IPP SOS. In the vain hope that they could appeal for someone to rescue them from their plight.

The HMP Titanic


         

Having read Inside Time for many years, I noticed a mailbag recently from a bitter-sounding IPP in the December issue. This was titled ‘Some IPPs more equal than others’. I felt quite moved by this because I saw it for what it was, simply one poor soul trying to stamp out another poor soul’s hopes to be released, because one of them had a tariff of under 2 years. In my opinion this group of IPPs would obviously be the first ones out under Nick Hardwick’s ‘Reverse the Risk Test’ idea, and good luck to them.

 

“Right now, every one of us is deciding with our attitudes and our behaviour, who we are on that ship”

 

I see some striking parallels, for all of us who received IPP, 2-strikes and life, with the case of the Titanic disaster of 1912. Some of those passengers fought each other for seats on the few remaining lifeboats, whilst others voluntarily gave up their seats. Then there were those who sent up flares or telegrammed SOS in the vain hope that they could appeal for someone to rescue them from their plight. Others prayed or committed suicide in their cabins. Right now, every one of us is deciding with our attitudes and our behaviour, who we are on that ship. I know who I am. I am the one that has accepted that if they ever do go for Kenneth Clarke’s ‘Release 500’ or Nick Hardwick’s ‘Reverse the Risk Test’, there is never going to be enough seats on the ‘lifeboat’ to go around.

 

Captain Liz Truss may very well soon be forced to start bailing out the engine rooms, and not just with an egg-cup as her predecessors have been doing. So, while she is doing this, I invite all of us that know we won’t fit the criteria to reach the upper-decks to display the courage, mercy and selflessness that those who rule over us and maintain these abolished and mediaeval sentences are completely devoid of. Don’t resent any survivors. And don’t hit any ‘spice-bergs’.

Brackenbury

 

Sadly he's absolutely spot on! But feel it's important to keep exposing the extreme downfalls in the system, the heartache it causes and families it ruin, not to mention the lives it's cost, it's got to stop!!..... Here's another example on the flip side of the coin, because prison staff are human and have families too, they're trying their best with the little resources they do have and it's costing them their lives too these people running the mother ships. Should hang their heads in shame. https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-7734-Suicidal-prison-staff-at-the-end-of-their-tether#.WJSzq49viUl

And no doubt hearing, how can they keep me locked up for something I might do rather than have done! Coz essentially that's what they are doing isn't it!    Owen

The system is broken, you have to fight for anything. The human cost is catastrophic and only the strong will currently survive it. That's why family and friends are critical to ipps. They need support. Persecution hurts and causes enormous emotional damage. The ipp campaign helps all of us, we must stay strong for them. Public opinion is changing. Change will come.

 

Mcluckie

 

Just been talking to my Son i asked him him a couple of questions am I just knew each answer b 4 he told me now put in mind his been in prison on this poxy ipp sentence for 10 long lonely yrs now I say lonely cos that is just that, question 1, have u ever had an oral hearing, answer no mum NEVER, Question 2, how many parole have u had, answer 4 maby 5,
Question 3 how many times over the past 7 yrs have u met with your solicitor, answer NONE wouldn't even begin to tell u wot he looks like,
Question 4, so u r telling me that every parole you have sat on he has NEVER been there, answer mum I've NEVER sat in front of a parole board all my parole have been on paper.

Can someone PLZ answer this is this allowed to happen when he has been in for 10 yrs 6 of those being over his tariff date. Does he not have   opportunity to go an sit in front if a parole board is it NOT their own choice to do so I know. NOT having that choice I think this is so cruel and out of order. My son like many others r sitting in a prison not knowing when or even IF they will ever b released. Dean I never even knew about oral hearings I have heard of them don't get me wrong but never knew how they worked an who could go for them I ha e tried an tried so bloody hard over the past mainly 5/6 yrs to get someone to help wit my son to help him move forward but everytime im hitting a brick wall I feel to give up but his my son an as no one else wishes to help im the only one that can but I can only do so much Wots it going to take wit this poxy ipp someone else to take their own life once again makes me so frigging mad.

