process is currently being properly implemented. If you

are experiencing difficulties as a result of this, a prison law solicitor may be able to assist you in attempting to overcome this apparent ‘catch 22’ situation. Although unfortunately this is not presently an area of work that attracts Legal Aid. If you are offender in your Parole process then this may be something that a solicitor can give assistance about. What is the difference between Restricted and Standard ROTLs? One of the main differences between Standard ROTL and Restricted ROTL is the application process. The stringency of considering ROTL applications for prisoners who would be considered for restricted ROTL is essentially as follows:

l the decision must be made by the governing or deputy governor; l the board must be chaired by a senior manager deemed competent for the task by the governor; l the offender supervisor must be probation qualified; l the board must have a record of the views of the offender manager; l the board must have before it an indication of whether the victim of the index offence has made any representations in relation to the release, including any request for conditions to be attached to the release; l the board must have available the EBM case file review; l where the offender has been managed under EBM, the board must have available any information from the EBM monitoring process. Another main difference in terms of implementation is that at least the first three Resettlement Day Releases for restricted ROTLs must be supervised or accompanied. Whilst this process is in its early days, offenders, particularly those serving an indeterminate sentence, may find themselves struggling to progress applications for ROTL in a reasonable timeframe for the following reasons:

l If considered suitable for the Enhanced Behavioural Monitoring arrangements, the prisoner will then require additional supervision and psychological input into their case. Such resources will of course take time to find and implement, potentially causing delays. l The extra information required before a restricted ROTL application can be considered (as above) is greater than for standard ROTL. Ensuring all the relevant information is properly obtained may take time. l Whilst supervised release is still release, the Parole Board will of course be far more interested in the prisoner demonstrating trustworthiness and manageability in the community, which will really only come from unescorted leave. If a minimum of the first three leaves therefore have to be escorted, indeterminate prisoners will likely need further time to acquire a sufficient number of independent leaves prior to a Parole Board review or oral hearing. If you are an indeterminate sentenced prisoner approaching your Parole review and are experiencing difficulties due to the new ROTL provisions, consider speaking with a prison law solicitor to see if anything can be done to assist you. You should be able to access PSI 13/2015 within the prison library which will give you some guidance about what you should expect during the process and when you are eligible to be considered for temporary release.

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Advertorial

Abuse of Process

Disclosure The area of disclosure has always been the most contentious area of criminal litigation and most of the great miscarriage of justice cases have turned on failures to disclose by the prosecution. The House of Lords laid down final and conclusive guidance on disclosure and Public Interest Immunity applications in the case R v H & C [2004] 2 AC 134 (the authors represented ‘H’).

security arrangements for the viewing and storage of this sensitive material and refused to obey the order, the indictment was stayed; R v LR [2010] 2 Cr. App. R 9, CA. The Lord Chief Justice noted that there will be cases, even were the defendant is in custody, where the prosecution will have to provide the material on CD so it can be examined by the defendant with his lawyers in prison with undertakings by the lawyers as to the use of the material.

(1996) 1 Cr App R 94, 101. Thus, if evidence that should have been seized by the police but now cannot be obtained, but would have been helpful to the defence, then that is a ‘Category 1’ situation and the Judge could, exceptionally, stay the trial on the basis that the defendant could not get a fair trial.

However, it is sad fact that today prosecutors are still not getting disclosure right. With the pressure on the prosecution not to give the defence the ‘warehouse keys’ there has been an over analysis of Defence Statements and a willingness to conclude that no further disclosure is necessary.

If, however, the police had the material but maliciously destroyed it, then that would be a ‘Category 2’ case and even though the defendant could get a fair trial it would be unfair to try him – in as much as it would offend our sense of justice and bring the administration of the criminal justice system into disrepute to do so, see e.g. R v Mullen [1999] 1 AC 42, HL.

In a case called R v O [2007] EWCA Crim 3483 a Crown Court Judge was so exasperated by H.M. Custom’s failure to properly respond to the defence’s proper applications for disclosure he stayed the case as an abuse of process. The prosecution appealed and the Court of Appeal upheld the decision. The case was a fraud allegation where O was simply asking for business documents held by customs after they had searched his premises. Customs had been taking the line that most of the material neither assisted the defence or undermined the prosecution case and was therefore not disclosable and refused to even let the defence have sight of the outer covers of the documents. The defence were adamant that the business documents could assist. The Judge was swayed by the obstructive nature of Customs, he did not even make a decision on the merits of the material in question but was pushed in the end to saying that Customs had relied too heavily on the precise rule of law on disclosure, to the extent that they were inflexible and obstructive. His Honour said “if the prosecution approach the case without concession then they can expect none” and with that he threw the case out.

Conclusion Abuse of process applications should not be made lightly. In order to persuade a court to stay an indictment a defendant has to have the ammunition to support the application. That means the lawyers have to be alive to the possibilities that might arise in any case and think long-term; e.g. early written, and properly justified, requests for material –not months later. In other words if there is any hint of an abuse of process application then it must be kept at the forefront of the defending mind from the very outset.

When will a Judge throw a case out of Court because of the behaviour of the Prosecution? Aziz Rahman Solicitor Jonathan Lennon Barrister

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here are many reasons why a Judge might conclude that it would not be proper for the courts to be used to prosecute a defendant. For example, delay in bringing proceedings, manipulation of the court’s procedures, entrapment by police officers, loss of evidence and so on. The prosecution facing an abuse of process application will always argue that the Judge can ensure fairness by, for example, excluding any evidence which is causing dispute, or by warning the jury that the defendant has been unable to call certain evidence because it has been destroyed – in other words anything except throw the case out before it even starts.

Leading Case One of the leading cases in this area is R (Ebrahim) v Feltham Magistrates’ Court; Mouat v DPP [2001] 2 Cr. App. R, 23, DC. The High Court considered the situation where the two defendants, in two separate cases had asserted that video evidence would have assisted their defences but where that the video material was no longer available. In Mr. Mouat’s case he was videoed by an unmarked police car exceeding the speed limit. His defence was that he was trying to get away from a driver who was driving dangerously close behind him and he had no idea it was a police car; i.e. duress of circumstances. Once he stopped he was shown the video by the officers and had the choice to accept a penalty or go to trial – he elected trial. By the time of the trial the tapes in the police car had been re-used. The High Court quashed Mr. Mouat’s conviction. Mr. Ebrahim was not so fortunate. Ebrahim’s case concerned un-seized CCTV material. On the facts of that case the Court found that the defendant had had a fair trial even though the CCTV material was missing. The Court of Appeal said that when considering an abuse application on this basis a Judge must consider what the duty was to preserve any video material. If the court finds that there is no such duty for the material in question to be seized or preserved then there can be no stay of the prosecution. If, alternatively, there is such a duty, and it has been breached, then the court can only consider staying the indictment as an exceptional measure as the trial process itself can remedy the problem; e.g. by the Judge warning the jury about missing evidence, or by him excluding certain other evidence etc. If, however, the police or the prosecution appear to have acted with “bad faith or at the very least some serious fault” then a stay may be more readily granted. The Ebrahim & Mouat case was followed in R v Boyd [2004] RTR 2, CA. That was a causing death by careless driving whilst unfit through drugs case. Blood was taken from the suspect for testing but was not properly refrigerated and it was thereafter impossible for the defence to carry out their own expert analysis. The Court of Appeal found that the concern could not merely be addressed by excluding the evidence but had to be met by a stay of the indictment. Two Categories of Abuse In considering the development of case law it is clear that the Higher Courts will sometimes use the abuse of process jurisdiction to effectively ‘punish’ the police or prosecution for errors or faults. This ‘serious fault’ limb of the abuse of process jurisdiction highlights the way abuse applications fall into two broad categories; Category 1 cases where the defendant cannot receive a fair trial, and Category 2 cases where it would be unfair for the defendant to be tried: see R v Beckford

