IPPs to be scrapped the National Newspaper for Prisoners

Barrister Lorna Elliott from Emmersons Solicitors reports

A ‘not for profit’ publication / ISSN 1743-7342 / Issue No. 149 / November 2011 62,000 paper copies distributed monthly plus over 100,000 monthly online readership / www.insidetime.org

E 8 ed Su du p uc pp ca ag at le ti e io me on n n su t r ve y +

‘He who opens a school door closes a prison’

.................................... page 11

A quote by Victor Hugo the French poet and novelist was chosen by Nick Hardwick, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, as the theme for the Annual Lecture to the Prisoners Education Trust Eric McGraw reports

N

ick Hardwick, who has been in his job for just sixteen months, said he supported the Justice Secretary’s call for a ‘rehabilitation revolution’ and that if there is to be a reduction in reoffending then education, in its broadest sense, has a crucial role to play and must be placed at the centre of a prison’s task - not as some luxury add-on. ‘In my time as Chief Inspector I have found no holiday camps. Prisons as a whole are safer and more decent places than they were, although that is not true everywhere, and progress on purposeful activity and resettlement lags behind, and that is something that needs our attention’ he said.

done, that we have found bullying, filthy cells, association regularly cancelled, common external areas used as a dumping ground for human excrement, prisoners stranded by a too steeply sloping walkway, prisoners, mocked by other prisoners and left to fend for themselves while prison officers walk by, they react with surprise’, he added. Describing one prison, he told his audience that part of the problem was that the prison seemed to be run by the security department. However there are prisons that do seem to have got on top of certain problems - the drugs problems for example - without allowing security to stifle the normal day-to-day running of the prison.

The ‘virtual prison’ was a telling phrase used by his predecessor (Dame Anne Owers) to describe prisons where the governor’s description of his or her establishment bore little relation to what was to be found actually happening on the landings.

Addressing the central theme of his lecture, the Chief Inspector said that although the number of learning, education and work places had increased, there were still too few to meet the need of the population. Attendance and punctuality is often very poor and so classroom and workshop occupancy is low. ‘We often find occupancy of learning and skills places averages around 60 per cent’, he added.

‘When we tell some governors, as we have

Nick Hardwick speaks ... pages 18 and 19

Dymond Allen (left) and Junior ‘Mila’ Miller starring in a new play ‘His Teeth’ at the Only Connect Theatre in Kings Cross London, showing until November 12. Only Connect is a creative arts charity for prisoners, ex offenders and young people at risk of crime. Research by the Arts Alliance shows that the arts can cut reoffending by more than half and at the same time save a serious amount of public money. See Inside Education supplement.

The arts can cut reoffending by more than half

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‘Disheartening picture…’

No help forthcoming

Member of staff from within a Cat B prison

the national newspaper for prisoners published by Inside Time Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of The New Bridge Foundation, founded in 1956 to create links between the offender and the community.

As a facilitator on an Offender Behaviour Programme, I am all too familiar with the disheartening picture painted by Noel Smith (Do Offender Behaviour Programmes Really Work?). I am aware of the insubstantial and inconclusive evidence about their efficacy; I am aware that they can be useless and even harmful; I am aware that the language of the programmes can seem alienating and, at times, Orwellian. Inside Time has reserved a special place in its affections for the dreaded Offender Behaviour Programmes, publishing articles that are sometimes guilty of hyperbole and vitriol, but rarely of factual inaccuracy. This sustained critique is a valuable part of the critical discussion but given all of the destruction that imprisonment wreaks on the lives of the incarcerated; all of the failings of the current policy framework; all of the futility and lack of vision in the act of merely locking people up, they do seem like a strange target.

Natalie Thompson HMP Newhall

a voice for prisoners since 1990

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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a not profit

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publication

Trevor Grove - Former Editor Sunday Telegraph, Journalist, Writer and serving Magistrate. 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.

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© © alistair aH. e. Smith B.Sc F.C.A. - Chartered a not Trustee and Treasurer, not Accountant, New Bridge profit profit Foundation. service

publication

Chris Thomas - Chief Executive, New Bridge Foundation.

The Editorial Teama

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Rachel Billington Novelist and Journalist

John Roberts Operations Director and Company Secretary

Eric McGraw Author and Managing Editor

Noel Smith Writer and former prisoner

Editorial Assistants Lucy Forde - Former prisoner education mentor Paul Sullivan - Former prisoner

Administration Assistant: Sonia Miah Layout and Design Colin Matthews - [email protected]

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

Yes it would be expensive and time consuming to reconfigure the prison service's approach to rehabilitating offenders, though not as expensive or as challenging as I believe is often feared. The expansion of OBPs is not enough, but it is a tacit acknowledgement of the importance of the idea of rehabilitation. What is now required is a change in culture that can permeate beyond the group room, onto the wings and into the lives and interactions of everyone behind bars. Significant changes have happened before in the service, which has become a very different beast in the last twenty years. If Inside Time is serious about this progress, then critiques of existing provision are no longer enough. In what ways can prison realistically (and at a time of great reduction in public spending) start to reform and rehabilitate? How can we overcome the inevitable resentment of the imprisoned and make their sentence positive as well as punitive? As I am aware from my everyday work in a prison, the policy approach has a serious influence on offenders, but ultimately the sincere engagement of these individuals is the only thing that can change their lives for the better. Terry Leggatt page 31

No regrets

Transfer!

Neil Collins - HMP Birmingham

Kieron Wells - HMP Wetherby

After reading the September issue of your paper regarding the August riots I wonder how people in prison, particularly ‘M’ from Downview, say it had nothing to do with the shooting to death by police of Mark Duggan, and the blatant lies they told afterwards? The amount of unarmed people that the police have now murdered on our streets means this was surely a time-bomb waiting to explode. To be honest, I have no regrets about any of my actions once the riots came to Birmingham; to me it was legitimate protest. One person in the ‘Who or what is responsible’ section on Page 23 (name supplied – HMP Hewell) says he agrees with Cameron that the riots/rioters are ‘sick’. So, is it okay for a person to commit robbery or theft when no riot is going on? Does the lack of riots make your crime less than ‘sick’? Are your crimes any less ‘sick’ than what the rioters did? Sort your lives out, sometimes you have to stand up and be counted, particularly in what is fast-becoming a police state.

I have been transferred from HMP Ashfield for a security breach and am currently at HMP/YOI Wetherby. I have put in over 25 transfer applications and have had no replies; I am still a juvenile and haven’t seen my family for over three months now due to the distance. I have asked to be moved to HMP/YOI Parc, what will help me get moved quicker? And how do I go about my transfer because I need to see my family, so can you give me some advice please on how I deal with this?

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

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

Editorial note: Apparently there are no PSIs on prisoner transfers, but we have managed to find a Parliamentary briefing paper which states – ‘Transfer decisions are made by the governor of the holding prison, although the prison you are being moved to will also have a say in whether to accept you or not. In all prisons a transfer can be requested through the applications system. If an answer is not received within 7 days you should submit a COMP1 form. If you are dissatisfied you should make a complaint to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (Ashley House, 2 Monck St, London, SW1P 2BQ)’.

Correspondence Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB. Accounts & Admin: Inside Time, P.O.Box 251, Hedge End, Hampshire SO30 4XJ. 0844 335 6483 / 01489 795945 0844 335 6484 [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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I’ve waited in hope for the last month, hoping that when NOMS replied to my letter (Star Letter – September issue) I would get the help and respect I need. But their reply (October issue), that they ‘don’t deal with individual cases’ was a body blow. So what DO they do? I thought that they stopped people being discriminated against and that they treated people with dignity and respect. They are good at putting these policies together but then they refuse to enforce them. The reply told me that I should complain to the Ombudsman, which is outrageous considering I told them in my letter that I had already exhausted the complaint system. My experience is that nobody replies to the complaints system. I have submitted 23 separate complaints and have had a response to 2 of them. So what next NOMS? Do I just have to put up with being in my cell for 23 hours a day, with no showers, no medication, no fresh air and in intense pain? Is that your answer to my problems – shut up and go away? I am being treated worse than an animal, kept on a detox wing because there is only one disabled cell in the whole prison. Other inmates did take the time to push my wheelchair out onto exercise and to the showers, but they are no longer able to do it. I’m told that the prison just do not know what to do with me, but that is not my fault and I don’t deserve to be treated like this. My solicitor has written 2 letters to the governor concerning my situation and received no reply. Thank you very much to all the people who sent letters of support, its nice to know that some people do care even if NOMS do not. Maybe you should send this to one of the national papers as it seems the only time NOMS act is when they think the public might find out exactly what they are doing (or not doing) for the vast chunk of taxpayers’ money that they pocket.

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Star Letter of the Month Congratulations to M Boylan - Kilmarnock Prison who wins the £25 cash prize for this month’s Star Letter It is also not unusual for a prisoner suffering alcohol withdrawal to be prescribed methadone here, something I have never come across before.

Methadone The Liquid Cosh

............................................... M Boylan - Kilmarnock Prison Over the past couple of years I have noticed a large increase in the amount of prisoners prescribed methadone here in Kilmarnock. In my workshop alone this morning 16 out of 31 inmates went to collect their methadone. It seems that Kilmarnock prison has a different policy on treatment of prisoners with drug addiction issues to the rest of the Scottish prison service. It is almost impossible to get a drug detox here. Prisoners are offered methadone or nothing, irrespective of not having been prescribed methadone previously by their own GP or addiction workers. Many prisoners do not want methadone but faced with the horrors of withdrawal they accept it.

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Kilmarnock prison is a private prison run by Serco for profit. Its first duty, like any other company, is to its shareholders. For a number of years Kilmarnock, like many prisons, had a significant problem with drugs being smuggled into the prison. To some extent this has controlled what was a large demand for prescribed medication. The illicit trade in this type of medication grew - much of it from prisoners detox prescriptions. This caused violence, bullying and general disturbance and problems with organising and resources to properly provide an efficient drug detox service in a prison of this size. Kilmarnock’s healthcare could be described as many things but well organised and well resourced it is not. The reality is that most prison detox’s are unsuccessful and the prisoner will carry on using drugs when they are available anyway. In my view the main reason for this is the very basic and harsh nature of the detox offered in most prisons. There is also a control issue. Prisoners undergoing detox are often difficult to control; they are volatile, desperate and require a lot of supervision. As any reformed addict will tell you, the problems do not end after the initial detox. It takes a long time for an individual to function as a normal person after coming off heroin. It is a great deal easier to issue a supply of methadone to prisoners each morning, it has a calming effect and prisoners are a lot more compliant.

It appears that methadone is being prescribed here, not in the best interests of the prisoner but the best interests of the prison. It is a control tool (and given that the prison is a lot safer and calmer than it was ... an effective one). It is also a lot cheaper to run, less problems, less staff etc. What the policy does not do is help the prisoner who wants to get out of drugs, who does not want to be thrown on the scrap heap of a long term methadone addiction. It also does not help the society these prisoners are released into. A methadone habit and a heroin habit are interchangeable. It’s all part of the same lifestyle and culture. The failure of long term methadone use as a treatment for heroin addiction is as predictable as the next offences and the ongoing prison sentences these individuals will commit and serve. Dealing with prisoners with addiction issues is complex and demanding, but even taking that into consideration the abject failure of the prison service throughout the UK to find an even partial solution is disgraceful. Every day, prisoners are being released from prison still addicted to drugs despite having spent months or years in a secure prison. Drug addicts do not belong in prison unless it is absolutely necessary. Prisons will never be the right places for the successful treatment of heroin addicts. It's pissing in the wind to continue on this path. It may be great for the profits of companies like Serco but nobody else benefits. Editorial note: Methadone may have contributed to almost 100 deaths over the past two years, government drug advisers say.

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Contents Mailbag ........................... pages 2-9 Newsround ................... pages 10-15 Diary ......................... pages 16-17 Lecture ........................ pages 18-19 Comment ................... pages 20-31

The malady of melancholia ...................................................... page30

Psychology................. pages 32-33 Thoughts for the Day ............ page 34 PSI Updates .......................... page 35 Family Welfare ............ pages 36-37 Legal Comment .......... pages 38-42

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HDCs - Home for Christmas? by Emma Davies ..................... pages 40-41

Legal Advice ........................ page 43 Legal Q&A ................... pages 44-45 Wellbeing ................... pages 46-47

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Book & DVD Reviews ..... pages 48-49

• Adjudication Representation • Re-Categorisation • Human Right/Judicial Review Issues • Magistrate/Crown Court Representation • Mental Health Tribunal Representation

Inside Poetry ............... pages 50-51 Jailbreak ..................... pages 52-55

Sec. 2, 3, 37, 37/41,47/49,48/49 & C.T.O. Appeals etc

National Prison Radio .......... page 56

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‘Life of Riley?’

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

‘Injustice Industry’ .......................................................

Chris Ward - HMP Featherstone

Heather Hamed - Journalist

I, for one, am fed up with reading in the tabloids (the only papers we ever see in jail!) how easy us ‘lags’ have it in prison. This week it was a woman who had her taxi stolen by a 14 year-old boy after she had left the keys in the ignition. The boy got 12 months in a Young Offenders jail (which I think was a tad excessive) and after the kid was separated from his family for 6 months the woman victim was quoted as saying – ‘He’ll end up in a Young Offenders Institute living the life of Riley’! Now don’t get me wrong, the kid needs to be punished, but where are the public getting their information? In my experience, YOIs are brutal and violent places with out-of-cell-time virtually nonexistent. What people fail to take into account is that ‘being’ in prison, away from our families (especially for a 14 year-old kid) is the punishment. I myself, through being in prison, have lost my business, my relationship has broken down and I only get to see my daughter twice a month. Yes, we can have a TV and a PlayStation, but we have to pay for them ourselves, saving up the pennies from our £8 per week wages (which in some parts of the world would be considered a slave labour wage) – nobody just gives them to you and we certainly do not expect taxpayers or readers of the Daily Mail to buy them for us! I’d love for some of these people who are in the business of telling lies to the public (tabloid editors and reporters) about the reality of prison life to experience one day in prison in order to get a reality check. ‘Life of Riley’? Pull the other one, it’s got shackles on. Or it would have if it were down to the tabloids.

Confiscation of equality

........................................................................................... Julie - a serving prisoner’s partner My partner is currently serving a sentence in a C Cat Prison, and now has an outstanding confiscation order. He has reached the halfway point of his sentence and should now be eligible for D cat and ROTL but has been turned down because of the outstanding money that is owed. There are a number of reasons given to prisoners with large confiscation orders as to why home leaves and open prisons are not acceptable, most of which are unfair. The main reason is the prisoner may abscond. In most confiscation orders all assets are seized or restrained at the time of arrest so there is no risk of a defendant fleeing without paying, as the court have the power to take all assets and ultimately do. Shouldn’t all offenders equally be given the chance of resettlement? All my partner wants is to spend time with his family. Why should owing money be treated with more severity than other crimes? We live in a country that continually stresses the importance of equal rights for all but this does not seem to stretch to prisoners with large confiscation orders.

Perhaps the most startling event of the recent Amanda Knox acquittal in Perugia, Italy, was a Judge admitting (thanks to the more enlightened European Inquisitorial system), "The Truth created by the Court may not necessarily be the Truth at all".

Learn from Europe

............................................... Douglas Johnson - HMP Frankland The recent acquittal of Amanda Knox (pictured) raised issues for the Criminal Justice System in England. The DNA traces that were found in and around the scene were contaminated and inadmissible! The police investigation was shoddy, if not incompetent, did England help them? This is how the English police work their magic! The media in England were quick enough to blame Ms Knox for her PRIVATE LIFE! Will she receive an apology? The same reporters and TV presenters who condemned Ms Knox have now changed their tune. Now they have the cheek to say that “in this country, the case wouldn’t have been brought to trial on that evidence!’ There are a lot of people who have been convicted because of illegal/unlawful methods used by police and courts, and contaminated evidence, be it DNA or statements. Only the ECHR has the decency to deal with this! Is this why the Government want to scrap the Human Rights Act 1998? I mean, they go to places like China, Middle East preaching the HRA 1998, its more a case of ‘practice what you preach’!

The UK is described by Westgate Chambers barrister Jonathan Edwards as "one of the easiest countries in the world to be falsely accused in". It is hard to imagine Judges hardened by an outmoded adversorial mindset coming up with this sort of revelation. The so-called ‘justice system’ is barbaric, corrupt and has denigrated into the Criminal Injustice Industry where the Courts form an unholy alliance with the Police who keep them in business and the Prisons who ensure a good number of prison officers remain gainfully employed. The worrying thing is that many criminal defence solicitors agree: "Most people think that the police are OK," says Andy Horsman of Horsman Loader solicitors - "that is until they get involved with CID." Dr Michael Naughton, who oversees the UK's Innocence Network, believes the Presumption of Innocence, where the burden of proof is on the Prosecution, is actually responsible for motivating the Prosecution to frame defendants. "This renders the accused passive while the onus is on the prosecution to construct a case to obtain a conviction", he says. "The wrongful conviction of innocent people inevitably results in serious financial and emotional damage far beyond harm to the prisoner only," explains Dr Naughton. "It extends to family, friends and society itself, because the real perpetrator is still at large and justice has not been done."

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. 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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The Wages of Sin

Writes

............................................... Name supplied - HMP Hewell

Robbed by ‘victims’!

............................................................................................ Mark Holey - HMP Wolds This 40% deduction some five hundred prisoners have to pay out of their wages to put into victims of crime funds is not only an injustice to those convicted but also another kick in the teeth to our families. I am currently in a Cat-C but hope to be in a D-cat next year. Out of the £10 per week I currently get, I save a third of it to send out to my young family, a third goes on weekly phone calls to them and the last third goes on items such as toiletries and to help towards buying presents for my children (both catalogue purchases and the items I make myself through a craft club which I pay for materials used). This leaves nothing to save for my future.

On September 26th it was announced that 40% of whatever wage the prisoner earns is to be debited and donated to victims of crime support charities. On the face of it this appears to be a laudable innovation but I am of the opinion it begs a number of questions. Not the least is the legality of what is essentially an arbitrary levy on prisoners. I suspect prisoners will be required to sign some form of agreement empowering the authorities to debit their wages. Otherwise such a debit would be inherently illegal.

This government does not take into consideration the plight that prisoners families are currently suffering and there is little or no help for them whilst we pay our debt to society which I must add is supposed to be the loss of liberty and nothing else! I am not saying victims of crime isn’t a worthy and worthwhile cause but there is help already out there for them, yet prisoners’ families still suffer not only the stigmatism of having someone incarcerated but the financial burden due to the loss of weekly wages and financial security that was once there. Not all of us in prison were drug dealers, con-men, thieves, or robbers, some of us used to work and support our families legally and enjoyed doing so.

The question of legality aside, I also question the wisdom and fairness of such an exaction debit. I suspect that many prisoners who would have been well disposed to engaging in paid work will be reluctant to so engage; knowing £4 of every £10 earned will be arbitrarily deducted. It is £4 less saved for release, £4 less to keep their family. I also feel it will do nothing at all to nurture the work ethic essential to the rehabilitation process. So, how wise is it?

This 40% deduction will not go directly into the pockets of our victims. As with all government departments, a massive chunk goes on administration costs and if the victim is on benefits then they will see little or none of this money.

As for fairness, self-evidently 40% is no mean percentage and I wonder by whom and how was the figure arrived at?

I am asking Inside Time and your readers if there is any legal action or angles for us to fight this added torment and punishment?

My concluding thought is that many prisoners will share the view that loss of liberty and all that entails is sufficient price to pay for whatever they did wrong. Arbitrarily taking their pay, probably minimum wage rates is excessive and myopic – as well as unwise and unfair.

The Victims Levy and the Prisoners Earnings Act 1996

............................................................................................ Andrew Sperling - Scott-Moncrieff & Associates LLP I am issuing an application on behalf of one of my clients for judicial review of the recent Prison Service Instruction 48/2011 which has brought into operation the Prisoners Earnings Act 1996 (the ‘victims levy’). The effect of this Act and the PSI is that, from 26.9.11, prisoners who undertake work in the community and earn over £20/week will be subject to a levy of 40% of their remaining earnings (ie: the excess over £20). The levy is paid to Victim Support with a view to the support of victims and communities.

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Don't call us!

............................................... Paul Norman - Offender Safety We have been advised that you have published the telephone number of the NOMS Shared Services Centre (SSC) in your October edition with a view to enabling prisoners to contact the SSC regarding any queries that they have about the PEA. I have been asked to inform you that the SSC will not deal directly with individual prisoners, who should address any queries that they have about the PEA to the prison. There is therefore no point in prisoners calling the SSC direct. Any prisoner who does so will be referred back to the prison. Editorial note: We should first say that the information we published was taken from the Prison Service Instruction (PSI 2011-048)! Under the section on complaints it says: ‘Where a prisoner believes that the calculation of the levy is incorrect they should raise this with the prison (there should be a named officer who deal with problems), which should contact the Shared Services on their behalf…’. It can be seen from this extract that we did not advise prisoners to contact ‘the SCC direct’ but rather to seek the help of a named officer at the prison. The item is on page 33 in the October issue of Inside Time and can be viewed on our website at www.insidetime.org.

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Sex Offenders Register

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

Living on a prayer ...............................................

What’s going on?

Andy Deaves - Former Prisoner, HMP Maidstone

Dale - HMP/YOI Swinfen Hall

Colin Wolfenden - HMP Risley

Below is an extract of the letter I have sent to The European Court of Human Rights regarding the ‘Sex Offender Register’. I hope it will be of interest to some of your readers. “I would like to appeal against one of the most draconian pieces of legislation being implemented in the UK, which is the ‘sex offenders register’. Being on the sex offenders register means that even after finishing my full sentence, I will have to continue reporting to a local police station at least once a year to sign the register and/or the police can visit my house unannounced any time of their choosing. At each visit my photographs and other details like my National Insurance number and my car’s registration number are also taken. Being on the register also means that every time I leave the country for work or holiday, for more than three days, I have to go to the police station and give them full details of my visit including the destination address and length of stay, also if I am to visit friends or family within the United Kingdom and my aggregate stay anywhere is more than seven days, again I have to register that address with the police. In other words I have to register the details of my friends and family as well, who have not committed any crime. This makes me seriously wonder whether most of my friends and family would want to keep ties with me knowing that their names and addresses are going to be on a police register as part of the sex offenders register. I strongly believe that keeping me on the SOR is in serious breach of not just mine but my family’s human rights, fundamental freedoms, freedom of movement and right to respect for private and family life. It also prevents us from returning to any kind of normal life after doing my sentence and paying my penance. Being on the sex offenders register is just like getting out of a smaller prison and then living the rest of your life in a bigger prison. I would be grateful for your intervention to have my name removed from the UK sex offenders register.”

Electronic footprint?

............................................................................................ Makem McFly - HMP Frankland Need a job outside prison? Don’t hold your breath. After 4 years on the out I’m now back on remand and I discovered that job hunting was a journey without hope or reward. Virtually every job wants a CRB check (or they just ‘unofficially’ Google your name anyway). Cleaner, minimum wage, that means a CRB check as most cleaning firms do contract work in ‘sensitive areas’ – hospitals, OAP homes, offices, shopping centres, etc. It’s the same for all public employers, council work, driving jobs and all clerical jobs. So if you have a criminal record it will all be there in your electronic footprint, even ‘spent’ convictions from 30 years ago. So when you hear politicians, probation, sentence-planners, etc, banging on about why ex-prisoners don’t just get a job and turn their backs on crime then point to your electronic footprint - because that’s where employers, credit agencies, renting agencies and insurance groups are going to look first. So whatever a look at your past exposes, the answer will be a resounding ‘NO’ to whatever you’ve applied for. I’m back on remand after 4 years on JSA and housing benefit brought no reward, no excuses ... just electronic reality.

About three weeks ago I received an envelope full of hope-inducing and, quite frankly, shocking information. The letter came from Conrad Asquith, in my opinion, a hero and champion of IPP prisoners. He was released from prison just this August after his 18 month IPP (which, of course, lasted 5 years, a frightening maths problem that so many of us have problems getting our head around) and ever since has been rallying support on the outside with the IPP Prisoners Family Campaign. Their mandate is to bring rapid change to the way IPPs are handled, namely to bring retrospective justice to those sentenced to IPPs under a previous law Act, the CJA 2003, and to bring them in line with today’s fairer sentencing framework for IPPs the CJAs of July 2008 and September 2011. In layman’s terms this organisation want to stop the unfair and ‘draconian’ elements of the IPP and refocus it purely on public protection instead of what we have now, which is absolute public protection at any cost. I’m sure your readers, particularly those already affected by IPP, are sick to their back teeth of reading about IPP with no change or mere tinkering with the system. If you want to change it then write to Mr Asquith and ask for some petition forms. Get your family and friends to do the same. They’ve got over 1,000 signatures already, so let’s see how many we can get. They are supported by The Emmersons Solicitors Facebook campaign. Also, ask your solicitor to look up the Guittard case {R (on the application of Guittard) v the Secretary of State for Justice [2009] EWHC 2951}. Don’t just sit and rot - get writing! Stop Press - The end of Imprisonment for Public Protection page 11

............................................... Does anyone truthfully know or understand what is going on with IPPs? I am over 6 years in now, all courses completed, and I’m told by my solicitor that we are applying for an oral hearing, but there are no guarantees that this application will be granted! Talk about bemused and disillusioned, I don’t know how I can put this to my family. My mother is in poor health and though I’ve done, and continue to do, my part in order to progress through this sentence I am still no closer to the end. I feel I’ve exhausted all avenues course-wise, but my family think I’ve been running around getting myself in trouble, even though I believe myself to be a model prisoner who has gained an insight into my proven deficits and dealt with them. My family are serving their own sentence due to my actions. I realise now the importance of having a moral compass and abiding by the law. So, can someone give us some hope, a light at the end of the tunnel or a bite out of that carrot on a stick you keep waving at us? Or just tell us straight if there is nothing down for us.

Thank you ............................................... Michael James - HMP Nottingham Two days before I was sent here I was diagnosed with cancer; I had to go regularly for treatment at the hospital and I have to thank health care and security for making sure I didn’t miss my treatment and for their help with my day to day regimes when I wasn’t feeling too good with side effects and to the patient education staff who helped me attain OCR Level 2 Maths whilst undergoing treatment. There are too many to name individually but thank you everyone for making a difficult period in my life much easier.

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Leyhill asbestos scare!

No tea-break

Sean McGoldrick - HMP Leyhill

David Parsons - HMP Highpoint

I am forever being told that our safety within the establishment is paramount and that we should be able to do our time without fear or worry. Well here at HMP Leyhill that does not seem to be the case. I was asked by staff in our estates dept to demolish an out building and remove the debris to make way for a new stable to be erected. I did so without any hindrance whatsoever. But when I was clearing the debris, staff nervously told me to stop and put on a white suit, i.e. a protective one you would expect forensics to wear, and to make my way to the gym showers to be de-clothed and washed down.

I currently work in the canteen workshop here at HMP Highpoint and have never had a problem, but went to work on 12/9/2011 and was told that there is to be no more tea-breaks. We have been told we have to work from when we arrive till the moment we leave. But surely we are entitled to a 15 minute break? We have been warned with IEP if we stop working. I’m currently serving 9 years and have always been enhanced and had good jobs and never had any problems, and with only 20 months left I don’t want to get any IEP warnings on my record. Can you tell me if we can be stopped having a break?

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When I asked why, I was told that the building I had just demolished might hold asbestos and it could be harmful, to myself and others. The next week that followed was a nervous one to say the least. All the usual protocol was implemented so no one was allowed to go near the incident site and touch anything until the test results came back. For those of you who don’t know, asbestos can lay in you for years un-noticeable but is very dangerous to say the least. Anyhow, I tried to get a phone call to notify my brief but was told ‘no’. I even asked if a friend could ring on my behalf but again told ‘no’. I asked if the health and safety executive had been notified. I got a blank reply. I asked to make a written account of the incident but was refused. For your benefit, any job that is to be undertaken in prison must first be risk assessed to make sure it is safe to do without any harm to you or others. You must then be given a method statement telling you what the job effectively is and what way to do the job safely. Then if the job requires PPE, your employer/supervisor must provide it for you under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1973. You should be supervised whilst carrying out these works at all times. From start to finish I was not afforded any of these requirements. This is the prisons way of saving money and not using outside contractors to do this work, which we are not insured to do because we are in a way expendable and regarded as lesser people because we are prisoners. I don’t know if anyone will be held accountable for this, as history shows they will close ranks and shovel it under the carpet to save embarrassment for their own incompetence and blatant disregard for health and safety in the workplace. If you think it is not safe don’t do it, let them worry about the cost. No amount of money can buy your health if it goes wrong. I wonder if any of you who work in the woodwork shop or in industries take the initiative to analyse your surroundings and if they are safe to work in? I hope you do.

Sometimes you just need an expert

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Writes Adrian Smith - Deputy Director Custody - East of England Due to the short length of each working session, you have no inherent right to a tea break. The tea break was, however, given at the discretion of the workshop staff, depending upon the time available and workload. This break was, however, never an entitlement. This policy is consistent with other Industry Units and with The Official Working Time Regulations which state: 'A worker is entitled to an uninterrupted break of 20 minutes when daily working time is more than six hours'. • Your morning working session runs from 08.35 to 11.50 which is 3hrs 15 minutes, • You are then given over a 2 hour break for lunch • Your afternoon session then runs from 13.55 to 16.30 which is 2 hours 25 minutes.

MICHAEL PURDON

As this information demonstrates your working day is less than 6 hours and as you are already given a break of over 2 hours, there is no legal requirement for you to be given any other break.

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Faster than the speed of light?

............................................... Steven Relf - HMP Whatton The recent revelations concerning scientists finding something that supposedly travels faster than the speed of light has brought all the god-squad out again. ‘Einstein was a fool and science is dead!’ they squeaked with unconcealed delight. Laughable, but, given the context, totally understandable. Clinging on desperately to the losing battle that is science versus religion, you really do have to pity the man of faith. Unable to exist in the 21st century and in a constant but fruitless search for a chink in the armour of science, the scientifically naïve believer hopes to find science’s ‘kryptonite’ amongst the sensational headlines pertaining to what Albert Einstein told us about the speed of light. Let us clear one thing up straight away: Nothing with mass can travel faster than light (light being the C in the famous E=MC2 equation and its speed being 186,282 miles per second). Yes, there are mass-less particles – Tachyons – which can travel at almost infinite speed, but never at the actual speed of light or below it. Though the Tachyon is a theoretical elementary sub-atomic particle, the equations of all physicists agree upon its existence, as do the physicists themselves. It is not a leap of faith (in the same way as believing a man walked on water or being born of a virgin) but rather an inescapable conclusion after an exhaustive interpretation of the evidential data. The reason for Einstein’s valid assertion is as follows – a moving object, a spaceship say, requires fuel to accelerate it faster and faster, but a consequence of this continued acceleration is both a need for more fuel and a corresponding increase in the ship’s mass. That is to say - the faster the ship goes the heavier it gets. Eventually a point is reached where, due to speed, the ship becomes infinitely heavy and would require an infinite amount of fuel - effectively the total energy output of the universe - to proceed any faster. Thus, the requirement of infinite fuel to accelerate further an infinitely heavy ship rules out any object with mass attaining or travelling faster than light. I hope that clears matters up!

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Big thanks! ...............................................

Treated like a dog

........................................................................................... TJH - HMP Bure I am 76 years of age, so not up on the rules etc and have been in nearly two years. During that time I have taken various education courses and accumulated several certificates and 62 credit points but have always been left on Standard grade. So I applied for an upgrade and was turned down, appealed and again turned down because I had not gone ‘above and beyond’ which turns out to be - I have to go down to the wing office and ask for a job (unpaid). I then get a pat on the head and tick. When I have enough ticks I may then be recommended for enhanced grade. My answer was I don’t do kiss ass and was told well you will stay on Standard and the appeal pointed out education don’t count, just the above and beyond. My question is this; whilst the state recognise that I don’t have to work after 65 (I did work from 15 to 73) the prison says I do have to continue working in order to gain an enhanced level. I have already asked them to point out the prison rule and how this relates to a retired person and feel the requirement to have to be treated like a dog with a pat on the head for each task and a good boy biscuit after completing several tasks is a breach of my human rights. Let me put it another way; if I had a one bed council flat and wanted a 2 bed and then council told me I would have to do unpaid work to get one, would this be acceptable as some people would not be capable or physically able to do so which would be classed as discrimination. Editorial note: PSI2011-011, Para 1.5, states; ‘… if taking part in work contributes to earning Enhanced status, there must be comparable ways for older prisoners to earn that status.’ The PSI also states; ‘Decisions affecting IEP levels must be properly documented and evidenced and diversity outcomes monitored.’

Lie detecting made simple

........................................................................................... Adrian Close - HMP Bure Since my previous letter was published (‘Lie detector tests for all PMIs’ – September Mailbags) I have received a number of requests from fellow PMIs for information as to just how one goes about locating a reputable practitioner and taking a lie detector test. All I can relate at this time is simply do as I did, i.e. search online (or get a friend or family member to do so) for lie detector tests in the UK, make your choices from the results presented and give them a call. I did this and went with a firm who regularly work with contributions on ITVs Jeremy Kyle Show. Following my call a qualified practitioner visited me in my home (this was pre-sentencing), and put me at my ease. I presented him with all the pre-trial documents CPS had provided me and he came up with a couple of suitable questions. After explaining the process and securing my agreement to those questions he hooked me up. The questions I agreed to for the test meant that had I been guilty of any of the offences of which I had been convicted, I would have to fail at least one of those questions. I was able to get full confirmation of my results shortly after completing the test, followed by written confirmation within a few days. The whole procedure cost me a little over £800, was completely painless and yes, I passed with no fails. Good luck and God bless.