Kingham You have to apply for an oral hearing when you receive the parole dossier. If you don't and you have no lawyer it's highly likely the Board will not give you a hearing


McSherry More chit chat.... Remember this everyday we are out here talking and talking.... Ipps are degrading mentally and physically.... Suicide and self harm increasing....there is only one way to achieve results and that is by taking a hard action... Strikes and protests.... I suggest a mass organised hunger strike....all ipps under 4 years immediate re sentence and release.... Those demands would be met in months! All this talking and emails....theyll have you doing that the next ten years.... Ipp been going 13 years how much mire talking you gona do?

Owen . I hope he hang's on in there. Ms Truss is dribbling on about building bigger prisons and recruiting more officers but neither address the big issue for the government. Obviously they don't care about prisoners but the numbers don't stack up. The prison estate is at 98% capacity and its bursting apart. They hate bad press and they are getting alot at the moment. They really have no choice now but to change the test for release. I'm hopeful this year the test will be changed.  I hope I'm right, I don't want to see another IPP suicide. Please tell those to hold on.
The government say they will defend former Chris Graylings decision to cut legal aid in this area because the prisoner has OTHER means of getting the problem resolved. Other means! Mmm. They wouldn't be refering to the prison complaints system would they? Because that just isn't funny! I do so hope the Howard League win this legal challenge but those government lawyers are really tough cookie's to beat. My fingers are crossed. The government need to feel real pressure from all angles. IPP must go!


Grant  my lovely brother was 9 years over his tariff, he was also diagnosed with terminal cancer whilst in there, 2014, we didn't stop fighting until eventually they released him due to him dying and sadly we only had 6 weeks with him before he passed away, it makes me sick to my stomach that his last years were robbed from us all. Good , I really hope that your voice is heard


valon Our prison service is well and truely broken . As an aside when I left the prison service i became a magistrate for 5 years . I'm not now. The cuts to legal aid have made the whole court system so biased. It's become a revenue raising exercise designed to take in money through fines
Our prison service is well and truely broken . As an aside when I left the prison service i became a magistrate for 5 years . I'm not now. The cuts to legal aid have made the whole court system so biased. It's become a revenue raising exercise designed to take in money through fines.when I was an officer. " Guv I don't mind being banged up for an offence I did commit but recalling me for something that is not an offence for any person on tbe street is justice piss puss take ".


Horton It will be good for the public to hear the viewpoint of someone who has worked on the frontline, so to speak. As an ex-prison officer, you can confirm what families have been saying about the effect of this awful sentence. And I totally agree with you about the prison service in general. 

Zing 5% reoffending rate, oasys doesn't change with time but lowest reoffending is larger sentences how can the risk assessment be unaffected? Parole board are asked to make future predictions based on information with inflated risk its resulting in self harm rate of almost 2/3rds massively high suicide and development of psychiatric and psychological trauma (its torture, and its two tier system ipps ate far more persecuted than others around them

Murphy Probation can't cope so its better they stay in jail so they don't have to deal with them .they move goal posts all the time .my son has done every thing even got job to come out to .up for parole in Feb let's see what excuses this time 8yrs over tariff