R v Grant [2005] 2 Cr. App. R 28 is a Category 2 case. The police eavesdropped on the communications of a suspect and his solicitor. The Court held that unlawful acts of such a kind, amounting to a deliberate violation of a suspect’s right to legal privilege were such an affront to the integrity of the justice system that the prosecution was rendered abusive. However, though eavesdropping on privileged conversations will clearly put any prosecution in jeopardy the Privy Council were faced with a case where they felt forced to disapprove the Grant case; Curtis Warren v Att. General for Jersey [2011] 2 ALL ER 513, PC. In that case the police had placed an audio probe in the defendants hire car which would be driven through a number of overseas European countries. The police knew that permission from those countries had been refused for the use of such devices but went ahead anyway. The consequent abuse of process application failed, a decision upheld on appeal. Much turned on the facts of the case but the Council found that the Court of Appeal was wrong to say that deliberate invasion of a suspect’s right to legal professional privilege should generally lead to a stay; it may do so but category 2 cases were always to be a balancing exercise for individual consideration. A cynic might say that, in other words, the defendant in that case was too big to get away. Entrapment The use of undercover officers in covert operations often leads to accusations of abuse of process on the basis that the officers have entrapped or encouraged an offence to take place. This aspect of abuse deserves a whole article to itself but, in very short order, the Judge has to look to see if the undercover officer has ‘overstepped the mark’; R v Loosely; Att. General’s Ref (No 3 of 2000) [2001] 1 WLR 2060, HL. To make an effective abuse challenge to any undercover operation the defence really need to have sight of the senior officers’ authorisations – made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA). These authorisations are what make the intrusion into someone’s private life, e.g. by an undercover officer befriending a suspect over a long period of time, lawful. In R v G.S. and Ors [2005] EWCA 887, unrep. 22/4/05, the Court of Appeal found that once the lawfulness of a covert operation was under challenge all the prosecution had to do was produce the authorisations to the trial Judge – but not to the defence. However, the case of R v Allsopp [2005] EWCA Crim 703, decided just weeks earlier appears to approve of the release of authorisations to the defence and the challenge of covert operations by the defence (in the absence of the jury, see para. 28). There has been a more recent development in this area in an entrapment case called R v Palmer & Ors [2014] EWCA Crim 1681 (7/8/14). In that case the Court of Appeal was not only content to consider the lawfulness of a ‘sting’ operation – the setting up of a shop by undercover officers to buy stolen goods – but the Crown accepted that once the defence challenged the lawfulness of a covert police operation then the authorisations should have been disclosed – albeit in redacted form. This material can provide the ammunition needed in an abuse challenge.

In a case involving indecent images of children, the defence solicitors wished to view the material and certain directions were given by the court regarding disclosure. The prosecution were not content with the

Jonathan Lennon is a Barrister specialising in serious and complex criminal defence cases at 33 Chancery Lane Chambers, London. He has extensive experience in all aspects of financial and serious crime and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. He is ranked by both Legal 500 Chambers & Ptnrs & is recognised in C&P’s specialist POCA and Financial Crime sections; ‘he is phenomenal and is work rate is astonishing’ (2015). Aziz Rahman is a Solicitor- Advocate and Partner at the leading Criminal Defence firm Rahman Ravelli Solicitors, specialising in Human Rights, Financial Crime and Large Scale Conspiracies/ Serious crime. Rahman Ravelli are members of the Specialist Fraud Panel and have been ranked by Legal 500 as an ‘exceptional’ firm with Aziz Rahman being described as ‘top class’’. The firm is also ranked in Chambers & Partners. Rahman Ravelli are a Top Tier and Band 1 firm.

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46

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)

GC - HMP Leeds

Q

I was recalled to prison eight years ago on a different sentence based on a suspicion that I had taken amphetamine. Tests were not taken, and I was sent straight back to prison. Am I able to challenge the reasons for the recall given it was so long ago?

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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It would seem that you wish to know whether you can challenge the reasons for recall. As a result of PSI 30/2014 all offenders subject to a standard recall must be informed of the reasons for their recall within 24 hours of the Public Protection Casework Section being notified of their return to custody. You then have the right to submit written representations to the Parole Board regarding your recall and the reasons behind it. Your case must then be referred to the Parole Board no later than 28 days after your return to custody. You should seek independent legal advice at this time as you can receive assistance with drafting these representations. You state in your query that you wish to challenge a decision to recall which was made on a previous sentence. It is highly unlikely that any challenge would be reviewed given the period of time that has elapsed. However, if you wish to make a claim for compensation for wrongful detention, then seek further legal advice. However, you state that the reason for your recall was due to a suspicion that you had been taking amphetamine. Under the decision to recall can be made ‘in cases where the offender’s behaviour indicates that they present an increased RoSH to the public or an imminent risk of further offences being committed.’ paragraph 4.7, PSII 30/2014. If your Offender Manager believed that the mere suspicion of drug taking would result in an increased risk of serious harm to the public or further offences being committed, then the decision to recall cannot be questioned. However, with written representations before the Parole Board, the

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period in custody may have been dramatically shortened. This once again highlights the importance of seeking legal advice when recalled to custody. Response supplied by Pickup & Scott Solicitors

..................................................... MA - HMP Moorland

Q

I was recently taken out of my prison job to start a course which I expressed interest in a year ago but I no longer wish to do now. I asked for a review of my education plan, and this is yet to be done. I had been told by the tutor and officer that if I didn’t participate or go back to the wing I would receive an IEP I still received the IEP even though I went back to the wing. Can I be forced into participating and signing the paperwork to do the course, when I no longer want to do it and mentally feel unable to do so?

A

Please note that there is no obligation on a prisoner to undertake any courses whilst in Prison. You cannot be forced into undertaking courses, be they on your sentence plan or voluntary. However, should you refuse to undertake courses on your sentence plan and you face any Parole procedure, this can be taken into account by the Parole Board when determining your suitability for release or progression to open conditions. However, in accordance with PSI 41/2012 Offender Managers and Offender Supervisors should seek to enhance inmates’ motivation to change wherever possible. How much encouragement an inmate may have will ultimately be dependent upon the nature of their Offender Manager or Offender Supervisor. If you are unhappy with the treatment you have received by the officers in them forcing you to complete a sentence plan, you may wish to submit a COMP1 form outlining your concerns and stating that you no longer wish to complete the programme stated. I would take this opportunity to draw your attention to the Prison Rules, notably Prison Rule 51, paragraph 22 which states that disobeying a direct order can constitute being brought before the Independent Adjudicator and potentially results in the imposition of extra days to an inmate’s sentence. However, in such a circumstance any order forcing you to do a course could not, in my view, be seen as lawful. Response supplied by Pickup & Scott Solicitors

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

AB - HMP Cardiff

Q

I was sentenced to two years for commercial burglary. After sentencing I put in applications for a transfer to HMP Stoke Heath. I was told that I’m a Cat-B prisoner due to an escape from HMP Sudbury in 2006, and also for possession of an imitation firearm in 2010 which I was a Cat-C throughout the sentence. I have also had one more custodial after this and was a Cat-C, I’ve put in complaints and have had no reply. Surely I should have a sentence plan put in place and a be a Cat-C prisoner?