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Missing mail

............................................... Name Supplied HMP Bronzefield Has anyone else in the prison system noticed how often mail just never arrives at its destination? I’m talking both about mail that is sent to me, mail that I send out, as well as inter prison jail mail. I've lost count of the number of letters and cards I’ve sent out which didn’t reach their destination and the number of people who’ve said ‘did you get my letter?’ I ran into someone yesterday as I was coming out of the library who had transferred to Downview several months ago. She’s sent me at least two letters I had not received. The police liaison officer attached to the prison says the prison has to go through quite a complex process to receive permission to withhold someone’s mail going in and out of the prison. Yet far too much incoming and outgoing mail has never arrived at it’s destination for it to be statistically coincident and I know a staggering number of other people I’ve come across at Bronzefield say the same thing. As far as I can see there is only one possible explanation, this being that someone somewhere at Bronzefield is deliberately ensuring that a substantial amount of mail in and out of the prison is simply vanishing.

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When I arrived at reception on my first sentence, the reception staff were really nice and friendly. I was very nervous and they made me feel relaxed as much as they could. Once I got used to being inside I made friends, but I soon got a bit used to being here and I became a troublemaker. I didn’t have a week go by that I weren’t in trouble or that I didn’t get an IEP warning. This was soon my usual behaviour and once had four adjudications in a week. I didn’t want to keep getting in trouble but a lot was going through my head and didn’t want to talk to staff but I soon realised that when I did talk to the officers about my problems I began to feel better and also began to behave better. With a lot of support from the officers and other staff I soon began to realise life was easier once you talk about your problems, you feel a whole load off your shoulders. When I was released I didn’t really want to leave as I felt better and happier here. Six weeks later I'm back inside due to a relapse and getting recalled. On my way here I felt fine and had no worries about coming back as I knew this support was here. I know that officers are respectful and caring as I spent time here. I’ve been back here now for three weeks and have been told how much I have changed. I have not received one warning or been in trouble and intend for it to stay that way. The reason I wrote this letter was to inform other prisoners that the officers and other staff here are great, understanding people, if you have problems, talk to them. They helped me become a better person and more mature, and I just want to thank everyone who works here at Eastwood Park.

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PSO query ............................................... CJ Goody - HMP Woodhill

Cast the first stone

............................................... Leslie Lewis - ex prisoner from HMP Acklington

The lesson here for all concerned is NEVER EVER to underestimate damage done as a result of false evidence given. I only hope that Michael Le Vell is in fact fully innocent and is able to prove it.

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Here at HMP Woodhill we have copies of PSOs in the prison library, but on a number of occasions I’ve found the article I want and asked the library to print me off a copy but they refuse. They say their policy states that we are not allowed to have printed copies of these documents. My question is: are we allowed to have copies, and if not then why not, and also who should pay for the copy?

Writes

I am NOT going to start quoting biblical verses but the latest news about Michael Le Vell (better known as Kevin Webster of ITVs Coronation Street fame) should be an outstanding example of the importance of this biblical lesson of not judging others - especially before any such court case is heard. Michael is already a 'finished man' and hopefully if and when he is found innocent of these charges his reputation now will always be tainted because of this issue. Unfortunately in this day and age 'Mud Sticks' and I know from personal experience rehabilitation and acceptance is anything but easy as far as any prisoner is concerned irrespective of their past offences.

Immigration Appeals

Mailbag

If you would like to contribute to Mailbag, please send your letters to ‘Mailbag’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB.

David Healy - Briefing and Casework Unit The library at Woodhill meets the Prison Library Specifications issued in May 2010 which replaced PSO 6710. Chapter 6.4 of the Specifications which deals with reference material and mandatory publications, states: Reference material will be up to date, regularly refreshed, relevant and appropriate. The reference collection will be available on open shelves in a separate and easily identified location. Mandatory publications identified by the Prison Service will be available to prisoners within the library. The PLA must ensure these are the most current versions. Prison Service Orders and Instructions (PSOs and PSIs) and other statutory internal publications will be provided by the Prison and must be made available in the library for prisoners to reference.

Website comments via www.insidetime.org Article: A Current Issue Comment by SC

While on a visit I could not believe that all the officers were not only drinking tea but were chatting to each other, leaning on the control watch. The main SO was very rude to us and was threatening to remove us because we were inquiring into a situation; shouting in our faces and breaking my son’s confidentiality. Why do these officers behave like that as it was very unprofessional?

....................................................... Article: Humiliating and Degrading Treatment Comment by Susan

If we consider ourselves to be civilised, the punishment a prisoner receives is being taken out of society for a period of time deemed to be sufficient by law, whether that be a matter of weeks or a lifetime. To deny them any rights at all would contradict the view that we are civilised; and the basic right to food, water and exercise and mental stimulation is both a legal and moral right for any creature. How could we ever hope for anyone, who enters the system having broken the law, to rehabilitate and become a law abiding member of society on their release if we treat them worse than we do our animals? I agree that some privileges may seem to us luxurious, however no rights whatsoever is the opposite end of that scale.

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At Woodhill, prisoners have full access to reference PSOs and PSIs and may take notes from whichever sections they wish. Should prisoners require photocopies this would have to be undertaken at their own expense given that prisons, in common with every other public service has to make best use of public monies, particularly in the current challenging economic climate. Prisoners may obtain copies of documents via a cash disbursement form and should approach either their landing or personal officer who will be only too happy to assist them.

Article: Hospital Serial Killer - A Jury in the Dark

Editorial note: Mr Goody asked the library at Woodhill for a copy of a Prison Service Order (PSO). They didn’t say he could only have one if he paid for it. They simply refused to provide a copy. If, as Mr Goody says: the library at Woodhill told him that the policy states prisoners ‘are not allowed to have printed copies of a PSO’ then according to NOMS the Library is mistaken. The question is: why doesn’t the reply from NOMS say that?!

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Nieko Solicitors

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Thankfully my barrister managed put things right. Some probation officers are just "Power Hungry", and like to feel they are in "control".

....................................................... Article: The Forgotten Victims of Crime Comment by C

Prisoners should be made aware of the problems faced by their loved ones left behind. Families should try to understand the limits to action for those incarcerated. Children should be the priority for all involved, including the prison authorities.

....................................................... Article: Do offending behaviour programmes really work? Comment by G

The reality is that prisons aren’t full of penitent souls eager to accept responsibility and learn from their mistakes. How far the authorities and the regimes they enforce contribute to this state of affairs is another matter entirely.

Inside Time website by numbers > the first 10 months of 2011

Comment by SB

The justice system does not like to admit it has made a mistake and will, as always, drag out appeals until every avenue has been exhausted.

• Comment by CS Don’t know how some of these people can sleep, but they just don’t care. They ruin people’s lives - shame on them, let this boy go home as soon as possible.

Article: Probation staff act more link "charlatans"

Unique visitors 710,000 Number of visits to site 1,166,000 Number of ‘Hits’ 25,095,100

Comment by M

I wrote a complaint to Probation Services about my probation officer. She took Police statements and "dropped charges" and included them in a report against me for Crown Court.

Website Comments Posted 2,378

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Newsround

10

Insidetime November 2011 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 Peterborough and HMP Risley. Extracts are taken from the most recent reports published by HM Inspectorate of Prisons.

HMP Peterborough

Category B local prison for male and female prisoners. Designated as young offender institution for female prisoners. Privately managed by Sodexo Justice Services Announced inspection: 4 – 8 April 2011 Report date: July 2011 Published: September 2011 The Male and Female parts of the prison were inspected separately.

Male Section

ble mix of prisoners on the first night and induction wing meant that prisoners, vulnerable because of their offence, had to spend much of their time locked up. Inspectors said; “We were concerned that vulnerable prisoners who subsequently broke a ‘voluntary’ compact would be moved from the vulnerable prisoners’ wing to a general landing, which was a breach of the prison’s responsibility to protect them from harm.”

On an average of 225 incidents of self-harm were reported each month involving 33 women: there are supportive procedures to care for those at risk of self harm and suicide. Just under half of women said they had felt unsafe in the prison.

This time the inspectors found ‘a prison transformed in many areas … nevertheless, there were still gaps and important areas where outcomes need to improve.’

Staff-prisoner relationships have improved with good Personal Officer work, but there were too many male officers, and on one occasion inspectors found a single male officer in charge of the mother and baby unit overnight. The quality of Healthcare was good, but Inspectors said it was unacceptable that women did not have the option of seeing a female GP. Time out of cell was good but in the working part of the day, almost a quarter of women were locked behind their doors.

18% Number of foreign nationals 20% Number with disabilities 15% Lost property on arrival 53% Treated well in Reception 38% Had legal letters opened 42% Food is bad or very bad 68% Treated with respect by staff 23% Victimised by staff 47% Number who have felt unsafe 31% Easy to get drugs 48% Difficult to see dentist 33% Less than 4 hours out of cell 33% Visitors treated well 29% Don’t know who IMB are.

13% Number of foreign nationals 15% Number with disabilities 11% Lost property on arrival 77% Treated well in Reception 25% Had legal letters opened 46% Food is bad or very bad 90% Treated with respect by staff 14% Victimised by staff 45% Number who have felt unsafe 23% Easy to get drugs 58% Difficult to see dentist 22% Less than 4 hours out of cell 50% Visitors treated well 45% Don’t know who IMB are.

The inspectors found a generally safe environment but the prison needed to take more account of information from prisoners in developing effective violence reduction and anti-bullying strategies.

The wide range of women held created a barrier to progress. Peterborough took young adults and lifers when Bullwood Hall had been re-roled: Inspectors said; “Bullwood Hall had a specialist role for these two groups and had been resourced accordingly. In the current setting, these young adults and lifers were minorities within a large local prison with a constantly changing

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The Inspectors noted that the prison had been preparing for the inspection and introducing changes prior to their visit but they suggested the changes were more than cosmetic. They noted; ‘At our last inspection the environment had been squalid; now the prison was very clean. At our last inspection the prison had a significant drug problem; at our last inspection staff-prisoner relationships were very poor. Now we found significant improvements [in both areas].’ Oversight of the use of force was inadequate and Inspectors identified some incidents that caused them particular concern. Some punishments at disciplinary hearings were too severe. Inspectors said; ‘We found almost a quarter of prisoners locked in their cells in the working part of the day and many others were not fully occupied. There were insufficient opportunities for prisoners to exercise in the open air and association periods were too short, which created tensions around access to telephones and showers’.

Time out of cell was good but some men spent too long locked in their cells. Inspectors found a third of men locked up during the working day.

Improving and encouraging signs of an upward trajectory

• • • • • • •

prisoners felt even more unsafe than in the past and a serious drug problem, with associated gang violence, was having a pervasive and pernicious effect.’

Staff-prisoner relationships had improved, living conditions were clean and although Healthcare services were good there were problems with the appointment system.

Female Section Struggling to meet the needs of young adult women

Most prisoners had a good induction the segregation unit was professionally run and use of force was not high. However, an unsuita-

population of remand and short-sentenced women.” Over previous inspections the Inspectorate had continued to express concern over provision for life sentenced women.

HMP Risley

Category C male training prison Announced inspection: 7-11 March 2011 Announced inspection: 7-11 Feb 2011 Report date: April 2011 Published: September 2011

A transformed prison but with important gaps 18% Number of foreign nationals 15% Number with disabilities 16% Lost property on arrival 74% Treated well in Reception 43% Had legal letters opened 58% Food is bad or very bad 18% Treated with respect by staff 15% Victimised by staff 16% Number who have felt unsafe 74% Easy to get drugs 43% Difficult to see dentist 75% Less than 4 hours out of cell 21% Visitors treated well 19% Don’t know who IMB are. The prison has suffered historically from a poor reputation and at the last inspection, in April 2008, Anne Owers noted; ‘Worryingly,

trapped? Need help? Contact Michael Robinson:

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, which allows many older and more minor convictions to become 'spent'. They do not need to be disclosed. For example, a fine does not have to be disclosed for most jobs after five years. However, both jobseekers and employers are unaware or are confused about their legal rights and find it difficult to interpret the complex legislation.

Calculator to help ex-offenders Unlock, The National Association of Reformed Offenders, has created a website calculator to work out when convictions are spent so ex-offenders know what needs to be disclosed to potential employers and insurers. It found that ex-offenders were struggling to know what needed to be mentioned under

The charity also found that obtaining insurance for someone with a criminal record can be difficult although spent convictions do not need to be disclosed when purchasing insurance and insurers can be prosecuted for taking them into account. The new website, www.disclosurecalculator. org.uk, is able to calculate which convictions are 'spent' under the Act and which ones still need to be disclosed. Christopher Stacey, head of project and services at Unlock, said: "Understanding how to disclose a criminal record is crucial when applying for jobs and insurance. The calculator will make it easier for jobseekers, employers and insurers to avoid costly mistakes and provide a boost to the economy."

Stop PRESS The end of Imprisonment for Public Protection As this edition was going to press, we learned that the Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke will announce that the IPP sentence is to be scrapped in the forthcoming Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (Lorna Elliott writes). Instead of receiving IPP sentences, future offenders who are deemed to be dangerous will be given ‘tougher’ determinate sentences of which they will have to serve ‘at least’ two thirds before being released on licence. There will be a ‘two strikes and you’re out’ life sentence for the ‘most serious’ sexual and violent offenders. Although this means that many future offenders, who are judged to be dangerous by the courts, will know their release date it doesn’t help more than 6,500 prisoners serving an IPP sentence of whom 3,500 have been in prison for longer than their minimum sentence. How the government proposes to deal with the legacy of this unjust and inhumane sentence now remains to be seen. However, the Justice Secretary was quoted as saying that he was going to consult on ways in which it could be made easier for the Parole Board to let out those currently serving IPPs. For the latest updates ask your friends and family to search online for ‘Emmersons Solicitors IPP campaign’. Lorna Elliott is a barrister at Emmersons Solicitors

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The things people say…

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Prisoners ordered to buy new bedding The Prison Service has issued a Prison Service Instruction (PSI 2011-022) which says all prisoners’ personal bedding must have a fire rating of 7. The PSI follows instances where bedding has been used to start fires and the Prison Service has done a risk assessment and settled on the highest fire resistance standard. Prior to 2008 about 30% of cell fires were caused by prisoners setting fire to bedding. All mattresses and bedding issued by prisons should now already be compliant.

‘Police are too white, too male and don’t reflect the public.’ Nick Herbert, the Home Office Minister, writing in The Times with the assistance of Stephen Otter, Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, added ‘Promoting equality and diversity in policing requires a culture change’. Critics say why on earth should the police match the people of the general public proportionately in terms of gender or skin colour. Should they also match in religion? In age? In sexual orientation?

There is a period, nominally until March 2012 but at governors’ discretion, during which prisoners must replace any non-crib7 bedding and a specialist company, L Whitaker and Sons, who have the contract to supply the military with similar bedding, are supplying DHL/Booker, as well as the Prison Service, with compliant products.

The only relevant criteria for being a police officer are to be physically, mentally, morally and temperamentally suited to the job.

The new bedding is of the same quality and fire resistance as used by the army, and in submarines, and is being supplied by Whittakers to Booker at the following prices (incl VAT): duvet £20.20, duvet cover £12.67, sheet £6.53, pillow £8.22 and pillowcase £1.50 (plain), £3.54 (pattern). It should be available via a normal canteen order. Inside Time understands that prisons are charging £23.00 for a duvet, £18.00 for a duvet cover and £14.00 for a sheet.

God forbid we should have quotas irrespective of ability. Picking the best of unsatisfactory applicants leads only to incompetence, it is argued.

Jail population hits new high The prison population in England and Wales has hit a record high. The number of prisoners reached a total of 87,673, just 1,014 short of the usable operational capacity, the Ministry of Justice said.

The new bedding is fully labelled and transferable between prisons should a prisoner be moved.

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

Rioters were from poorest areas and not in gangs, claims study Most of the young rioters arrested during this summer’s violence came from the country’s most deprived homes and were struggling at schools in poor neighbourhoods, the Government’s research has concluded. The findings contradict Cabinet Ministers’ claims that the unrest in London and other English cities was fuelled by an aggressive gang culture, showing that the vast majority of looters acted alone. The analysis by the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) suggested many of the looters were caught in a cycle of deprivation, poor educational attainment, unemployment and criminality. More than a third (35 per cent) of adult rioters who appeared in court were living on benefits – three times the proportion nationally. Almost two thirds (64 per cent) of the young rioters lived in the poorest areas, with 42 per cent relying on free school meals. Two-thirds had special educational needs – three times the national average – and over a third had been excluded from school in the last year. Just one in 10 have achieved five or more A to C grades at GCSE, compared with more than half of pupils across the country. The MoJ concluded: “This pattern held across all areas looked at.” Days after the disturbances in August, Prime Minister David Cameron said gangs were “at the heart” of the trouble and announced he was calling in US “supercop” Bill Bratton to advise on tackling gangs. But the Home Office found only one person in eight (13 per cent) of those arrested were gang members, rising to 19 per cent in London

1 in 7 jailed rioters was a foreign national According to figures, 14% of people jailed after the riots which scarred the country in August were foreign nationals, coming from 44 different countries. Hundreds of other foreign ‘suspects’ are facing deportation as separate figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that police have referred 367 ‘suspected foreign nationals’ The looters came from as far afield as Afghanistan, Cuba, Ethiopia, Jamaica and Samoa. One in four of those jailed were born abroad. Police have now made more than 4,000 arrests, with 2,952 suspects held in London alone. Sir Andrew Green of the Migration Watch pressure group called on the Government to kick out foreign rioters and looters and Immigration Minister, Damian Green, called for offenders born abroad to be thrown out of Britain.

August Riots

The BBC are looking to speak to people who found themselves caught up in the Riots that took place in August. If this is you, whether you are on remand or currently serving a sentence we would like to give you an opportunity to talk about your experiences. We’re also interested in talking to a family member like a mum or dad. All conversations at this stage are strictly confidential and for research purposes for an award winning documentary strand on BBC 2. For more information and a chat in confidence please contact Maria Atherton BBC Media Centre, MC4 D1, 201 Wood Lane, London, W12 7TQ [email protected]

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Legal aid cut ‘will let abusers confront victims in court’ Children and women who allege that they have been abused will face the trauma of being cross-examined by the people they accuse under plans to cut legal aid from 600,000 people. Campaigning groups warn that while complainants will qualify for legal aid, the accused will not and could question their accusers themselves. The warning comes from an alliance of groups as MPs prepare to debate the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill at its report stage. The alliance, which includes Gingerbread, Women’s Aid, Liberty, the Association of Lawyers for Children, the Bar Council and the Children’s Commissioner, is urging ministers to amend their plans to save £350 million from the annual legal aid bill. Stephen Cobb, QC, of the Family Law Bar Association, said there was a risk of ‘DIY justice, not access to justice’.

New prison vans too big to fit into courts

Isle of Man Prison - ‘An excellent new facility’

The Inspectors found a safe prison with very good staff/prisoner relationships at what Nick Hardwick describes as an ‘excellent new facility’. He did express concern however at a lack of work to reduce offending, describing returning ex-prisoners being greeted as ‘old friends’. Too many prisoners, say the Inspectors, hang around with little to do because there was too little purposeful activity. Isle of Man is a no smoking prison and prisoners were described implementing all types of activities to circumvent the ban including smoking fluff and pubic hair rolled into cigarettes made from bible pages, or boiling nicotine patches and soaking fruit peel before smoking the dried peel; lighting the makeshift ‘burn’ from kettle elements or electrical wiring. 20% of prisoners said they developed a drug problem after going to prison! A prison service source told Inside Time that the smoking ban stays but the prison’s approach to it will be changed. The aim is also for every prisoner to have a custody plan, even those on remand. Another record at Isle of Man Prison this year - the horticulture department produced over a tonne of potatoes! Electronic cigarettes page 24

2012 Olympic music project recruits prisoners from Lowdham Grange Anthony Turnage (pictured) is inviting prisoners at HMP Lowdham Grange to help him write his piece. He has worked with prisoners before and says; ‘It was amazing, the best education work I've done. It was the most stimulating and most emotional work in a way – you hear stories that are very tough but rewarding.’

The company bought 400 brand new vans designed to meet Home Office-approved specifications but now the new vans are frequently too big to fit into court docking areas, leading to roads being dug up to allow access. The Telegraph quote the MoJ as saying; ‘If used effectively, the [escort] service can enhance the prisoner experience of custody”.

Mark-Anthony is a successful modern composer who has worked with some of the UK’s top orchestras and conductors and is working in partnership with the Irene Taylor Trust/Music in Prisons. There is a plan for two performances at the prison in January. Further ones outside the jail may be tricky for obvious reasons. All the pieces will be performed at the South Bank in London (13-15 July 2012).

Prisoners go by taxi

20 leading composers in the field of contemporary classical music are writing 12-minute works capturing the Olympic spirit for cultural celebrations around the London games. The project is called New Music 20x12 and participating composer Mark-

Speaking to Inside Time, he said; ‘My previous experience of the musical creativity inside prisons makes this an extremely exciting project for me. Drawing ideas from a group of people who each have their own musical identity and combining them with my classical/jazz background will be really stimulating for me as a composer.’

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The Prisons Inspectorate were invited to do an announced inspection of Isle of Man Prison in March. It is a small prison with just 118 prisoners at the time of the inspection; but these include male and female prisoners of all ages.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph GEOAmey who were awarded a £900 million ten year contract to transport prisoners across the UK bought vans that won’t fit court docking areas.

Some prisoners are being transported in black cabs by the security company that has the government contract for the work in London and the East. Serco has been using cabs because a computer system for its own vehicles failed. Patrick Mercer, a Conservative MP, said he would raise the issue with the Home Secretary. “A taxi is by definition an extraordinarily expensive means of transport,” he said.

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“We will change the immigration rules to ensure that the misinterpretation of Article 8 of the ECHR - the right to a family life - no longer prevents the deportation of people who shouldn’t be here.” Home Secretary Theresa May, addressing the Conservative Party Conference in October The Home Secretary said she’d like to scrap the Human Rights Act (HRA), a piece of legislation she blamed for the fact that Ministers are “constrained from removing foreign nationals who should really have no right to be here”. The facts are, during 2010 there were 850 appeals against deportation heard. Of those, 233 were allowed and 617 were dismissed. Of the 233 allowed, 102 were successful by Article 8 alone and a further 12 were allowed because of potential breaches of Articles 3 and 8. So on those figures, only about 12 per cent of the appeals were upheld last year because of a potential breach of Article 8. The statistical evidence doesn’t point to a wholesale abuse of human rights law. And legal experts can’t see how anything Mrs May does can force the courts to change the balance they already have to strike, no matter how much controversy some of the decisions provoke. The human rights law firm Geoffrey Bindman, responded to her remarks: “It can’t really be done, because we are bound by the Convention. We would have to pull out of Europe altogether. This is a convention which we are bound by and have been bound by since 1950 - and which of course was largely drafted by Tory lawyers.”

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

Poverty affects children’s faces

The future of food:

You can tell a lot about people’s childhood just by looking at their faces: according to researchers at the University of Edinburgh, people who grew up in poverty are more likely than others to have asymmetrical features. The finding suggests that factors such as lack of nutrition, or exposure to cigarette smoke, can have a permanent effect on facial development. The team examined the features of 292 people, aged 83, who had been followed throughout their lives, for a study called the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921. They examined 15 facial “landmarks “ – such as the positions of eyes, nose and ears - and compared them with data on the participants’ social status in childhood. In men, there was a strong correlation between class and symmetry, but this was less apparent in women.

burgers grown in a lab The demand for meat is growing so fast that global consumption is predicted to double by 2050. But farming animals is energy-intensive, increases competition for land, and leads to the production of vast amounts of greenhouse gases (more than the amount emitted by cars and aeroplanes combined). And as factory farms to cater for demand proliferate, so do concerns about animal welfare. All of which explains why some experts predict that most of our meat will, in future, be grown in the laboratory. The process would consume 35-60% less energy than conventional meat, produce 80-95% fewer greenhouse gas emissions and require only 2% of the land, according to an Oxford University study to be published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. This isn’t all theory. Scientists have already grown fish fillets in the lab, and in the Netherlands a team is working on the first test-tube hamburger - which will be grown from stem cells extracted from cattle.

Got a cold? Suck a zinc lozenge There is still no cure for the common cold – but zinc may be one of the most effective ways of shortening the duration of symptoms. In a review of the evidence, researchers found that taking a daily 75mg dose of zinc acetate (in lozenge form) can shorten the duration of colds by as much as 42% , according to the results of three trials. However, no benefit was observed in five trials in which volunteers took less than 75mg. Zinc supplements can produce side effects, including nausea, but the researchers – whose study was published in the Open Respiratory Medicine Journal – found no evidence that they caused any long-term harm. In the EU, the recommended daily dose is 10mg for adults.

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Why men need a lie-in A new study has shown that men and women are biologically programmed to fall asleep and wake up at different times. Researchers at Harvard University conducted a monthlong experiment involving 300 people, who were kept in subdued light and denied access to clocks. Throughout that period, the researchers monitored the subjects’ production of melatonin – a hormone that maintains the circadian rhythm, an internal system governing when we wake and sleep. The result showed the typical male internal cycle lasted 24 hours and 11 minutes, six minutes longer than the typical female cycle. The fact that women’s cycles run faster means they tire earlier, and wake earlier. “Six minutes isn’t much, but as circadian cycles affect your sensitivity to external factors like light, it can effectively mean hours,” said study leader professor Jeanne F Duffy.

Why best friends matter Children tend to make a big deal of having a best friend - and it seems with good reason. According to new research, being in the presence of his or her best friend can have a significant impact on a child’s ability to cope with stressful situations. For the study, 100 youngsters aged 10 to 12 were asked to fill in a diary five times a day, recording how they felt about what they’d experienced in the previous 20 minutes, and also who they had been with. At the same time, saliva samples were used to measure their levels of the stress hormone cortisol. The results showed that a best friend, more than anyone else, buffered the physical effects of a negative experience. If the children were not with their friend during stressful times, their cortisol levels were far higher. “One of the interesting things about these findings is that it’s not just any friend – it’s the best friend,” said Ryan Adams, of the Cincinnati Hospital Medical Centre, who led the research.

The nasties lurking in your pillow It’s not a thought likely to promote restful sleep - but if your pillow is more than two years old, up to a third of its weight could be made up of dust mites, dust mite excretion, dead skin, bacteria and saliva. The findings come from an investigation into hospital pillows carried out by Barts and the London NHS Trust. “People put a clean pillow case on and it looks and smells nice and fresh,” said Dr Arthur Tucker, who led the research, “but you are wrapping up something really nasty underneath.” Experts recommend putting pillows in the washing machine every one to three months.

Northerners have bigger brains Residents of southern climes may enjoy balmier weather – but northerners have bigger brains. The extra grey matter doesn’t make them cleverer, however; according to scientists of Oxford University, it simply enables them to see as well as southerners, despite lower light levels.      research involved taking 55 skulls from around the world and comparing their volume. The The results suggested that Scandinavians had the biggest brains, and Pacific Islanders the smallest. Northerners also had larger eyes, according to an analysis of the skulls’ eye   sockets. “As you move away from the equator, there’s less and less light available, so humans have   had to evolve bigger and bigger eyes,” explained Eiluned Pearce, of Oxford University’s Institute of Anthropology: “There brains also need to be bigger to deal with the extra visual input.”

   

   

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•

• A council has felt obliged to build a £100,000 footpath to link a school to its local McDonald’s. Some 200 pupils at Brynteg School in Bridgend, Wales, were regularly walking along a narrow grass verge beside a dual carriageway to get their lunchtime Big Macs. A spokeswoman said safety concerns outweighed the risk of “more pupils eating fast food”. • A junior football league in Shropshire has stopped publishing scores, to spare the blushes of teams who lost badly. Telford Junior Football League were listing all home wins as 1-0 and away victories as 0-1 – regardless of the actual score. But after an outcry from parents, results for teams where players are over eight will now be published in full.

• One in 12 hospital meals – nine million a year – are returned uneaten, costing the NHS more than £22m. • 72% of self-made millionaires in Britain went to state school. • Australian officials are to replace the terms BC and AD in school textbooks with neutral, non-religious language. In the new curriculum the secular terms BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) will be used instead. Peter Jensen, the Archbishop of Sydney, called it an “intellectually absurd attempt to write Christ out of human history”. • The number of bookshops in Britain has

halved in the past six years, from 4,000 in 2005 to 2,178 in July; 580 towns have none at all. • Airports are being built in China at a rate of one a month. • Americans are queuing up to take part in a popular reality TV show, even though the contract stipulates that they must accept the risk of “non-consensual physical activity” leading to sexual infections such as HIV. Participants in Real World must also accept that producers may portray them in a “false light”.

15

News in Brief It has been announced that Vladimir Putin will be the next President of Russia but he vigorously denies having had cosmetic surgery.

• More than a third of the teachers who qualified in 2010 either left teaching or went into the private system within six months.

7 billion reasons to think

• Councillors in Gwynedd have been criticised for erecting a sign that doesn’t provide a Welsh translation for “WC”. Following a complaint about the sign on the Porthmadog bypass, the council’s language subcommittee will debate whether the term – which is used in several countries – is English. If they decide it is, the sign will have to bear the Welsh word “toiled”.

On an outing with Liam Fox, David Cameron suddenly spots someone familiar hiding in the next room.

• In a poll of 14 to 18-year-olds, 13% said they learnt most about sex from a sex-education lesson; 9% from their parents; 36% from their friends; 10% from their boyfriend or girlfriend; and 14% from agony aunt columns, magazines, books, television or music lyrics and videos. • 36% of adults think obese people should pay for NHS treatment related to their weight, 52% disagree. 45% support a tax on foods that are high in fat and sugar, provided the money is used to cut other taxes. The same percentage disagree.

The United Nations announced on October 31 2011 that the population of the world had reached 7 billion. It took until 1804 for the first billion. By 1927 that figure had doubled. Just over 30 years later it reached 3 billion and less then 40 years later it had doubled to 6 billion. And then it took only 12 years more to add another 1 billion making 7 billion today. With one million more people on earth every five days and over 200 million women currently without access to modern methods of contraception, the question is: what does the future hold for our children and grandchildren?

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16

Diary

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

Month by Month by Rachel Billington

Rachel goes up north and is surprised and cheered by HMP Garth’s Therapeutic Community

I

t’s not often I come out of a prison feeling cheered but it actually happened a few days ago. I had taken a train to Preston where I was met by Kerry Holmes. Kerry is the civilian Treatment Manager of the Phoenix Futures Therapeutic Community at Her Majesty’s Prison Garth and had invited me to take a look at the programme in action. The programme runs in a separate wing and its aim, not unchallenging, is to ‘change behaviour, substance use and offending.’ Garth’s a category B prison in the countryside about seven miles from Preston and next door to HMP Wymott, a category C prison which runs the same programme. I don’t know quite what I’d expected but it certainly wasn’t forty-four men sitting in a square and doing a roll-call for Ozzy, their coordinator, which is how the afternoon session always starts. I was introduced and welcomed with a round of applause. Inside Time is clearly popular here. The feeling that I was back at a weird sort of school was increased by the next move when a list of men – or ‘residents’ as they’re called – were issued with ‘pull-ups’ , in other words warnings of bad behaviour. Since real bad behaviour, such as violence or drug use is punished by ‘de-selection’ and a quick return to the main prison, these were mostly low class aggro, picked up so that it doesn’t escalate. This community get-together was ended by one of the residents reading out the manifesto of Phoenix Futures, the providers, in cooperation with the prison, of the programme. The first line goes: We are here because there is no refuge, finally, from ourselves… So far so strange and the strangest part was the obvious good humour and relaxed manner of the men. Later Davey, one of the residents, told me that it was the first time he’d felt relaxed in the seven and a half years he’d been in prison and by the end of my visit I understood why. As Kerry told me when we arrived, the programme, which lasts for between ten months and a year, is carefully structured so that everybody knows what they should be doing, whether education, painting, entertainment or therapy. This encourages good order and calm for men who have all, it should be said, volunteered to join the course. Essentially, none of it would work without their co-operation and, although they do not plan the timetable, they are given and expected to take responsibilities in the efficient running of the day.

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When I asked Kerry why the programme works, she answered, ‘Because we look at the whole person, all their behaviour and not just drugs.’ I asked the same question of David Foot, the residential governor for the wing and programme manager. He said, ‘It works because a percentage of the population want a change.’ To help me understand this a bit more, Steven, a past graduate, took me for a walk round the walls of the landings. At first I thought I was looking at ordinary artwork, well-executed with bold colours. Then he pointed out that each section described different stages of the course, from the first step six week Induction Groups when men get an idea of the year ahead. This is followed by a core 6-7 months of Primary Groups when residents are taught to face up to and deal with their problems under such headings as ‘Denial and Suppression’, ‘High Risk Situation’ or ‘Honesty’. The final 3-4 months are called Re-entry and include a Case Conference which tends to emphasise the positives as well as watch for the dangerous ‘triggers’.