Kelly Well how about listening to people with experience both sides and come up with a honest answer because the money's thats wasted around 70 grand per prisoner per year would be better in your NHS for the poor soles that have been mentally tortured because of this unjust sentence and there family's you put all that money into TICK BOX courses and if the prisoners dont fit in O well guess what there not going home . Then if you do get released with around 50 quid and then thrown to the wolf's because you have to sign with probation that many time's a day its a joke what you be doing today?? Running to get here on time running home {if your lucky enough to be allowed home more likely a nice hostel still miles from your family's for a cup of tea then back on with your running shoes that your families have had to buy and the same clothes that you went to prison in that dont no longer fit to sign on as funding was CUT so no bus pass for you mate good luck with signing on as after 45 minutes on phone{not yours no phone unless you FIND 1 in the street !!! Or got lucky some kind person has lent you there's but you have p----sed someone off because you've now use all there credit up
You explain your situation about sighing 4 times a day so guess what you cannot claim because your not actively looking for work !!!
Perhaps if you supply them with a broom to put up there bottoms they could be paid to sweep the roads while running back and forth. No sorry to give them any encouragment as its the council a CRB check ??? No does anyone know if someone with ipp has manage to get employment with them or any other big employees i would like to know ??
Carnt go on because i just wind people up sorry but thanks for the counselling session to all that have read and big thanks to Katherine Gleeson and again Adam to all others keep strong

 Horton I feel like someone ought to graffiti the MoJ with a quotation from Magna Carta (clause 40): 800 years ago, they got it right! "TO NO ONE WILL WE SELL, TO NO ONE DELAY RIGHT OR JUSTICE". This clause is still supposed to be valid in English law today. It clearly isn't  
Dee

Hi ,today after husband was placed in open conditions and in less than  3 weeks my husband was moved with the  clothes he stands in .The  local police and probation wrote to the governor to ask my husband   be moved to closed conditions as he is still high risk, legibly.

Though the  parole board  said he can move to  open conditions PLUS all the reports  such as the Barrister and  probations have my husband down as  medium risk!! My heart breaks for him and I'm ready for a mental institution . What can I do to help him , I am alone in this country no friends or family .

 

REQUEST OF ASSISTANCE

We need your assistance from solicitors and barrister,  you may know of other,s who could  assist with pro-bono work for IPP Prisoners. I look forward to hearing from you.

Contacted  katherinegleeson@aol.com


Thank you

Katherine Gleeson               

 

 

http://www.insidetime.org/the-hmp-titanic/

Past years the families and Nick Hardwick warned those in power now they must listen and take steps to radically reduce the prison population before another life is lost

Please fix the system

Whilst I don’t condone violence, I must doff my cap to all the prisoners involved at HMPs Birmingham, Swaleside and Hull. For years, we have had limp-wristed politicians procrastinating about prison reform and fools like Chris Grayling butchering budgets. When he reduced staffing by over a third what did he think was going to happen?

 

Nick Hardwick, the former Chief Inspector of Prisons, quit his job because for years he has been explaining to those in power that the prison system is stretched to breaking point; and no one listened to him. Well, Liz Truss, it’s broken, now please fix it.

 

We have IPP prisoners years over tariff, massive delays with the Parole Board, underpaid and overworked prison staff, overcrowding and serious safety concerns. To top it off we are forced to stop smoking and to suck on batteries instead (e-cigs).

 

Maybe 2017 will be the year the prison service changes for the better and provides a safe, fair and adequately funded environment for rehabilitation. Fingers crossed everyone!

The difficulties encountered in securing progression or release for various reasons such as

 

• Parole Board delays
• limited resources
• poor procedures for managing risk
• lack of available places on offending behaviour programmes

 has meant that many IPP prisoners are held for years beyond their original tariff.

 

Statistics show that there are just under 4,000 people in custody still serving an IPP sentence despite the sentence being abolished and that four out of every five IPP prisoners are still in custody despite having served their minimum term.

 

Release can only be secured as a result of a Parole Board direction, however for those who have secured release there is still a fear that they can be returned to prison at a moment’s notice if they reoffend or breach the conditions of their license and result in a further substantial period being served in custody.

 

Therefore this has seen numerous calls for the procedure in dealing with IPP sentence prisoners to be reformed and in November 2016 the Parole Board rules were finally amended.

 

Previous procedure for release of IPP

Currently a single member of the Parole Board (Member Case Assessment or MCA) will consider each case initially on the papers and make a decision as to what should happen next. Prior to 22nd November 2016 the Parole Board did not have power to direct an IPP prisoner’s release on the papers. They simply had two options available to them; 1) conclude that the prisoner was unsuitable for release or; 2) direct the matter to an Oral Hearing. The Parole Board experience a significant delay when listing hearings and this process would have contributed to this.