A

Once you are sentenced for a new offence, the prison will undertake an initial categorisation to determine a prisoner’s security category. This procedure should be completed on a form entitled ICA1. The decision making process is relatively straightforward and in effect is a tick box exercise followed by a flow diagram. The first decision that must be considered is whether any factors contained in Section A are present on a prisoners record. The factors are listed below: • If determinate sentence - current sentence of 10 years or over; • If indeterminate sentence - a tariff of 5 years or over; • Prisoner was Category A during previous sentence; • Current/previous terrorist offences; • Prisoner has been treated as provisional Category A whilst on remand. If any of these factors are present then the Prisoner will be categorised as a Category B prisoner. I note from your correspondence than none of these factors are present in your case so Section B must then be considered. The Prison must then determine whether any of the following factors are present: • Previous sentence of 10 years or over; • Current/Previous escape from closed prison, police custody (other than resisting arrest), or escort; • Current or previous serious offence involving: Violence, threat to life, firearms, sex, arson, drugs, robbery. If there is one factor present then the Prisoner will be categorised as a Cat C prisoner, if there are more than one then a prisoner will be a CAT B prisoner. It would appear that the Prison have categorised you as a Cat B prisoner as you have one recorded abscond along with a firearm offence. It would therefore appear that your initial categorisation was completed in accordance with the PSI 40/2011. Once you have been initially categorised, you will be subject to ongoing reviews which will take place at either 6 monthly or annual intervals depending on the length of your current sentence. If you can demonstrate a reduction in your risk ahead of these reviews, you should be successful in receiving your Cat C status. The whole process is set out clearly in PSI 40/2011 and I would suggest that you have a look at this document to assist you in understanding the process. In the event that you disagree with the decision made at your categorisation review you have a right to challenge this and to ask for a further review. To do this you need to make a formal request/complaint in a COMP form. Response supplied by Hine Solicitors

Insidetime September 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) due to the lapse of time I have missed the opportunity to appeal my sentence. This means his threat of judicial review was just bravado. What are your comments?

Banks on Sentence

A

What a cock-up! To determine the release date for a 2012 EDS extended sentence it is necessary to answer the following questions.

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 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.

1 Was the sentence before 13 April 2015? 2 If answer is Yes, was the offence one that is listed in Criminal Justice Act 2003 Sch 15B? 3 If the answer to Question 2 is No, was the custodial term of the extended sentence 10 years or more?

Q

If the answer to questions 2 and 3 is No, the release date is after two-thirds of the custodial term has been served.

www.banksr.com

Police trapped me when I was selling in a gym. I was a one-man band. The police were furious because they watched four sales on the CCTV, stopped the people as they left the club and then three turned out to have been given legal stimulants and only one sale was coke. I pleaded and the Judge said I was acting in an organisational role as there was no-one higher. He said it was a Category 3 case as I was street dealing and that the guidelines were hard to apply. He said he would take a mid-tariff sentence and gave me 4½ years plus 1 extra year for my previous. Can I appeal because I should have been given a lesser role?

A

It is important to remember that the Sentencing Guidelines are a rough and ready attempt to provide the right sentence. Not all situations will fit into the guidelines and this is particularly true of the Drug Offences Guideline 2012. A recent case is significant. In R v Mellor 2015 EWCA Crim 1243, the defendant was street dealing and there was no suggestion there was anyone higher up in the chain. The Judge determined he was playing a lesser role and considered he had to be sentenced for a single sale of heroin. He started at 3½ years and gave 28 months with a plea. The Court said that they would not determine whether it was a significant or a lesser role but considered it was right to start at 2½ years, which made 20 months on a plea. This means the 4½ years starting point could be argued to be wrong. Your case raises an interesting point which perhaps should have been argued in R v Mellor 2015. Street dealing is a Category 3 offence and ‘street dealing’ is defined as

‘selling directly to users’. It could be argued that you were not selling to users but to one user, so you should have been put in Category 4. Put another way, you were doing the same as someone who sells a wrap of coke at a party. He or she could not be said to be street dealing. I will ask David Wells to write to you.

Q

I was given an extended sentence with a custodial term of three years. I was told I would serve 2 years. My solicitors wrote to me and confirmed the sentence and the release date. This meant I was going to be released on 17 April 2016. When I received my release papers it had my eligibility for parole on 17 April 2016 and a release date of 17 April 2017. In December 2014, my solicitor obtained an e-mail from the Judge which said I would be released at the two-thirds point as he had ordered. He said I had been misinformed and quoted some sections of Criminal Justice Act 2003. My solicitors then wrote to the Sentence Calculations Board and then to NOMS saying they were wrong. My solicitors also said unless they conceded the point they would seek judicial review. My solicitor eventually wrote back saying I should have been sentenced under Sexual Offences Act 2003 Schedule 15B. This meant my legal team and the Judge were wrong. Who is responsible for this almighty mess? My solicitor said, “Your trouble is that you demand to fly Business Class but can only afford to pay stowage.” Well I am on legal aid so I don’t decide what he is paid. I have written to the Derby Crown Court and asked them to comment. I am getting no sympathy from anyone. My solicitor is now saying that

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If the answer to question 1 is No or the answer to either question 2 or 3 is Yes, the release date is determined by the Parole Board and will be between two-thirds of the custodial term and the whole custodial term.

Your case has a Yes to questions 1 and 2, so the answer is the first answer. Looking at the facts of your case, I wish I had some good news for you. It is easier to say what went wrong than what went right. I have looked your case up on the Internet and I have found a case which exactly matches your name and the facts you give and the report says you do have a Schedule 15B conviction. Assuming you have a Schedule 15B conviction, the Judge was wrong to say in his sentencing remarks that you would serve 2 years. As indicated earlier, because of that conviction you only become eligible to release after serving two-thirds of your sentence and the decision is made by the Parole Board, Criminal Justice Act 2003 s 246A(4). If the Parole Broad declines to release you, you stay in prison. You have to be released at the end of the custodial term, which in your case is 3 years. The Judge was therefore wrong for the same reason to say in his e-mail that release would be at the twothirds point and that it was mandatory. Your solicitor was wrong to think judicial review was appropriate at any stage. If the sentence is unlawful, defendants should make an appeal to the Court of Appeal. If the release date is incorrect one writes a letter to HM Prison Service explaining why it is wrong. In my experience in almost all cases the prison decision is correct and solicitors are wrong.