As we walked and I made notes, I met many of the men, including Bernie and Sean, and Eddie who had been working at New Bridge, the parent charity of Inside Time. All of them were in E wing because of severe drug problems in the past. All were keen and hopeful that they could start a new life, although for many of them with long

Diary

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org sentences this could be in the far future. Recognising just how difficult it is for men who have lived in the friendly supportive atmosphere of E wing to go back into the main prison, there are plans for a Drug Recovery Wing. In fact, HMP Wymott already has one where like-minded men can gather together. I probably learned most about the philosophy behind the course by attending an ‘Encounter’ group. This is held once a week and centres round a resident who has failed to take note of ‘pull-ups’ and needs more sorting out – in a kindly way. At first I felt slightly uncomfortable as the men in the group one by one pointed out to their victim just how he was failing himself, the community, and the staff. But gradually, particularly after he had admitted his problems, the mood changed and everybody made a concerted effort to offer help, This could be both practical, for example with writing reports, or emotional, just being there for a talk. I found myself quite moved as one of the group asked the failing resident, why he hadn’t come to him. ‘It depressed me,’ he said, ‘that you didn’t know I’d always support you.’ This ‘Encounter’ was facilitated by Nicola, one of the prison staff who after several year in the main prison, chose to train and move to E wing. She told me she absolutely loves the work and admitted she’d joined the service to help with rehabilitation of men whose lives had gone off the rails. On this occasion she needed to say very little, partly because the hour long session was run by John, another resident, and partly because there were no real disagreements. By the end of the session the resident in the dock had even produced a smile

or two and agreed to take on all the commitments suggested by the group – with their help, of course. Peer support, rather than peer pressure, is the backbone of the programme. As with all closed communities, the test of its success is when the men go out and face a life in the outside world. Current Affairs discussions encourage residents to recognise what’s going on outside the walls and many of the men are involved in raising money for charities. At the moment they’re bicycling towards 5,000 sponsored miles for the Alder Hey Childrens Hospital Trust. Family relationships are recognised as being very important so partners and others are encouraged to get involved with the programme. In December there will be a Family Day. Another strand for those leaving prison is the link with Phoenix Futures Supported Housing and Floating Support Services in the Wirral. I left Garth delighted to be out of prison as I always am but genuinely cheered by what I’d seen. Here was a bunch of men, of all ages and backgrounds, who were grabbing at the chance to turn their lives round both by helping each other and by accepting what a group of cheerful and well-motivated workers were offering them. If you are interested in applying to join the Prison Partnership Therapeutic Programme in HMP Garth or HMP Wymott, you can either approach your Carat Worker or write directly to Kerry Holmes at HMP Garth or Jo Boi at HMP Wymott. Phoenix Futures Therapeutic Communities also run in HMP Channings Wood and HMP Holme House.

17

Nature Notes M A monthly feature for Inside Time by James Crosby

ost owls spend the day roosting, flying out only at dawn and dusk in search of their prey, mainly small, secretive mammals such as voles – you do not often see an owl, you hear them, their up-slurred screeches summoning the darkness; for the darkness is their home, food and shelter: its elements. Owls are one step beyond the human comfort zone with their elusiveness and, by extension, from human understanding. Their forward facing eyes are very sensitive to dim light, but it’s their hearing which is superbly acute, allowing it to detect the slightest movements in the grass. Many owls have asymmetrically placed ear openings in order to achieve a more precise positional sense with its prey subject.

Of the six species of owl which breed in the British Isles, the most numerous is the tawny owl. It is a large very rounded brown owl, with a full facial disk and black eyes. The tawny owl is heard most often in late autumn and early winter when it is establishing a territory. The wordsmith, William Shakespeare, once described the tawny owl’s call in Love’s Labours Lost when he wrote ‘then nightly sings the staring owl:/ Tu-whit, tu-whoo - a merry note,/ While greasy Joan doth keel her pot.’ Clearly, he had trouble sexing the calling owls, for one owl hoots and another replies with a shrill, very distinctive ‘kee-wick’. It is a bird of broadleaved woodlands, it is also found in parks and large gardens, tree-rich farmland and many inner cities. The tawny owl can be very fearsome in defence of their nest-site and

Eric Hosking, the late wildlife photographer, called his autobiography An Eye for a Bird, having lost one of his eyes when photographing a defensive tawny owl – a warning to the unwary ornithologist. The barn owl is a bird of open country and farmland, especially where there are available barns and derelict buildings or old hollow trees to roost and nest in. The barn owl readily takes to nest boxes put out for them – in the Vale of Belvoir, Leicestershire, The Belvoir Barn Owl Group fledged 30 chicks this year through the erection of barn owl boxes. They hunt on rather stiff, rounded wings, often with dangling legs, patrolling low over and up and down rough grassland listening for its small mammal prey. They may hover above their prey, then plunge down feet first to catch it – there is a real sense of spirit whenever I have seen one hunting. Dark grey and white, standing nine inches tall, the little owl has a very prominent facial disk and bright yellow staring eyes. It was introduced into this country in the late 19th century and has spread rapidly across England and Wales - it prefers open country with a good supply of trees, hedgerows, orchards and parkland. Little owls hunt from perches such as fence posts looking for insects, small birds, amphibians, worms and even snakes. They have a rather bouncing, woodpecker like flight. James Crosby is currently resident at HMP Stocken

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18

Lecture

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

Nick Hardwick speaks... Nick Hardwick, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, told the Prisoners Education Trust, at their Annual Lecture that independent prison inspection is a light shone on one of society’s dark places and the greater the independence, the brighter the light

S

There are undoubtedly many others where their offending behaviour is a symptom of their distress rather than a cause of it and who ought to be helped elsewhere.

o there I was, hardly ever been in a prison before, and then suddenly immersed in the prison world, visiting and reading reports about scores of prisons. Of course, I had read about prisons before and I think I had a good intellectual understanding of what went on. But that’s not the same as standing on the wings and smelling and hearing it. So I will tell you what shocked me.

The level of need in women’s prisons is even greater and more pervasive. At Bronzefield women’s prison for instance, there was a shocking level of self harm (although one that is not untypical for a women’s local prison). In the twelve months before our most recent inspection, there had been getting on for 3000 self harm incidents – more than seven a day. Six out of ten of these involved tying ligatures and just over half of the women involved had harmed themselves more than once. One woman had harmed herself 93 times in one month. Records for the use of force by staff showed that a high proportion were interventions to prevent women tying ligatures to themselves.

I knew the population had grown but I was astonished to find it had more or less doubled in 20 years! Today the prison population of England and Wales stands at 87,551. 2,275 more than a year ago. 4,205 of these were women and 9,820 were young offenders. The characteristics of prisoners are I am sure well known to this audience: u Almost 1 in 3 having been in care as a child compared with 1 in 50 of the population as a whole. u Ten times more likely to have been excluded from school than the general population. u Most with reading and numeracy levels below that expected for 11 year olds. u Two thirds unemployed before imprisonment, one third homeless. u Three quarters suffering from one or more mental disorder. u Two thirds of men and half of women drug users. u Most men and almost half of women abusing alcohol at dangerous level. Let me describe the population at a typical Cat B local prison we inspected recently. I will not mention the name as the report is not yet published. At the time of our inspection, almost half the men were unconvicted and held on remand. A third of those sentenced had less than six months to serve. On average, the prison

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reception processed 1200 men (equivalent to the total size of the population) moving in and out of the prison each week. Two out of five prisoners were foreign nationals – and under a quarter of these had English as their first language. 1 in 10 incidentally were travellers – which is a very disturbing figure. The mental health in reach team looked after more than fifty prisoners with the most severe and enduring mental illnesses and 14 prisoners had been transferred to specialist mental health services in the six months before the inspection. However many more prisoners with less acute or treatable mental health problems needed support. Almost 300 prisoners were receiving interventions from the drug and alcohol team. 232 prisoners were waiting for literacy classes and 72 for numeracy.

16% of prisoners entered the prison without accommodation. 20% of prisoners had debts they were very worried about. Just under half thought they would have trouble finding a job when they were released. I do not say this to excuse what the prisoners had done or to suggest that these backgrounds reduce the impact of their crimes on their victims. But I think two points arise from this. It is certainly the case that some people are dumped on the prison system who should be dealt with elsewhere. One of the most shocking sights I have seen was at another London prison where a young man – although he seemed like a boy to me of about my own son’s age – had been sectioned but there was no place in a secure hospital available for him. So he remained in the prison, unable to care for himself, seriously ill with the decent prison staff at their wits end, while he and they waited for a more suitable place to come up. It was a disgrace.

So we should not underestimate the difficulty in working positively with this constantly shifting, challenging and needy population. I decided to see one inspection through from start to finish. So on one of our rarer announced inspections, at Rochester Young Offenders Institution, before the inspection proper had started, I went with our researchers up and down every wing landing entering every third cell and handing out survey forms and then going back in the afternoon and picking them up. It was a lovely sunny spring day. We went round the wings mid morning handing out forms and we went back mid afternoon to collect them back in. My abiding impression was of cell after cell with young men locked in, a makeshift curtain across the window, the light off, daytime telly in the background, sleeping their way though their sentence. It was a truly depressing experience. Part of the problem at Rochester was that the security department seemed to be running the prison. Almost everything needed their approval

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Lecture

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org and of course the safest answer was no. The prison ran such complicated keep apart lists that the whole place ground to a halt. And while it was relatively safe while prisoners were in their cells – they had to come out sometimes and then of course all that unspent energy, that had not been used constructively, simply created havoc. Banging them up did not even keep the place safe – let alone prepare them for release. At least the cells were not too bad at Rochester. Lots of cells are little more than a large toilet. Two men in a space not much wider than my outstretched arms -and about three times as long. The air thick with cigarette smoke. An unscreened toilet. Graffiti on the walls. Furniture for one. Meals eaten in the cell, one man at the table, another next to the toilet with his plate on his lap. And why are meals served at such peculiar times? Breakfast packs in the evening, lunch mid morning, supper in the afternoon. In one prison we were in recently, where the food budget was very low, prisoners were buying extra food from the canteen and then heating up inside kettles. One of the few sensible things you can do in a prison is get people who have lived very chaotic lives into a normal routine. You get up at a normal time, you have meals at normal times, you are responsible for getting yourself to work or education. Collecting meds, visits, the gym, the library are fitted round work and education, like they would be for you or me, not work and education fitted around collecting meds, visits, the gym, the library. Some prisons seem to manage that, why can’t they all? Laundry. At Holme House prison for instance, there were no wing laundries and no opportunities for prisoners to launder their own clothes or have their clothes washed in preparation for court or release. When they sent prison-issue kit to be washed, they received different and damaged kit back. So it was always too big or too small – trousers hanging round their backsides or half way up their legs.

you a snap shot of what we reported in our latest annual reports: u My inspectorate reported that purposeful activity was the weakest area of prisons we inspect. It was not good enough in almost a third of the prisons we inspected last year. u Ofsted’s latest annual report on education in England states its serious concern at the worsening performance of learning and skills provision in prisons. Five out of the 27 prisons and young offender institutions inspected were judged to be inadequate for learning and skills compared with two in 2008/09.

My abiding impression was of cell after cell with young men locked in, a makeshift curtain across the window, the light off, daytime telly in the background, sleeping their way though their sentence. It was a truly depressing experience

u Information sharing between prisons, as prisoners transferred between them, had improved and it was rarely necessary to repeat assessments. u Standards of teaching were satisfactory. u Attendance and punctuality is often poor and so classroom and workshop occupancy is low. We often find occupancy of learning and skills places averaging around 60% -which is simply infuriating when there are not enough places to meet demand. Manchester had occupancy of over 90% so it can be done. As you probably know, the government has recently published an Offender Learning Review and that does provide grounds for encouragement. u There is a promise to give governors more say in local delivery and more emphasis on local delivery agents including charities and social enterprises. This should mean a more flexible delivery, relevant to the area where the prisoner is likely to resettle. This assumes though that prisoners will be in prisons close to home.

So let me turn to education and let me give

u There will be more money for offenders

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It seems to me that this loss of autonomy, the inability to fix even the simplest things for yourself, must terribly undermine rehabilitation. Rehabilitation must be about taking responsibility for your own actions. Prison is all too often about losing it.

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u The quality of what was provided was mostly satisfactory.

In our survey, less than half the prisoners said that they received enough clean and suitable clothes. No clean pants. I suppose that does not sound too terrible but it would be like that throughout your sentence. There would be nothing you could do to fix it. You would get the message, wouldn’t you, that you were of absolutely no consequence at all?

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19

with learning difficulties with a focus on communication skills and listening. u Electronic learner records will be introduced which hopefully should stop all the re-assessments. u There will be a full roll-out of virtual campus planned which is great – but what about wider internet access? I don’t see how you can prepare prisoners for life outside prison without teaching them how to use the internet. That is a whole speech for another day. u Prisons will be grouped (in clusters where there is regular movement between each prison) so that continuity and progression can be improved. All of those points are very welcome but may I mention my concern about funding prisoners’ access to Higher Education. I recognise the difficulty in providing free education for prisoners when it is costing ordinary students £9000 a year. But it would be a terrible shame if the life changing rehabilitative opportunities access to higher education offered some prisoners was lost – so I do hope a way round the problem can be found. In conclusion, education in its broadest sense is crucial to rehabilitation. Our aspirations are much too low at present and Kennett Clarke was right to call for a rehabilitation revolution. You can argue about the detail but it won’t be achieved unless we place education and rehabilitation at the centre of a prison’s task – not some luxury add-on. As far as I am concerned education and rehabilitation are right at the top of my list of priorities and I will be pushing them very hard in my inspections. I am grateful for the opportunity to share some of my thinking with you and I look forward in working with the Prisoners Education Trust and others to refine and push this agenda in future.

This is an extract from the address given to the Prisoners Education Trusts’ Annual Lecture held in London on October 18 2011.

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20

Comment

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

The Norris case BBC documentary The case against the conviction of Colin Norris is ‘flawed’ says his solicitor Jeremy Moore

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write having just sealed an envelope addressed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission which contains an application form submitted on behalf of Colin Norris. Colin, a nurse, was convicted of the murder of four elderly patients who he had cared for during the course of his employment at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in May 2002, and the attempted murder of one other patient. The case against Norris was built around the death of one of his patients, Ethel Hall who, following her death from Hypoglycaemia (a condition that occurs when blood sugar levels are too low), tests of her blood were said to reveal far higher quantities of the diabetes drug insulin than would be expected, the conclusion being reached that she had been injected with significant quantities of insulin by someone caring for her (although it is not accepted that these test were accurate). The police thus concluded she was murdered. Suspicion fell on Norris particularly as a result of throwaway comments he had made about Ethel Hall during the course of his work. The police then set about a trawl of the hospital records for deaths of other patients that, with the benefit of hindsight, could also be classed as suspicious deaths in circumstances similar to those of Ethel Hall. The police eventually came up with four other cases of elderly women (which they had whittled down from more than 70 potential cases), one of whom survived a bout of hypoglycaemia but survived and the other three whom were said to have died from the condition. None of these patients suffered from diabetes. At the trial, the prosecution relied on expert evidence which purported to establish that deaths from naturally occurring hypoglycaemia were so rare that to have five cases over a short period of time in one hospital was extremely unlikely. Indeed it was said by one expert that to see so many such cases was ‘extraordinary’. Accordingly it was suggested that the death of all five women must have been caused not naturally but by the unlawful injection of insulin. As these women had been dead for some time their blood could not be tested.

What the Crown couldn’t explain however was the case of a fifth woman who died from hypoglycaemia when Colin had not been on duty who the Crown had to accept died from natural causes (the case of a sixth woman has since come to light whom the Crown did suspect had also been murdered but dropped the case when again it was apparent that Norris was not on duty). He was thus charged with the murder of the four patients and attempted murder of the fifth patient who survived. The importance of the four patients other than Ethel Hall was that the Crown could rely on the apparent rarity of naturally occurring hypoglycaemia to put Colin in the picture not only for those cases but also for that of Ethel Hall, given that he was on duty at the time when all of those patients fell ill. If however naturally occurring hypoglycaemia was not so rare, then the case against Norris on all five counts could not really stand up. He was however convicted at trial and an appeal has since been rejected by the Court of Appeal. Upon taking over the case on appeal, we instructed one of the world’s leading experts on hypoglycaemia and insulin poisoning, Professor Vincent Marks to examine the expert evidence relied on at trial. Having examined the case in detail, his important conclusion is that, contrary to the evidence given at trial, recent studies have shown that in elderly, sick, frail, patients, naturally occurring hypoglycaemia is in fact relatively common and in fact the deaths of the three women other than Ethel Hall were more likely to have been caused by natural causes than by insulin injection. If this is the case (and there is no doubting Professor Marks’ expertise) then the jury were misled at the trial as to the rarity of naturally occurring hypoglycaemia and the prosecution’s case at trial was fundamentally flawed. We await the CCRC’s own verdict on the case with interest and real hope. Jeremy Moore - Carter Moore Solicitors

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“C

ompelling” was the word used by one experienced voice when reacting to the miscarriage of justice documentary about HMP Frankland resident Colin Norris which was broadcast on the BBC last month. The case initially researched by Inside Time’s investigative unit Inside Justice was made into a TV documentary in conjunction with BBC Scotland and revealed new medical evidence which lawyers believe will propel the case back to the Court of Appeal. The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Daily Record were just three of the dozens of newspapers and websites which ran news articles about the 30 minute documentary Hospital Serial Killer: A Jury in the Dark. The programme argued that Colin Norris, who is serving a minimum of 30 years, is a victim himself; of a gross miscarriage of justice. Legal and medical experts interviewed for the programme described the new evidence as “incredibly powerful indeed” with another saying “the entire case was built on a foundation which is unsound.” The programme reporter, Mark Daly, was interviewed about Colin Norris’ plight by Today anchor John Humphreys and on the 5 Live Breakfast Show as well as doing live reports for Yorkshire and Scottish TV news. The story led news bulletins throughout the day. Colin Norris was arrested in 2002 for allegedly murdering elderly patients with insulin as he worked as a nurse. With no direct evidence to implicate him, deaths of other patients which were originally thought to be from natural causes were re-examined. Four were reclassified as murder and put Colin Norris in the dock as the one common denominator; the one person who had nursed all patients. Now, new scientific evidence suggests the original cause of deaths of those 4 cases, as nonsuspicious, were correct. The expert respon-

sible; world renowned insulin expert Professor Vincent Marks told the BBC “looking at all the evidence, all I can say is I think Colin Norris’s conviction is unsafe.” His trial solicitor said the new evidence will “blow a very large hole in the central plank of the prosecution case”. Online bloggers reacted to the programme after it was broadcast. One said “Last night’s show was scary inasmuch as how a man/ woman can be locked up, in this case for a minimum of 30 years, have their lives destroyed regardless, on such shockingly weak evidence”. Another viewer commented that from news reporting at the time of the trial in 2008 he assumed Colin Norris was guilty “Sorry Colin” he wrote “I had you guilty before I knew all the facts”, whilst another posted on the Inside Time comments page “I have always believed Colin is not guilty. Now to get him out of that place... back with his family and friends who love him.” An application to have the new evidence considered by the Court of Appeal is now being considered by the CCRC. STOP PRESS Colin Norris’ mother writes: “I would like to thank most sincerely the funders in allowing Inside Justice to do the initial work and supporting me in the making of the BBC documentary Hospital Serial Killer: a Jury in the Dark, highlighting the miscarriage of justice of my son Colin Norris. I have been focused on proving Colin’s innocence since he was wrongly convicted in 2008 and have faced many challenges at all levels. There are many times I have felt alone in my struggle and the documentary, together with the messages of support I have received following the programme, have given me much needed support in knowing that I am not alone, that many others out there also believe my son is innocent - backed up by the new scientific evidence presented in the documentary. I cannot thank you enough for your support and wanted to take time to let you know how much I appreciate everything you have done for me and my son”.

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This is a man’s world In the second part of RJS Hattersley’s series on gender he looks at the crime of rape

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ast month I demonstrated the profound differences between men and women and how they can affect our behaviour. I now hope to deal with an issue that, as Kenneth Clarke found out recently, has become near impossible to debate sensibly, and that is rape. In 2009 a convicted rapist applied for Judicial Review of his Category A status after undergoing treatment for testicular cancer. The treatment involved castration, resulting in an obvious loss of libido. The Prison Service defended its decision to keep him Category A, claiming ‘Rape is not always for sexual pleasure, but to dominate and control women’. Similarly, in 1993, the UN declared that ‘Rape is an abuse of power and control in which the rapist seeks to humiliate shame, degrade and terrify the victim. The primary objective is to exercise power and control over another person’ (Document E/cn 4/1993/50). Much of this thinking stems from the feminist writer Susan Brownmiller’s book ‘Against Our Will’, in which she wrote - ‘Man’s discovery that his genitals could serve as a weapon to generate fear must rank as one of the most important discoveries … it is nothing more than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men can keep all women in a state of fear’. This has grown into the modern dogma that rape has nothing to do with sex, but is a way of exercising power. Consider two facts; men often want to have sex with women who don’t share that desire, and resort to flattering, seducing and lying in order to achieve it. Secondly, men often use violence to get what they want (money, goods, etc) without a thought for the victim’s feelings. So, surely it stands to reason that men will resort to violence in order to obtain sex? So, where exactly does this thinking come

from? One study found that in a survey of published studies of rape less than 10% tested hypotheses or used scientific methods (Thiessen & Young 1994). The Harvard professor of psychology, Steven Pinker, wrote that – ‘I believe that the rape-is-not-about-sex doctrine will go down in history as an example of extraordinary popular delusion. It is preposterous and does not deserve its sanctity, is contradicted by a mass of evidence and is getting in the way of the only morally relevant goal; the effort to stamp it out’. I would go even further and state that not only is it rubbish but it is also dangerous rubbish and it is putting women at risk. In 2000, Randy Thornhill and Craig Palmer published A Natural History of Rape, which received some hostile reactions (often from people who had never read it) which stated that as men who rape risk injury, punishment and ostracism, natural selection would not have favoured it, but it could be useful in opportunistic environments, such as wartime or when a man cannot attract a woman. Which is why rapists tend to be social inadequates with poor social skills. If rape was all power based then the prisoners with dominant personalities would be the likeliest to be rapists. If it becomes established doctrine that rape is a by-product of primitive urges from our evolutionary history then defence lawyers will no doubt seize upon that knowledge and twist it. But the idea that most men are capable of rape in certain situations is uncomfortable, if not offensive, to most men. I have had many debates with other prisoners who profess to despise rapists, but some differ on where the line is drawn, with many claiming that sex with a drunken woman who is barely conscious isn’t rape! In one prison I was in there was a prisoner having a sexual affair with a teacher. Another prisoner

found out and told the teacher that he would expose her unless she granted him ‘sexual favours’. I found myself a minority against these supposedly rape-hating prisoners as I insisted that this was a form of rape. The problem for some people seems to be that unless the rape is the proverbial bushwhacker type where the woman resists, many men tend to believe it is not rape and even convince themselves that the woman enjoys it.

should be able to get drunk at a party and go upstairs to his room without anything happening” and I say “Oh, yeah? And when you drive your car to New York City do you leave your keys on the hood?” My point is that if your car is stolen then the police should pursue the thief and punish him, but at the same time the police – and I – would say ‘You idiot, what the hell were you thinking leaving the keys in view?”’

It is these ‘seduction rapes’ that are difficult to gain convictions for, if they are actually reported at all. Therefore the rapist believes he has ‘done nothing wrong’ and will do it again. I have no access to the statistics but I would guess that the ‘seduction rapes’ are a lot more common than we might think, and certainly more common than the random attack, though it is the latter that are more likely to be reported.

Women should be able to go out and behave and dress as they please but people should also be able to leave their doors open or their kids unattended in a park, but these ‘shoulds’ belong in a utopian world that doesn’t exist. The feminist Andrea Dworkin famously claimed that all men are rapists, but she also said that ‘When a man wants sex he steals it (rape), persuades her (seduction), rents it (prostitution), leases it (marriage in the USA) or owns it outright (marriage in most societies). Her point is that rape is a form of theft, like joyriding. So what purpose does joyriding fulfil, other than a thrill? The main problem is that men not knowing (or caring) about the difference between sex and rape.

How does what a woman wears have an effect on rapists? In truth, very little and no more than being attractive makes women more likely to be targets. But people are often advised not to leave sat-nav’s and laptops on display in case they are stolen, yet nobody gets outraged and claims that they are blaming the victims of theft. Nor do the potential victims organise a ‘Display your valuables’ protest, as has recently happened with the so-called ‘slut walks’. Giving safety advice to women is common sense; it is not ‘blaming’ them. And it is not what they wear but who they trust and the situations they may find themselves in. If women are led to believe that rape is about power and domination but not sex then they surely will be led to believe that a man who is showing them affection is unlikely to rape them. The writer Wendy McElroy wrote – ‘For decades feminists have drilled their disciples to say that rape is a crime of violence and not sex. This nonsense has exposed women to disaster, misled by feminism they do not expect to be raped by the nice boy who sits next to them in class … these girls say “Well, I

If rape is power-driven then what can we do to stamp it out? If rape is about sex then the answer would be to reduce the sex drive. One study found that convicted rapists who took the drug Depo-proveryl (which reduces the sex drive) had a reoffending rate of just 3%, compared to 46% of those who were refused the drug (Owen Jones, California Law Review 1999). If rape was about power then a drug that reduces the sex drive would have no effect whatsoever. Finally, I should point out two things; firstly the prisoner with testicular cancer won his judicial review, meaning the judiciary takes a different view to the Prison Service. And secondly, I do not speak from personal experience.

RJS Hattersley – HMP Frankland

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

Laws, and yet more laws! Charles Hanson examines the politician’s art of ludicrous law-making prescribed in the order.” The crimes which most of us have considered to be illegal have been so for centuries, though it must be conceded that the new offence of "creating a nuclear explosion" is contemporary. It was created in 1998; was it not a crime before?

Charles Hanson

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n the Victoria Tower, a few hundred yards from its better-known counterpart the Clock Tower, which houses Big Ben, can be found the archives containing more than 1.5 million Acts of Parliament passed since 1497. They include some of the more important pieces of legislation which are the very essence of our nationhood: the Petition of Right 1628, the Habeas Corpus Act 1679, the Bill of Rights 1689, the Slave Trade Acts of 1807 and 1833, the Great Reform Act of 1832, and the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949. Yet, from 1997, when Labour came into power, until 2010, when the Lib-Dem - Conservative coalition took over, the Labour solution to everything was more laws, more rules and regulation, more red tape. That meant more costs, more taxes and more gravy trains for the legal profession. Should we be surprised? Not really, given that both Tony Blair and his wife Cherie are members of the legal profession so one might expect a certain reliance on rules and regulations. On taking office, Labour set about introducing 52 imprisonable new laws and by the end of its term of office, in 2010, it had created over 6,000 new crimes and introduced more than 50 criminal justice bills to parliament, including the controversial IPP sentence which has had the effect of complicating an otherwise complicated criminal justice system with more

appeals and judicial reviews than ever. Labour created new offences at twice the rate of the previous Tory administration (who between 1988 and 1996 had produced a mere 494 offences in total). And among some of the more ludicrous laws introduced by Labour, all of which carried penalties, some being imprisonable were; • Selling a grey squirrel. • Impersonating a traffic warden. • Importing Polish potatoes without permission. • Importing eggs or disturbing eggs when instructed not to by an authorised officer. • Letting off a firework other than on November 5th or New Year’s Day. • Causing a nuclear explosion. • Swimming on the wreck of the Titanic. • Failing to send your child to school.

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If this morass of laws is enough to make one want to escape for a long contemplative walk with the dog, just pause and check the length of your dog lead before you go. There is a law for that as well. It states: “It is an offence when in charge of a dog on land to which a dog control order applies, not to keep the dog on a lead or on a lead of a maximum length

Under counter-terror laws, photographers and train-spotters have been threatened with arrest, whilst under health and safety laws, teams of busybodies roam the country's cemeteries to ensure gravestones are not going to fall over. But more intrusive laws (under new vetting procedures) mean that nine million people, many of them volunteers, will have to show they are not potential child-molesters. What people want is the enforcement of the laws we have, not the creation of thousands

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• Failing to have a passport for a pet donkey. • Offering for sale a game bird killed on a Sunday or Christmas Day. • To wilfully pretend to be a barrister. • Attaching an ear tag to an animal when it has previously been used to identify another animal. • Landing a fishing catch at a harbour that includes unsorted fish without permission. • Allowing an unlicensed concert in a church hall or community centre.

On 1 July 2007, it became a criminal offence throughout the United Kingdom not merely to smoke a cigarette in a public place, but in your own car if other people share it to travel to work or if it is used for work purposes. It is also an offence to smoke in a room in your own home if it doubles as a workplace! It is now also a crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, to smack your own child if a visible mark is left as a result. To mount a horse and ride off in pursuit of a fox is now illegal, of course. Even teenage "canoodling" is now criminalised under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which forbids under-16s from engaging in any sexual activity and whilst 16 year olds can engage in sexual activity they are prohibited from purchasing porn until the age of 18. You can do it but you cannot watch it.

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org of insignificant new ones of little or no importance. As a result, we are living in a lookingglass world where everything is back to front, where the owner of a Shetland pony has to obtain an ID card for the animal on pain of a heavy fine or even, absurdly, imprisonment; but claiming more than £100,000 of taxpayers' money by abusing parliamentary expenses rules is apparently OK providing the culprit apologises. Most of these crimes would never have been regarded as such in the past. They would have been minor infractions or misdemeanours that might warrant a fine or a ticking-off, but the criminalisation of what was once considered ‘bad behaviour’ has been marked up over the past 20 or so years. Activities that were never unlawful, like smoking in a public place, are now crimes because they are objectionable; yet eating a burger and chips on a crowded train, revolting as that is, is not. This failure to distinguish between a crime and a wrongdoing has therefore warped the criminal justice system and the potential prison sentence is just tacked on to the legislation for no seemingly obvious reason. The Government says these offences are all fully debated by Parliament, but many are brought in on secondary legislation which is hardly scrutinised at all; and all Bills are in any case timetabled. This is not to say that new laws are always bad; or that all government action is flawed. But is it necessary to have so many new laws whose lack of enforcement has been apparent from the outset and were introduced simply to make a political point? We are snooped on, harried, pestered and made to feel like criminals by a regime ruled by targets and tick-box craziness. Scores of criminal justice measures were introduced so that ministers could say they were doing something, not because they made any difference. Where common sense once prevailed, we have been given new laws – dozens of them, hundreds of them, thousands of them, which has restricted the scope for discretion and for latitude; and this inflexibility has made us angry, not least when we discovered that many of the very people who were supposed to be keeping an eye on this – our MPs – were spending their time devising ever more imaginative ways of living the good life at our expense whilst millions of adults are treated as though they are potential child molesters when all they seek to do is to offer their time to help others. Such is the output that the government appears unable to keep track of its own measures. In response to parliamentary questions, various Whitehall departments have said that the cost of compiling a list of all the criminal offences

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they have created in the past twenty years would be “disproportionate”. So, if they don’t know, then what chance is there that the general public knows what is legal and what is illegal?

Ben’s Blog

Petty though many of these offences seem, they contribute to a growing sense of government restriction creeping into our private live. In some cases they also involve a serious erosion of civil liberties which civil rights groups have argued represent an unhealthy extension of the state into our private lives. Yet the government decided it had to create a law that states in its first section: “Any person who knowingly causes a nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life.” So we wouldn’t have guessed that then?

Lifer Ben Gunn’s Prison Blog … the only blog by a serving British prisoner which ‘looks stupidity and ignorance in the eye whilst attempting to inject some neurons into the criminological debate’.

The Home Office and the Ministry of Justice between them account for over 600 new offences over the past twenty years but defends itself on the basis that; “The government is not in the business of making new laws except when it is in the public interest and trivialising these laws ignores their significant benefits to the public.” What precisely are those benefits? There is a range of reasons why such new laws are made; for example, technological advancement has created the need to protect the public through data protection legislation but among the many new offences that have flown onto the statute book in recent years, precious few have made us any safer. Even some senior lawyers argue that some sections of the law are never brought in and others have been introduced at one point only to be taken out again later. The controversial Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 has given police the powers to stop and search anyone inside designated areas without any suspicion of wrongdoing. Yet, recently there have been complaints that the law has been used not to catch terrorists but to stop people who have been taking innocent pictures of tourist sites and other buildings, particularly in London. The safeguards of our liberty are not so much in danger from those who openly oppose them as from those who, professing to believe in them, are willing to ignore them when found convenient for their own purpose. A law to keep law-happy ministers in check might be more useful. Charles Hanson was formerly a resident of HMP Blantyre House

The Human Zoo October 14

This is how our lives - and your taxes - are slowly but surely leeched away.

Like the old Bedlam, all prisons are sporadically invaded by gawkers. These tend to be various species of criminal justice professionals, magistrates, students and the like.

The Stupid Leading the Blind October 20

Here, in the Block, we can only listen as they appear whilst we are banged up. It is frustrating, and some cons shout out entertaining allegations to these unseen visitors. Why not introduce these enquirers to a con or two? Staff may well be able to adequately describe the basics of the Block regimes, but only a prisoner can begin to explain the experience of isolation and bang-up. At the very least, let the visitors bring in bags of peanuts or sticky buns to throw at us!

..................................................... Proctology Calling October 18

So a guy hid his mobile phone in the usual place - his ass. Having set off the metal detector he must now produce the goods in order to leave the Block. Which is the problem. The phone has decided to migrate and explore the wilder parts of the guy's colon, and refuses to be expelled. Is there an "app" for that?!?