 

Reforms

On 22nd November 2016 the Parole Board Rules were reformed and in particular the process for IPP prisoners has been amended. This now means that the Parole Board have the power at the initial stages to direct an IPP prisoner’s release on the papers without the necessity of an Oral Hearing.

This could therefore mean that there will be potential for IPP prisoners to have their reviews concluded far quicker than under the old rules. Firstly because release can be directed on the papers but also because the new decision should mean that the delays in Oral Hearings being listed should reduce in the future.

There is of course no guarantee that the Parole Board will release an IPP prisoner on the papers. More complex cases will likely still proceed to an Oral Hearing. However, it is envisaged that the reforms will assist those IPP prisoners who have been subject to a technical breach of their licence following their release into the community and where release application is more straightforward.

The 2016 Rules are not retrospective and this therefore means that they will only apply to cases referred to the Parole Board after the 22nd November 2016.

The Parole Board’s test for the release of an IPP prisoner is as follows: The Parole Board will release an offender only if it is satisfied that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public for the offender to be confined.

 

How can we assist?

In order to assist you to secure release we need to work together, you will need to demonstrate that your risk is such that it is manageable in the community. This can be achieved by the completion of offending behaviour courses aimed at addressing risk factors, be proactive and speak with your Offender Supervisor about courses. It is also important to engage with your Offender Manager and Offender Supervisor and to demonstrate compliance within the custodial setting.

 

With these reforms it is now more important than ever to submit representations at the initial stages when your matter is considered by the single member of the Parole Board, these representations would outline to the Parole Board the work that you have undertaken to reduce risk and advocate your release on the papers.

 

We have a specialist Prison Law Team who could assist with this process and we would urge you to contact us as soon as your review commences in order to save delays that may be experienced by many prisoners in obtaining release by way of an oral hearing.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

The System  is Criminal 

 

 

 

 The Cover -up's must end!

 

 

Carole Lingard is one Prison officer  who worked on D wing at Wakefeld

blew the whistle on bosses  on the a Cover -up that . Officers reducing the same prisoners  to tears by telling him he could be attacked by another and end up getting slashed. She also told officers officer forged entries in another prisoners. jail record detailing he misbe-haviour  of battering another guard which never happened he made it up. When telling supervisers they covered it up. Eventually wrote to the governor at waskfield John Slater asking for a proper investigation bur received a letter from his deputy saing nothing  would be gained from it.She then contacted  Prison services headquarters and eventually a probe was launched, but dissatisfied  with the finding  and the way in which it was conducted. she resigned. She brought her case to court and won.

 

Officers making false statements regarding prisoners this has been False statements on  prisoners with the same name but different colour

False drug charges on prisoners, who don't even smoke

False charges on the families that visit , a way to  punish the prisoner

Charges on  prisoner,s records that there not aware off and  once  challenged  by the prisoner  or solicitors o/ Mps  you received a letter stating, We made a mistake on the identity". 

Prisoner's  who were threatened by officers over time or become a treat find themselves  shipped out over night,with no warning, away from  there loved one,s or those they got to know in prison .

 

Badly Run

 

Poor staffing

Poor written reports

Assessments delayed due to staff shortages

Offender manger problem,  release planes rejected due to  offender manger failing to fill out reports Prison recommendations for change, not acted on.

Psychiatrist’s issues

Education poor often out of date rending it useless on the outside.

Delays  relisted after been given a date.

Poor accommodations s for those with impairments such or disability's 

No recognition for positive behaviour

Poor health care management for those with  diabetics or other disorder or conditions

Poor mental health knowledge / understanding resulting in a poor response to needs .

lack of  education to those they look after.

Incidents poorly recorded

 

 

Challenges  faced  outside a snap shot.