Legal Q&A

47

Your solicitor was wrong to suggest you demand to fly Business Class. If he seeks to work in the Crown Court, he is required to know the law and if he does not like the rates of pay he should stop doing it on legal aid. If a surgeon does not like National Health rates of pay, that is no reason to do botched surgery. The poor rate of pay is not an opportunity to obtain a fee and provide an inadequate service. Providing the correct answer was not an onerous task. If your solicitor had looked in my book he could have found the answer in 30 seconds. In any event, he should know the answer. Your solicitor is wrong to say you have missed the opportunity to appeal. If the sentence is unlawful the Court of Appeal should grant leave to appeal out of time. If, on the other hand, you don’t have a Schedule 15B offence on your record, your sentence is unlawful because extended sentences where there is no Schedule 15B offence have to have a custodial term of 4 years or more. You ask for my comments. It was inevitable that the cuts to legal aid would lead to this and other shambles. You have been provided with a poor service. If your solicitor had provided you with the correct answer at the beginning it would have taken him a fraction of the time he has spent on your case because he did not know the law. Many solicitors are able to provide an excellent service because they know the law, which saves time. Extended sentences are routinely messed up. The Court of Appeal recently made a whole series of errors in R v Bradbury 2015 EWCA 1176 when it sought to substitute extended sentences. At the end of June, the Court of Appeal substituted an unlawful extended sentence in Balasupramaniam’s case. In those cases despite the errors it appears that no one is doing anything about them. The irony is that your position has always been the same. From start to finish, whatever the Judge said, you will be released between twothirds and the whole of your 3-year custodial term. It is not what the Judge says that matters, it is the operation of the law. Extended sentences are very unfair. If a solicitor writes to me and says I’m unfair, I will ask him or her whether he or she would be happy with botched surgery because of low pay. If they ask why I don’t blame counsel, I would be happy to say there are many counsel who provide a very poor service. So there you are. Perhaps you shouldn’t have asked for comments!

Asking Robert and Jason questions:

Have your lawyers let you down? 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

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.

48

Reading Groups

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

Shared Reading

Reading group round-up

Shaun Lawrence reads at Holbeck House probation hostel in West Yorkshire.

Image courtesy of Matthew Meadows

This month’s report comes from Heathfield, one of two reading groups that PRG supports at HMP Wandsworth Boris Johnson’s Dream of Rome has two themes: it is a celebration of the astounding achievements of the Roman Empire, and a damning critique of the modern European Union. Johnson studied Classics at Oxford in the Bullingdon Club days before he became more famous as Mayor Boris and possible contender for future Tory leader. He knows his stuff and the book is full of fascinating facts about everything from engineering works to recipes. Did you know that the aqueducts of ancient Gaul (modern France) could be as long as 75 kilometres, and that they had an unwavering gradient of 0.04, or 25 metres in every kilometre? Any less and the water wouldn’t flow; any greater and the pressure would burst the pipes. As Johnson tells it, the success of the Empire revolved around the ability of the conquerors to make those they conquered want to be Roman: to dress, worship, speak and eat like Romans. The example offered by the book is garum, a kind of fish paste made by mixing whole small fish with blood and guts and then leaving the disgusting mess to fester in the sun for a couple of months. But what is most remarkable about garum was its apparent ubiquity: garum containers have been found all over the Empire, from Italy and France to Spain and North Africa. Johnson comments: What does this teach us? It shows the phenomenal conforming influence of Roman cultural preferences on the world they conquered. Across the Roman world, people were becoming conditioned not just to want Roman citizenship, but to adore the same foul-smelling fish mulch that the Romans put on their food. Perhaps the nearest modern equivalent is the cultural domination of the United States through McDonald’s and Coca Cola. Johnson suggests that the Roman Empire collapsed under the joint pressure of Christianity and Islam. Despite their differences, Christians and Muslims shared a refusal to be assimilated to Roman ways. The book makes the comparison between the Roman Empire and the European Union but only to stress the differences: In many ways the European Union can be seen as the inheritor of the Roman Empire, an attempt to unite this vast and disparate territory in the way the Romans did, to create a single market, a single currency, a political union. But for Johnson the idea of being ‘European’ cannot compete with the nationalism of

member states and their citizens: ‘the incorrigible desire of people to govern themselves, or to be governed by people of their own race, or from their own language group’. All in all The Dream of Rome is almost guaranteed to spark lively debate and both book and author got the Heathfield group going. Most agreed that Johnson is ‘a funny, clever geezer’ who writes with easy wit and humour, as when he describes a battle between the Romans and an ancient Germanic tribe: It was the habit of the barbarians to bring their women up to the line of battle so they could be ready to scavenge the corpses and to give encouragement. If a barbarian retreated or was beaten back, it was standard for the wives to bare their breasts in a kind of Sun Page Three exhortation to the troops. ‘This is what you are fighting for!’ they would cry, and the barbarian would pick up his sword, wipe the blood from his nose, thank the girl for reminding him and run back into battle. Someone commented that ‘You can just imagine him at Westminster wearing a toga’ which made us all smile. But views of Johnson as a politician were sharply divided between his admirers and those who thought the book’s humour masked some more contentious views about race, class and the modern world. The Heathfield group is 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.

This week’s session at the hostel took place amongst a very small group made up of two residents, Andy and Steve*, and one member of staff. We read the deceptively short and simple-looking poem ‘A Time To Talk’ by Robert Frost, which led to some quite lively discussion about location, relationships and more topics besides. Both Andy and Steve have been residents at the hostel for a while, and are relatively new to the shared reading group. During the session they both took things at their own pace, at times working together and sharing their ideas as they tried to understand exactly what was happening in the poem. As is often the case, they both initially felt unsure of the meaning, but by re-reading a few times myself, and encouraging Steve when he offered to read aloud as well, a sense of meaning started to become clearer. There was a lot of discussion about the time period that the poem was set, with suggestions ranging from Andy’s initially vague “it’s the olden days” to Steve’s more definite “around the first world war” which he decided on “because they’ve not got tractors” in the fields; this was the one that the group settled for. The time period in which the poem was set was to become important when the conversation then moved on to the “hoe” mentioned in line 7; what exactly was a hoe and what was it used for? “I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground, Blade-end up and five feet tall, And plod: I go up to the stone wall For a friendly visit.” On realising it was a hand tool for weeding and turning the soil, both Andy and Steve began to speak about how the workman might be “connected with it” in some way beyond the just the act of holding it - as Andy said “it seems important to him”. As they explored this idea they both began to talk about what they saw as a very direct, almost

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personal, relationship between a workman and his tools, especially if the poem was set in a time when those tools weren’t so readily available as they are today. Think about how the lack of DIY superstores would affect you if you relied on hand-tools for a living - that’s what was happening in the group at this time. Steve thought that the worker in the poem sounded as if he was “proud of it [his hoe] that’s why he stuck it in the ground like that” which then led the discussion on to thoughts around the actual cost of tools at that time. Andy was particularly aware of the fact that the tools were a means to an end - literally “a way to makes ends meet by earning money” - and he thought that workers would have more respect for their tools “at that time” than they would have nowadays, since the tools were how such workers made their livelihood and would have “cost a packet then”. These very thoughtful comments were offered with next to no input from me as the group facilitator - I just let the discussion flow - and both the group members reached the decision that the worker would have been “proud and respectful” of their tools and the work they did with them. The conversation then moved on to the location in the poem, which isn’t clearly stated and so left quite a lot of room for discussion. Steve was quite certain that the speaker was on a farm or in the country somewhere because of the hills mentioned, but Andy suggested the place “could be a graveyard, with the wall around it” and the workman could be “tending to the graves”. This put the poem in a different light for us all, with these locations being very different - one was a place of beginnings and growth while the other was one of endings and memories. The group also thought the connection between friends was good, and remarked on the way the worker took time out from work - maybe, as Steve said “marking where he’d got to” with his hoe - to talk with a friend. Andy thought that taking time out might mean the worker earned less as “he’d do less work”, but that it was “just as important because friends are important”. Quite a meaningful end to our reading of ‘A Time To Talk’. *Names have been changed to protect identities. The Reader Organisation 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.