..................................................... A Long Road October 19

Having been cleared to move to open prison a full year ago, I'm now told that it may take several more months before a space can be found for me. The problem? An increase in the Lifer population from 3,500 to over 10,000 without anyone thinking to increase the number of places in open prisons through which we must be released.

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Long gone are the days when a prisoner could pass through these stygian halls to be disgorged into the daylight of freedom with little effort. This particularly applies to Lifers. Gaining release, and finding a bearable way of life along the way, requires deliberate effort by the prisoner. It is required that we engage with many processes, all of them quite bureaucratic. The most prominent of these are the Offending Behaviour Programmes, the psychology courses intended to cure us of our wicked ways. These courses are heavily reliant on written materials and demand copious amounts of "homework". And there lies the trap - for those with sensory impairments, low IQ's, or the plain illiterate then progress towards release is blocked. For the illiterate, a couple of extra years may be served as the prisoner is forced through an educational programme, before starting the OBP courses. For those with impaired senses or learning difficulties there is no such obvious solution. I've met deaf prisoners who have had to fight for years just to have an induction-loop installed so that they could engage with group work. And I've met men with learning difficulties who have wasted the best part of a decade just waiting for psychological assessments. Such people are royally stuffed. Unable to undertake the psychological courses that earn release they find themselves being bounced from prison to prison as each Governor finds it easier to transfer "the problem" rather than allocate any resources or brain-power to deal with it. In this convoluted way, and through no fault of their own, prisoners with disabilities often serve manyHanson more years crime deserves. Charles is athan lifertheir formerly They are punished their deficiencies. at HMP Blantyre for House

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Is pubic hair really the only answer for prisoners desperate for a smoke? James Dunworth puts the case for smoke-free cigarettes

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hen cigarettes were banned in an Isle of Man prison, smokers turned to desperate measures. Boiling up nicotine patches to extract the nicotine for home made cigarettes. Smoking pubic hair. And making roll ups with tea leaves and banana skins. Most prisoners, according to surveys, want to quit. So why are 80% of prisoners smokers, and why are those prisoners so desperate for a fag? The answer might lie with research by Ipsen and Kjellup. Their findings suggests that not only does smoking make the brain (temporarily) more efficient; it also makes you less aggressive in stressful situations. Ipsen and Kjellup tested smokers, non-smokers and smokers who had abstained from nicotine in stressful situations. They found that smokers performed most efficiently - and showed no aggression. Unfortunately, the worst performers were smokers suffering from withdrawal pangs. One former prisoner, John (not real name) who served five years in various US prisons, agreed that prisoners could gain real benefits from cigarettes: “... people with money could afford to get their friends that didn’t have money a pack, because everybody in prison is a lot calmer with cigarettes.” However, real problems were caused when John was placed in a prison where cigarettes were not officially allowed - but where there was a black market supply. “People would stab someone for a pack of cigarettes, no problem, and if you got caught

are far safer than smoking. And Elaine Keller believes there could be real benefits for prisoners: “Providing nicotine could help to reduce altercations between prisoners as well as suicides. And providing it from a smoke-free source can save lives as well.” Since Snus, the safest form of smokeless tobacco, became popular in Sweden, the lung cancer rate in that country has become the lowest in Europe. Unfortunately, Snus is banned outside Sweden. However, electronic cigarettes also provide nicotine without the combustion that causes ill health.

E-cigarettes - just like the real thing

with cigarettes by a guard you was put in the Hole for 30 days, but it was worth it.” Elaine Keller, of The Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives, which advocates for the use of safer forms of nicotine for smokers who can’t or don’t want to quit, believes that quitting cigarettes can put severe stress on smokers: “For about two-thirds of smokers, abstinence from nicotine triggers severe depression, anxiety, cognitive impairments, and irritability, and these problems persist until they resume use of nicotine.” With an estimated 80,000 deaths in the UK caused by cigarettes every year, smoking remains incredibly bad for you, and any benefits are likely to be outweighed by the increased likeli-

hood of lung cancer and other diseases. Unfortunately, the alternatives found by prisoners are no safer than smoking cigarettes - and, according to Professor Carl Phillips of tobaccoharmreduction.org, could even be worse: “If you just extract the nicotine [from nicotine patches], it is probably about the same as the paper you are burning to make the cigarette (i.e., about the same as smoking). If you are burning the plastics from the patch, it is potentially a lot worse. Other plants would probably have effects that are indistinguishable from smoking tobacco.” Fortunately, there are alternatives to cigarettes such as smokeless tobacco and electronic cigarettes. Both, according to Professor Phillips,

E Cigarettes are devices that, like nicotine patches and nicotine inhalers, provide nicotine without the chemicals that are created when tobacco is burned. Unlike patches and inhalers, though, the device replicates the look and feel of a regular cigarette. When a smoker inhales on an electronic cigarette, a sensor is activated. A liquid solution is heated up, and the smoker inhales water vapour. When the vapour is blown out it resembles smoke. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, but versions without nicotine are available. E-cigarettes recently caught the eye of the UK government’s Nudge Unit, which announced: There’s no doubt it [the electronic cigarette] can save many lives and hundreds of millions of pounds. James Dunworth is from the Ashtray blog

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

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ne hundred and fifty nine people died while serving prison sentences in the UK during 20082009 - and as the population ages this figure is likely to grow.

prison … and the particular culture of the prison in relation to death,” reports M Wilson in the Prison Service Journal. Heather Joy, a modern matron working with prisons in the north of England, believes more thought needs to be given to the treatment of prisoners who have a relative dying in the community. She relates the story of a man, inside on a very short sentence, whose son was in a serious accident and taken to intensive care.

Despite the fact that national guidance and other programmes exist to promote high standards of end of life care in prisons, each institution handles it differently. The National End of Life Care Programme has just published a good practice guide aimed at the health, social care and prison staff who work with prisoners as they approach the end of their lives. The route to success in end of life care – achieving quality in prisons offers practical advice that emphasises the need for all those involved in a person’s care to work across service boundaries to identify people nearing the end of life and to respond accordingly. Regular assessments and reviews, advance care planning and communication between professionals and services are vital. It is particularly important that both prison and NHS staff form good communication channels with local community services, such as hospices and charities. The programme’s social care lead, Tes Smith, said: “The difficulty here is that we are dealing with two very different requirements: custody and care. The challenge is to provide appropriate and co-ordinated care while treating people in prison with dignity and respect as well as maintaining the necessary levels of security. “Whilst the NHS is responsible for providing end of life care to inmates, prison officers also work with those same people. Enabling people to die with dignity is a core function of the NHS, whereas prison is a punitive environment. At what point can, or should, prison officers become carers – and do they get the support they need to take on this role?” As well as managing the inevitable tension

At death’s door Routes to Success is a good practice guide to implementing high quality end of life care in prisons. Caroline White reports between the need for punishment and the need for support, there are other hurdles to overcome if end of life care in prisons is to improve:

l Policies around access to medication, use of morphine and syringe drivers differ from prison to prison and can be problematic.

l All deaths in custody - even those that are expected - require police involvement and a post mortem. This can make the aftermath very traumatic for families, other prisoners and staff, and is often seen as something to be avoided. The result is that inmates are often not able to die in their place of choice (which is often prison).

l In most cases a prison officer has to be present when relatives visit a prisoner who is dying.

l Good end of life care involves advance care planning. This means prisoners need to think, for example, about where they want to die, who they wish to be present and what happens to their body after death. Staff need training and support to initiate and develop these difficult conversations.

l Not all prisons have policies in place to protect the dignity and privacy of prisoners nearing the end of their lives. l The process for considering compassionate release can vary depending on the prison. “Each prison addresses bereavement issues differently according to: the type of sentence committed; date of bereavement; manner of death; relationship of the prisoner to the deceased; level of security risk … category of

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“In the end he almost came to accept it but it was an awful time for him and many of the staff,” says Heather. “I know prison orders and instructions guide security staff but unless there is far closer working between health care departments and the prison I don’t think this is going to move on. There definitely can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach, it needs to be far more holistic.” l The National End of Life Care Programme would welcome feedback from prisoners. What is your experience of end of life care in prison? Have you seen any particularly good - or bad - examples? Do you have anyone you could go to for support on the inside when dealing with bereavement? Please contact: Tes Smith, c/o of The NEoLCP, 3rd floor, St Johns House, East Street, Leicester, LE1 6NB. (Note: information gained from any prisoner feedback will be used to develop case studies.) Caroline White - Furner Communications. Writing for National End of Life Care Programme (NEoLCP).

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The authorities allowed the father to visit his son in hospital – although he remained in handcuffs – but 48 hours later the boy’s condition worsened dramatically. Prison rules only allowed a single visit on compassionate grounds so the father was not allowed to be with his son when he died. The father was extremely angry and upset and had to be placed on suicide watch.

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Comment

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Christmas ‘Special Offers’ boost canteen profits John O’Connor highlights overpriced and limited choice of festive goods

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hristmas is coming and it’s not just the geese which are getting fat. Also fattening up nicely are the profit margins on the range of canteen ‘special offers’ which go on sale in the run up to Christmas. In fact, there’s nothing special about them this Christmas for, as in previous years, they are the usual limited range of festive goods. If past years are anything to by these ‘special offer’ goodies are not only overpriced but are also guaranteed to rapidly run out of stock. Being sold out so soon after being made available reflects not so much an overwhelming demand but more an overcautious minimal level of stocking up in case any are left on the shelf, thus putting supplier’s best interests before those of customers such as you and me.

price. For what else can be regarded as being ‘special’ about these offers? And there’s nothing to prevent them from being sold during the rest of the year. Nowadays, the whole notion of food availability being based on the season of the year has gone out of the window, with different foods sourced from all corners of the world. Towns and cities are no longer solely dependent on locally produced foods for variety or choice. For although it is Booker/DHL who are responsible for the supply and distribution of canteen items to prisons and prisoners, dictating what is supplied are the faceless retail specialists within NOMS. While happy to confirm its crucial role, what NOMS has never admitted is where exactly these people acquired their specialist skills. Such modesty is all the more strange considering the impact which its policies and decisions have on each and every prisoner. For can you imagine say, the probation department or psychology team within a prison deliberately avoiding any contact or interaction with prisoners? But NOMS seems to distance itself as far as possible from the people directly affected by its decision. Of course not, because these specialist areas are tasked with working in the best interests of prisoners.

But in pointing the finger of blame for the overpriced and unimaginatively limited range of Christmas time canteen ‘special offers’ at Booker/DHL, they become convenient whipping boys for the real villain who (understandably) maintain a low profile when blame is being misdirected. For it’s our old friend NOMS which pulls the strings regarding type, quantity, price and profit margin of ‘special offers’ whether at Christmas time or other faiths’ religious festivals (e.g. end of Ramadan). At the heart of these ‘special offers’ is their

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org Is there any reason why the NOMS directed canteen operation shouldn’t work along similar lines? Instead, the people responsible for canteen decisions appear to have turned on its head the old adage about the ‘customer is always right’. Now it’s NOMS which is always right as far as price and choice of canteen items are concerned. But what a bunch of blushing violets are these masters of the retailing universe. Instead of communicating and interacting with their customers, the almost 90,000 prisoners who have no choice but to purchase goods controlled by NOMS may as well be talking to a brick wall. The way in which NOMS runs the canteen operation appears to be modelled on that previously found in the former Soviet Union. This business model was based on MarxistLeninist principles, a now totally discredited socio-economic political philosophy which went down the drain following the collapse of the Soviet Union ten years ago. This was a philosophy based on telling the customer what he/she could have. Competitive choice didn’t come into it. There was none of this nonsense of allowing the customer to tell the supplier what was sought. Anyone who was in Moscow in the days of the old Soviet Union will remember the disappointment experienced upon entering the massive GUM department store to find shelves empty of what they wanted to buy but full of things which no-one wanted or could afford. It seems the retailing ‘experts’ from the former Soviet Union may have been granted refuge within NOMS. Is it ignorance or arrogance which explains why NOMS persistently turn a blind eye to the needs of prisoners in terms of choice and

NOMS that prisoners will either have to like it or lump it? Whatever the answer, the problem regarding canteen choice and affordability remains unresolved.

Is it ignorance or arrogance which explains why NOMS persistently turn a blind eye to the needs of prisoners in terms of choice and moderate prices? moderate prices? For it really does seem extraordinary that any section of NOMS can so deliberately refuse to interact with prisoners in an area impacting on them so directly and personally. In my article last month I placed prisoners’ concerns in the context of the canteen boycott staged recently at Whitemoor. So far NOMS response has been one of total silence. Does this reflect an ‘ignore it and it will go away’ attitude? Or is there a belief within

NOMS cannot ignore these danger signals of discontent. But it is within its power to address them. Introducing a competitive element when pitching one team of canteen suppliers/ distributors against another will put an end to monopolistic practices which put customers’ interests to the back. Just as a number of companies now manage privately operated prisons, so too will prisoners benefit when competition comes into play amongst canteen suppliers. This way will ensure that next year’s Christmas time ‘special offers’ are just that. Then we will be able to say with all sincerity ‘have a happy Christmas’. John O’Connor - HMP Whatton

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The truth of the matter is that the prison canteen facility is run solely for the convenience of NOMS and not in any unequivocal way to meet the real needs of prisoners. In an ideal world everyone would seek the benefits created by a competitive business environment. Yet such benefits are already being accrued in other areas within the domain of NOMS, such as privatised prisons (and soon to include parts of the Probation Service). In privatising prisons, it’s resulting in a win-win situation for NOMS and prisoners alike. It’s a view endorsed by the least likely of people; Chris Mullins, a dyed in the wool recently retired Labour MP renowned for his unceasing support for victims of miscarriages of justice, Birmingham Six etc. in the latest volume of his memoirs ‘A Walk On Part: Diaries 19941999’, Mullins sees from the evidence that private prisons are often more liberal in their regimes and better run than those in the public sector. And, as far as NOMS is concerned, they are less costly to the taxpayer.

Perhaps Booker/DHL canteen operation could similarly be better run if it wasn’t for the NOMS micro-management of choice of goods and their heavily loaded profit margins. For it seems NOMS is applying all the principles of a profit driven retailing operation whilst lacking the basic insights and skills when achieving this successfully. NOMS might argue that it is actually achieving its objectives if profit margins are the ultimate determinant of success. One all the easier to achieve when operating a monopoly. Dream on. For something will have to change this corporate mindset sooner rather than later. Already the rumblings of prisoners’ discontent is becoming too loud to be ignored. This discontent can be kept in check on a local level when disciplining prisoners involved in canteen boycotts, such as that at Whitemoor in what by all accounts to have been a spontaneous action. But for how long before it spreads to other prisons? There’s an ominous sound to this …

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This problem is best exemplified by this year’s Christmas Time seasonal ‘special offers’. As far as the full price range of Cadbury’s products are concerned, prisoners are actually paying premium prices for nothing other than the festive wrapping paper. And what’s remarkable is that year after year it’s always Cadbury’s products which are the main feature of these ‘special offers’. Is it just laziness or big profit margins which prevent NOMS from sourcing confectionary from other, possibly cheaper manufacturers/suppliers?

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• Judicial Review arising from the above • Any matter arising from your treatment in prison

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org employing my own people. I had a lot of good people around me and suddenly I could give them jobs. When I joined Radio 1 with my independent production company, within a year I got the reggae show on there with Chris Goldfinger and some other shows came off the back of that. So it was a big difference and it’s what really changed my life.

You mostly specialise in hip hop, so what do you think of the criticisms levelled at hip hop, that is promotes violence and drug culture?

The Big Dawg Last month, the radio legend and Radio 1 veteran, Tim Westwood, talked to National Prison Radio about his love of radio, hip hop and why he has been a fierce supporter of prison radio since becoming a patron of the UK’s first prison radio station, Radio Feltham, back in 1994... Was it a big move for you to join Radio 1 back in 1994? My DJ career was in London and I was on Capital for seven years. I never listened to Radio 1 – I didn’t know where it was on the

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dial – so when they originally asked me to go there I was interested, I wasn’t paying it attention. My whole life was in London so I didn’t really know about getting out there... I went there as an independent production company, which meant I was set up as myself,

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I think what you’ve got to understand about hip hop, is that it really is reflecting what’s going on out there. It’s the last voice of some inner-city communities, so they’re reflecting what’s happening in their lives. And just like movies or video games, certain things are glamorised, but if you’re telling your life story from your perspective you might want to glamorise it – you don’t want to say, I’ve got little opportunity, I ain’t got a girl, I ain’t having a good time out there... And it is entertainment. But where hip hop is right now, is it’s about partying and having a good time and being up in the club. Big artists like Nicki Minaj, Drake, Lil Wayne, they’re rhyming about having a good time and things that young people are going through. With UK hip hop and grime, you definitely have a lot more black anger in the music, but that’s from people in hardship, in situations with little opportunity, little way out, and so it’s right that they have a way to vent their voice and express their frustration. It’s far too easy to blame music, which is really a reflection of life, for causing problems. There are far bigger problems for young people than the music they listen to – things like their families, their upbringing, their housing conditions, their job opportunities... I think blaming music

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is really a short cut and you’re not addressing the real issues. Economic and social disadvantage – they’re the issues which are creating problems and are reflected in music like grime.

Why do you think your show is so popular in prisons? I think [prisoners] can really relate to the music – it’s as simple as that... Nearly every event I do, someone will come up to me and say that they rode their whole jail sentence listening to me on a Saturday night. I think in a lot of ways, if my radio show can be some release from the hardship and boredom of jail on a Saturday night, and give an outlet to release some of that tension... I think it’s important to show some love. I’m not involved in any sort of punishment – that’s done by the judicial system – so me just doing some shout outs from people at home sending shout outs for their loved ones, well we’ve always thought that’s just a cool thing to do for them.

Is connecting with prisoners through radio something you’ve always wanted to do? I think I’ve been so blessed in life. I’ve achieved so much and I’ve been given so much. And I think you have a moral obligation to give back. One of the things I can give back is my time and commitment, so there are certain things that I really believe in supporting. I also feel for young people. The difference between being in jail or not can just be one mistake, and one mistake that anybody could make. I have a lot of time to give to prisoners – they’ve always supported me and enjoyed the show.

National Prison Radio is available in 65 prisons across England and Wales. NPR Urban goes out every Thursday from 19.00 – 21.30

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Rehabilitation in action?

Serving prisoner Stephen Jackly wonders why rehabilitation is so hard to find

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unishment, deterrence, rehabilitation – these are the three pillars on which all modern penal systems rest. But, all too often, even in countries such as the UK, the third one – rehabilitation – is neglected. But what exactly does this much-used word really mean? It can be broadly summarised as a mechanism to prevent reoffending; the process of turning a criminal into a law-abiding citizen. Unfortunately, British prisons widely fail in this respect, around half of convicted adult prisoners and three-quarters of young offenders go on to reoffend once released. Over the years, various methods have been employed to stop people from leading lives of crime. Some have leaned towards harsher punishment - the ‘short, sharp shock’ approach of the 1970s, for example – whilst others have adopted inclusive methods such as community service. But, the nature of imprisonment is segregation from society, which, straight away, alienates prisoners and takes away their responsibility. Therefore prison, of itself, is not the solution to crime. It even fails in the punishment aspect as any repeat offender grows accustomed to the confined conditions and learns how to ‘play the system’. For people who have never been in prison before, such as myself, the punishment aspect can never really be diminished. But the prison environment inadvertently breeds bitterness and anger, uprooting the links to living a law-abiding life; it breaks up families and destroys future prospects for employment. Thus, rather than reducing crime, it can have the reverse affect. So the problem of rehabilitation remains. What is the solution to this mirage of the justice system? It must first be noted that every crime is unique. It may be possible to generalise the factors that led someone to break the law but no two cases are exactly the same. Consider, for instance, the fact that 70% of adult prisoners suffer from two or more mental health disorders, many have had broken, traumatic childhoods. Others suffer from severe cognitive defects. Which opens up the possibility of creating a prison environment targeted solely at preventing prisoners from reoffending. Such an environment could look at the psychological issues behind a prisoner’s crime and explore what led them there in the first place. Their everyday behaviour would be observed and reflected on in order to make links with past offending. Through a process of self-insight and realisation an offender would learn to behave differently. Rather than be treated as numbers defined by their crimes, they could be humans in an environment of respect and understanding. A new community could be created inside where offenders can relearn the significance of responsibility and restraint. This utopian vision of prison is not just castlesin-the-air, there are now many prisons which have therapeutic communities within them all based upon the concept outlined above. HMP Grendon, opened in 1962, was the first to embrace it. Various material has been written about life in therapeutic - both by professionals who work

One only has to speak to offenders to realise why therapy is not working - few people actually want to be there and fewer still believe it is helping them in them and inmates who live in them. The consensus is that they ‘do the job’, preventing reoffending and helping prisoners to live lawabiding, productive lives on release. This is supported by the fact that only 38% of offenders

who complete therapy go on to reoffend. Certainly, the generic therapeutic community looks great on paper, but can it really work in practise - within the restrictive environment of

a prison? Having spent 6 months (until June 2011) on the therapeutic prison of HMP Dovegate I found that the first thing that undermines the model of a workable therapeutic community is finance. Spaces on the therapeutic unit number around 200, and in order to receive funding and subsidiaries those spaces must be filled. Consequently the inmate demographic reveals a startling number who are ‘unsuitable’ for a therapeutic community. Many have withdrawn from the therapeutic process, yet continue to take up space, or have been deselected because of drugs or violence, yet they remain in order to ‘keep numbers up’. For the rest, their motive for being there is very clear, it’s because they have to. About 65% of inmates are IPP prisoners, those for whom it is essential to complete courses in order to be released. If completing therapy is on their sentence plan, then they have to do it. So they go along with the process, doing what the repeat offender and long-term prisoner does best - playing the system. Therapy thus becomes a farce, a game of empty words. The typical therapeutic ‘small group’ revolves around one offender talking and the others asking questions. This lasts about an hour and on average an offender gets to use a group once a month. That is the only occasion that an offender is obligated to do any real work 60 minutes every 30 days. The ‘agendas’ are stage plays for the ‘therapeutons’ to rack up points. After groups the cards get spread on the table. The official word for this 2 hours is ‘reflection time’ but, in reality, it’s association time. One only has to speak to offenders to realise why therapy is not working - few people actually want to be there and fewer still believe it is helping them. If therapeutic prisons appear to reduce reoffending (via statistics) it is only because the majority who stay in the therapeutic environment are IPP and life sentenced prisoners - who know that committing further offences could possibly mean spending the rest of their lives in jail. But the therapeutic communities are not completely devoid of positives. Offenders can learn much about past and present behaviour, attitudes, beliefs, core emotions, avoidance mechanisms, etc. The therapeutic process - even the mediocre and highly fallible way in which it is employed in prisons – can reduce reoffending. ‘You get out what you put in’ is the mantra used by psychologists and therapeutons alike. One member of staff (a prison guard) commented that if a prisoner thought about things differently, in a positive way, no matter how small, the therapeutic process was worth it. There is certainly a pervading ethos of ‘wanting to help’ among the therapeutic staff teams - a breath of fresh air amongst the usual ‘stick em and nick em’ mentality - but that illusive word ‘rehabilitation’ is still very much waiting to be enacted. The hurdles, however, seem too numerous and too high for it to be effectively embraced any time soon. Stephen Jackly is currently resident at HMP Lowdham Grange

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

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his is my third attempt to write this article. Such literacy skill as I possess is stretched to its limit in my effort to express what I seek to convey. However this try reads, when complete I will post it to Inside Time and if published, readers will make of it what they will. The nature of the subject matter is what taxes me, coupled with the inherent risk of how readers might perceive me. The subject matter is melancholia, depression. As one who is a lifelong sufferer writing about it, speaking about it, runs the risk of being seen as selfpitying, pathetically weak. In prison, where compassion for others is as rare as hen’s teeth, the risk is greater. In my many years wasted in prison I have witnessed the physically and mentally disabled ridiculed, bullied, be the butt of cruel humour. Such is the extent of the humanity of many fellow prisoners and sadder to say, of some staff, including healthcare workers. I cannot presume to comment upon how others experience their depression for all that sufferers might manifest comparable symptoms. I can only tell of my own experience. At the beginning of this year I was diagnosed as clinically depressed. Bluntly put, I was of suicidal orientation. I had turned inward and felt worthless. I was inert, apathetic, lachrymose and utterly defeated. My use of the past tense might suggest I had some sort of Damascene moment which now sees me the opposite. Not necessarily so. The doctor who diagnosed me prescribed an antidepressant which she recommended I take on a daily basis for a year. I have done so faithfully and it is the effect of it that sees me present as I do. I do not gainsay the efficacy of antidepressants, but, such treat symptoms not the underlying causal factors. True, medical opinion advances the view that a chemical imbalance in the brain is causal and this can be regulated. My degree is not in medicine so to some extent I defer to medical opinion. What the empiricist in me questions is how, without the evidence of tests a definitive diagnosis of chemical imbalance can be asserted much less properly treated? Certainly, I had no such tests, rather, three or four consultations with the doctor when I articulated as best I could my symptoms. The prescription was written, I was discharged the doctor’s clinic and here I am months later sans any review still taking my daily pill. If I seem ungrateful, overly critical, it is not the case. I know enough about my own depres-

The malady of melancholia A serving prisoner contemplates his own depression in prison

I am in my mid-sixties now, a lifelong offender who has wasted in excess of half my lifespan to date in prison. A shameful admission, a shameful abuse of the gift of life and one I am ashamed about. The nature of my depression, the insight I have into its causal factors allows me to give acknowledgement to the part it has played in my offending. I stress that I do not offer it as any sort of mitigation, any excuse, it is not. Millions of depressives do not offend.

I will go to my grave without ever ridding myself of what Winston Churchill described as the black dog who constantly walked beside him. His analogy of the depression he suffered is one I echo sion to accept that it is essentially for me to combat as best I can. I acknowledge I needed and probably will again, help to help myself. I also know I will go to my grave without ever ridding myself of what Winston Churchill described as the black dog who constantly walked beside him. His analogy of the depression he suffered is one I echo. I believe the malady of melancholia is lifelong and my stating so is but my acceptance of my reality

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as opposed to negativity. The question is can I combat it until mother nature tells me my time is up or it compels me to bring matters to a conclusion by my own hand. I hope the former as I have no wish to cause those who care about me more distress than I have already. In more eloquent language than you read herein much has been written about depression in prison. Hardly surprising that people

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suffer from it in these loveless places which would depress the most cheerful of souls. The authorities do, on the face of it, make efforts to address it. We have the Listeners though I am no fan. Healthcare Units have their Mental Health Team whose quality of care varies to say the least. We have the ACCT document which one senior officer agreed with me is little other than ‘an arse covering exercise’ – his words not mine. The protocols of this document visit humiliation on the subjects of them; at least that was my experience. Having to shave under staff supervision, being escorted everywhere, cell checks every 30 minutes. I found my depression exacerbated, but as I have stated I can only relate my experience. Others may hold the contra view. Prison is decidedly not a place in which to be depressed, but where is?

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There is no neat conclusion I am capable of writing to the subject of this article. There is no panacea I can offer to fellow sufferers; if anyone knows of one please publish it. Depression is a unique experience I share in common with myriad others. As I have aged I am more reflective, riven with regrets of course and constantly seek to bolster my selfesteem, sense of self worth. I might win the odd skirmish in my efforts but the war was lost long ago. I run flat out to stay in the same place. I try to take one day at a time, be stoic, pragmatic. Looking to the future does not inspire me or give rise to optimism. There are times I move from hour-to-hour by effort of will. That I am not alone is cold comfort. If that seems morbid and sad it is but to have any chance against an enemy one must know the nature of the enemy. To keep it at heel one must understand the black dog. In the words of Marcus Aurielias: ‘Of all things ask, what is its nature?’ Erudite counsel indeed. Name supplied - HMP Hewell

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

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Psychology: ‘a growing empire within our penal system’ What went wrong with Offending Behaviour Courses? Lifer Terry Leggatt explains

I

The article highlighted a Home Office study from 2002 in which the figures showed a reduction in the reconviction rates based on therapy conducted during the period 19941996. It then showed another Home Office study from 2003, based on therapy undertaken between 1996-1998, whereby OBPs failed to reduce reoffending. The questions we should be asking are (1) what changed in 1996 to turn success into failure? And (2) what can be done now to make therapy as successful as it was in the early 1990s?

came from the Home Office, namely the Offending Behaviour Programmes Unit (OBPU), who set about building an empire. But an empire cannot be built from thin air; it needed negative reports so they could recommend prisoners for further work. Positive recommendations for progress practically ceased to exist. Instead it was negativity and bad reports, and all in the name of getting prisoners to take another course fresh off the drawing boards of the OBPU. Of course, the courses were not new, just blocks of old courses shuffled about, rearranged and given a new label – a mentality shift that would ensure the continuation of a growing empire within our penal system, an empire that is now rotten because its roots are in negative thinking. This mental shift at the core of therapy is why courses are now failing to reduce the reconviction rates.

From personal experience I believe I may be able to shed some light on what changed. But, as for restoring what was, I now believe that therapy can never be the success it once was. The rot that set in after 1997 has been left too long. So what changed? The change

One of the most negative comments hurled at me from a senior psychologist, in 1997, was – ‘Leggatt, your life is therapy, outside of therapy you don’t have a life’. The mentality behind that statement is still in evidence today as prison psychologists, trainee or otherwise, find

write in response to the article by Noel Smith in your October issue, ‘Do offending behaviour programmes really work?’ As a life sentence prisoner, convicted in 1978, my simple answer to the above question is ‘Yes’. Or rather, that they did work but not anymore.

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ever more ways of hanging onto lifers who could have been safely released years ago. In order to reduce reoffending it is the prisoner himself who has to change, and there are hundreds who do want to better themselves. During the years 1993-1996 therapy was there to help us do just that. These days we spend more time fighting the negative attitudes of psychologists than actually learning from the courses. Prior to beginning therapy in 1993 I was assessed as lacking in self confidence, low selfesteem, no self-respect, emotionally shallow and more aggressive than assertive – a person who needed to associate more with people both inside and outside prison. By 1994 therapy had enabled me to gain in all the above areas. My reports showed good to excellent progress. By 1996 I had met the therapeutic goals set out for me and had changed for the better. Sadly all that I learned via positive therapy caught up with me in 1999 when my new-found selfconfidence, self-esteem and assertiveness had me tarnished as a person with a Dangerous Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD). I was labelled as

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For 11 years I battled to show that I did not have a DSPD and finally had the label removed. One would think that after 34 years in prison the psychologist’s negativity had run its course and I’d start making positive progress. But now I’m told that I display ‘Narcissistic traits’ so I am too high risk to move to open. Where does it end? How many lifers now sit in prison due to this negative mentality from psychologists? Had it not been for this change in thinking perhaps more lifers may have been released in 2002 and the Home Office study from 2003 would not show such a poor number of successes from Offending Behaviour Programmes. The only answer I can see is that in order to turn the spotlight onto positivity again, the Home Office needs to treat psychologists like prisoners, and make them do a few courses, a bit of group work in order to teach them to be more open, less introverted when it comes to prisoners, and more positive. Terry Leggatt - HMP Littlehey

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Clarion Advocates 28/06/2011 11:36

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32

Psychology

If you have a question you would like answered please send to: ‘Psychology’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB.

Insidetime September 2011 www.insidetime.org

Why today’s psychiatric diagnoses will never work Dr Bob Johnson Consultant Psychiatrist

sis is wrong. Flooding the car with petrol is precisely the worst thing to do – treat the real cause of the disease, or you’ll make things worse – guaranteed. Suppose you get the car going, and you’re rattling along, when suddenly there’s a fearsome grinding sound – what to do? Well the one thing you don’t do is turn the radio up so loud you can’t hear the noise – this is called ‘symptom-suppression’ and it’s the lowest form of medical practice. If you don’t (or can’t) work out where the noise is coming from, then your journey is likely to be incomplete, if not fatal. The term for working this out is ‘diagnosis’ – and the more accurate the diagnosis, the more effective the treatment. And the key to any realistic diagnosis is uncovering its causative factors.