 

Hostel problems..............

Off the chart Probation problems

Those who want to challenge recall or  licence cant because there is no legal aid.   

lucky enough to be given council accommodation this is  undermined by  police who challenges  the  move and    refuse  the accommodation.

Depending on the Councils you  may  not be allowed back to own town 

Lack of support,Poverty and Homelessness.

Katherine Gleeson

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Deborah Coles,  who works with the bereaved families, said: “This unacceptable death toll reflects the grim reality “of overcrowded and dehumanising prisons and the failure to protect those in their care .

The sharp rise in suicides shows too many vulnerable people are slipping through the net with tragic consequences.

“The prison service is in crisis following a 40% cut in the number of prison officers, and mental health teams are struggling to help prisoners in desperate need.

An inquest into a prisoner’s suicide in Cheltenham reported that prison staff mistakenly believed ‘a prison psychiatrist’s’ permission was needed before he could be transferred to hospital. Health service staff can only do so much – the whole system must become more functional.”

27 January), the Ministry of Justice has recently released figures showing that 119 prisoners took their own lives in 2017. Incidents of self-harm have also steeply risen in the last year. A record 119 increase of 29 (32%) on the previous year, according to Ministry of Justice figures.

For many inmates, prisons are lonely, isolating and brutalising experiences. Combined with the painful awareness of the passing of wasted time being and being over tariff , the bland mundaneness of prison life can lead to thoughts of death (suicidal ideation).

As many of the pains of imprisonment can be neither effectively ameliorated nor removed, if we wish to avoid record prisoner self-inflicted deaths we must take steps now to radically reduce the prison population !

 

 

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/01/to-cut-jail-suicides-cut-the-prison-population

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/26/prison-suicides-in-england-and-wales-reaches-record-high

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/26/prison-suicides-in-england-and-wales-reaches-record-high

http://www.insidetime.org/ipp-delays-is-this-the-turning-point/

http://www.insidetime.org/please-fix-the-system/

 

 

Prison Protest continue for inmates 'stuck in the system'

 Prisoner stages rooftop protest on behalf of  inmates 'stuck in the system' .

The inmate at HMP Rochester was even able to arrange for a statement to be sent out to the outside world

 before climbing onto the prison roof on Monday 30 January. He gave his name as Ricky Aucott, 27, who was sentenced in 2012 to five and a half years in prison for robbery and assault. He was released in 2015 but sent back to jail for breach of license conditions.


A statement understood to have been written by the inmate, and passed to IBTimes UK, said: "This is just for me and the lads who are stuck in the system, where it's a one-sided game – where it's their game and no-one else's.
"So I'm off on the roof with a few banners and im going to get my point across.

He also accussed the parole board of having F*****me up", adding that "the staff are lying about my record" – a comment thought to be a reference to a recent parole hearing.


HMP Rochester, a medium-sized category C training prison holding about 740 adult and young adult prisoners, has been criticised in the past for a breakdown in security.
The latest inspection,  uncovered levels of violence and safety  so high dozens of prisoners were shutting themselves in their cells through fear of being attacked.

levels of self-harm were also said to be rampant, while inmates also suffered filthy conditions in cells and lacked access to basic items.

A Prison Service spokesperson said of Monday's incident: "A prisoner at HMP Rochester gained access to a building roof for a short period of time on Monday 30 January.

We have a  Legitimate protest

Recently there has been a lot of media hype around what they refer to as ‘prison riots’. However, I take issue with the term ‘riot’ as this is sensationalising, criminalising and detracting from what are legitimate ‘protests’.

 a protest by prisoners against behalf  inmates 'stuck in the system'overcrowded, unhygienic, unsafe and unlawful conditions.
At the centre of this hype we have seen various representatives of NOMS and the POA rattling out their usual rhetoric to the media. Prisoners in general need to air their views, use Inside Time, write to the national press and use social media.