Book Reviews

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

Personal

plementing this with money he took off criminals.

by Lee Child

‘Personal’, in summary, is a simple and straightforward book. A sniper takes a 14,000 yard shot at the French president who is saved only by his bullet-proof screens. With the G20 and G8 summits imminent it is surmised that the attempted assassination was a dress rehearsal for a bigger target, possibly even the president of the United States.

Reviewed by Trevor Lewis This review comes from HMP Kirkham and the third book they have read is ‘Personal’ by Lee Child. The following review has been written by Trevor Lewis, a member of the prison reading group. Lee Child Jack Reacher books - I must confess that I am a fan and I am almost certain I have read every one, despite only discovering the books almost 3 years ago. ‘Personal’ is different from most of the books, being set partially in London and Paris. The normal habitat for Jack Reacher is a small town in America. Places that don’t often get aired on American TV or film. Reacher’s backstory is that he was a Major in the military police, 6 foot 5 inches tall and all muscle, and when he leaves the army he takes to the highways and byways of America with only the clothes on his back and a toothbrush in his pocket. Reacher becomes a modern-day Lone Ranger, writing wrongs and helping the distressed, whether it be abused wives or people in fear of criminals and corrupt officialdom. Initially he only had a small pension and his savings to live on but he later started sup-

The search is on for a sniper capable of making such a shot. The list is narrowed to 3 possible suspects. The American suspect is a man that Reacher was responsible for jailing 16 years previously. Reacher is tasked with tracking down the man and possibly being bait to draw him out into the open. Reacher’s investigation ranges from Paris to Arkansas and into Romford, where he finally nails his man. It is a simple story, well-written and flows well. Rather surprisingly, Lee Child is English and I’ve often wondered how he seems to know so much about the American military police. He has a lot of American readers and one of his books was made into a film starring Tom Cruise (One Shot), so if his facts were horribly wrong you would think it would be posted all over the internet, so Child must know his stuff. If you have never read a Lee Child book then I suggest that you try some of his earlier books. There are 18 books, starting with ‘The Killing Floor’. If you HAVE read previous books then ‘Personal’ is as good as any of the earlier books and will keep the midnight oil burning.

Wrongly convicted of a crime?

Lost your appeal?

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Condemnation to Commendation by Keith How and Mick Hart Review by Vera Woodhall (Prison supplied)

Who better to persuade young people to keep to the straight and narrow than a convicted murderer? No-one could accuse Mick Hart of just talking hot air - his story is based on 25 years’ experience at Her Majesty’s pleasure. The organisations he founded - Keep Out and Youth Crime Solutions - have so far revealed the harsh reality of prison life to over 400,000 young people who were on the verge of falling into a life of crime. In this book, Hart tells how he progressed from petty thieving at the age of 8, through to the armed robbery which saw him receive a life sentence at the age of 39. It’s an entertaining read which gives a fascinating insight into prison life for any reader who may be unfamiliar with the criminal justice system. But it also acts as a powerful message of hope for those who are only too well acquainted with prison life. There is hope for life sentenced prisoners, that their lives can still make a difference, even behind bars. Hope too for inmates serving short sentences, that prison’s revolving door does not have to suck them back inside time and time again. Hope for the youngsters who have grown up assuming that prison is more a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’. Hope for ex-offenders who long to see their own children lead law abiding lives. Hope for prison and probation staff who cling to the belief that rehabilitation is possible, despite all the negative statistics. Hope for victims of crime, who need to hear that good can come out of their suffering, even though the past can never be undone. And finally, the book shows there is hope for all those of us who long to make a useful contribution to society despite our failings. There are plenty of humorous touches amongst Hart’s anecdotes - practical jokes played on prison officers, the bending of

pointless rules, exploding hooch, dodgy wheeling and dealing. We also find the occasional thought provoking question on the causes of crime, as well as ample evidence that prisoners can be a valuable resource rather than a problem to be dealt with. The latter is an idea whose time has come, as evidenced by the many prisoner led initiatives which are springing up throughout the country. If I have any quibble with this book, it would have to be the lack of proof-reading and editing. Whilst Keith How has done a comprehensive job of recording Mick Hart’s reminiscences, the result is crying out for a red pen! Errors, both factual and grammatical, start from only the second line; even the names and birth order of Hart’s children vary from chapter to chapter! Some of the mistakes are unintentionally humorous: we read of a ‘hardened arm robber’ (who presumably seeks to steal your arm while your back is turned); children’s ‘formative years’ have become their ‘informative years’ which certainly adds a new dimension to the phrase; even the flagship ‘crime diversion’ scheme is referred to as a ‘crime aversion’ scheme (not that an aversion to crime would be a bad thing!) Although the mistakes won’t detract from the book’s appeal to prisoners (after all, we are not generally known for our insistence on good grammar!) they may limit its potential as a crime diversion resource for schools and youth groups. This would be a shame, as Hart’s message of hope deserves a wider audience. With the help of a bit of proof reading and the addition of a few ‘What do you think?’ discussion starters after each chapter, the book could easily find its way into the hands of young people throughout the country. If the authors happen to read this review - I’ll even volunteer to do the corrections for you!

beesleyandcompanysolicitors Personal Injury and Civil Action against the Police and other authorities

What next?

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]

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Contact: Mark Lees at, 736-740 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2DW

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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.

Star Poem of the Month

Wrinkled Utopia Tom Clark - HMP Frankland We wanted Revolution, we once believed in Marx But we did too much debating Stella Artois in the parks Today was never meant for change, we always had tomorrow Property was theft- maybe- my surplus youth was sorrow If I’d known then what I know now I wouldn’t have stood a chance Hopes, ideas, beliefs all dumped without a second glance Such cynicism grows with age; hides deep within the wrinkles That said, I wouldn’t change the past; life’s better when it’s simples “I hope I die ’fore I get old” once sang my generation Now seventy-plus, still clinging on, bemoaning immigration Those fearful branches blocked our paths to what we thought was true Detritus that I miss so much, nostalgia’s toxic brew! My pen these days is blue, and now this pen is not for turning But I turned my back and walked this life while barricades were burning Utopia, now, is a good night’s sleep and memories full of time Ideals won’t magic back my teeth, still, ageing’s not a crime Older, wiser, more content? Old age; not so fantastic Give me back naiveté and I’ll show you who’s past it Hips that creak and knees that burn, then thoughts that bugger-off Exercise consists of clenching arse-cheeks when I cough I’d love to prose and rhyme forever, just haven’t got the breath John Cooper Clarke and Pam Ayres crossed to bring my view of death I don’t regret not having changed a world so full of shit But I wish I’d penned a death-bed verse of old: “Oh, was that it?” Congratulations to this months winner who receives our £25 prize for ‘Star Poem of the Month’.