D

iagnosis – the highest activity to which a human can aspire, the pinnacle of ineffable skill, a vital and delicate bastion against a chaotic and dastardly cosmos. Oh yeah? Ask around 80% of prisoners, and perhaps a billion others if this applies to psychiatric diagnoses, and your answer would be a raspberry, or worse. And you know what? Despite 20 years as a fully qualified Consultant Psychiatrist – I agree. No wonder I’ve been ejected from seven Consultant Psychiatric posts, the first by Michael Howard, the last by Tony Blair and Jack Straw – I must be doing something right. Let’s take a closer look at what diagnosis does, or should do – starting with a non-medical crisis. Your sister is getting married – you're the best man/bridesmaid, you're late, you jump in the car. And it won’t start. You know that cars need petrol, so you overfill the tank. Nothing happens. What’s wrong? It’s not a fuel problem, it’s a flat battery. Your diagno-

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So that’s what diagnosing is really all about – looking for the root causes of the problem and tackling them first, before you do anything else. But bear in mind that in real life, we live in a multi-threaded universe, so there is never just one cause for any single event whatsoever – there is always a cloud of causes, which is why doctors use the cumbersome term ‘aetiology’, never causation. The key skill is prioritising these multiple causes, and that only comes with practice. Say you’re afflicted with severe abdominal pain. You call the doctor, who takes a careful history, and prods you about. Next you see the surgeon. But suppose the surgeon then says “I’m not interested in causative factors, I’m going to open you up anyway”. You don’t need a medical degree to see that this is disastrous. Without a diagnosis, anything can happen, and usually does. Wait for it – but this is precisely what psychiatry has now been saying for 31 years. Hard to believe, I know, but there it is in black and white. The 1980 edition of the psychiatric bible, the DSM-III, instructs all go-ahead psychiatrists to refrain from asking any questions

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as to where the symptoms come from. What a disaster. If you want chapter and verse, try page xxvi of DSM-IV-TR, and you’ll see the Alice-in-Wonderland claim that the “major advance” in psychiatry is being “neutral with respect to theories of aetiology”. In other words, take no interest in any causative factors that underlie the clinical problem in front of you. This strangulates clinical medicine at birth, kisses goodbye to all hope of prevention or cure in mental health, leaving instead, oodles of psychiatric symptoms, resulting, inevitably, in three decades of rudderless psychiatry. (Any psychiatrist reading this, might consider reverting to DSM-I, 1952, a tenth the size and 100 times more real.) What next? Well, two things – firstly, if you believe, as I do that children are impressionable, this gives a vital clue as to where today’s anti-social or lunatic symptoms are coming from. If you ask enough people, as I have done, you find that childhood fears become self-perpetuating when they’re too terrifying to be thought-through – the sufferer can’t even tell themselves the real trauma that is dominating their emotional life, let alone the

doctor. By persuading them to do just that, a cure becomes available for every psychiatric disorder in the book, given enough time, resources and consent – from bi-polar to BPD, psychosis to self-harm, Personality Disorder to ‘psychopathy’ – that’s a 100% cure because you’ve eradicated the root. Secondly, you could write to the Royal College of Psychiatrists – “Dear President, Please stop being ‘neutral’ to causative factors. Please stop insisting on ‘symptom-suppression’. Why not try looking at childhood fears?” Send this short letter to Inside Time who will forward it on, copies to the Editors of the Lancet and the British Medical journal. Perhaps if there are enough of you, you’ll have more success going through the tradesman’s door than I have had trying to go through the front. Dr Bob Johnson - Formerly Head of Therapy at Ashworth Maximum Security Hospital. He was also Consultant Psychiatrist, Special Unit, C-Wing, Parkhurst Prison 1991-1996.

If you have a question you would like answered please send to: ‘Psychology’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB.

Insidetime October 2011 www.insidetime.org

How do I get this, I feel that I’m just wasting time doing nothing! Can you help?

A Thank you for your letter. Welcome to the search for the Holy Grail!

Psychology

q&A Our new regular feature in which Dr Peter Pratt, Consultant Clinical & Forensic Psychologist and Dr Terri Van-Leeson, Consultant Forensic Psychologist answer your questions on psychology. Please send your concise questions to Inside Time ‘Psychology’.

Mr S - HMP Buckley Hall

Q I have recently been knocked back by the Parole Board because they say I need to do some work on instrumental violence. When I was young, I got into trouble with my mates, and we robbed shops and post offices in mainly rural areas. I thought it was easy money, because no-one really got hurt, even though we were armed and wore balaclavas. The Psychologists at my prison say that I am not eligible for CSCP because my OGRS3 score is not high enough. My Offender Manager supported me going to Open, but the Parole Board say I have to do more work. This can only be offered on a 1:1 basis, or so I’m told.

You are right to state that your OGRS3 score, over 2 years, I think, may be too low for treatment via CSCP (Cognitive Self Change Programme). This is a long and detailed programme for high risk offenders with 4 or more convictions for violence. You probably meet the second criterion but not the first. In fact, you might feel grateful if not relieved. CSCP is only provided, to the best of my knowledge, at Cat C level in Ranby and Erlestoke where the waiting lists are very long indeed, i.e. a number of years. This may be a reason why the MOJ are trying to offer alternatives, and I know that Ranby are piloting a course called ‘Resolve’, and Long Lartin are proposing a course called Self-Change Programme, which they say will only take 6 months, as opposed to a year or more for the CSCP itself. Your Solicitor should have already written to the Head of Psychology about where and when, you can start the one to one work and should have raised this issue within the hearing itself. The most fruitful strategy is to explore whether the Offender Manager or Offender Supervisor, i.e. a person available on site, can do some sessions themselves. Psychology is a wonderful service but should not be monopolised by Psychologists! I think that the Probation staff often make good therapists and I suggest that your Solicitor puts this issue to the Probation Trust who employs the OM. If the Psychology Team simply cannot provide, and the Probation Team won’t provide, I suggest that you raise\discuss a possible Judicial Review with your Solicitor!

Patrick - HMP Wandsworth

Q

I require an independent psychiatrist to complete a report about my mental health as I have a mental condition that needs to be properly diagnosed. I have a history of mental health problems and have been on antipsychotic medication, which includes dalopine and quintipine. Could you help me by recommending any independent psychiatrists in the Essex or London area that would be able to come in and complete my assessment? When I first got my mental health problems I was told that is possible that I may develop schizophrenia and when I was at Feltham YOI I was told that I have underlin-

A Thank you very much indeed for your short letter which, quite frankly, is full of really important issues. They are, quite clearly, as follows –

A

1. The VRS is the Violence Risk Scale, designed by Drs Wong and Gordon in Canada and consists of both static i.e. unchangeable and dynamic i.e. changeable variables. It is particularly good at itemising change over time and uses some well established motivational theory to assess your stage on the various dynamic factors.

Thank you indeed for your very heartfelt letter and acknowledgement that some of what may well have been suggested to you in Feltham, may still apply and, quite frankly, be true. I wonder, of course, why you want an independent assessment, but my guess is that you are anxious about the future and want to plan how you are going to manage when released from prison. If the focus is only Essex, or the London area, then your Solicitor should be able to contact the Royal College of Psychiatry and identify a suitable person. Unfortunately, I hasten to add that the Legal Aid rates are now becoming problematic i.e. low and on that basis it might be difficult to easily find an established Consultant. A possible way forward is to consider instructing somebody from the private sector, since they seem to be of almost always of a good standard and sometimes slightly more available. I can let you have, via Inside Time, the name and contact details of somebody that I would recommend. If all else fails, you should contact your Offender Manager who has the responsibility of planning your eventual release and should ensure that there is adequate psychiatric monitoring and input. Indeed it may even be possible to consider releasing you to, perhaps, a medium or low secure mental health facility, given that your problems are obviously still with you i.e. daily and because of your risk to others, it may be that you are still considered to need secure accommodation.

J. Fryer - HMP Long Lartin

Q After completion of a VHS assessment I was told by a trainee psychologist that I have a pattern of instrumental violence throughout my ‘life span’ and as such, even though I’m not a high risk offender, this has been clinically overridden and I’ve been informed that I need to go to a CSCP. My first conviction for violence was at 13 and my last at 18. I also had a fight in prison when I was 19. I’m now 24 and there has been no violence for 5 years. So what qualifies as a life span in psychology speak? Would you say that the decision to send me to CSCP is rational?

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ing factors that include manic depressiveness, bi-polar disorder with paranoid tendencies. I have hallucinations and hear voices daily that tell me to harm myself and others. Can you help?

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These are usually divided into contemplation, preparation, action etc. 2. The reference to your life span is, I am reasonably certain, controversial, given that you are now 24, have had about 5 years of adult life, all, I realise, mainly in prison but prior to that a violent period as an adolescent teenager. At the very least your avoidance of fighting in prison, at least since you were nineteen, suggests that there has been some significant dynamic change and therefore there is a real possibility that CSCP/SCP is simply going to produce what is already there. You will soon know that the CSCP is no more and is being replaced by the SCP in a much larger number of prisons, but with longer group based sessions and therefore it is hoped that the SCP will be completed in 6 months. The criteria however remain more or less the same, primarily with an OGRS3 score of 75 and above, although the new SCP requires only one previous conviction for violence or evidence of un-convicted violence. I suspect that you may well have a requisite number of violent convictions, but weight should be given to your age, your recent good behaviour and perhaps your current OGRS3 score. It does appear, at least on the information that your have provided, that you have at last grown up! As for whether the decision to require you to do CSCP is rational, I feel the need to hide behind the phrase ‘I couldn’t possibly say’. You almost certainly need an independent report to consider this issue since, until it is perhaps resolved, you may find it very difficult to progress out of the high secure estate. Good luck!

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Thoughts for the day

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

From over the wall Terry Waite writes his monthly column for Inside Time

Terry Waite CBE

D

uring the course of a year I receive a large number of letters from prisoners and there are always some in which the writer maintains innocence of the crime for which they were convicted. Such letters pose a real problem for me. On the one hand I know that there are some people languishing in British jails who have been wrongly convicted. On the other, I know that there are also some individuals who have convinced themselves they are innocent even though they were clearly caught with their hand in the till! I don't have the resources or the necessary time and ability to investigate the vast majority of cases that are drawn to my attention but I always try to reply personally. If I am away for a longish period of time then my secretary will write. If at all possible I will try and refer the writer to some individual or agency which, one hopes, might be able to help more than I could. I can well imagine how soul destroying it much be for those who genuinely are wrongly incarcerated and who seem to have no progress made into investigating their case. One thing I have learned over the years is that once you happen to get tangled up in the criminal justice system it is the devils own job to get free from its clutches. One way of operating which seems to have crept into every area of life is what I call the 'tick box' mentality. I don't know when it all started but for me it was when examination papers began to introduce multiple answer questions. In prison, many inmates cannot progress unless they have had the box ticked for facing their offending behaviour. What about the individual who genuinely is innocent and refuses to face something he or she has not done? For some that poses a real dilemma as if they do undergo the course that in itself may be seen as an admission of guilt. These thoughts came to mind as I was preparing to write the Annual SACRO lecture entitled 'Compassion in Justice' and which I delivered in Edinburgh the other evening. I argued that statistics show that a very high number of both male and female prisoners have serious health problems, particularly mental health problems. As the tendency is to build larger and larger prisons and at the same time cut the number of staff required to run an effective establishment, then there are bound to be problems. The majority of prison staff are simply not equipped to deal with medical issues and yet they are expected to do so and criticized if they fall down. Frequent change of staff is also a problem. At this time in the Prison Service, Governors are being moved around at a crazy speed. Anyone who knows the slightest thing about prisons will know that so much depends

upon the way in which the prison is run and a high burden of responsibility lies with the Governor. He or she can make or break an institution. I have known some brilliant Governors in my time who have sat with me on a landing and joined in open discussion with those on the block. I have also known the other kind who stayed behind their desks and had minimal contact with prisoners. For better or worse, a prison is a community but a staff continually under budgetary pressure and faced with much uncertainty will have real difficulty in fostering community spirit within the four walls. Along with this, it is not easy to build community within a large establishment and yet the tendency is to move more and more in that direction. One final point I would make concerns activities within prison. A document was recently issued by NOMS in which it was said that activities within prison, amongst other things, must be acceptable to the public. Well, that is all very well but there is considerable ignorance amongst the general public about prison life. Only a minority have ever set foot inside and a very large number take their understanding from the images presented to them by the media. They have little idea of what it means to lose freedom and to be confined to a cell for hour after hour at weekends. How can the public make such judgements? The criminal justice system needs reform - of that there is no doubt in my mind. Procedures need to be speeded up for sure but that really is only tinkering with the system. Massive reform is needed for the whole Justice system by people of the character and compassion such as displayed by John Howard and Elizabeth Fry generations ago. Will that happen? I wonder. Terry Waite was a successful hostage negotiator before he himself was held captive in Beirut between 1987 and 1991 (20 years this November). He was held captive for 1763 days; the first four years of which were spent in solitary confinement.

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The Book of Uncommon Prayer Jane Bidder former writer in residence of HMP Grendon/Springhill

H

ow can we find true happiness? It’s a question that has perplexed generations and led to all kinds of trouble. Maybe you’re Inside because you did something to make yourself or others happy. But somehow it all went wrong. Those glossy adverts don’t help either. Wherever we look, we’re bombarded with ideas on how we can find true peace and contentment. It might be wearing the right clothes. Getting designer trainers. Moving into a dream home. Going on a fantastic holiday. Doing all the things that money can buy. But the irony is that, as many lottery winners have discovered, it isn’t like that. The old saying that money can’t buy you happiness or love, is all too true. The other day, I went to a talk by a Buddhist. (I am in fact, Church of England but I’m always interested in other religions too.) The speaker explained that if we constantly expected the world and other people to make us happy, we were setting ourselves up for disappointment. Instead, we need to be content with what we have right now.

and work towards a better you – that’s more precious than any Euro stockpile! As for how to do this, read the story below. It comes from the Book of Uncommon Prayer, written by prisoners and staff at HMP Grendon/Springhill.

GOD AND THE TREASURE CHEST by SILLA , CARAT WORKER (counsellor for drug and alcohol addiction)

God asked where he could hide the treasure chest. At the top of the mountain? People would find it. At the bottom of the sea? They’d find it there, too. On the moon? No - man has already been there. Then someone suggested an alternative Inside the people themselves. Because they might not think of it there. Note: It’s only when you start looking inwards, that you get strength and courage and find your inner self. If you would like to order a copy of THE BOOK OF UNCOMMON PRAYER, send a cheque for £6.98, payable to New Leaf Publishing and post to Anne Chester, 5 Wardley Road, Walton, Warrington, Cheshire WA4 6JA

Easier said than done, especially when you’re in a cell. But you have, even though you might not know it, a secret weapon. Something precious that you can’t buy. And that’s yourself. If you can learn to accept yourself –

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PSI Updates

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

There have been a number of letters concerning the forced replacement of prisoners’ bedding. PSI 2011-022 has recently been published and I have included large extracts from it to try to clarify what is happening with bedding.

PSI 2011-022 Prisoner Bedding

PSI

Fire Retardency ‘crib’ ratings for furniture/ upholstery etc. (Annex C to PSO 3803) Issue Date: 24 March 2011, Effective Date: 28 March 2011, Expiry Date: 30 March 2012

updates All instructions to prisons are now produced as Prison Service Instructions. They have a specific start and ending date and are gradually replacing old PSIs and PSOs. PSIs are only relevant to prisons in England and Wales. Copies of all PSIs are available in every prison library. Paul Sullivan reviews some of the latest PSIs and explains their relevance to prisoners and what each contains.

Paul Sullivan

This instruction amends PSO3803 “Prisons in general and in particular ‘cellular accommodation’ areas are very vulnerable to the effects of fire; with this in mind the Prison Service Fire Safety Manual states: ‘The type of bedding used has been controlled. The Prison Service only issue bedding, which conforms to laid down standards. All non-issue items must also conform to the same standard. Duvets for example, must be to a standard at least equal to that which is required in hospitals or similar institutions. The flammability standard necessary is Ignition Source 0 and 7 in accordance with British Standard 7175 1989 Section 2.3.3. A Source 5 (a lower fire resistant standard) may be acceptable in certain lower risk areas. Contact the Fire Safety Section for advice.’ “The British Standards BS 7177:2008 (mattress's) BS 7176:2007 (upholstered furniture) however set out a basic guide for the selection of ignition sources relevant to site specific risks - hospitals are classed as Medium Hazard, Hotels & Old Peoples Homes as High Hazard, and prisons have been set as Very High Hazard and the advice given is that prisons should be taken as places of Very high hazard. “With this in mind, prisons should be seeking to supply mattress and furniture products that conform to ignition source 7+ as displayed on

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the labels etc. Further to this, advice from CPIG (Crown Premises Inspection Group) sets the standard that they expect to see used in prisons and that is BS 7175 1989 - source 0 crib 6/7 for pillows, mattress covers, sheets, duvet covers, pillow covers, blankets and duvets.

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hostels, bed and breakfasts, hotels, guest houses and hospitals amongst others. Failure to adhere to the regulations could leave the establishment open to prosecution.

The PSI goes on to say; “To apply the standards retrospectively would create many problems within establishments, therefore, the advice given to Governing Governors, Fire Safety Sponsors and Fire Safety Advisors is: • have an amnesty over a period of time to allow prisoners to obtain bedding to the required standards, after which, all bedding must meet the required standard. That which does not will then be removed and replaced with service issue bedding. • set a date from which bedding that does not meet the standards set by the service will not be allowed to be purchased, or allowed through reception and so manage the problem out over time. “PSO1250 states that items on a Facilities List are included at the Governor’s discretion. Each Governor is therefore able to make local decisions as to what types of duvet are allowed in possession at each establishment. Bedding that does meet the required standard of fire retardency can be obtained via the procurement contracts from L. Whittaker and Sons or the Care Shop. DHL can now supply the same standard products via the prison shop system.” What is Crib and the Fire Regulations, as applied to bedding? The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended in 1989 and 1993 ) set levels of fire resistance for domestic upholstered furniture, furnishings and other products containing upholstery. Materials are tested with various ignition sources (Ignition source 0 is a cigarette test) and their resistance to fire given as a ‘crib’ rating. For prisons the rating must be 7 or above. This also applies to residential schools,

 

 

 

© prisonimage.org

New PSI confirms special telephone PIN account for appellants A newly published PSI 2011-049 instructs that all prisoners identified as appellants may open a second PIN phone account if they are seeking legal advice or wish to instigate, or is a party to, legal proceedings, either civil or criminal. The prisoners can purchase additional phone credits from their Private Cash for this account in order to consult with their legal advisers; normally phone credits can only be paid for from Spends Accounts. The new PSI also confirms that, when discharged all money in a prisoner’s PIN account must be returned to them and can be claimed up to a year from release. The new PSI also provides mandatory instructions for handling prisoners’ legal correspondence which will be covered in December’s PSI Update.

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Family Welfare

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

Restorative Justice - for all Diane Curry OBE welcomes the recent emphasis on restorative justice

by Diane Curry OBE Director, POPS

T

he ideas behind Restorative Justice have been a part of our society for thousands of years, providing the foundation of justice systems long before ‘retributive justice’ became the norm. Admittedly the phrase itself has only been coined in the last fifty, but basically the term reflects an approach to justice which seeks a resolution beyond simply punishing an offender. Instead it aims to engage all those affected in order to address the needs of all involved and where possible repair and rebuild relationships. There is a welcome emphasis on Restorative Justice in the recent government response to ‘Breaking the Cycle’. It is acknowledged in their response that ‘the justice system remains built around the needs of the people

who work in it, not victims or the public it serves’ highlighting the need to work in a more ‘holistic’ manner. Victims, and indeed the families of offenders across the nation, would not be in any hurry to disagree. Victims Commissioner Louise Casey summed it up thus: ‘the system is based on process and managing it, rather than the needs of victims and witnesses’. Broadly we would agree, but with Restorative Justice initiatives aiming to get everyone ‘round the table’ how do we encourage the powers that be to acknowledge offenders’ families firstly as an affected party and secondly as an essential part of the process to restore relationships going forward? One of the greatest taboos we must overcome when supporting offenders’ families is how to define the impact upon a family without drawing comparisons to the experience of victims. Too often these groups are separated by a seemingly insurmountable divide, not simply the line drawn by the prosecution and defence, but by political ill-ease at acknowledging the impact on offenders’ families as in any way comparable to that of victims. In truth, we tend to avoid discussions of this nature to avoid accusations of insensitivity, but if we want to pursue Restorative Justice and see effective resolutions, somewhere, somehow the impact on offenders’ families must be acknowledged. In addition it must be recognised that as members of the community

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Humanising the criminal justice system is an admirable goal for all concerned. Victims’ voices need to be heard. After all that is why the system exists, because a person and their family have been harmed in some way, sometimes grievously and permanently. The impact of such harm needs to be recognised in order for justice to be achieved and, in many cases, to enable the offender to understand their actions and the consequences. What seems to be missing is any acknowledgement

As a final illustration I am reminded of a family member who recently shared with us her experience of supporting her partner through a long period of remand and sentencing. Her partner had pleaded guilty to a very serious crime that had taken place a number of years earlier and during the sentencing hearing the judge allowed the victims’ family to share a statement with the court detailing the impact of the offence and the years of uncertainty that had ensued. This was followed by a statement from the defendant, in which he expressed remorse for his actions and acknowledged the role his partner had played in helping him to accept responsibility for what he had done. Whilst not true of every case, in this instance, the victim’s family expressed their gratitude in court that he had taken responsibility for their loss, releasing them to move forward with their lives. For his partner there was significance in being openly acknowledged as a key contributor to the restorative process. Relationships can be powerful tools to elicit change and we must be committed to restoration at all levels if we hope to see long-lasting change.

Offenders’ Families Helpline 0808 808 2003 Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, 10am-3pm Sat and Sun Partners of Prisoners 0161 702 1000 www.partnersofprisoners.co.uk Prison Chat UK on-line support service run by and for prisoners’s families www.prisonchatuk

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At POPS we are active in ensuring that our staff and volunteers have a broad understanding of the criminal justice system and the differing perspectives of those who find themselves embroiled within it. Volunteers on our court and community projects attend training with the witness and victim support services to gain important insight into the experience of victims and witnesses. We believe such crossover is essential in both policy and practice ensuring restorative justice becomes embedded in our thinking not simply as a tool to aid resettlement but as an approach from the earliest stages of a persons contact with the justice system.

of the offender as a member of a family who have also been affected by the offence and who may themselves have a role to play in supporting change and healing.

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Prison Law

Theo Rutstein or Alfred Nze at:

offenders’ families are equally likely to become victims of crime themselves. Arguably some families may find themselves more likely to become targets as a result of their family member’s offending. Defining groups by their experience is helpful to a point, but drawing up boundaries which allocate you to one group but exclude you from another is as naïve as assuming a doctor may not fall ill. To achieve restoration throughout communities in wake of a crime the process must encompass all parties and acknowledge all the relationships which have been damaged.

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Family Welfare

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

W

ell folks, I’ve been a bit of an agony- aunt this week. A friend of mine rang me in tears asking if I could call round to her house for a coffee. She and her hubby are ‘straight members’ so they tend not to broach the subject of prisons and those who reside in them. Arriving at their house, I ambled my way into the kitchen and found her at the table, eyes red and sat down doing some kind of waltz with a box of tissues. She was quite clearly upset and I asked her what on earth the matter was. After a lengthy nose-blowing session, she began to tell me her woes. “It all started the other night.” She sniffled. “I heard loud sobbing coming from the bathroom, so I turned on the light and found my husband curled up in a ball crying his eyes out. I asked him what was wrong and what could have hurt him so much.” “And what was it?” I questioned her in sympathy. “Well, he looked me straight in the eyes and said … Remember 20 years ago, I got you pregnant when you were 16? … And your Dad threatened me to marry you or to go to prison? Obviously I remembered and replied, yes of course ... He then sobbed ... Well I would have been released tonight!” My poor friend! What a horrible thing to hear from your husband! I was so disgusted, I ended up telling my other half all about it when he phoned that night. His reply was, “Poor fella! But tell him its better being married to a nagging wife

I know everything about my hubby’s pad-mate! My hubby told me not long ago that his pad-mate slept with two Thai women on his stag night! My other-half said that would be like winning the lottery! My reply was, “Well no doubt he won the jackpot! Because he would have most definitely had 6 matching balls in that situation!” I can’t believe we are in November already! Halloween has passed us by and the next event on the agenda is Bonfire Night. I’m not a lover of fireworks though. My hubby likes it. He watches them from out of his cell window. He was trying to be romantic the other day when he wrote this in his letter: ‘Have you bought the kids their fireworks? I miss Bonfire Night and being with you and the kids. But the real fireworks I miss are those in the bedroom!’ Needless to say that I replied with the following: ‘I miss you being with us too, more-so on special occasions! As for the fireworks in the bedroom… Every time I hold a Sparkler for a minute… I think of you, so you are never far away from my thoughts darling!” Bonfire Night always holds special memories for me. It was one of mine and my hubby’s first dates. He had a party and a little fireworks display. I had to give him credit as he also made the food himself too. However, the Black-Pea’s, gave me irritable bowel-syndrome. I was so ill! He did finally admit that he used a tin of processed peas and added black food colouring! But at least he tried and you know what they say – God loves a trier! Right guys and dolls, until we meet again in December, take care and look after yourselves!

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than a nagging probation officer!” Luckily the pips went as he ran out of phone credit! Sometimes that’s not a bad thing! Canteen days can be rather disturbing for a prison widow like myself. Canteen days mean I have to talk to my hubby for a little longer than usual because his phone credit has gone on. Hands up if there are any prison widow’s out there who know more about their hubby’s pad-mate than they do about their own other-half? Don’t be alarmed, I’m not talking about anything sinister! I’m merely mentioning the fact that I know more about my husband’s pad-mate than I know about my hubby, because that’s all he talks about on canteen day and on visits. So no doubt, there is another prison widow out there that knows more about my hubby than she does about her own. If that is the case, you can bet she has some form of counselling!

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Prisoners Families Voices prisonersfamiliesvoices. blogspot.com Parental imprisonment and drug taking by J - 6 October

This is for the mother who wrote in about having problems with her teenage son. My son’s father is also in prison and I have been through hell. My son started drinking heavily at 16 and smoking weed, then went on to taking cocaine. His father was convicted of a very nasty offence which affected my son badly. He got stick from his so called pals and he was shunned from his group at school. The only option for me was to bring in my family for support. It was either that or throwing him out on the street and believe me, I don’t say that lightly because he is my son when all said and done. Teenagers at the best of times think they know everything, and if it wasn’t for his uncle, my brother, I don’t know what I would have done. Some people however do not have family support, especially when they cannot accept their loved one is in prison etc etc. So I would like to say to everyone who feels alone dealing with a teenager who is affected by parental imprisonment, you are certainly not on your own. Ask for help and support, if your family refuse then ask your friends or seek help from your doctor who may have contact numbers of agencies who can offer some help. More support is needed for families going through this!

....................................................... Prison visit when you are ready by Pam - 9 October I am writing in to let one of your readers know that she is not alone. I too gave birth whilst my partner was serving time in prison. It was hard and very emotional. As well as that, I felt angry he wasn't with me, so I had lots of emotions riding through my mind. I wasn't sure at that time whether or not I wanted to stay in a relationship with my partner, but I wanted to do something so that when my child was older, he could understand why his dad wasn't around. I made a keepsake for him and I also wrote a diary. I too didn't want to visit with my baby, so until I felt confident enough to go, I didn't worry too much about it, as I was

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staying in touch through letters and telephone, sending him photos of the baby. He did understand why I wasn't ready to visit because I had a difficult birth. Strangely enough, because we stayed in touch through letters and phone calls, our relationship grew stronger. My baby was 3 months old when I first took him to see his dad in prison. To be truthful, it was emotional and lets face it, prisons are no places for children and I felt bad for taking him. But my partner needed to see his child. The situation isn't the child's fault and he was young enough not to remember anything. My son was nearly 4 when my partner was released from prison. It was a long journey and I know there are many other ladies out there whose journeys are longer. All you can do is maintain as much contact as possible because that's all you can do.

....................................................... Hiding the truth about imprisonment by G - 22 October I thought I’d done the right thing by telling my 5 year old son that his Dad was working away. I didn’t want to tell him that he was in prison. But my decision has back-fired as he found out the truth from the school playground. My partners conviction was printed in our local newspaper, so I guess I was a fool to think that I could hide it from my son. But I never expected it to come from school. It goes to show how children quite obviously listen to their parents conversations because my son and his pals are all 5 years old and 5 year old’s I doubt are interested in reading newspapers! I have read a few stories online about parents worrying whether they should tell their children the truth about imprisonment. Well I thought I was doing the right thing by hiding it and protecting my son. It’s a personal decision for people in this situation, but I would just like to warn others that the truth can quite easily slip out from unlikely sources. It’s a crap situation to be in that’s for sure, but all I wanted to do was to protect my young son from bullies and being discriminated because his dad is in prison. Sometimes we cannot do right for doing wrong!

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

Is there a need for a specialist Veteran’s Court in the UK? Solicitor Philip Newman and Barrister Julia Furley look at the way in which veterans are dealt with by the criminal justice system

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t has been recognised for some time now that there is a need for specialist domestic violence courts, and the number of such courts has increased around the country. A smaller number of courts also have specific days which deal with offenders with drug addiction. But, is there also a need for a specialist veteran’s court, to deal with the disproportionate number of ex-servicemen in the criminal justice system? The exact number of ex-servicemen in the criminal justice system is unknown. Research and estimates put the percentage within the prison population at anywhere between 3.5% and 10%. Whatever the exact figure, it appears that ex-servicemen form one of the largest subsets of people in the prison system. Bearing this in mind, it is surprising that only recently the prison authorities have begun asking if a new inmate is ex-military. In 2009 The Howard League for Penal Reform visited the USA as part of an inquiry into former armed service personnel in prison. They visited America’s first Veteran’s Court established in Buffalo, New York State. The Court’s mission statement is: ‘To successfully habilitate veterans by diverting them from the traditional criminal justice system and providing them with

diverted to the Veteran’s Court. The Court in Buffalo adopts a ‘hands-on’ approach whereby the defendant is allocated a volunteer or mentor (a quasi-probation officer) who is also an ex-serviceman. Essentially it is veterans helping veterans. The volunteer veteran is in court when the case is heard and their role is to assist ‘those who have been less fortunate in the transition from the military to the civilian world’, Dr. Patrick Welch, Marine Corp veteran. The defendant is represented by a lawyer, in-front of a specially trained Judge. The Buffalo City Court identifies non-violent ex-servicemen who appear to be on a path to more serious crimes. For offences that would normally invite a prison sentence, ex-servicemen are diverted to the Veterans Treatment Court and effectively given what equates to as a Suspended Sentence with an ‘Ex-Military Treatment Order.’

Veteran’s Court, Buffalo

the tools they need in order to lead a productive and law-abiding lifestyle. Our program’s goal is to reduce the veterans’ inappropriate behaviour while helping them turn their lives around. We will find them, offer them assistance, assess their needs, manage their care and help them solve their problems.’ In the US, it is recognised that many ex-

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servicemen suffer from mental health problems, and often suffer drug and alcohol addiction as a direct result of their service in the military. It appears that the experience of the Vietnam War explains why the US, are so far ahead of the UK and Europe in understanding this complex issue.

Upon receipt of an order, not only do the ex-servicemen receive regular contact with their mentor, they also receive access to specialist Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services. Through their mentor’s support and sometimes sponsorship, they are assisted in obtaining employment and stable housing.

In the US defendants are identified at an early stage in the regular court system and

Whilst the factors mentioned above (alcohol and drug use, mental health problems and

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Legal Comment

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org a lack of employment and housing) are known factors behind criminal behaviour in general, the Buffalo City system recognises the importance of the support of a fellow veteran, someone who understands the issues faced by the offender. The volunteer veterans provide encouragement and straight talking and are very frank to the offender, in a way a probation officer cannot be. The volunteers can speak to the offender in way that they can relate - veteran to veteran.

with drug and alcohol problems receive Drug Rehabilitation Orders (DRO) and Alcohol Treatment Orders (ATO) as an alternative to custody, with the aim of preventing re-offending. If it is a viable option, why should the Courts not have an Ex-Military Treatment Order in their sentencing arsenal? These orders can obviously be catered to an individual’s specific needs, in the same way that Youth Rehabilitation Orders (YRO) are.

The treatment order that the offender receives is not considered an easy alternative. It is a direct alternative to custody and is rigorous in its nature. Any failed drug test or missed appointment can, and usually will, result in immediate custody. The offender is expected to return to court on a regular basis for the order to be monitored and upon completion of the order, it is expected that the offender would have either completed training or obtained employment and be ‘clean and sober.’

In the current economic climate, the issue of costs will obviously arise. Some may argue that a specialist Veteran’s Court will impose costs that the criminal justice system cannot afford. However, the courts and the infrastructure are already in place. The courts need only sit in the major urban areas once a month or once a fortnight. Veterans can easily be identified, by the custody officer in the police station, thereafter this can be verified and the offender diverted to the appropriate court immediately.

The results of these orders have been spectacular. ‘Of the more than 100 veterans who have passed through, only two had to be returned to the traditional criminal court system because they could not shake narcotics or criminal behavior.’ (Judge Robert Russell – March 2009).

In fact, much of what occurs in Buffalo is funded by the voluntary sector. Following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, military charities in the UK are amongst the most well-funded. Some of these resources could be diverted into funding the volunteer programme.

Can a similar system work in the UK?

Any costs associated with training judges, magistrates’, legal advisors, probation staff and the volunteers can be diverted from the current magistrates’ court budget, bearing in mind that in the long run, if the success of the Buffalo model is repeated, the saving will be enormous.