Far too often prisoners have no say and only one side gets heard.
Under PSI 37/2010 Prisoners Access to the Media, and Hirst v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2002] EWHC 602 – prisoners have the right to contact the media whenever his/her purpose is to comment on a matter of legitimate public interest. No voice should be left unheard.





Petiton https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/free-the-remaining-ipp-prisoners?source=facebook-share-button&time=1457618246


 

Comments 

Fint

 

Hi I' i have a  family member 4 years over Tarrif on I.P.P with no release date in sight. He is a Model prisoner. I know u don't need me for the thing ur doing but just wanted to say how much I.p.p. Is a disgusting sentence and completely ruins someone's life. All I.p.p prisoners should be "reviewed and let out if over tariff and a well behaved prisoner who is fully reformed and done ten years of counseling and courses yet they keep changing parole dates.  Wanna send him to a hostel in the area tho all his family have moved away to  so the only people he will know  there is the the ones he  associated with so they're also setting him up for failure.

 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/hmp-rochester-prisoner-stages-rooftop-protest-behalf-inmates-stuck-system-1603892?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=%2Fhmp-rochester-prisoner-stages-rooftop-protest-behalf-inmates-stuck-system-1603892

 http://www.insidetime.org/legitimate-protest/

 post date http://www.insidetime.org/?s=ipp+prisoner+petition+

Education and safety in prisons, and a connection that must not be ignored

 

 With the recent media saturation regarding the ‘prison crisis’, there is hopefully a communal sense that this cannot go on. But how can we reverse the degradation of the institutions that are responsible for housing those that have hurt society?

How can we make sure that, when they are released, ex-prisoners are rehabilitated and so useful to their communities? It is not enough to just hope that a ‘long-enough’ stint in a ‘bad-enough’ place is going to mean that the guy who stole your car last week will not do it again the moment he gets released. Something human has to happen in between. People have to change.

For a long time, prisoners have been taking advantage of, or trying to cope with, the fact that the wings of our prisons are understaffed, overcrowded and increasingly dangerous.

With a handful of staff expected to control and care for 120 guys who all have anger, trust, substance and psychological issues (to name just a few), we are presented with great institutions that have been reduced to little more than warehouses for the damaged and damaging. So what can make the difference?


Education and safety are not values in an either/or equation. They go hand in hand. Prisoners’ Education Trust (PET) research has found that those who engage in higher education courses are 25 percent less likely to reoffend.

The trouble is, meaningful education gets side-lined in times of crisis. At times like this, prisoners spend more time behind doors and have less exposure to the sort of interactions that allow someone to find the reasons to turn their life around.

Prisons have the highest concentration of illiterate men in our country.

So teaching how to read and write is a start, but this is only the start for the guys who cannot read. The next step is to understand their potential. Focus their minds on something that will ultimately benefit the entire community and we will see people in prison wanting to achieve something good, as opposed to trying to get away with whatever they can.

We’ll see people leaving prisons with a goal in life – a reason to stay out of prison. What is more, we will see the transformation of prisons themselves. We will have more focussed places – ones in which people are kinder and more constructive.

I know this from personal experience. This is my second prison sentence and it has been tough. The first few years I spent wallowing in the IPP mess I found myself in. I had no qualifications and no idea of what my life looked like outside of committing crime. The mandatory Offending Behaviour Programs seemed to just gently tap on the outside of the hole I was in and did little more to impassion me into making something more of my life.
At a certain point of my sentence, it become clear I needed something to focus on. I was guided towards distance learning by someone who said Access courses with the Open University, funded by PET, would be a good place to start. Through all of my time being a tearaway, I always had an opinion on society and so I began studying society. With little more than a desire to do something different and not really knowing how, I became engrossed in learning about the world. It helped me to understand how so many different people can end up in places like these. The more I studied, the more I realised that my own life had a value outside of committing crime. With my experiences and the knowledge I was getting, I now had a reason to work towards being released.
The more I learned about society, the further I dived into my studies. I became more confident and now I am being released on temporary licence to go to university outside. I am looking forward to the next part of my life. Now, it matters what I do every day – how I hold myself, how I interact with people – because now I have important things that I don’t want to lose.