Everybody Hurts Mai Neo - HMP Littlehey It Hurts to cry Hurts to realise why I ended up inside No good blaming anyone else I created my own reality And brought suffering and pain to my victims And to myself It hurts to move my aching body Hurts to realise, I’ve spent years in custody Prison beds, unforgiving digging into my bones I’m only 33 It hurts to endure it I.P.P hurts, a monster of injustice But I did this to myself Only I am to blame It hurts Because I am human and I make A lot of mistakes The truth hurts

Ow That Bit of Fun Jamie Cooke - HMP Woodhill It may have started for a bit of fun Ow that bit of fun That bit of fun Now I’m in my Peter with the clocks ticking The locks clicking for all I’ve done Ow that bit of fun That bit of fun A voice, a whisper inside my head “Why on earth did you do that son?” I looked for the answer For weeks and weeks and then some But with my head seeming numb And me feeling dumb No answer could come Ow that bit of fun That bit of fun

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

Holiday Horror

Keith Burton - HMP The Mount I want an application form It’s a new resettlement wing Nash is knackered Were all its kings No saving grace No nothing’s free I prefer Butlins Without a key! I’m not coming back Here next year They shut my door Then disappear I want the sand The beach, the dunes The party night And balloon! I don’t want much But my closure said I’m lying in it My unmade bed What’s it all for After all’s said I’m washed, fed and watered Then filled with dread!

Goodbye, My Friend

Leigh Bolton - HMP Eastwood Park I’m sat here on my ‘rattle’ And my body’s getting clean So why am I more befuddled Than I have ever been? My eyes, bigger than anyone’s Who’s slept this many years? I would be able to see them If they weren’t filled with tears My head is full of ‘why fors?’ About everything I’ve done I’m catching up on pain not felt Through having been so numb And yes of course I’m happy And I love that you applaud And I promise I will smile soon When I feel less overawed Pride is a way off I fear ‘Cos I’m feeling kinda sad I’m missing my dear best friend The worst best friend I’ve had But Her Majesty has helped me And I’ve kicked ‘H’ out my bed Now I just need a little help To get it out my head!

© Fotolia.com

The Devil’s Potion Andrew Haikney - HMP Durham Awake for three days Not even a peep Thinking back now I needed the sleep Out came the vodka and then the Sambuca Can’t remember much after that But I’m back in jail What a fooker

Squeeze Andrew Luby - HMP Hull In my haunting dreams When thick black nights Squeeze dark hidden themes Till they burst bright Exploding in my mind The screams of children Ruptured, burnt and blind By soulless landmines hidden Some mother’s clutch red Dripping bags of babies Shrapnel torn and dead By soldiers of Hades In my haunting dreams Cold sinister steel gates Slam booming and screams Of poor tormented inmates Deploy in my mind Tortured by the vulgar Art of psychology, blind To the hidden vulture Eating out their years With “treatment” session groups A minefield of fears And never ending hoops To jump through Suffocate, die and rot Ruptured, burnt and blind By soulless report writers While probation clutch their Dripping minds of agony Squeeze for more themes Of the tortured inmates!

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

Love, Life and Freedom Joe Danny Outlaw

I was lost for years Ruined by fears Shedding so many goddamn tears Children’s homes to streets Cigarettes to weed Weed to speed Money and greed Loving the night life Loving the drugs Been one of the boys Loving the thugs Growing up fast Yet lost without knowing Regrets hidden well Just a smile showing Then at twenty two I was truly blessed I saw her from a distance Shining from the rest For the first time in my life I felt happy, loved and pure From what was once a curse It seemed I’d found the cure I’ll never forget her eyes Her smile, her face The simplicity of her beauty That made my heart race Two years down the line Now I’m back on my own Sat in prison Now this is my home 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.

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.

Inside Poetry

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The Psychiatrist

One big mistake Now IPP Lost it all No longer free

Lianne - CP Brians, Spain

Now I’m fighting the system Again and again Stuck in segregation With types of men Twenty nine now Where’s time gone? What happened to life? That seemed to be so long One day I was a child Confused and scared Tossed into a world So unprepared Now when I look in the mirror I’m devastated by rage Locked in this cage Twenty nine years of age I think I’ll be free again Around thirty four Maybe thirty six I’m not quite sure

Placing his hands on the desk He stared with vague curiosity through thin glasses “Take your time.” He said “I have time but don’t want it” I said The tears were steadily flowing “When did it happen?” “Late on a warm spring day in the middle of May.” “Where were you?” “Lost and alone in a world which made no sense.” “What did you hear?” “Loud voices in my head that spoke words I didn’t use.” “Why did it happen?” “Love drove me to protect in the only way I could.” “How are you now?” “Living on existence without meaning or purpose.” Removing his hands from the desk He looked at me with compassion “Would you like any medication?” He asked “No, I prefer to feel the pain of being alive.” I said I left the room with tears still flowing

Domestic Discord Lynne Smith - HMP Send

My tariff is four and a half I’ve now done almost five But some of the things I’ve seen I’m lucky to be alive But mark my words for certain Freedom is the key All the reminiscing Is just simply not for me Love, Life and Freedom That’s a bit of me

The Storm

Kevin Davies - HMP Highpoint The rain washed down, but I could not feel it The lightning flashed and I could not see it Then thunder roared, but I barely felt it And darkness came, and my hand had dealt it

insidepoetry Volume 6 Copies are available at a special discount price of £7.50 +£1 p&p for Inside Time readers, family & friends. Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Hampshire SO30 2GB. Tel: 0844 335 6483

He hit me hard and I fell to the floor How many times was that? I couldn’t keep score Every time he got pissed His hand came first and then a closed fist The bruises came and went The broken bones healed like lumps of cement I could not find it in me to pick up the phone Because I didn’t want to be alone The house would be empty No one in my bed The bills unpaid I might as well be dead I couldn’t take much more of this hell Soon I was going to have to tell Police, friend or nurse I needed to get rid of this appalling curse All I could do was a deep groan As I felt the crack of another broken bone At last I picked up the phone As I consigned myself to a life alone The help I needed at last arrived As I knew this was the end I had survived As he was taken into custody A new life began for me

Little Miss Weeks

Damien Roseveare - HMP Channings Wood From the beginning I was in denial Talk about my world melting around me Even Shakespeare couldn’t muster the words For things wanting to be said But fate will never let it be heard You were my best friend, my soul mate You can never be replaced I thought I loved you then But now I know I love you more All I want in life is to see you once more But at least we have the magical memories That not even the Gods could take, My future wifey was taken early And not a day passes where I don’t wish to join you Did you know your family bought you a star? So when days end I can see you right near me or ever from afar I know you would want me to be happy So I’ll give this life a go And I know you wouldn’t blame me for things I just can’t seem to let go I know I’ll never be able to find anyone as mind blowing as you It used to make my heart feel all tingly When you would put your arms around me And say ‘I love you baby boy’ Once I’m up there with you I’ll be filled with so much joy I know I’ve made mistakes But from this very moment I vow to make you proud As I know it’ll be worth it When we’re dancing in the clouds

Jailbreak

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Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

Crossword

TWENTY QUESTIONS TO TEST YOUR GENERAL KNOWLEDGE 1. In the Noel Coward comic song, the only people to go out in the midday sun are Mad Dogs and…..what?