The Howard League for Penal Reform concluded that it will not; stating that: ‘Apart from juvenile courts there is no precedence in English jurisprudence for a special court to administer justice to offenders with a particular background (those specialist courts which have been piloted, such as drug courts for example, cater to need or offence rather than background).’ However this statement fails to recognise the needs and requirements of this very distinct category of offenders. As this group is so easily identifiable, and their issues so clearly defined, surely the public would be well served through the establishment of a Veteran’s Court. But more importantly, do we not owe it to our exservicemen and women to move them away from the general criminal justice system. It has long been the case that offenders

Reducing the number of ex-servicemen in prison (currently in the 1000’s) even by a small percentage will save the economy money, as will reducing the re-offending rate and providing education, training and employment. Should ex-servicemen be treated differently? Some may argue that ex-servicemen should not be treated any differently to ordinary civilians and they should not receive this specialist treatment. It is difficult to justify this view. The fact is

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that many ex-servicemen joined the military with no previous convictions and they go on to perform an extraordinary public service. It is predominantly upon leaving the military that they begin offending. This country has now been at war for over a decade. Our servicemen and women make sacrifices for their country that few of us could ever imagine making. They witness horrors; friends and colleagues wounded or killed, the aftermath of road-side bombs and suicide bombers and they are often an unwelcome presence in a hostile foreign environment. Many return suffering with mental health problems (PTSD/depression) which it is well recognised that, without the right support can lead to drug and alcohol addiction and a criminal lifestyle. It is the realities and isolation of civilian life upon leaving the military, often following years of service, that effect ex-servicemen. They often lack support, feel alienated from their friends and family and they get caught up with the wrong people, places and way of life. The government has agreed to enshrine the military covenant into law. Part of the covenant reads: ‘Soldiers will be called upon to make personal sacrifices – including the ultimate sacrifice – in the service of the Nation. In putting the needs of the Nation and the Army before their own, they forego some of the rights enjoyed by those outside the Armed Forces.’ Of course the military does not make people offend. However, sometimes as a result of these sacrifices, servicemen face difficulties as a result of their service, which leads them into a criminal lifestyle. What is clear is that the government have not given this issue the attention that it deserves, they need to look into the development of specialist veteran’s courts similar to the US model. They have a moral obligation to help divert ex-servicemen away from prison and into a more rehabilitative sentence. We would encourage you to read the report by the Howard League for Penal Reform for more information. Philip Newman, Solicitor, and Julia Furley, Barrister at JFH Law LLP

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The West is turning a blind eye to torture HuffingtonPost.com (New York) September 24 Getting off drugs is always hard, but for addicts in Vietnam it’s literally “torture”. The country’s state-run drug rehab centres grew out forced-labour “re-education” camps set up in the south after the victory over America in 1975. A new report by Human Rights Watch shows that little has changed. The inmates - some 40,000 spread across 123 centres - have to spend ten hours a day shelling cashew nuts or manufacturing clothes and other export goods, many for Western markets. Paid a pittance, they can be detained for up to four years with no right of appeal; anyone stepping out of line is beaten, given electric shocks and thrown into solitary confinement. Western aid agencies contribute funding and expertise, yet turn a blind eye to the abuses, insisting it would be “irresponsible” to withdraw their support. Governments are just as bad: the US State Department admits Vietnam runs “forced detoxification labour camps”, yet claims the training it funds helps “improve communication between residents and staff and fewer escape attempts”. Come again? Under US law it’s a crime to force people into slave labour. Surely it should be encouraging inmates to escape? Western donors should use their clout to get this grotesque “Rehab Archipelago” dismantled.

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

Home Detention Curfews (HDCs) - Home for Christmas?

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history of committing sexual offences then a decision will be made externally by the HDC Policy Team based at the National Offender Management Services (NOMS). Governors have been advised that “exceptional circumstances” are found when a prisoner has virtually no risk of re-offending, has no previous convictions or is in poor health. This is not an exhaustive list and it is not suggested that all of the above circumstances must be present at any one time for such an application to be considered “exceptional”. However, a case must be extremely unusual and anyone considering a HDC application making representations that there are exceptional circumstances would be well advised to instruct a solicitor for legal advice to assist in such an application.

What makes a prisoner eligible?

The application process aware of this presumption and be well informed of the procedure for HDC as soon as they arrive into custody to ensure that their application is considered promptly. Broadly speaking, those imprisoned for violent or sexual offences will not be deemed suitable for HDC, nor will prisoners previously recalled to custody within the course of the sentence. Prisoners subject to a hospital order or transfer direction and those who are liable to be removed from the UK will also find themselves likely to be ineligible for the programme. Prisoners who do not meet the criteria for

presumptive HDC will be assessed under the standard scheme (PSO 6700). It is commonly thought that prisoners serving sentences in excess of four years will not be considered for HDC, however there are some limited “exceptional circumstances”.

What are these exceptional circumstances? Generally those prisoners serving a determinate sentence of 4 years or more are “presumed unsuitable”. Prisoners who are deemed unsuitable should be given the opportunity to make representations to the Governor, however if a prisoner has a

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record of achievement and their continued expansion in these recessionary times reflects how seriously they take being the best at what they do. The team produce frequent articles on topical Prison Law issues and I am keen to keep these coming. I am looking forward to giving fresh impetus to the department as well as maintaining my own caseload of individual cases and making a difference for the Prisoners I represent” Emma’s current caseload includes a substantial number of Parole Reviews including IPP, Lifer and DCR cases, Challenges against the Prison Service, Recall Reviews, OASys report challenges and much more. Hine Solicitors are proud to have a large department of specialist Prison lawyers who can quickly provide the advice that you need when you want it.

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Even where a prisoner is eligible and serving less than 4 years, HDC is considered more of a privilege than right, but arguably in most cases this should not be the case and applications should be made by a vast majority of prisoners on the basis that they may be presumed suitable for this form of Early Release. The final decision as to the prisoner’s chances of HDC falls with the prison Governor. The parole board play no part in deciding entitlement to HDC or recall on breach of a HDC licence. As a result it is always advisable for a prisoner wishing to be released on HDC to instruct a Solicitor to make representations on their behalf to

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The general rule is that most prisoners aged over 18, serving determinate (fixed) sentences of three months or over, but less than four years will be eligible for HDC. In response to prison overcrowding and research that Home Detention Curfews were being unused, PSI 19/2000 was issued and which introduced a presumption that prisoners serving less than 12 months should be eligible for release on HDC unless there are “exceptional and compelling reasons” for early release to be refused. Therefore prisoners who meet this criteria should be released subject to appropriate home circumstances. Prisoners should be

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ome Detention Curfews (HDCs) were introduced in England and Wales in January 1999 by the passing of the Crime and Disorder Act (CDA) 1998 and remain in force under the principles of the Criminal Justice Acts (CJA) of 1991 and 2003. In short, HDC allows a prisoner to leave custody before reaching the halfway stage of their sentence. In practice, however, this is far from straightforward.

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Legal Comment

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org the Governor or the HDC clerk at the prison, addressing not only their entitlement to HDC but setting out the merits and worthiness of the application. Sentence planning and having a favourable OASys report on file will clearly enhance a prisoner’s eligibility for HDC but the final decision will always fall with the establishment itself.

hostel, housing association or local authority housing depending on the circumstances. It is important that those prisoners with no fixed abode or who cannot return to their previous address make enquiries as soon as possible after sentence to ensure that they have the best possible chance of obtaining accommodation and the prospect of early release on HDC.

It is this element of discretion given to prison staff which has seen a meagre 30% of those prisoners eligible for the scheme actually released according to a 2010 Home Office report. In the same year the BBC reported that though some establishments appear to embrace the scheme, (HMP Ashwell released 61% of eligible applicants) other establishments appear to dismiss the scheme altogether (HMP Woodhill had a mere 8% HDC release rate). Such a miserable take up rate may be down to the individual Governor’s perception of whether the prisoner will re-offend and concern that blame will fall at the feet of the establishment for failing to accurately identify the prisoner’s level of risk should there be subsequent reoffending. On the other hand, it may be simply due to poorly drafted representations or lack of information provided that fail to address all of the relevant issues or as a result of a prisoner simply not knowing that they may have a right to apply for this form of early release.

What do I need to do?

If a HDC application is refused then the prisoner can appeal this decision. Obviously in such circumstances it is again wise to instruct a Prison Law solicitor to assist in this appeal process. Prisoners must, as a rule, be notified of the decision as soon as possible. In the event of a refusal the prisoner must be provided with reasons for that refusal and informed of their right to appeal through the request complaint procedure.

Things to consider It is essential for the prisoner to focus on his suitability for HDC before making an ill-informed and eventually unsuccessful application. Step one will always be for the prisoner to make sure that he has a suitable, probation-approved, home address. The Probation Service will usually assess the suitability of the accommodation before a Home Detention Curfew application is approved. The Probation Service may be able to assist a prisoner in finding a bail

All prisoners must complete a HDC2 form giving details of the proposed address and the names of the persons that will be living there. This form will also be completed by a member of prison staff who has regular contact with the applicant. The HDC2 form and core information, including that contained within a prisoner’s custodial records and reports from the prison, will then be considered by the prisoner’s Offender Supervisor who will be responsible for assessing whether there are any issues that the prison staff or Offender Manager should comment on. If at this stage of the process a prisoner is deemed suitable, a further form called a HDC3 form will be sent to the Offender Manager to confirm whether the address is suitable. Following return of the HDC3 the prisoner’s Offender Supervisor will review all the documents and confirm on a HDC1 form that the prisoner is suitable for HDC. The form is then submitted to the Governor to confirm suitability and to authorise release.

What if I am not deemed eligible? Those prisoners who have not been deemed suitable must still be considered under the enhanced assessment (PSO 6700 para. 5.9.4). These assessments are considered by a Board which is made up of a Governor, the Offender Supervisor and if possible another member of staff who has had contact with the prisoner.

How soon can I get out? Once release has been authorised, form HDC7 will be submitted to the relevant parties 14 days before the proposed release date. Prisoners will not be released on licence until their HDC eligibility date. This is determined by the length of sentence and should be calculated by the Discipline Office at the same time as the statutory release date. Prisoners should be informed of both these dates at the same time.

Specialists in Prison Law and Criminal Defence We offer expert advice and representation on all areas of Criminal Defence, Appeals and Prison Law including: Re-categorisation and Transfers, Parole Board Hearings, Lifer/IPP Reviews, Adjudications, Licence Recalls and Appeals against Conviction and Sentence We regularly deal with serious crime and complex fraud cases including: Serious Sexual Allegations, Conspiracy to Defraud, Importation and Supply of Drugs and VHCC Cases. Our dedicated team of lawyers provide a nationwide service and are able to arrange visits at short notice.

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Those sentenced to between 3 months and 4 months will be entitled to between 15 and 30 days on HDC, depending on the length of their sentence and on the condition that they have served a minimum of 30 days. Those sentenced to between 4 months and 12 months are likely to receive between 30 and 90 days on HDC and will only be able to do so once they have served a minimum of one quarter of their sentence. And finally, those sentenced to 12 months or above are liable to receive a maximum of 135 days of HDC, if they have served 90 days less than half the sentence. Those prisoners whose eligibility date falls on a weekend or a bank holiday will not be released until the next working day. In most cases prisoners who are serving a custodial sentence of over 12 months and who are released early on tag will remain on HDC until their statutory release date, which will mean that they will continue to remain on licence after that date but in most cases will no longer need to continue to adhere to HDC.

What if I am refused HDC? Prisoners must be advised of the HDC decision as soon as possible and in the event of a refusal they must be advised on form HDC6 that their application has been refused. They must also be notified of the reasons for the refusal and the fact that they have a right to appeal through the request complaints procedure. It is again advisable that if a prisoner has been refused HDC and has not already sought the advice and assistance of a solicitor that they should do so immediately, so that they may seek to request a copy of the written reasons by writing to the Governor and copies of other information that was taken into account. HDC should only be refused when it is deemed that there is:1. A pattern of offending which indicates that the prisoner is likely to re-offend during the HDC period; or 2. There is a lack of a suitable address; or 3. There is an unacceptable risk to the victim or members of the public; or 4. There is a likelihood that the prisoner would fail to comply with the conditions of a curfew; or 5. The potential curfew will be less than the required 14 days.

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Breaches of HDC If the curfew is breached, either by being absent from home during curfew hours, or the tag equipment is tampered with, the  HDC contractors (usually Serco or G4S) will be automatically informed and will act immediately. A breach of curfew is bound to result in arrest and in most cases will result in a return to custody. Once a prisoner has breached a HDC he will automatically be deemed ineligible for further HDCs. Prisoners need to be clear when the equipment is set up that they are aware of the tagging boundaries as breach proceedings could be activated for as little as going into the garden for a cigarette or putting the dustbins out, if the prisoner goes out of range of the equipment as a result of doing these things. Not everyone is as lucky as the Rochdale man who recently made headlines for tricking G4S staff to place the tag around his detachable, artificial leg. At the end of the HDC period the HDC contractors will visit during curfew hours to remove the curfew monitoring equipment. This may be at any time until midnight on that day. Obviously it is imperative that the subject of the tag is present at this time as it is not unknown for those not present to face allegations of theft of the tag. It appears that HDC, though common place in some establishments, is something of a forgotten entity in others. All prisoners should however be mindful that, if they meet the entitlement criteria, it is their absolute right to be considered for HDC and early release. There is no foundation in law to justify prisoners from different establishments being treated so vastly differently. An approximate turnaround time for a HDC application is in excess of a month, so if you think you may be eligible for HDC, act now, particularly if you want to be home by Christmas. Emma Davies is Head of Prison Law at Hine Solicitors HINE Solicitors Prison Law Department offer experience and expertise in all areas of prison law including HDC matters. The firm’s criminal defence practice also covers the width of the country.

Twell & Co Advice and assistance in relation to all aspects of criminal and prison law. Service throughout England & Wales Contact Robert Twell or Shevette Adams - Rose Twell & Co 3rd Floor, 48 Lugley Street Newport Isle of Wight PO30 5HD

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Neurotics, psychotics and psychiatrists Solicitor Shahida Begum explains why the mentally ill should not be put into the CSC system “Neurotics build castles in the air. Psychotics live in the castles. Psychiatrists collect the rent”

T

here is consensus amongst the general public, experts and, progressively, the courts, that the mentally ill and those at risk of self harm should not be held in solitary confinement. The logic is obvious - conditions of sensory deprivation, social isolation and confinement may cause or even exacerbate mental illness. “The already mentally ill, as well as persons with borderline personality disorders, brain damage or mental retardation, impulseridden personalities, or a history of prior psychiatric problems or chronic depression ... For these inmates, placing them in [isolation] is the mental equivalent of putting an asthmatic in a place with little air to breathe” (Madrid v. Gomez judgement, 1995). Yet, it is common knowledge that Close Supervision Centres (“CSCs”) are widely used to manage “mentally ill” prisoners, and that mentally ill prisoners are overrepresented in segregation units. Prisoners who are deemed as dangerous or chronically disruptive are placed in prolonged solitary confinement (CSC) as a prison management tool.

self-harming behaviours due to their clinical needs' ... the presence of mental disorder is not uncommon. Notwithstanding whether selection of a mentally ill prisoner into the CSC system is referred to as a “security measure”, or even “essential” the practice of using CSCs in effect IS to “isolate risk”. The latter contradicts the very notion of whether agreed policies are truly applied in a way respectful of human dignity. The concept of human dignity is, of course, stated at a very high level of generality. And as such, holds within it the seeds for much debate. We can say that whilst there is a concept of human dignity with a minimum core, there are several different conceptions of human dignity, and these differ significantly because there appears to be no consensus legally, politically or philosophically on what makes up the core of the concept. These differences in approach are important in the context of prisoner’s rights, where the crucial question is how far, if at all; the state is under a positive duty to safeguard human dignity. I have discussed the implications of article 3 in my previous article published in October 2010 “Intrinsic Worth” and do not propose to repeat the legislation here.

Surely, the particular vulnerability of mentally ill prisoners means that prison authorities must be especially vigilant in their treatment, control and protect their physical, mental and moral integrity.

Article 2 states everyone’s right to life shall be protected by law. The state has positive and negative duties. The duty to refrain from taking life in an arbitrary fashion and the obligation to ensure that life is safeguarded which may involve taking steps to protect life. There is no derogation from this requirement.

Recent admissions from the CSC Operational Manager confirms that ‘some prisoners will present with high levels of

The duty to protect life was considered in Edwards V UK (2002) 12 BHRC 190. A prisoner was killed by a cell mate with

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history of violent behavior and mental illness. It was held that the prisoner was exposed to a ‘real and serious risk’. The response of authority was inadequate and there was a violation. Savage v South Essex NHS Trust [2008] UHHL 74 held that there was a real and immediate risk of suicide and the failure to take all reasonable steps to protect patient amounted to a violation. One method of challenging treatment of those subject to the CSC system is judicial review. A prisoner would typically ask that judges strike down legislation legitimising the use of CSC to contain mentally ill prisoners on the ground that it breaches human rights (the Convention prohibits in absolute terms torture or inhumane or degrading treatment). Although at first sight this appears pretty straight forward, it is particularly controversial because a body of unelected judges calls into question the decision of a democratically elected body, leading to the so-called 'counter-majoritarian difficulty'. These tensions have led to a continuing debate about the legitimacy of judicial review, particularly of this strong type, and how far it is compatible with notions of democratic self-government. In all the jurisdictions which have adopted dignity in their judicial decision-making, judicial review in the human rights context is more or less controversial, constantly aiming to justify itself, its methods, and its reasoning. Nonetheless, we see judges often speaking in terms of 'common principles for a common humanity', in practice this is often rhetoric, however well intentioned and sincere. We appear to have significant consensus on the common core, but not much else. A key justification often cited by the government is the need to “manage dangerous

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and disruptive prisoners”. The problem however, is that notable studies suggest that solitary confinement is not an effective tool for managing those defined as ‘problem’ or ‘difficult’ prisoners and may even be counter-productive. Overseas, a study of the ‘incorrigible units’ in North Carolina in the late 1950s, where prisoners were subjected to a regime of strict and prolonged solitary confinement, concluded that “the over-all impact of the incorrigible unit in penal practice probably is one that intensifies tendencies to criminal attitudes and behavior” (McCleery, 1961:306). Other studies identified isolation regimes as central factors leading to prison riots. A study of ‘order and discipline’ in prisons in England and Wales concluded “to impose additional physical restrictions, especially of a severe character, will almost certainly lead to a legitimacy deficit; and that deficit may well in the end play itself out in enhanced violence” (Bottoms, 1999:263). It is significant that dignity is so often drawn on where it is absolutely necessary to hold a handful of extremely dangerous prisoners in separation from others. They should be afforded increased in-cell provisions, access to programmes, opportunities for meaningful human contact and so on and so forth. Those suffering from mental illness must not be placed in solitary confinement and under no circumstances should the use of solitary confinement serve as a substitute for appropriate mental health care. The CSC system requires fundamental restructuring. Shahida Begum is a Criminal Cases Solicitor at Cooper Rollason solicitors. She is also a member of Midlands Human Rights Lawyers Group, Human Rights Lawyers Association, and the founder of CEIA a charity specialising in human rights advocacy.

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Mortgage Fraud ‘It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked’ - Warren Buffet Aziz Rahman, Solicitor and Jonathan Lennon, Barrister

I

t was shortly after the credit crunch hit us that we noticed a sharp increase in mortgage fraud prosecutions. That was simply because those schemes had been banking on the ever increasing property market. When the mortgage market collapsed and property values dropped banks were exposed and found a great deal of the money it had loaned over the boom years were not as firmly secured as they had been led to believe – this was especially true in the buy-to-let market. The scale of mortgage fraud is truly massive. A report last year by the accountancy firm BDO Stoyward noted that mortgage fraud accounted for 20% of all known cases of fraud in the UK. Types Of Mortgage Fraud Essentially there are 3 different types of mortgage fraud. The first is simply lying on the application form but in a limited way. Typically a purchaser of a family home, not an investment, who lies about his income or a previous address in order to hide a bad credit rating. There has been an increase in this type of fraud no doubt because of the economic climate and the banks tightening up on their lending criteria. This type of fraud however can be committed by organised fraudsters targeting numerous lending institutions and can even include identity theft. Secondly, there is the hidden incentives fraud. A few years ago it was common-place for the vendor of a property to offer e.g. cash-back or a gifted deposit in order to seal the deal. This was effectively a discount of the price. However, the mortgage would be obtained by the purchaser using the original, un-discounted, price. Clearly this was more of a grey area as the banks collateral held the same value though the size of its risk was larger. This practice was particular widespread in the new-build sector with developers offering all sorts of incentives to prospective buyers. From September 2009 the Royal Institute of Surveyors has directed its members (valuers) to ask vendors/developers for disclosure of any incentives. The third type of fraud is the over-valuation fraud. This again was very prevalent a few years ago and the prosecutions have been feeding through the system since the credit crunch exposed the value gap. This type of operation however typically needs the co-operation of professionals, valuers and conveyancing solicitors – the Courts have never been busier dealing with such cases. Dealing with professionals gives defenders the opportunity to examine past practices and compare and contrast to the allegations about the persons conduct in the alleged fraud. Of course everything is dependent on the factual context but there is often scope for a professional to be misled or to have been negligent but not to

have acted fraudulently - for example sole use of one particular valuer throughout numerous sales may not be a hallmark of fraud if it can be demonstrated that in fact that kind of practice was typical – also a forensic examination of professional and personal banking may show a failure to profit by alleged collusion in fraud. The authors are currently involves in pre-charge negotiations in a case which, if it comes to charge, is likely to be the largest mortgage fraud ever. As complex as that case maybe the issues often boil down to simple market mechanics. We all know from experience that in the 1990s and early noughties the property market seemed like it was never going to burst – it just kept going up and up. Why was that? It was partly because of an insatiable desire by the banks to put their money into a market which was easy, which they regarded as a safe bet and which they thought would carry on booming forever. Lending institutions were falling over each other to lend money. This was especially true in the so-called sub-prime market. Banks as ‘victims’? With that market reality in mind many thought they could get themselves onto the property market easily, and not only that but profit in the buy to rent market. The problem was that they didn’t have the deposits. You need money to make money. How much of a problem was that in reality? For a lie to be fraudulent it has to be both dishonest and operative – see e.g. R v Doukas [1978] 1 WLR 372. In other words if someone lied about their date of birth on a mortgage application form it might not be ‘operative’ – the money would have been loaned anyway whether the person was 35 or 41 years old. What about lying about cash-backs and inflated valuations? Of course the banks could never admit that such lies were not operative – the evidence in all cases suggests they were because the application forms ask for that information and for it to be given truthfully. But it is often the case that clients will say ‘the banks knew’, or ‘I was encouraged to inflate my income’. There exists a certain discomfort amongst some in characterising the banks as ‘victims’. This is where great care is needed in case preparation and tactics generally. A carefully crafted Defence Case Statement may result in the defence getting the ammunition to probe the lending institutions insistence on its victim status. What checks, if any were ever made to check the accuracy of information given on the forms, how often did the bank use its own valuers, how many valuations were required, how often would a valuation be matched exactly by the amount the bank was prepared to loan? These questions are not always appropriate to ask in every case – but there is a feeling, which will be shared by many jurors, that it was the banks reckless attitude to risk that got us into this mess in the first place – is it really too much to suppose that sometimes the banks turned a blind eye; that they took the easy money and that application forms were figuratively as well as literally just box-ticking exercises? This is always a matter for the jury – and in such cases great care and early preparation, especially in respect of disclosure, is required in order to put

that defence forward properly. Restraint and Confiscation This is the before and after – typically a Restraint Order made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (“POCA”) will be put in place in significant mortgage fraud prosecutions before the trial and often pre-charge. Confiscation follows conviction. Restraint Orders can be challenged – and in many cases there is a lack of vigour in attacking these orders which can be overturned or varied. An order can be challenged for instance where there has been material non-disclosure to the Court granting the order – remembering of course that the defendant will not be present, there is therefore an enhanced duty on the applicant to ensure he pleads the case fully and fairly; see e.g. Re: Stanford International Bank (In Receivership) [2010] EWCA Civ 137 where a Restraint Order was set aside for misrepresentation and material non-disclosure – though the Court re-imposed the Order after hearing full argument. See also now R v Windsor & Hare & Others (Eastenders PLC) [2011] EWCA Crim 143, 8/2/11 where the Court was especially critical of the Crown’s lack of proper disclosure to the Judge granting the order. The more complex the case the more likely there is to be a Restraint Order – the flip-side is that the more complex the case the greater the burden on the prosecution to get it right.

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It is often the case that confiscation under POCA leads to real injustice. Here though there is hope that in mortgage cases the Court of Appeal has redressed the balance. In R v Waya [2011] 1 Cr. App. R (S) 15 the defendant was convicted of mortgage fraud and received a non-custodial sentence. He was then made subject to a confiscation order of £1,110,000. This was the present value of the property he had obtained. The Court of Appeal said that, properly applying POCA, this was the wrong approach. The defendant had obtained about 60% of the value of the home by mortgage when he purchased it – thus the correct approach was to make an order for 60% of the present value. This at least allows the possibility of the defendant selling the property and paying off the order. Another complication in such cases is the position of the innocent spouse or family – always a very difficult situation and one which requires careful handling. Conclusion Mortgage fraud prosecutions are on the rise. They range from small individual cases to complex multi-property but-to-let and equity release schemes. Whatever the case the defence need to carefully consider their tactics at the earliest possible stage and act proactively throughout in dealing with the main case and ancillary matters such as restraint and confiscation which often cause just as much discomfort to the defendant and his family as the main criminal proceedings. Jonathan Lennon is a Barrister specialising in serious and complex criminal defence case at 23 Essex Street Chambers in London. He is a contributing author to Covert Human Intelligence Sources, (2008 Waterside Press) and has extensive experience in all aspects of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. 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 recently been ranked by Legal 500 as an ‘excellent’ firm with Aziz Rahman being described as ‘first class and very experienced’.

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44

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.

DF HMP Preston Q Is it true that IPP

sentences are being scrapped? I'm on my 3rd strike for robbery; I'm due to be sentenced for robbery (x4), ABH and Police assault. I'm 22 years old and I’ve spent the best part of 8 years in the system. I have mental health problems; I’ve been diagnosed Paranoid Schizophrenia. I feel I should be in a hospital and not a prison as it makes me worse.

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. Replies for the Legal Forum kindly provided by: Chivers Solicitors; de Maids; Frank Brazell & Partners; Henry Hyams; Hine & Associates; Kristina Harrison Solicitors: Morgans; Noble Solicitors; Parlby’s; Petherbridge Bassara Solicitors; Stephensons Solicitors LLP; Stevens Solicitors; Switalskis Solicitors and WBW Solicitors - see individual advertisements for full details. Send your legal queries (concise and clearly marked ‘legal’) to our editorial assistant Lucy Forde at Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB. For a prompt response, readers are reminded to send their queries on white paper using black ink or typed if possible. Use a first or second class stamp.

A You have asked whether there is an intention to scrap the IPP sentence as you are on your “third strike” offence of robbery (x4). Well, the situation is that when Mr Clarke became the Minister of Justice with the new Government he published a Green Paper on prison reform in December 2010. Part of that included reference to a change in the current IPP sentence. At present the sentence can only be imposed where the offender is assessed as posing serious harm to the public and the offence attracts a minimum of 2 years imprisonment if a determinate sentence were awarded. The Green Paper suggests this will be altered to a minimum of 10 years so that IPP sentences would go to more serious offenders such as manslaughter and armed robbery, rather than to all those currently identified by the Criminal Justice Act 2003, Schedule 15. If you would rather be placed in a hospital then you need to make it clear to your solicitors so that Advice can be sought as to the possibility of a Restriction Order rather than a period of imprisonment. However, you should also be aware that once in prison there is a possibility of being transferred to a secure hospital under Section 47/49 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Should you require advice on that point then you should contact a mental health specialist.

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MS HMP Bullingdon Q If my establishment’s programmes department recommends that I enrol on one particular offending behaviour programme, as a result

of no more than 30 minutes chatting with me, what legal recourse do I have to compel them to recommend a different offending behaviour programme, or ask for a second opinion?

A Unfortunately you have not said what these programmes are, so it is impossible to advise specifically, but I can advise that it is very difficult to challenge the opinion of a prison psychologist as they are in a unique position to view the whole of your prison file and identify the accredited programme best suited to you. That said, I would advise that you take two courses of action: (1) submit a Form COMP1 as soon as possible stating which course you have been found suitable for and which one you believe you are suitable for and ask for an explanation as to why you have not even been considered for that course. You must then follow the three stages of the complaints procedure (with Form COMP1A, both sides). (2) locate a prison law specialist in the area around the prison and seek their assistance. It may well be that once you have been through the three stages of the procedure you will need their assistance. The prison lawyer may agree that the other course is more suited and seek funding for an independent psychology assessment. I do not know the length of the time remaining on your sentence, so it is impossible for me to say whether there is time to get an independent report and have it make any difference, but if you approach a prison lawyer you should get the correct advice.

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JP HMP Birmingham Q As my index offence isn’t a specified offence (Schedule 15 CJ A 2003), I should’ve been eligible for Fixed Term Release (28 days), but instead I was classed as standard. I'm only classed as standard because this is my second recall. But my argument is how can they hold my first recall against me when I was found not guilty in a Crown Court?

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A It is clear that you are concerned with that recall and are concerned that you were not rereleased after 28 days. Unfortunately the only way to address that would have been via judicial review. The time limit for lodging a judicial review application is 3 months from the date of the decision. Clearly and unfortunately the time limit for lodging a judicial review expired some time ago. If you have some time left to serve you will still be able to apply for release via either a PPCS review or via a Parole Board review.

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FP HMP Highpoint Q I finished serving 5 years and 8 months of an 8 and a half year sentence; I'm on the old law. When I was released I was told by my probation officer that I would be high risk and MAPPA 2 – tier 4, which meant that I would have to go to a Hostel. After being in the hostel for 3 weeks and living by all rules, I arrived back late one night and was recalled instantly. I thought I would be re-released after a few weeks but instead I still find myself locked up. I’ve committed no crime, I was just late ONCE. I am now being told that I will have to serve the remainder of my sentence and will not be released until 2013. I have had only one paper panel hearing and now been refused an oral hearing. Please can you tell me what options I have - if any?

A If your refusal of an oral hearing was less than 3 months ago then you should seek legal advice regarding a Judicial Review against the reason for that refusal. You believe you will not be re-released until your SED in 2013. You should be entitled to reviews by the Parole Board every 12 months and the Secretary of State (PPCS Department) can now re-consider recall cases if further progress has been made/ there has been a change in circumstances and or risk. You should obtain legal advice from a solicitor regarding this.

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Banks on Sentence Answers by Robert Banks, the barrister who writes Banks on Sentence (now with an extra volume for the law on the orders and procedure). The book is the second largest selling practitioner’s criminal textbook and is used by judges for sentencing more than any other. In September 2011, Robert Banks published Banks on Sentence Compact a new compacted version of Banks on Sentence. It has 704 pages, 17 mm thick and is priced at £34 on the web. It is primarily for those working in the Magistrates’ Court and medium and minor offences at the Crown Court. If you have access to a computer follow us on Twitter @BanksonSentence

www.banksr.com Q I was caught on camera at a store when

it was being looted. I saw the crowd break the windows and people helping themselves. I thought the opportunity was too good to miss and just popped in and took a pair of trousers. It took the police some time to recognise me on CCTV, but the police have my face and the jacket I was wearing has been found at my home. I’ve been charged with burglary. Regrettably I’m going to plead. I’ve heard that looters are getting savage sentences and can’t see why they’re going to apply to me when it was really an opportunist theft of one pair of trousers worth £29.99. The Magistrates wouldn’t give me bail which I can’t understand because it’s only £29.99. My solicitor says I am charged with burglary because I actually entered the store. He also says that the sentence is not simply based on the £29.99 but will reflect the activities of all the others. How can this be right? Each person must be responsible for his own actions.

A The Lord Chief Justice in the Court of Appeal has recently considered whether ten sentences, which were connected to the recent looting, were manifestly excessive or not. Although the judgment was eagerly waited for, it added very little to the law in these types of cases. The Judge firstly stated the imposition of severe sentences was intended to provide both punishment and deterrence. One burglar who orchestrated a group of looters, taunted the police and threw a VäzenskéPrávo TrestnéPrávo ÚrazyaNehody RodinnéPrávo



 

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brick at a police handler and his dog was sentenced to 4 years 8 months after a plea. The court considered that that sentence was not manifestly excessive. Another defendant involved in the same disturbance stole a camera valued at under £300. That shop suffered significant damage valued at £15,000-£20,000. The defendant had no relevant convictions and had a good work record. His sentence of 20 months on a plea was held to be within the appropriate range. A 19-year-old youth also pleaded to burglary connected with the same disorder. The youth was seen running in the store and caught by police attempting to steal cigarettes and alcohol. He had many previous convictions including robbery. He claimed to have been ‘swept up in the atmosphere’. The sentencing Judge found that he saw the store had been broken into and took his chance. The Court of Appeal held that his two-year detention in a Young Offender Institution was within the appropriate range. The Court noted that the offences arose from widespread lawlessness. Further, it was wholly wrong to take any of the acts of the individual participants in isolation. Courts had to consider the context in which the crime or crimes were committed. The Lord Chief Justice said the reality is that the offenders were deriving support, comfort and encouragement from being together with other offenders and offering comfort support and encouragement to offenders around them.

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The Court supported a 40-year-old judgment which held that, “it was a degree of mob violence that matters and the extent to which public peace is broken”. All this underlines that the £29.99 pair of trousers will be an incidental fact in your sentencing hearing. What will determine your sentence will be the scale of the disorder that you were involved in and that you were taking part with the others knowing that scale of violence. I’m afraid I can’t give you any idea what your sentence will be because I don’t know all the factors.