To grow up in a world where you feel like the rules, and the benefits of following the rules, aren’t really meant for you, leads to not caring about the people you share this world with. It leads to you not ever considering that you could be a valuable part of the world.

 When education is good, when it is meaningful, it has all the components someone needs to move away from crime.  Engaging in subjects critically, understanding the complex nature of the world and realising that what you think and feel is important, are the very essence of education.

A quote from Martin Luther King highlights what needs to be done to right the wrongs: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” Although there is an array of different people in our prisons, from all walks of life, the disillusioned and desperate make up the majority of its population. For people who have felt like they have been living on the fringes of society, felt like they have been living in darkness, further darkness will not convince them to be nicer to people when they are released. People who are forced to live in shadows can become adept at doing so.
 But higher education is a way back into the light, a way of understanding what it means to be part of the world and a way of learning what is at stake when people are excluded.

 

Prison education matters 

Bullied at school for being dyslexic, Ollie Forsyth started his first business aged just 13 as a way of “getting back at the haters.” He left school aged 16 with just one GCSE. Now he is involved in a number of business ventures and still in his teens he is recognised by business leaders as one of the most promising young entrepreneurs of his generation

---

Starting your own business can be very exciting, especially when you are young, although in truth age doesn’t really matter if you have passion and determination.

It takes a lot of hard effort to make a business work, some people just don’t have the knack of doing it but some do. What does it take to start your own business? 

The most important quality is persistence. You are going to have those sleepless nights but they will pay off one day if you really want it to happen. You will encounter numerous challenges and hurdles, ups and downs and more downs – but fighting to succeed against the odds is all part of the fun. It is very important though, to find yourself a mentor, someone who has been there and done it.

 If you can’t make personal contact with anyone in business, read up on the biographies of successful businessmen. Richard Branson, the Virgin boss, was expelled from school but it didn’t dampen his determination to succeed. 

Duncan Bannatyne, formerly of Dragons Den and boss of a Health and Fitness empire began with one ice cream van. His journey from working class lad to multi-millionaire is well worth checking out for sheer inspiration. And never miss a chance to network. Even in prison you can write letters to people who you think might be able to support you or encourage you.

“Nothing in the world can take the place of determination, not talent, not education. Determination and persistence are omnipotent”

Calvin Coolidge, 30th American president (1923-29)

You will have those days where you want to give up, but never give up and never take no for an answer, make damned sure you know what your goals are. Knowing what it is you want to achieve is most of the battle. Be ambitious, aspire to greater things. A prison cell can be a lonely place – but at least you have time to think and plan for your success. When it comes to the hard times, try to avoid negative heads, the cynics who say “it can’t be done” or “the odds are too high”. It might be easier for you to read a book to be inspired but try to connect with others who think positively like you. I’ve learned that the best way to succeed is to focus on a business you really enjoy and believe in. You might want to make money, or to have a social impact. You might want to do both. Whatever the case I wish you all the very best!

 Far too often prisoners have no say and only one side gets heard. 

Recently there has been a lot of media hype around what they refer to as ‘prison riots’. However, I take issue with the term ‘riot’ as this is sensationalising, criminalising and detracting from what are legitimate ‘protests’.

The reports they compile

concentrate on the negative aspects, never the positives and generally written in a manner to continue debasing and dehumanizing the prisoner. The officers in general merely want to contain the prisoners and wherever possible, bang them up in their cells.

Officers are not interested in the prisoner as a person but merely place you in a box not believing or indeed caring that you are anything other than a convicted prisoner. 

Personal development and rehabilitation are not words they understand or indeed want to understand.

So, manipulation, lies and deceit and mistrust of the establishment etc. Most leave prison and are condemned by society.