11. In 1936, from which London building were the first regular high definition BBC TV broadcasts made?

2. What form of transport is the setting for Cole Porter’s musical Anything Goes?

12. In 1991, which Italian tenor sang in the rain in London’s Hyde Park, to an audience of 100,000?

3. Galapagos, Fairy, and Adelie are species of which flightless bird? 4. In the ancient world, by what name was the Dardanelles Strait known?

Across

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1. A person who holds unorthodox opinions (7) 5. Principal character in children’s books by Richmal Crompton (7) 9. A clear brownish-yellow colour (5) 10. Indoor game using rackets and a shuttlecock (9) 11. Nickname for Hollywood (10) 12. Scottish skirt (4) 14. Popular piece of piano music by Claude Debussy (5,2,4) 18 A dealer in dress accessories and sewing goods (11) 21. Breed of cat lacking a tail (4) 22. Tiny splinters of chocolate used for cake decoration, etc. (10) 25. The existing state of affairs (6,3) 26. — Lennox, former Eurythmics singer, now solo (5) 27. — Wood, American actress (7) 28. French dramatist, leading exponent of theatre of the absurd (7)

1. The area in front of a fireplace (6) 2. Great 17th century Flemish painter (6) 3. Sixty (10) 4. Ancient measure of length, approximately equal to the length of a forearm (5) 5. Middle name of the poet Longfellow (9) 6. Meat from the lower part of an animal’s back (4) 7. Clandestine love affair (8) 8. Medieval wandering musician (8) 13. Irish elf (10) 15. An ornamental interlaced pattern of flowers and foliage (9) 16. Daley —, champion decathlon competitor (8) 17. Present in great quantity (8) 19. “The — and arrows of outrageous fortune” (Shakespeare) (6) 20. Roman statesman and orator renowned for his mastery of Latin prose (6) 23. Native of New Zealand (5) 24. An interval of calm (4)

Aaron Odgers HMP Swaleside A5188CY F H F Q M T A T G F O O R P T E L L U B

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EPHESIANS Stories EXODUS GALATIANS Big Daddy HEBREWS BillyISAIAH Madison JAMES Blended JEREMIAH JOB Bulletproof JOHN Click JOSHUA LUKE Funny People MALACHI MARK Going

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The Hot Chick The Longest Yard The Wedding Singer

Grown Ups Happy Gilmore Thanks to Aaron Odgers - HMP Swaleside 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!

13. On 5 November children traditionally ask for a ‘penny for the….’ what? 14. In Canada, what is the profession of a ‘Mountie’?

5. Who served as US Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005?

15. Which 1950s singer inspired the Don McLean song ‘American Pie’?

6. The haddock is related to which other popular food fish?

16. The UK grouse-shooting season traditionally opens on the 12th of which month?

7. What name is given to the large peninsula in southern Greece, connected to central Greece by the Isthmus of Corinth?

17. Which traditional playground game requires nimble footwork to hop across a numerical grid?

8. Perrier Award-winning comedian Chris Collins is better known by which name?

18. On which temperature scale is zero degrees the freezing point of water?

9. The adjective ‘feline’ describes which type of animal?

19. Which leading playwright’s works include Jumpers, Heroes and Rock’n’ Roll?

10. Who was the British monarch throughout the First World War?

Inside Chess by Carl Portman I have always been acutely aware of the many positive skills and talents of prisoners, not just on a chessboard or creating fabulous art but also in writing poetry and I see a lot of this in InsideTime. I thought I might talk about the link between chess and poetry this time around. I unashamedly lift the following poem from the wonderful web pages of Edward Winter. This is a composition from page 136 of Amy Lowell: Selected Poems edited by Honor Moore (New York, 2004):

Moonlight Striking upon a Chess-Board

20. In the Austin Powers film trilogy, what does Powers claim is his ‘middle name’?

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newspaper? Especially about what chess means to you inside. Now that would make for interesting reading.

I am so aching to write That I could make a song out of a chess-board And rhyme the intrigues of knights and bishops And the hollow fate of a checkmated king. I might have been a queen, but I lack the proper century; I might have been a poet, but where is the adventure to Explode me into flame. Cousin Moon, our kinship is curiously demonstrated, For I, too, am a bright, cold corpse Perpetually circling above a living world.

The problem this month is white to play (going up the board) and checkmate black in four moves. How? A chess magazine donated by Chess & Bridge of London is the prize.

In 1926, the year after her death, Amy Lowell was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Now I have a challenge for you. Can you write a poem about chess for yourself, me or the

Congratulations to David M from HMP Long Lartin who was the winner of July’s problem. The answer to August’s problem was 1.Qg8+ Rxg8 2.Nf7 smothered checkmate.

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 office@englishchess. org.uk and they will forward it to me. Please note that you should always write to me at the ECF not via InsideTime.

Jailbreak

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

“QUOTES” All hypocrites should take due care, when snorting coke in Dolphin Square Poet Pam Ayres is inspired by the Lord Sewel sex and cocaine scandal Getting your breasts out is like a rite of passage The actress Holliday Grainger (Great Expectations, The Borgias) reassures the nation that she doesn’t mind getting her kit off at work It was like Martians landing Ken Clarke, the former chancellor, describes his reaction to the ‘pre-

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Retirement? It crosses my mind sometimes, but for no longer than five seconds because I panic I don’t want to give up work, says Arsène Wenger, 65, the Arsenal manager

Ken Clarke

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When people say [Corbyn], well, get a transplant It would be madness for Labour to elect a left-wing leader, warns Tony Blair

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PROBLEMS FROM THE PRISON? YOU NEED

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Submitted by Robert Lankshear - HMP Usk. 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.

Neil Speed is a former prisoner who came up with the concept Amsterdam of GEF BAD CHI whilst in prison. Inside TimeVienna features a GEF BAD Vilnius Athens CHI puzzle on this page. GEF BAD CHI by Neil Speed is published Belgrade Warsaw by Xlibris. RRP: £12.35 Using the letters G,E,F,B,A,D,C,H & I fill Berlin in the blank squares. Each letter A-I must appear only once in Brussels Bucharest each line column and 3x3 grid. Budapest Copenhagen Submitted by Aaron Bradford - HMP Portland . Start on the left with the first number and work Dublin your way across following the instructions in each cell. See how quickly you can do each puzzle Helsinki and how your times improve month by month! Answers on back page. If you would like to submit Lisbon similar puzzles we will pay £5 for any that are chosen for print. Please send in a minimum of three London puzzles together with the answer! Madrid

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+30% Paris Prague Riga Sofia ×5 Stockholm

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Daily Sudoku: Sat 1-Aug-2015

Daily Sudoku: Sat 1-Aug-2015

Amsterdam Athens Belgrade Berlin Brussels Bucharest Budapest Copenhagen Dublin Helsinki Lisbon London Madrid Paris Prague Riga Sofia Stockholm Vienna Vilnius Warsaw

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posterous’ allegations that he groped a former child actor at a PR function in 1994

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Pathfinder

Pathfinder European Cities Robert Lankshear HMP Usk European

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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

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Jailbreak

Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

Read all about it!