Q I am awaiting sentence for a three strikes burglary. I hear there are some new guidelines. Can you tell me whether they will affect my sentence? A Indeed there are new guidelines. The guidelines are divided up into aggravated burglary, domestic burglary and nondomestic burglary. The guidelines come into force on 16 January 2012, but it is likely that courts will be considering them from

Legal Q&A

45

now onwards. The guidelines replace the R v Saw 2009 judge-made guidelines. The first step when using the guideline is to look at a complicated list of factors which: i) ‘indicate a greater harm’, ii) ‘factors indicating lesser harm’, iii) ‘factors indicating higher culpability’ and iv) ‘factors indicating lower culpability’. Without considering any other factors the sentencer is then obliged to decide whether the case is: a) a category 1 case, which is one with ‘greater harm and higher culpability’, or b) a category 2 case, which is one with ‘greater harm and lower culpability or lesser harm and higher culpability’ or c) a category 3 case, which is ‘lesser harm and lower culpability’. Courts will inevitably have trouble in determining the category and will no doubt fall back on a comparable cases system which is the one courts have at the moment. The second step is to consider the starting points and category ranges which are as follows:

Offence category Starting point (applicable to all offenders)

Category range (applicable to all offenders)

Category 1 3 years’ custody Category 2 1 years’ custody Category 3 High level community order

2-6 years’ custody High level community order - two years’ custody Low level community order - 26 weeks’ custody

There then follows a table of factors which increase the seriousness and factors which reduce the seriousness or reflect personal mitigation. Those tables are said to contain a non-exhaustive list. Also relevant recent convictions are considered likely to result in an upward adjustment. The guidelines give a reference to the third domestic burglary minimum sentence but do not give any assistance as to how that rule should be applied. The result of these new guidelines will be to add confusion when considering the appropriate sentence and add an unnecessary bureaucratic layer to the sentencing process when the reality is all factors need to be weighed to arrive at the correct sentence. This hugely expensive quango has produced yet another step backwards. Back to your question; I don’t think your sentencing judge will alter his current practice because of these guidelines. Please start your letter with the question you want answered and send the letter to Inside Time. Mark the letter for Robert Banks. Make sure your question concerns sentence and not conviction or release. Unless you say you don’t want your question and answer published it will be assumed you don’t have an objection to publication. No-one will have their identity revealed. Facts which indicate a prisoner’s identity will not be printed. Letters which a) are without an address b) which cannot be read or c) are sent direct cannot be answered. Letters have to be sent to me by a solicitor. If your solicitor wants to see a previous question and answer, they are posted on the website. 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.

To o k s C h a m b e r s i n conjunction with the Association of Prison Lawyers present:

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Wellbeing

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Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

Leading you to a healthy lifestyle ‘A lifestyle worth living’ Are you new to exercise, not sure what to do or looking for a different training approach? Over the past year we have looked at specific ways to train. This month, we will take a broader look at what prison PE departments have to offer and will look at various sporting activities that we offer at HMP Erlestoke and the benefits each has on your overall Total Fitness.

Why get involved with sport? A sport can be defined as a form of physical activity that can maintain or improve fitness. However this is only one benefit. By participating in sports, you can also improve your social skills, meet new people and generally have fun! Some sport activities can be competitive, others just for leisure. Any sport will have rules and regulations, and if you are playing competitively it is important that all participants know what they are. Certain sports have strict criteria and an example is badminton has different

line rules for singles and doubles. A sport activity might just involve yourself competing against other competitors. But the most common within a prison environment is team sports such as football, basketball, volleyball, cricket and rugby. In my experience, the social aspect of these sports is generally taken with a good nature. Even if you are not an experienced player for the sport that is offered within your prison, go along and have a go. Everyone starts somewhere, you will learn some new skills and just as importantly, you will have fun. Remember, any form of exercise should be fun, enjoyable or show you benefits.

by PE Instructor Matt Vanstone - HMP Erlestoke 2011 English Indoor Rowing champion

W

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Football

At HMP Erlestoke, this is one of the most popular classes we currently run. We have the facility to set up three courts, which allows up to twelve players to play at one time. Generally, most players turn up with friends that they want to play against. This makes it a great social sport too, but it is also very physically demanding as you can find yourself running around the court, lunging for the shuttlecock and always putting effort in to the shots. Most of us are aware of the general benefits of exercise, but badminton puts particular emphasis on joint mobility, balance and reaction speeds. Hopefully, courts should be marked out for you with both the lines for singles and doubles. The game is usually played rally point up to 21 points, but this can be altered. There are lots of different shots that can be played and tactics you can implement.

Football has to be the most popular sport amongst the male prison population. If you are fortunate enough to have outside pitches, then I am sure you can easily tag along to a designated session. Even in a sportshall playing 4/5 aside, you can get a good run about. If you are playing a friendly game then you can usually have a good laugh, but also improve your fitness dramatically due to the constant sprinting involved. More competitive games require good game tactics, so generally these are organized within Leagues or tournaments. There are many different types of passes, dribbles, shots, tackles etc that you can do depending on what the rules and regulations are with the game you are playing. If you find the class only has a small amount of numbers, why not suggest to play half court, 3vs 3, 2v2, Fa singles, Fa doubles, chip football, heads and volleys etc.

Overhead shot

Shane beating Matt 1 vs 1

Game flow

Basketball

Volleyball This sport is most commonly played with two teams of 6 playing on court. However, you can play with two, three, four or five players on each team. A game is played up to 25 points, and a point awarded for each rally. A team is allowed up to three touches of the ball before it has to be returned to the opposition, the only exception being an initial block does not count as a hit. Again, this can be altered in accordance with time available and number of participants. The court should already be marked out within the sports hall or field so I

Badminton

The volley

This is a very fast tempo game, and if you don’t have a decent level of fitness, you will initially struggle, especially if you play a full length game. However, your fitness will soon improve if you play this sport regularly or combine it with other parts of your training. It is most common to be played 5 vs 5, however, you can play with less numbers to make the game quicker. If you have a small turnout, why not play 2 vs 2 half court, hoop knockout, 1 vs 1 or three point challenges. The game is a non contact sport – but you will regularly get contact and a good referee can spot this.

Good control

Non-stop cricket This is considered a minor game, and is suitable for almost everyone. It is a great social game and in my experience always ends in tears of laughter. You can either play as a single batter and everyone else fields, or if there is enough of you, play as two teams, one team batting and the other fielding. To make it more of a challenge, take the bat away, use a rugby ball and enforce the rules the ball must bounce and the batter must always attempt to kick it and run every time it is bowled. You can use other balls, and use other parts of the body to hit the ball. This is a fun social game and is moderate exercise which is fun.

The Dig won’t go in to detail with line markings. This is a sport I can highly recommend getting involved with. It is a great social sport, and more often or not, your stomach gets a good workout due to the amount of laughing you will have in a general session too! Also, Volleyball is growing fast in popularity as a sport, and there are clubs in most cities and towns, and a lot of beaches have courts set up too. The four main techniques used in volleyball is the Volley, Dig, Block and Spike. Just ask your PEI’s, gym orderlies or Volleyball players on how to perform the technique. A good session of volleyball can really give you a good workout, especially if you move around on court well.

Dribble

The batsman has to run as soon as the ball is bowled, even if he doesn't hit the ball. Also, the bowler can bowl as soon as he gets the ball, even while the batsman is running until the bowler is successful in hitting the wicket.

Benjamin getting past Matt

In the photos this month : Shane Perry, Benjamin Brown and Matt Vanstone

Wellbeing

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

A helping hand

Steering by the stars

Ever noticed how tight and achey your hands and fingers can feel after a long period of working with tools, or writing, or using a keyboard? You may not have a chance for such work, but still feel a little stiff in the joints. The exercises here will definitely help your hands feel better. If you do them regularly, they can also help prevent arthritis and pain in the hands. They can be done in a tiny space, either standing or sitting, and it only takes a few minutes. Whether you’ve been working or not, why not try them over a brew in the late afternoon?

Rod Harper Rod Harper works as a consultant, writer, and teacher of astrology. Aries The Ram 21st March to 20th April

There’s been a lot of tension around this year - particularly for Rams with birthdays in the last week of March - and, realistically, I’m afraid this situation’s not one that’s going to be sorted overnight. These tensions should ease a bit as impulsive Mars moves into earthy Virgo. Inner reflection doesn’t always come naturally to Aries, but the Full Moon in Taurus together with helpful Jupiter suggest you need to spend time nurturing your sense of self worth. Taurus the Bull 21st April to 20th May

1

Stretch both your arms out in front of you. As you breathe in, spread the fingers and thumbs as wide apart as possible. As you breathe out, tuck your thumbs in and clench fingers around them squeezing tightly. Repeat 5 times.

3

Keep the arms stretched out in front of you and turn the palms face down. As you breathe in, bring the little fingers towards the outer arms. As you breathe out, bring the thumbs towards the inner arms. Repeat 5-10 times.

4 5

Keeping the hands open rotate the wrists slowly in one direction breathing deeply 5-10 times before changing directions.

2

As you breathe in, push the heels of the hands away, pointing the fingers up as if saying “stop”. As you breathe out, turn the hands downwards, pointing the fingers and thumbs down to the floor. Repeat 5-10 times.

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Bend the arms with the hands resting on each shoulder. As you breathe in, circle the elbows up in front of you and out. As you breathe out continue the circle, bringing the elbows down behind you to the starting position. Repeat 5-10 times before changing directions.

As your ruler Mercury moves into your opposite sign of Sagittarius, romantic feelings that are not normally the realm of flighty Gemini come to the fore. You may suddenly see someone you thought of as a friend in a different light. It’s time to slow down a bit and listen to your inner voice. This could be start of a new chapter in your life.

6

Cancer the Crab 22nd June to 23rd July

Sit for a minute, with your eyes closed, and be aware of your breath coming in and going out. At the same time, be aware of how your hands, fingers and shoulders feel. Breathe in and out and just be aware of your hands. Know that it is you who have made yourself feel better.

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, yoga, silence and the breath. The Trust works with people of any faith or none.

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The month starts in an introspective mood. This is a good time for reflection about a relationship with someone close. The reliable bull may seem outwardly calm and placid, but don’t be fooled – underneath that mild-mannered exterior, your passions run deep. The period around Full Moon on the 10th could bring a moment of illumination. Expect fireworks as November draws to a close.

The Full Moon on the 10th brings the focus onto group activities and brings out your creative side. Keep an eye on health matters, though – particularly around the time of the eclipsed New Moon at the end of the month when it may be time to think long and hard about long-term future plans. Leo the Lion 24th July to 23rd August

With hot-headed Mars finally leaving your sign for level-headed Virgo mid-month, you’ll be in a much better position to handle any difficult situations and roll with the punches instead of getting all fired up

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47

and lashing out. There may be a touch of romance in the air, too, as Venus and Mercury in your complementary fire sign of Sagittarius bring out your playful side. Virgo the Virgin 24th August to 23rd September

Mars in your sign mid-month brings a new burst of energy to the normally cautious Virgo, and a Full Moon in your learning zone brings opportunities for action on the educational front. Don’t let old patterns from the past hold you back – take the bull by the horns and start exploring avenues that could lead you in a new and positive direction. The eclipse on the 25th could bring unexpected news about cash. Libra the Scales 24th September to 23rd October

The focus this month is on all things financial, but with lucky Jupiter on the back foot in earthbound Taurus until Christmas, don’t expect windfalls anytime soon. A New Moon towards the end of the month brings hopes and dreams to the fore, and buried feelings from the past may start bubbling to the surface around now, too. Scorpio the Scorpion 24th October to 22nd November

With the Sun in your sign this month and Jupiter opposite, it’s time to take stock of where are are and where you’re going. A Full Moon in your relationship zone shines a light on how you feel about someone in your life, but with hot-headed Mars opposite Neptune, planet of illusion, could it be that your dreams are clouding your judgement? Take those rose-tinted spectacles off right now and throw yourself back into the real world. After the 11th, your energies are best directed towards group activities. Sagittarius the Archer 23rd November to 21st December

It’s all happening for Sagittarius towards the end of this month with Venus, Mercury and an eclipsed New Moon in your sign. And later, as the Sun joins the fray, you may be feeling as though everything is going in the right direction. Just be careful when hot-headed Mars hits your Midheaven under this month’s Full Moon on the 10th. There’s a fine line between confidence and aggression – some anger management might be in order to keep things sweet. Capricorn the Goat 22nd December to 20th January

There’s been a lot of tension around this year, coupled with a deep-seated feeling that major themes in your life are beginning to shift, but hang in there – nothing worthwhile was ever achieved overnight. As Venus, planet of love, moves into your sign, some deep feelings are stirred and as your birthday looms closer there’s a sense that you’re finally coming into your own. Aquarius the Water Carrier 21st January to 19th February

Hard work put in over the past few months should start paying dividends now. You can start to put your feet up a bit as November gets going – it’s time to nurture friendships and get involved in group activities. Neptune in your sign has been making you feel as though you can’t quite work out what’s real and what isn’t, but after the Full Moon on the 10th things should start looking clearer. Pisces the Fish 20th February to 20th March

In some respects, it feels as though you’re continually going back over old ground this month, and to compound things, there are feelings of confusion around the actions of someone close. It’s not all bad, though – the Full Moon on the 10th may see a turnaround of your fortunes as things become clearer and unexpected friends in high places may be in a position to help you out towards the end of the month.

48

Book & DVD Reviews

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

Reading The Little Book of Prison A Beginners Guide group round-up Frankie Owens

Image courtesy of Matthew Meadows

When it was first published in 2003, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time was greeted with almost universal acclaim, and it went on to win the Whitbread Book of the Year. But the Onslow reading group at HMP Wandsworth had a far more mixed reaction to Mark Haddon’s clever combination of detective story and study of a family torn apart by the challenge of what seems to be autistic spectrum disorder. The novel is narrated by its protagonist, the fifteen-year-old Christopher who has what seems to be a fairly extreme level of autism or Asperger’s Syndrome (though neither term is ever used in the novel). He is unable to attend mainstream school and he has developed some very strict and bizarre rules about his eating habits and social interactions. Different foods must not touch each other on his plate and only certain colour combinations can be eaten at the same time. He cannot bear to be touched and quickly feels overwhelmed by people. His response is to curl himself into a ball and lie on the ground, rocking and moaning. Haddon’s portrayal of a teenager coping with such difficulties received fulsome praise from some of the group who saw it as ‘accurate and sensitive’ and ‘well-researched’. One member, who had experience of working with autistic adults and young people, even suggested that the novel ‘could act as a primer for those interested in the disorder’. He pointed out that Christopher’s strong interest and advanced skills in maths and his preference for his pet rat over any human friend were particularly good examples of autistic behaviour. The novel opens with Christopher’s discovery of his neighbour’s dog lying dead, impaled with a garden fork. His attempt to find out who killed the dog appears to be the central plot. But the group agreed that the book’s real story is the breakdown of the relationship between Christopher’s parents and the new relationships they form with their neighbours – the owners of the murdered dog. Members described the way Haddon manages to convey these relationships while Christopher focuses on the dead dog whodunit as ‘compelling…absorbing…very accomplished’.

James reports from the Onslow Centre at HMP Wandsworth on Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time However, several people pointed out that in an effort to move the two plots along, the author had made some ‘slips’. Though these moments increase the reader’s admiration for the craft and skill involved in the writing, they also tended to interfere with the intensity of reader involvement for some in the group. Despite this, another member said the portrayal of Christopher’s parents was very moving, even though the mother only appears towards the end of the book. Christopher has never been anywhere on his own but decides to travel from his home in Swindon to find her in London. The journey terrifies him. When he finally finds her, she is desperate to hug him but knows he won’t let her. ‘Heartbreaking and almost unbearable.’ Another reader found these aspects of Christopher’s character ‘understandable but annoying’ and made the boy difficult to relate to. One member even went so far as to say that he had never been a fan of literature written from a child’s point of view and the novel ‘did nothing to change my prejudice’.

I

started writing ‘The Little Book of Prison – A Beginners Guide’ from day two of entering prison. As a first time offender I had no idea how the system or a prison worked. I was clueless to it all and it was hard for me going in and frightening for the family and loved ones I left behind. The writing began as self help and as the days progressed it occurred to me that ‘The Little Book of Prison’ would prove useful to first time offenders and help them get through what is surely one of the most difficult times in their lives. It also motivated me to get out on the wing and find out as much as possible about my new home.

If you enjoy books and/or would like to challenge your reading comfort zone, talk to library staff about joining.

I wish I had been given the information I gathered in the first weeks as I think it would have been easier for me and the learning curve not as steep. The most important thing for me has been learning about the system and having the opportunity to pass that knowledge onto future prisoners and their families. To be the first to own a copy get a family member or friend to visit www.watersidepress.co.uk and join our mailing list.

So with the book to work on it actually helped me to write to my own family and loved ones to explain what daily life was really like and reassure them that I was OK. It was easiest to tell them it was like Porridge with Ronnie Barker, I think it stopped them worrying the most! Since coming out of prison I am focused on helping others and sent the book to a handful of publishers that work with ex-offenders. I

Blog: thelittlebookofprisonabeginnersguidevol1.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @FrankieOwensJnr

KINAS Solicitors

Overall, the group agreed that this dual reaction to Christopher – being irritated by him but also relating to many of his character traits – is probably what has made the novel such a hit, appealing to both younger and older readers. It certainly provoked an animated and interesting discussion at Wandsworth. The Onslow Wandsworth group is part of the Prison Reading Groups project (PRG), supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. There are PRG groups in 15 prisons: HMPs Albany, Bristol, Brixton, Bronzefield, Bullingdon, Bullwood Hall, Downview, Eastwood Park, Full Sutton, High Down, Holloway, Lewes, Send, Wandsworth and The Wolds.

was delighted when the Managing Director of Waterside Press responded to my email to say he would like to publish ‘The Little Book of Prison’ in 2012. If this wasn’t enough I was contacted by The Koestler Trust to be told that I had won the platinum award for non-fiction judged by the author and comedian Will Self.

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If your prison doesn’t have a reading group, encourage your librarian to have a look at the PRG website www.roehampton.ac.uk/prg

For an immediate advice & representation please contact

PRG is working with National Prison Radio (NPR) to help develop its radio book club. A recent broadcast included a discussion of The Curious Incident and an interview with the author.

0208 348 8233

If you have access to NPR, listen out for details of future meetings and ways to take part.

Mr Kenan Demir, Ms Tomoko Sasaki or Mr Murat Kinas 393 Green Lanes, Haringey, London N4 1EU

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Book & DVD Reviews

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

Born Liars: Why we can’t live without deceit by Ian Leslie

49

Rise of the Planet of the Apes During experiments to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, a genetically-enhanced chimpanzee uses its greater intelligence to lead other apes to freedom. Review by Noel Smith

Book review by Billy Little - HMP Bullingdon We have all been accused of it at some point in our lives, some more than others and for good reason in many cases. Whether you choose to tell your pals on the landing that there was ten of them, when there was only one (and he worked part-time as a Mr Muscle double), or keep the kids excited about Santa coming, you’re a liar! Ian Leslie places great emphasis on how we use ‘lies’ to get through the day, as a means of maintaining and even strengthening our social bonds with each other and developing new ones. As a species, we owe a great deal to having the ability to deceive, to mask what we are doing, thinking or feeling at any given time. There are even courses on how to present yourself at that all important job interview, how to enter the room, greet the other person and represent yourself through your ‘curriculum vitae’ (CV). The problem with clone-like behaviour is that it cannot be maintained and your true self is evinced for all to see. One psychologist, Bella DePaulo, found that over one week, each of her 147 subjects had lied on average 1.5 times a day; she even considered that they had been relatively modest about that too. Robert Feldman, researcher and author of the seminal book ‘Liar: The Truth About Lying’, noted that when meeting someone new, we will tell them three lies within ten minutes: ‘How are you?’ ‘I’m fine.’ When, in truth, there is a concern, anxiety or feeling of stress or depression. You can expect to be taken on a journey through history, science, religion, philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, fantasy, myth, childhood, advertising, conflict, politics, media, sport and love. Leslie documents some of the traits and characteristics of liars through the generations of time. He employs the everyday and the ordinary and contrasts it with some profound philosophical thought. It would seem that when it comes to our own humility, our inflated sense of potential is underpinned by our tendency towards self-absorption. We are inclined to be optimistic about our motivations and expectations from life. For example, in a survey of college students, 88% rated themselves as being in the top 50% of drivers, whilst 95% of college professors declared their work to be well above average. The person who claims to



November new releases See advert page 54 for more information on how to order from our catalogue.

CD New Releases 1. Bad Meets Evil – Hell (The Sequel) . ................................ £12.95 2. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds .................................. £12.95 3. Gappy Ranks – Thanks & Praise...................................... £11.95 4. Drake – Take Care........................................................... £12.95 5. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See.................................... £11.95 6. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto..................................................... £12.95 7. Florence & The Machine – Ceremonials........................... £12.95 8. Evanescence - Evanescence............................................ £12.95 9. Professor Green - At Your Inconvenience......................... £12.95

be the best pool, table-tennis or chess player on your wing is for all intents and purposes deceiving themselves – note how quiet they were prior to playing and when they lose. Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying: ‘So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has mind to do’. Put simply, the pool, table-tennis, chess player will claim to have been distracted by one or more things to qualify his/her reason for losing. The greater the verbal dexterity, tone, posture, assertiveness, etc will determine just how much flannel those around him will put up with before dismissing him/her as being a former contender to the crown. Scientists, religious leaders (and nutters), historians and philosophers have all played a fundamental role in shaping who we are, what we do, how we know and understand everything around us. Leslie empowers the reader with an insight into deception, the erroneous practices used by the police, the overzealous assumptions of psychologists (imagine that!), pithy aphorisms - ‘If you can lie, you can act’ - from Marlon Brando, cognitive dissonance (the intransigent political stance towards Saddam Hussein’s WMD), Major Charles (cough) Ingram, Winston Churchill, Pablo Picasso, Bob Dylan, Barack Obama and the unforgettable former cabinet minister, and first class oaf extraordinaire Jonathan Aitken all feature to bring the genius of Leslie to the foreground in his field. This is the true gem for anyone interested in life, history, body language, philosophy or ethical issues. This ranks right up there with similar works and linked reading like: ‘The Moral Animal’ by Robert Wright, ‘The Nature of Culture’ by A L Kroeber and ‘Machiavellian Intelligence’ by R Byrne and A Whiten. Read it and believe, challenge yourself, conspiracy theories and your own expectations. Behind the cover of this book are some rational, confident observations on human life; why we do what we do and how easy it can sometimes be to get away with it. Published by Quercus. ISBN: 978 1 84916 424 5. Price £12.99 10. Roots Manuva - 4everevolution...................................... £12.95 11. Cormega – Raw Forever................................................ £12.95 12. Wiley – 100% Publishing............................................... £11.95 13. Lil Wayne – Tha Carter 4............................................... £12.95 14. Jehst - The Dragon Of An Ordinary Family..................... £12.95 15. Royce Da 5’9 - Success Is Certain................................. £12.95 16. Camo & Krooked – Cross The Line................................. £12.95 17. Example – Playing In The Shadows................................ £11.95 18. Wretch 32 - Black And White......................................... £12.95 19. Jane’s Addiction - Great Escape Artist........................... £12.95 20. Blink 182 – Neighborhoods............................................ £12.95 21. Gary Numan – Dead Son Rising..................................... £12.95 22. I Wayne – Life Teachings............................................... £12.95 23. Sizzla – Scriptures......................................................... £12.95 24. James Morrison – Awakening........................................ £12.95 25. Jason Derulo - Future History........................................ £12.95 26. Kasabian – Velociraptor................................................. £12.95 27. Ed Sheeran – Plus......................................................... £12.95 28. Red Hot Chilli Peppers - I’m With You............................. £12.95 29. The Kooks - Junk Of The Heart...................................... £12.95 30. Beyonce – 4.................................................................. £12.95 31. Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires........................................ £12.95 32. Various - The Sound Of Dubstep................................. 3 £12.95 33. Various - Hardcore Heaven Summer Madness............... £13.95

I was really looking forward to this film as I am old enough to not only remember the original late 1960s films – ‘Planet of the Apes’, ‘Battle for the Planet of the Apes’, ‘Conquest of the Planet of the Apes’, etc – but also the television serial of the 1970s. Unfortunately I couldn’t wait long enough for the official DVD release and ended up buying a pirate copy from one of those sad-faced Chinese women you often see around south London hawking copied DVDs 4 for £10. I was a bit dubious because I had a ‘pirate’ copy of Spielberg’s E.T back in the 80s and the little alien just didn’t look the same with a wooden leg and a parrot on his shoulder! Anyway I know all the official arguments against this – ‘the money goes into the coffers of organised crime (I was a professional criminal for more than 30 years and still have no clue where these ‘coffers’ of cash are!)’, ‘the money should be going into the film industry’, etc, but I like to think that some of my tenner is going to make its way to some impoverished village in Hang Nnang Province and feed someone, so that takes care of my conscience on this matter. As for the film itself, directed by Rupert Wyatt and full of excellent special effects, it knocks all previous efforts into a cocked hat. Andy Serkis (who else?) brings the main ape, Caesar, to life and the CGI is so good that you really 34. Various - Clubland X-treme Hardcore Vol.7.................... £12.95 35. Various - Hospitality Festival Drum & Bass....................... £9.95 36. Various - 100% Pure Trance.......................................... £12.95 37. Various – Addicted To Bass Classics.............................. £11.95 38. Various - Best of Radio 1 Live Lounge............................ £14.95 39. Various - David Rodigan’s Dubwize Shower................... £12.95 40. Various - 100% Pure Dubstep Vol 2............................... £13.95 41. Various - Greensleeves Dubstep Chapter 1.................... £12.95 42. Various – Clubland 20.................................................... £13.95 43. Various - Strictly Todd Terry ................ (SPECIAL OFFER) £7.95 44. Various - The Sound Of Bassline Vol.2 .... (SPECIAL OFFER) £7.95 45. Various - Helter Skelter Pres Hardcore 2007 ... (SPECIAL OFFER) £8.95 46. J. Cole – Cole World (IMPORT) ...................................... £13.95 47. Messy Marv - Shooting Range Pt. 5 Mixtape (IMPORT) . £13.95 48. Messy Marv – Kontraband (IMPORT) ............................. £13.95 49. Jacka – Indictment (IMPORT) . ...................................... £14.95 50. Styles P – Master Of Ceremonies (IMPORT) . ................. £13.95

PS2 New Releases Fifa 2012 . .......................................................................... £24.95 Pro Evolution Soccer 2012................................................... £24.95

believe in the characters and can immerse yourself in the story without fussing over the technicalities. The trick with this film is to disregard all that has come before in the Planet of the Apes genre (particularly the crap-ola Tim Burton effort of 2001) and just enjoy the now. Caesar is an ape born into captivity as his mother is being used, by a pharmaceutical company, in experiments into finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. His mother is killed after going on a rampage in order to protect her baby and the infant ape is then secretly adopted by scientist Will Rodman (James Franco), whose father has Alzheimer’s, in order to carry on trying to find a cure. Caesar grows up in Will’s home and with each passing month his intelligence increases. One day he gets out of the house and scares the neighbours and is taken to a primate sanctuary (basically ape jail) where he is mistreated by cruel guards. In the meantime Will creates a powerful serum in order to try and cure his father. Caesar escapes from the primate sanctuary, steals the serum and uses it on the other apes in the sanctuary. Their intelligence is increased and the apes start looking for a bit of payback from their human former masters. A truly gripping film, full of action, and well worth watching.

HHHHH

DVD New Releases 1. Pirates Of The Caribbean - On Stranger Tides.................. £13.65 2. Insidious [2011]............................................................... £13.65 3. 13 Assassins (2011)........................................................ £12.65 4. Sucker Punch [2011]....................................................... £14.95 5. 127 Hours........................................................................ £15.50 6. Fast & Furious 5 [2011]................................................... £13.65 7. Senna [2011]................................................................... £14.95 8. Green Lantern [2011]....................................................... £14.95 9. Screwed [2011]............................................................... £14.95 10. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1.................. £14.95 11. Thor [2011]................................................................... £13.65 12. Hanna [2011]................................................................. £14.95 13. X-Men: First Class [2011].............................................. £14.95 14. Limitless [2011]............................................................. £14.95 15. Scream 4 [2011]............................................................ £14.95 16. Transformers: Dark of the Moon.................................... £14.95 17. Kung Fu Panda 2........................................................... £14.95 18. Super 8......................................................................... £16.95 19. Shaolin – Ultimate Collection [2011].............................. £14.95 20. Detective Dee – Mystery of the Phantom Flame............. £12.65 21. Woochi – The Demon Slayer.......................................... £12.65

50 H

Inside Poetry

H H Poem of theH HStar H H month

Congratulations to K A McKay - HMP Frankland, who wins our £25 prize for ‘Star Poem of the Month’.

To My She Who Didn’t Know K A McKay - HMP Frankland She doesn’t know it, but She sings She sings every single day And She doesn’t know it, but She dances With every step She takes She doesn’t know how She laughs and smiles Even whilst She sleeps And She doesn’t know how deep She sighs When She’s lying here with me She doesn’t know I’ve seen and heard And looked and listened and watched And she doesn’t know how much She’s loved For all She is and all She’s not

So it goes

Norman Jarrett - HMP Standford Hill A man gunned down in Stockwell! Two youths seen cycling away One carrying a machine gun But who they are, no one knows – It’s the way of the world So it goes Ten million spent on West End production! Two years in the planning Closed, after bad reviews Now the theatre’s dark, no more shows – It’s the way of the world So it goes Roll up, roll up! the circus is in town With toffee apples and candy floss The children laugh as clowns perform With their alter egos – It’s the way of the world So it goes They built a dam – Flooded the valley Now the fish eat at the Corner Café And the High Street is where the river flows – It’s the way of the world So it goes Millionaire pauper, beggar thief Father son, mother daughter All live together Under nature’s shadows – It’s the way of the world So it goes

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.

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

UK Riots

Craig Birch - HMP Garth The UK riots, a must or a mess Why did they start is anyone’s guess Is it because of social exclusion Left unattended without government intrusion Economic slavery and no-one asks why The rich are kept separate while the poor scrape by Parents stripped of discipline but to no avail And an education system that is doomed to fail Teenage pregnancy on the rise The pill, the solution, in the government’s eyes Expenses scandals and look what they got The reason being they’re rich and we’re not A police FORCE! not a service, is that what we need Or something to stem the government’s greed Deaths in police custody but no convictions Media branding youths with no restrictions We have no stake in our community or society itself Budget cuts all round while they keep the wealth Benefits for parents cut in half What are the options when their children sit and starve Student fees rocket up through the sky The country gets worse and the government wonder why Reporters use words like yobo and louts A fair system for all is what it’s about I’m not saying it’s right because riots are wrong But the road we are given is troubled and long Passion has turned to anger to get the point across And I ask only one question Where’s the government boss?

What Went Wrong? Anon - HMP Lancaster Farms They met and they married, a long time ago They worked long hours, when wages were low No TV, no wireless, no bath, times were hard Just a cold water tap and a walk up the yard No holidays abroad, no posh carpets on the floors But they had coal on the fire and they didn’t lock the doors Their children arrived, no pill in those days And they brought them all up without any state aid Their children were quite safe to play in the park And old folks could go for a walk in the dark No valium, no drugs, no LSD They cured most of their ills with a nice cup of tea But if they were sick they were treated at once Not ‘fill in a form and come back in six months’ No vandals, no muggings, there was nothing to rob And they felt quite rich with a couple of bob People were happier in those far off days Kinder and caring in so many ways Milk men and paper boys would whistle and sing A night at the pictures was their mad thing They all had their share of trouble and strife They just had to face it, that’s the pattern of life But now they look back through the years They don’t think of sad times, the trouble and tears They tell us about the blessings, their homes and their love And that they shared them together and they thanked God above WHAT WENT WRONG?

‘IF’ You’re Inside

Drew McGarvey - HMP Pentonville If you can keep your burn when all around you Are poncing on a Friday, ‘cos they’re poor If you can plug your phone before a screw Can grab it as he rushes through the door If you can nick a sausage from the hotplate From underneath the cleaning kanga’s nose And talk your way past any guarded wing gate Amid the early and the late ‘Free-Flows’ If you can bluff the SO down the piss test To pass you, when the signs are borderline If you can walk the landings in a sport’s vest When other cons get nicked and get a fine If you can slip into the landing office When it’s unlocked and nobody’s about And quickly use the phone to call your missus And grab the ‘current bun’ on your way out If you can get a half a dozen T-shirts On Sunday, when you swap two old for clean If you can see the doctor when your leg hurts And talk him into giving you morphine If you can get yourself an extra VO When you’ve already had your monthly three And you can hide three books so that they don’t show While checking out three more from the library If you can get your cell mate to replace you When you are needed for an MDT If you can make yourself a secret hooch brew And end up legless drunk on Saturday If you can do all this and yet the wing staff Are quite content to let you carry on Then do so, my old son and make us all laugh For you’re one crafty, slippery super con

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

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

Enough is Enough

Traveller Family

Jamie Fletcher - HMP Leyhill

Mark J Smith - HMYOI Portland

I’m almost done now I have had enough Enough of all that ‘alright bruv’ Listen mate I’m not your brother My dad never went near your mother

Mark Smith the gypsy man born and bred in a caravan With my brother Dean outside kickin that old tin can Me daddy gone to see a man about a new transit van Mum, have you seen where I put that petrol can Coz I got to give it back to that man Stacey have you seen where the pan is to Coz the boys will be back soon an they will want some scran Libby go start the yog and chuck on some logs So then I can go feed the dogs Gary come here so I can wash ya dirty togs and Stop playing with them smelly frogs Joleny are you done washin your dad’s socks To put them in that wet box Aran are you done punching that boxing bag Coz I need you here to stop ya dad goin mad when The policeman tells us we got to move off this land

No more ‘bruv, you got any burn?’ No more labour for the pennies we earn No more tally and no more pin No more recess with the overflowing bin No more chips all soggy and cold Or being somewhere I was told No more SOs and no more screws No more patter from the bad boy crews No big up and giving it large No more of the cheap ROMI marge That doesn’t melt ‘til 100 degrees And no more piss weak bags of tea All these things I have come to know It is now the time to let them go Say goodbye and leave it behind Onto pastures new with a fresh new mind But still there’s many living this life Away from family, kids and wife They moan and whinge at everything But they are to blame for coming in But they don’t see it just their fault They are the ones who put their lives on halt They chose to rob, steal or plunder To look at them it makes you wonder How the hell they got this far Just for nicking some shitty old car They tried to swap it down the town Half a gram and a bit of brown But for me it’s over, done and dusted That’s the last time that I get busted

Release Day

Steve Wells - HMP Onley I’ve spent years of my life in one prison or another Got to know guys better than I do my own brother When I first got banged up I had no in-cell power I’ve now got en-suite with a fully fitted shower Now as everyday passes it doesn’t get any better I’m just reduced to writing poems or composing the odd letter I get released next year into a world I do not know Freedom at last come and rain and sleet or snow And then the fun starts as I report to probation Do I obey licence conditions or bolt for the station I don’t care too much as the fight in me is no more That’s what comes with doing time and years behind the door

Government

Christine Dewar - HMP Askham Grange Sue’s on her soapbox, T joining in What’s the government doing? Have they no shame? They send us to prison because of our sins Then not happy with that they stick the boot in In open prison you go out to work Your wage is a pittance it’s what you deserve You pay your own bus fares You buy everything you need You save 40 percent for when you leave But now we’re gonna kick you again Coz we don’t want you to have anything to gain So another 40 percent we are taking from you To give to victim support and to screw you The women are all up in arms This is beyond a joke What’s the government playing at Have they all been smoking dope? Because of the government’s demands They all rant and rave How we gonna support our kids for pity’s sake Their children need clothes on their backs How on earth will they manage that? They go out to work to help out with their kids But it’s the kids that will suffer They don’t deserve this Why are the government being such twats? They’ve punished us once that should be that If this is the game the government wants to play Then out of work we will stay

Inside Poetry

51

Topsy Tipsy

John Pearce - HMP Winchester The rainbow you can see In a darkened sky It’s pouring with rain Though everything is dry The fields are blue The cows are green It’s the craziest topsy tipsy world I’ve ever seen The sun is out Though everything is dark Something’s disturbed it I just heard the budgie bark The kids in the park Throw sushi to the ducks I’m bloody confused man, this world sucks That’s him ready The dogs off to school I know what you’re thinking I’m a silly old fool What’s happening to the world I once knew? Why is the sea orange? It’s because of you Today I got the giraffe To sit down and stay The reason for this madness You’ve gone away Our life you left When you shut the door Nothing makes sense To me anymore

insidepoetry Copies are available at a special discount price of £7.50 for Inside Time readers, family and friends. Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB Tel: 0844 335 6483 ISBN 978-0-9562855-0-8

Voices from prison

We will award a prize of £25 to the entry selected as our ‘Star Poem of the Month’. To qualify for a prize, poems should not have won a prize in any other competition or been published previously. Send entries to: Inside Time, Poetry, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire, SO30 2GB. Please put your name, number and prison on the same sheet of paper as your poem. If you win we can’t send your money if we don’t know who or where you are! By submitting your poems to Inside Time you are agreeing that they can be published in any of our ‘not for profit links’, these include the newspaper, website and any forthcoming books. You are also giving permission for Inside Time to use their discretion in allowing other organisations to reproduce this work if considered appropriate, unless you have clearly stated that you do not want this to happen. Any work reproduced in other publications will be on a ‘not for profit’ basis. WHEN SUBMITTING YOUR WORK PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING PERMISSION: THIS IS MY OWN WORK AND I AGREE TO INSIDE TIME PUBLISHING IT IN ALL ASSOCIATE SITES AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS AS APPROPRIATE.

Jailbreak

52

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

General Knowledge Crossword



TWENTY QUESTIONS TO TEST YOUR GENERAL KNOWLEDGE 1. Which Asian country was once known as Siam? 2. Which drink, highly flavoured with wormwood, was made illegal in France in 1915? 3. A first wedding anniversary is traditionally associated with which material? 4. In 1999, which Italian trio had their first UK number one hit with the single ‘Blue (Da Ba Dee)’? 5. With a name similar to Hollywood, which British film studios opened in Buckinghamshire in 1936? 6. Which actor turned singer had a hit with ‘Crocodile Shoes’ in 1994? 7. In 1973, Carl XVI Gustaf became king of which European country?

Across

Down

1 "Tales of —", an opera by Jacques Offenbach (7) 5 African republic with Kampala as its capital (6) 10 The opposite of 'urban' (5) 11 Fletcher —, leader of the mutineers on HMS Bounty (9) 12 Film for which Lee Marvin won an Oscar in 1966 (3,6) 13 The only poisonous snake found wild in Britain (5) 14 A group or faction within a political party who meet to discuss strategy, etc. (6) 16 Scottish national emblem (7) 18 A stabbing blade attachable to the muzzle of a rifle (7) 20 Capital of the French region of Pays de la Loire (6) 22 US state with the Snake River on its western boundary (5) 24 English county containing Eton College and Windsor Castle (9) 26 Author of "To Kill a Mockingbird"(6,3) 27 A large and sumptuous meal (5) 28 A native or inhabitant of the USA (6) 29 The science of the bodily structure of animals and plants (7)

1 Roman poet who gave us the phrase "carpe diem" (6) 2 The wife of the US President (5,4) 3 Dame Nellie —, renowned Australian soprano (5) 4 — Cage, American film actor, a nephew of the director Francis Ford Coppola (7) 6 The period between conception and birth (9) 7 In classical mythology, a river or spring nymph (5) 8 English racecourse where the Grand National is run (7) 9 Author of the novel known in English translation as "Remembrance of Things Past" (6) 15 The dialect of Chinese spoken in southeast China and Hong Kong (9) 17 Gilbert and Sullivan operetta set in the Japanese town of Titipu (3,6) 18 Home, for British troops serving abroad (7) 19 Member of the Capulet family slain by Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet"(6) 20 Dictator of Panama arrested by invading US forces in 1989 (7) 21 Warren —, American film star, director and producer (6) 23 Where aircraft stand while not being used (5) 25 The capital of Bulgaria (5)

Garry Wynne HMP Dovegate

Books criminality of the Bible

B A L O T A C E G I K M N O P W V S U Q

L P C E F G L L H J L D E F E N C E R P

Accused Arrest

O W R C R O W N V I V E O B R O I L U H

T V I M U E Y N A K U N C N I N I Y C A

I Z M C D S D O M H M B E V R E D E A S

S T E D E N E U W O R E I O E H T O N E

O P W M F R I D I A L A G E L O A J X N

N I I O N O K I K R N I U R E G X K W T

L U K T A S T I C R B T O N T H N I X E

E V L E R S L O E E I E T L E Q D N T N

C D U M K Y T M G S H V O N T E P E E C

Z E S E S U A S E T A I W L U I E K L E

Q O F F E N C E A D K D W I C E N X S K

V F T V D I D O R N T E H F E E H X E I

T G O O U E H R T O M N A T S D O U M S

N H I L F W U R E T E C I M O Y T N T S

L J W I T N E S S T X E T F R E R L E W

S K A L R Q G C L L A F S K P R I S O N

N M B L A M V B P L A B B I M I A R F Z

F I N G E R P R I N T U C U N Y L I A B

Acts Accused Colossians Corinthians Arrest Deuteronomy Ephesians Bail Exodus Galatians Hebrews Crime Isaiah James Crown Jeremiah Job Defence John Joshua Luke Evidence Malachi Mark Finger Print

Matthew Legal Aid

Nahum Peter Offence Philippians Proverbs Prison Psalm Revelation Romans Samuel Prosecute Thessalonians Timothy Titus

Remand

Sentence Trial Witness

Check forward, backward and diagonally, they are all there! Thanks to Angela Jones Thanks to Garry Wynne HMP HMP Drake Hall Dovegate for compiling this wordfor compiling this wordsearch. If you search. If you fancy compiling one for fancy compiling one for us please just us please just send it in max 20 x 20 send it in max 20 x 20 grid & complete grid & complete with answers shown with answers shown on a grid. If we on a grid. If we use it we will send you use it we will send you £5 as a thank £5 as a thank you! you!

11. Which word, describing retail offers, was coined from the initial letters of the phrase ‘buy one get one free’? 12. In which field is the Turner Prize awarded? 13. The 1997 film Fierce Creatures, starring Michael Palin and Jamie Lee Curtis, was the follow-up to which 1988 comedy? 14. Native to Africa, what is the fastest land animal? 15. What is the national flower of England? 16. Which male singing voice comes between a tenor and a bass? 17. On the set of which film did Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman meet?

8. Which British actress and Carry On star was born Barbara Ann Deeks?

18. Axminster and Wilton are well-know names in which type of household floor covering?

9. What name is given to a person who doesn’t eat meat?

19. Which Irish golfer won the 2006 European Order of Merit?

10. In a motor vehicle what do the initials ‘ABS’ stand for?

20. Which English actor played George Smiley in TV’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley’s People?

It’s a con

Did you suffer physical, sexual or emotional abuse as a child? WBW Solicitors can help you claim compensation for your lost childhood. For sympathetic, straight-forward, confidential advice, contact Therese Classon Member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers

01626 202404 www.wbw.co.uk

Church House, Queen Street, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 2QP

APPROACHABLE UNDERSTANDABLE ACCESSIBLE

Jailbreak

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

“Quotes” “

Could I see myself with a British boyfriend? Absolutely. The way they wear their pants is so cute Kelly Rowland, singer and X Factor judge, reveals a liking for UK trousering

”

“ ” But apart from that, life doesn’t seem I’m not stick thin

too bad for the actress Emma Watson

Quiz

“

People delivering trite lines in a sort of terribly pretentious manner on stage - the low point of the cinematic calendar

”

The actress Rosamund Pike on awards ceremonies

“ I can’t imagine David Cameron is going to leave office within 10

“

years, so who in their right mind is going to put a fat 70-year-old in charge of the country?

” The actor Phillip Glenister, 48, calls for

Why I’ll never be prime minister, by the communities secretary Eric Pickles, 59 – perhaps forgetting that Winston Churchill served as a portly PM twice in his seventies

The majority of people who watch TV drama are late thirties and over-forties, because we’re the ones who don’t go out and don’t have life any more

”

more programmes for the middle-aged

7

3 4

4 7 3 1 2

6 1 7 5

Phillip Glenister

Rosamund Pike

6 7 8 4 5 4 6 3 9 6 2

2

3

5

Daily Sudoku: Thu 13-Oct-2011

PROBLEM? WE CAN HANDLE IT! (c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2011. All rights reserved.

4 5 9 3 2 1 6 7 8 8 1 7 6 5 9 3 2 4 3 2 6 4 7 8 5 9 1 7 8 2 1 9 5 4 6 3 We guarantee a prompt response, friendly 5 6 and 4 7thoroughly 8 3 9 1reliable 2 advice 9 3 1 from 2 6an4 experienced 7 8 5 representation team. 2 9 8 5 4 6 1 3 7 Parole Hearings, Judicial Reviews, 4 3 8 1 7 &2 Categorisation 5 9 Recalls,6Adjudications, 1 7 5 9reviews 3 2 8 4 6

WeDaily are Criminal Sudoku: Thu 13-Oct-2011 and Prison medium Law Specialists

The latest video link interview facilities are http://www.dailysudoku.com/ available to speed up the processes and avoid delay in having your concerns addressed. Write to Mark Bailey

Bailey Nicholson Grayson Solicitors 15 Bourne Court Southend Road Ilford Essex IG8 8HD or call

0208 315 4450

For a prompt service throughout the midlands and the south of England

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SUDOKU & GEFBADCHI

Kelly Rowland

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9 9 9

1. Undergarment (8) 2. Aristocrat (4) 3. 4 Weeks before Christmas (6) 4. Landed property (6) 5. Entreaty (4) 6. Shopkeeper (8) 7. Negligent (8) 8. Quarrel (4) 9. Vegetable (6) 10. Knife (6) 11. Verbal (4) 12. Coalition (8) 13. Hooligan (6) 14. Release (8) 15. Advertisement (6) 16. Change sides (6) 17. Blemish (4) 18. Colonise (6) 19. Essential (8) 20. Hope (6) 21. Ensnare (6) 22. Riding Seat (6) 23. European (6) 24. Nocturnal creatures (4)

Quizwordsearch, submitted by Neil Speed, a former prisoner who also came up with the concept of GEF BAD CHI whilst in prison. Inside Time features a 1. Undergarment (8) Camisole GEF BAD CHI puzzle on this page. 2. Aristocrat (4) Peer 3. 4 Weeks before Christmas (6) GEF BAD CHI By Neil Speed Published by Xlibris. RRP: £12.35 4. Landed property (6) Estate 5. Entreaty (4) Plea 6. Shopkeeper (8) by K McKay HMP Frankland. RetailerStart on the left with the first number and work your way Submitted across following the instructions in each cell. See how quickly you can do each puzzle and how 7. Negligent (8) Careless month! Answers on page 55. If you would like to submit similar 8. Quarrel (4)your times improve month byTiff that are chosen for print. Please send in a minimum of three 9. Vegetable puzzles (6) we will pay £5 for any Sprout puzzles together with the answer! 10. Knife (6) Dagger 11. Verbal (4) Oral +14Coalition / –19 / ÷5 / +20 / –13 / ÷5 = ? 12. (8) / ×9 / +4 Alliance 13. Hooligan (6) Vandal 14. Release (8) Liberate ×14Advertisement / –19 / (6) +9 / ÷4 /Poster ×5 / ×20% / –13 / ×5 = ?? 15. 16. Change sides (6) Defect 17. Blemish (4) Spot –14 / +19 / ×9 / +4 / –5 / ×20% / ×13 / ÷5 = ?? 18. Colonise (6) Settle 19. Essential (8) Integral 20. Hope (6) Aspire 21. Ensnare (6) Entrap 22. Riding Seat (6) Saddle 23. European (6) French 24. Nocturnal creatures (4) Owls

SCOTTISH PRISONERS Specialist in Criminal Law:

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CAPTION COMPETITION

Gema Quiz

Computer Games 1. Who is the main character in the game ‘Red Dead Revolver’? Frank West/Red Harlow/Harry Mason 2. Which of these titles was a Playstation 2 launch title? Timesplitters /The Suffering/God of War 3. The game ‘Silent Scope’ features only ONE useable weapon. What is this? 4. In the gamecube title ‘Luigi’s Mansion’ what is Luigi trying to capture? Ghosts/Rings /Burglars 5. In what year was the game ‘Tetris’ first released? 1990/1969/1984 6. The well known annual computer and video game trade fair, E3, is held in which country? 7. World renowned video game developers NAMCO, responsible for the Tekken and Time Crisis series amongst others, originated in which country? 8. Psychological horror title ‘Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem’ was released on which console? Gamecube/Xbox/PSOne 9. What size is the Official PS2 memory card?

The new Gema Records catalogue is out now! (Summer 2011) For the first time, we have a DVD section with over 17,000 DVDs. In addition, we have 11,000 New Releases and over 5,000 Special Offers included in the catalogue. PS2 Bundles now come with 2 free pre-owned games. We are now offering used Xbox 360 Arcade consoles with a vastly increased range of games

For your own personal copy, please send a cheque or PO (payable to Gema Records) for £2 to Gema Records, PO Box 54, Reading RG1 3SD and we will immediately despatch a copy to you along with a £2 voucher to use against your first order.

Last month’s winners

B Gagen HMP Gartree Jack Tremlett HMP Channings Wood Kenny Wilson HMP Peterhead All orders and despatches are confirmed using the emailaprisoner service

insideknowledge 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!!

?

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 winners’ names will appear in next month’s issue. 1. Which sport has proved to be the most popular amongst the male prison population? 2. How many prisoners are currently in training with the Timpson Academies? 3. What year did The Howard League for Penal Reform visit America’s first Veteran’s Court? 4 What has caused an estimated 80,000 deaths in the UK? 5. Which project was recently re-launched by The Prisoners Education Trust? 6. What problem did 20% of prisoners say they developed after going to prison? 7. Who said that right now hip-hop is about partying and having a good time?

Glaisyers Solicitors

10 Rowchester Court Printing House Street Birmingham B4 6DZ

0121 233 2971

Another £25 prize is on offer for the best caption to this month’s picture. What do you think is being thought or said here? The Queen sees the funny side as she meets these Australian nurses in their ‘matching’ outfits.

Gema sponsors of Jailbreak

Answers to last months quiz: 1. Chris Hemsworth, 2. Sucker Punch, 3. Kristen Stewart, 4. James Cameron, 5. The Smurfs, 6. Tim Allen, 7. Star Wars, 8. Ratatouille, 9. Charlie and the chocolate factory, 10. 2006

For an Immediate Response contact: Duncan Smith

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prize is in the post

If he eats that one, that’s the game over!

GEMA RECORDS - SUPPLIER OF THE UK’S LARGEST BACK CATALOGUE OF MUSIC Telephone: 01189 842 444

See black box to the right for details of how to enter. The first three names to be drawn with all correct answers (or nearest) will each receive a £15 Gema Record Voucher & free catalogue

• Licence & Parole Hearings • Categorisation & Transfer • Recall to Custody • Ajudications • Tariff & Judicial Review

John Pearce HMP Winchester

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10. The series of games endorsed by West Indian legend Brian Lara involves playing which sport?

Criminal Defence, Appeals and Prison Law Specialists All Prison issues including:

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SOLICITORS 7 South Parade, Leeds LS1 5QE 0113 2432288 Categorisation Parole/Recall HDC Progression Adjudications Appeals/CCRC Lifer/IPP issues Judicial Review Contact our Prison Law Team Katy Cowans - Rebecca Seal Rachel Jamieson ›› Registered with EMAP ‹‹

>> To enter

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 is 22/11/11

8. What is the percentage of ‘foreign nationals’ jailed after the summer riots? 9. What did Caesar steal after escaping from the primate sanctuary? 10. A website calculator was created by which charity? 11. What is ‘reflection time’ in reality? 12. Which ‘Trust’ offers scholarships for those aiming to study at degree level? 13. At which prison was there a shocking level of self harm? 14. What type of features are those who grew up in poverty likely to have? 15. Who told the BBC that they think Colin Norris’s conviction is unsafe?

Answers to Last Month’s Inside Knowledge Prize Quiz 1. Simply K, 2. Zoe Ingenhaag – Tricycle Theatre, 3. Lowdham Grange, 4. The Speaking Clock, 5. HMP Swansea, 6. Daniel Hogg, 7. 5828, 8. 40%, 9. Amy Whitehouse, 10. Emily Bronte, 11. Petra Ecclestone, 12. 35, 13. 0046, 14. PSI 2010-056, 15. Noel Smith Our three £25 Prize winners are: Cath Davies HMP Foston Hall, Vysniauskas Tomas HMP Wormwood Scrubs, K Moore HMP Peterhead Plus our £5 Consolation prizes go to: Ian Meacham HMP Channings Wood, Graham Murray HMP Stafford

“Locked in here all day; you don’t turn criminals into citizens by treating them this way” with kind permission from Billy Bragg

We have a dedicated and specialist team. We offer nothing but honest and professional advice. We aim to deal with your case speedily and efficiently. We aim to provide a quick response to all initial contacts. We regularly attend prisons throughout Northern England but do offer nationwide service in particular: Disability Discrimination Categorisation / Progression Parole & Licence Issues Lifer & IPP cases Adjudications Appeals / CCRC cases Recall HDC Judicial Review www.chiverssolicitors.co.uk

NORTH EAST OFFICE Chivers Solicitors, Abbey Business Centre, Abbey Road, Durham DH1 5JZ

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Comedy Corner

Rock & Pop Quiz

Police hunt Lord Lucan after murder Detectives are searching for British aristocrat Lord Lucan following the death of his children's nanny last night. He was never found.

November 10th 1960

Lady Chatterley's Lover sold out Penguin's first run of the DH Lawrence's sexually explicit novel banned for more than 30 years sells out.

November 12th 1984

Quid notes out - pound coins in The English pound note is to disappear after more than 150 years.

November 19th 1994

Britain braced for first lottery draw Britain's first national lottery draw is about to be shown live on a flagship BBC One show.

9. How old was Brenda Lee when she signed a recording contract in 1956?

Mind Gym

2

4

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Prisons and Solicitors should call Derek Jones on 0844 873 3111 for further details or visit the website

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Contact a member of our friendly team

›› Over 60 UK prisons and IRC’s are using the EMAP service and more are being added each month.

Sudoku

Quizwordsearch

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AWARD WINNING COVER FOR MOTOR – HOME PUBLIC LIABILITY

›› Solicitors and organisations registered can provide clients with a fast and efficient service and keep them fully updated with progress. Note: Not suitable for Rule 39 correspondence.

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1 in 5 people are routinely refused insurance

Rock & Pop Quiz

Daily Sudoku: Thu 13-Oct-2011

Second Chance!

›› Anyone in establishments using the service can receive emails from their family and friends, solicitors and other organisations registered.

General Knowledge

Crossword

medium

›› Faster than 1st class post ›› Cheaper than a 2nd class stamp ›› No cost to HMPS

> ANSWERS

1 1. 7 3, 5 2. 80, 2 3. 65 1. Camisole 2. Peer 3. Missing word Advent 4. Estate 4 5 9 3 2 1 6 7 8 5. Plea 8 1 7 6 5 9 3 2 4 6. Retailer 3 2 6 4 7 8 5 9 1 7. Careless 7 8 2 1 9 5 4 6 3 8. Tiff 5 6 4 7 8 3 9 1 2 9. Sprout 9 3 1 2 6 4 7 8 5 10. Dagger 2 9 8 5 4 6 1 3 7 11. Oral 6 4 3 8 1 7 2 5 9 12. Alliance 1 7 5 9 3 2 8 4 6 13. Vandal 14. Liberate 15. Poster 16. Defect http://www.dailysudoku.com/ 17. Spot 18. Settle 19. Integral 20. Aspire 21. Entrap 22. Saddle 23. French 24. Owls

Email a Prisoner

Down: 1 Horace, 2 First lady, 3 Melba, 4 Nicolas, 6 Gestation, 7 Naiad, 8 Aintree, 9 Proust, 15 Cantonese, 17 The Mikado, 18 Blighty, 19 Tybalt, 20 Noriega, 21 Beatty, 23 Apron, 25 Sofia.

Answers below right

Nuremberg trial of Nazis begins Twenty of Germany's Nazi leaders go on trial in Nuremberg charged with war crimes.

Do you have any jokes (printable) that you would like to share with our readers? If so, send them in to: Inside Time (Jokes), Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2GB. If you do not want your name or prison to appear please make it clear. You will receive £5 for every one we print so don’t forget to include your details even if you don’t want them printed.

Across: 1 Hoffman, 5 Uganda, 10 Rural, 11 Christian, 12 Cat Ballou, 13 Adder, 14 Caucus, 16 Thistle, 18 Bayonet, 20 Nantes, 22 Idaho, 24 Berkshire, 26 Harper Lee, 27 Feast, 28 Yankee, 29 Anatomy.

10. Who won the 2005 Grammy Song of the Year Award for his song Daughters?

November 20th 1945

6

8. Who won the 2008 Grammy Song of the Year Award for her song Rehab?

November 8th 1974

4 7 3 1 2

7. Under what collective name did forty-plus singers, including Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen, record We Are The World in 1985?

Russians launch dog into space The Soviet Union sends the first ever living creature into the cosmos aboard Sputnik II.

6

6. It’s Raining Men is possibly the best-known single by which girl band?

November 3rd 1957

Daily Sudoku: Thu 13-Oct-2011

5. Which record label was founded by Berry Gordy in 1958?

Ê I bumped into an old mate today. He said, “What you up to these days?” I said, “I prepare meals for the homeless, druggies, pissheads, and down and outs.” He said, “So you work in a charity drop in centre?” I said, “No, I’m a chef in a wetherspoons pub!” Luke Alford - HMP Brinsford ............................................................... Ê I took the wife for tea and biscuits yesterday; she wasn’t very pleased about giving a pint of blood first though! P Rees - HMP Albany

1. To attend Bible college. 2. They have all performed the title song to James Bond movies. 3. Vanilla Ice. 4. Aretha Franklin and George Michael. 5. Tamla Motown. 6. The Weather Girls. 7. USA for Africa. 8. Amy Winehouse. 9. Eleven. 10. John Mayer.

4. I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) was a No 1 hit for which duet back in 1987?

Ê A prison governor and a gym S.O were out fishing on their day off when a gust of wind blows them out of the boat. They spend ages frantically spluttering around swallowing lots of water until the S.O finally manages to pull himself onto the boat. He then fishes the governor out. Catching his breath he says to the governor, “Please don’t say anything I’d be a laughing stock if anyone in the gym found out I can’t swim.” “Don’t worry,” replies the governor, “I’d hate for anyone at the prison to find out I can’t walk on water.” K Baker - HMP Garth ............................................................... Ê A new Middle East crisis erupted last night as Dubai television was refused permission to broadcast ‘The Flintstones’. A spokesman for the channel said, “A claim was made that people in Dubai would not understand the humour, but we know for a fact that people in Abu Dhabi do!” Darren Stewart - HMP Wakefield

1. Thailand 2. Absinthe 3. Paper 4. Eiffel 65 5. Pinewood 6. Jimmy Nail 7. Sweden 8. Barbara Windsor 9. Vegetarian 10. Antilock Braking System 11. BOGOF 12. Art 13. A Fish Called Wanda 14. Cheetah 15. Rose 16. Baritone 17. Days of Thunder 18. Carpet 19. Padraig Harrington 20. Alec Guinness

3. Texas-born Robert Matthew van Winkle is better known by what stage name?

Do you remember?

Send in your jokes, you will receive £5 for every one we print!

1. For what reason did Little Richard temporarily retire from the music business in 1958? 2. Movie-wise, what do Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, Matt Monro, Carly Simon, Sheena Easton and Tina Turner all have in common?

55

> Next Issue Week commencing 28th November 2011

> looking ahead • December Short Story supplement H Send in your Short Stories H

• January Inside Poetry supplement • February Inside Entertainment

56 National Prison Radio

Insidetime November 2011 www.insidetime.org

November November 2011

2011

National Prison Radio is currently available in 65 prisons across England and Wales.

What’s on National Prison Radio? What’s on National Prison

Radio?

We broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, into your cell. If your prison has National Prison Radio, you can listen through your TV by using the tuning buttons on your remote control.

Day

Mon

Tue

07:00

Porridge

Wed

Thur

Fri

Sat

The first national breakfast show made by and for prisoners big tracks, news, sport, information and real stories of prison life

08:00

The Request Show

Another chance to catch the latest show 09:00 10:00

11:00

Radio? Tue

Wed

Brit 40 The UK’s number one chart show

All Music Daytime

Music and information designed to help you make the most of your time inside

The Selector Two hours of the best in new UK music

Thur Fri 12:00

Sat

Sun

Porridge

The Request Show

Another chance to catch the latest show

14:00

Request Show

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

15:00

All Music Daytime The Brixton Hour

Music and information designed to help you make the most of your time inside

The A List

w s xes

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

16:00

For information, see edition at 07:00

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

19:05 Gospel Hour Uplifting gospel music

20:05 This American Life Stories from the US

20:05

21:05 The State We’re In

A repeat of Friday’s show

Dawn til Dusk Spiritual themes, mellow tunes

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

Bull Music Academy Radio

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

Request Show

The Brixton Hour

om 18:00

Brit 40 The UK’s number one chart show

Brit 40

ove Songs Hour

Brixton Hour Show made for Brixton prisoners

Dawn til Dusk Spiritual themes, mellow tunes

All Request Saturday The week’s shows back to back

Behind Bars Repeat from Monday Behind Bars Repeat from Tuesday

Brixton Hour Hear the show again

Behind Bars Repeat from Thursday

All Request Saturday The week’s shows back to back

Behind Bars Repeat from Friday

rison Radio:

The Selector Two hours of the best in new UK music

National Prison Radio Book Club An omnibus edition of the week’s book reading

9:00, 11:00, 15:00, 17:00 and 20:00

prisons across the country at 10:00, 12:00, 16:00, 18:00 and 22:00

t 9:00, 11:00, 15:00, 17:00 and 20:00

Inside Time are proud to sponsor the NPR schedule along with the following advertisers.

a1st Prisoner class post

n a 2nd class stamp

100 UK prisons now get e mails y, friends and legal representatives ils call 0844 873 3111

ue send a £2.00 postal order to: PO Box 54 Reading RG1 3SD

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Behind Bars

Gema Records Supplier of music, dvds and games (See full advert on page 54)

Tue

Wed

Thur

Fri

Your award-winning daily feature show. Entertainment and support, helping you to make the most of your time behind bars.

18:00

The Request Show

Requests and shout outs from prisons across England and Wales. Want to hear your favourite song on National Prison Radio? To hear your song, message or poem on the radio, write to us at National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

19:00

Most Wanted A different theme each week - the definitive tracks

20:00

The Monday Alternative The best in indie music

21:00

22:00

21.30 Selector After Dark A mix from one of the UK’s finest DJs

The Selector Two hours of the best in new UK music, plus interviews, mixes and live sets

The Album Show A classic album in full

NPR Urban Hip-hop, RnB and dancehall

All About the Oldies Classic hits

Ministry of Sound Keeping you in touch with the sounds filling dancefloors on the outside

Sat

Sun

The Love

The Information Centre All the facts you need if you’re new to prison

Bug An hour of love songs and tips for writing letters home

27 Nov: NPR Book Club

The Album Show A classic album in full

Brixton Hour For HMP Brixton prisoners

Most Wanted Hear Monday’s show again

Brit 40 The UK’s number one chart show

The Rock Show The best in loud guitar music

21.30 Red Bull Music Academy Live recordings, interviews, mixes and documentary features

Bob and Beyond A solid hour of reggae classics The Soul Show Classic soul sounds

22.30 National Prison Radio Book Club Tune in to this month’s book reading, Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce

23:00

Late Night Love Bug Back-to-back love songs, seven nights a week - the perfect soundtrack to write letters home

Overnight

Dream Time Dreamy chill-out tunes and information on how to stay safe while you’re inside

For information, see edition at 07:00

daily TV ational news from the studiosYour of Sky News, every hour,Guide on the hour at

S2 Bundles and pre owned ew Xbox 360 consoles. For a

17:00

The Rock Show Hear it again

International news from the studios of Sky News, every hour, on the hour, and the latest news from prisons across the top Music and Information country - every weekday at 10:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00, 21:00, 23:00 and in Porridge, National Prison Radio’s breakfast show.

rds - Supplier of the UK’s ck Catalogue of Music

Mon

Behind Bars Repeat from Wednesday

Another chance to hear this morning’s show

13:00

Eve

Reggae and dancehall every Saturday and Gospel for your Sunday morning

Behind Bars

ars 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

of this morning’s show

Weekend Porridge

Catch up with the latest show

hind Bars

ge

Sun

SIS Insurance Second chance! 1 in 5 people are routinely refused insurance (See full advert on page 55)

Email a Prisoner Faster than 1st class post & cheaper than a 2nd class stamp (Full advert on page 55)

Email a Prisoner • Faster than 1st class post • Cheaper than a 2nd class stamp

Prisoners in over 100 UK prisons now get e mails from their family, friends and legal representatives For full details call 0844 873 3111

Gema Records - Supplier of the UK’s Largest Back Catalogue of Music

We can look again

plus DVD’s, PS2 Bundles and pre owned

games and new Xbox 360 consoles. For a personal catalogue send a £2.00 postal order to: Gema Records PO Box 54 Reading RG1 3SD

SIS Insurance

AWARD WINNING INSURANCE PRODUCTS DESIGNED FOR FORMER PRISONERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

MOTOR, HOME & PUBLIC LIABILITY 13 Northenden Road Sale Cheshire M33 2DH

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Contact a member of our friendly team

The Big Dawg Tim Westwood: award-winning DJ, hip hop pioneer, radio legend AND a fierce supporter of prison radio. In this month’s issue, the Radio 1 veteran, talks to National Prison Radio about his love of radio, hip hop and why he has been a fierce supporter of prison radio since becoming a patron of the UK’s first prison radio station, Radio Feltham, back in 1994. National Prison Radio is currently available in 58 prisons across England and Wales. We broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, into your cell. If your prison has National Prison Radio, you can listen through

your TV by using the tuning buttons on your remote control.

Would you like to receive training to become a professional chef? The Clink offers high quality City & Guilds training leading to qualifications and employment upon release. If you do and you have 6 to 18 months left to serve; please apply to your local job shop or Offender Management Unit to recommend you to The Clink team.

HER MAJESTY’S PRISON HIGH DOWN SUTTON, SURREY

Registered Charity Number: 1134581

The Criminal Cases Review Commission is the independent public body which investigates possible miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Suff www

an information informationpack packand andapplication applicationform, form, please For an please phone us to to: us on on 0121 0121633 2331800 1473ororwrite write Criminal Tower,Place, Criminal Cases Cases Review ReviewCommission, Commision, Alpha 5 St Philip’s Suffolk StreetB3 Queensway, Birmingham B1 1TT. Birmingham 2PW www.ccrc.gov.uk www.ccrc.gov.uk