CAPTION COMPETITION Darth Vader queues outside a Portaloo with two Stormtoopers. JULY £25 WINNER Maxine Robinson HMP Newhall

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Proud sponsors of Inside Time’s new PRIZE quiz ‘Read all about it!’ 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. August 18th commemorated the ‘Hardest Day’ of which battle? 2. GPs are going to be punished for over prescribing what?

Calls to mobiles don’t have to be expensive!

3. Whose funeral took place at St Mary’s Church, Woolton?

Full details are available on our main advert in Inside Time and at

4. What did 16 year-olds collect on 20th August?

A male elephant creeps up on a group of tourists taking pictures. AUGUST £25 WINNER Donna Reader HMP Newhall

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5. Where was the final test in the men’s Ashes series played?

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6. Where is the Erawan Shrine? 7. What was the name of the lion slaughtered by a trophy hunter in Zimbabwe?

JULY WINNERS £25 Simon Plant HMP Oakwood £5 Neil Smith HMP Whatton £5 John Roles HMP Wakefield

8. Who was the hunter?

AUGUST WINNERS £25 Marie Clark HMP Newhall £5 Maz Cullerton HMP Low Newton £5 Katherine Devlin HMP Newhall

9. Who has just been elected as president of IAAF? 10. Who was the first person to leave Great British Bake Off?

A £25 prize is on offer for the best caption to this month’s picture. A picture taken at the Royal Bath and West show this year.

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. Prince William / Duke of Cambridge, 2. Auschwitz Book Keeper, 3. Celebrity Master Chef 4. Kimberly Wyatt, 5. Third, 6. Zach Johnson, 7. Qu’ran, 8. Portsmouth, 9. Four legged snake – ‘The Huggy snake’, 10. Ayrton Senna

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.

insideknowledge

1. Who was lost for years? 2. What has Matthew Smith recently been appointed as? 3. Who was famously held in solitary confinement for many years? 4. Who recorded ‘Rattle that Lock’ with the Liberty Choir? 5. Who is six foot five inches tall and all muscle? 6. Who is the Director of the Forensic Institute Edinburgh? 7. Who is looking to releasing their own sportswear range? 8. Which jail is presently undergoing conversion? 9. What is the name of the Jewish Holy Book? 10. What are Twockers?

simon bethel solicitors Criminal Defence & Prison Law Specialists

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11. Which Human Right gets violated the most? 12. Who was sent to Eastham Prison Farm? 13. What does ICPO stand for? 14. What ‘label’ will the media readily apply to murderers and rapists? 15. What is Talmud also known as?

Answers to Last Month’s Inside Knowledge Prize Quiz 1. Paul Hackett, 2. HMP Parc, 3. Sir David Attenborough, 4. Get Started with Football, 5. 36%, 6. Irish Innocence Project, 7. 230,000, 8. IPP Sentence, 9. Reading Ahead, 10. HMP Rochester and Abacus Furniture Project, 11. Scream if You Want to Go Faster, 12. Rachel Billington, 13. Make Dua, 14. Nearly 100, 15. Guernsey

JULY WINNERS £25 Prize: N Daley HMP Newhall, Yvan Le Hylton HMP Forest Bank, Lewis Mills HMP Bure £5 Prize: Naeem Karolia HMP Moorland, Phil Det HMP Lewes AUGUST WINNERS £25 Prize: Robert Greenall HMP Lancaster Farms, Jack Beaton HMP Edinburgh, Patrick Chan HMP Rye Hill £5 Prize: Louie Griffin HMP Swinfen Hall, Darri Poucher HMP North Sea Camp

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To enter competitions 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, 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 17/09/15

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Insidetime September 2015 www.insidetime.org

ANNIVERSARIES

ROCK & POP QUIZ

16 Sept 1915 // 100th Anniversary The first Women’s Institute in Britain was established in Anglesey, North Wales.

1. Which band had hits in the 1960s with Mony Mony and Crimson and Clover? 2. Whose American successes have included the singles When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Get Going and There’ll Be Sad Songs?

21 Sept 1915 // 100th Anniversary Stonehenge was sold at auction and bought by Cecil Chubb for £6,600 ($10,500). It is thought that it was intended as a gift for his wife, but as she was less than pleased with it he gave it to the nation in Oct 1918.

3. Born in 1936 and dying aged 52, he had his fair share of tragedy losing his first wife in a motorcycle accident in 1966 and two of his sons when his house burned down in 1968. Who was he?

9 Sept 1940 // 75th Anniversary The first remote operation of a computer. American mathematician and electrical engineer George Stibitz of Bell Labs sent commands to a computer in New York over telegraph lines from a teletype machine at the American Mathematical Society conference, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire.

4. When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman was a 1979 Top Ten hit for which band? 5. Still Crazy After All These Years was a 1975 album by which artist? 6. Which long-established band produced the hit single Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

2 Sept 1945 // 70th Anniversary World War II officially ended when representatives from Japan signed the formal surrender document on board the U.S. battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

7. The South African Ladysmith Black Mambazo band came to worldwide attention after it featured on which Paul Simon album?

© MW Released life sentenced prisoner

8. Which band was formed from four individuals who responded to an ad in the LA Daily Variety in 1965? 9. Which Funkadelic album was recorded in 1984 but not released until 2007? 10. Which band had their 1990 Grammy award revoked after It was found that the band’s members were not the ones performing on their single All Or Nothing?

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

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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:

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

986 3472 0983 Tel: 0115 958 APPROACHABLE UNDERSTANDABLE ACCESSIBLE

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• 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

29 Sept 1950 // 65th Anniversary The first automatic telephone answering machine was tested at Bell Telephone Laboratories in New York, USA. 22 Sept 1955 // 60th Anniversary Britain’s first independent television channel ITV was launched, ending the BBC’s monopoly and broadcasting Britain’s first television advertisements. 1 Sept 1985 // 30th Anniversary The wreck of the RMS Titanic was found in the Atlantic, 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, 73 years after it sank. 13 Sept 1985 // 30th Anniversary Nintendo released the popular video game Super Mario Bros. in Japan. 16 Sept 1985 // 30th Anniversary Apple Computer co-founder and chairman Steve Jobs resigned from the company over a power-struggle with the board of directors. He went on to found NeXT computers and co-founded Pixar Animation Studios before returning to rescue a nearbankrupt Apple in 1996. 21 Sept 1995 // 20th Anniversary The Hindu milk miracle, India. Statues of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh began drinking milk when spoonfuls were placed near their mouths. The phenomenon ended after 24 hours.

56 National Prison Radio

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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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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

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20:05

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Brit 40 A repeat of Friday’s show

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