 No wonder the re-offending rates are over 80% in the UK. What good is this to anybody?

The British Justice system and the British Penal system are broken. Unless stringent steps are taken to reform both, the situation will only deteriorate further and society will not be any better off. Has the rot already set in and is prison reform just another pipe dream?

Virtually everyone who comes out of prison has the resolve not to return. However, they encounter problems with homelessness, employment and access to medicine and benefits. These problems exacerbate and contribute to the recidivist rate.

Nobody, whether it be victims, prisoners, their families or society in general are not well served by having a penal system that is outdated and out of touch with reality and humanity. Not only is there a huge waste of money, the waste in human lives and potential is immeasurable. The situation is intolerable and a damming indictment upon all of us. Resources should be targeted stopping people getting into and helping them stay out of trouble.

Successive Governments have not had the courage or the political will to confront and bring about the changes desperately needed to our penal system. 

Our politicians need to shape opinion as well as following it even if this means courting potential temporary unpopularity. 

However, a reasoned and well informed debate should persuade the majority of the electorate that rehabilitation matters and that reform for our prison system is desperately needed.

The law in sentencing is due to be codified.  

The time is well overdue that what happens to people once they are sentenced should be addressed at the same time.

The BBC were showing footage of previous Home Secretaries dating back to the 1980s and asking what has changed? The problems for the prison system haven’t changed, it always seems to be someone implementing tougher, harsher, longer prison sentences, then cutting back on funds and complaining about high reoffending rates. Which all boils down to the fact that we either want harsh regimes or rehabilitation – we cannot have both.

“What we have is a system with no hope and no light at the end of the tunnel”

How can we have a harsh sentencing system and also continuous cutbacks in prison budgets, which contribute to the poor conditions and affect the moral and mental states of prisoners and staff? How can you not expect a meltdown of the prison system when you deliberately do these things?

What we have is a system with no hope and no light at the end of the tunnel. Prisoners feel that the system does not give a toss about them, and this leads to a lack of interest and respect for a system that does nothing but warehouse and contain them.




Education and Prison

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPjvEaE6VXs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc

http://lucychrista.com/learning-dyslexia-creativity/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl9TVbAal5s

 

 http://www.insidetime.org/the-hub-6/

 http://www.insidetime.org/education-and-safety-in-prisons-and-a-connection-that-must-not-be-ignored/

 http://www.insidetime.org/legitimate-protest/

 http://www.insidetime.org/is-prison-reform-just-a-pipe-dream/

 http://www.insidetime.org/the-time-for-change-is-now/

 http://www.insidetime.org/all-change-no-change/

Court of Appeal to hear charities’ challenge to legal aid cuts for prisoners

Case: R (Howard League for Penal Reform and Prisoners’ Advice Service) v Lord Chancellor
Where: Court of Appeal, London
When: 2pm on Tuesday 31 January
Cuts to legal aid for prisoners are unfair and unlawful, and have coincided with a deterioration in safety in prisons across England and Wales, the Court of Appeal will hear in the course of a two-day hearing next week (Tuesday 31 January)., three Court of Appeal judges will finally hear the charities’ full arguments challenging the cuts.

The two charities – the Howard League for Penal Reform and the Prisoners’ Advice Service (PAS) – won the right to challenge the government’s decision to cut legal aid for prisoners, including children back in July 2015,



Since the cuts came into force back in  Dec2013, violence and self-injury in prisons have risen to record levels. Almost 300 people have lost their lives through suicide.
More prisoners than ever before have called the Howard League and PAS to seek help. Calls to the two charities’ advice lines have increased by almost 50 per cent since the cuts were imposed.
The impact of the policy has been far-reaching:

• It means that a prisoner who is being considered for transfer to an open prison, but not release, cannot get legal representation unless they pay

• It means that prisoners who are stuck in the system cannot get legal help to access the courses they need to become safe for release

The claimants’ skeleton argument in the case contends that: “Within the prison population are some of the most vulnerable members of society. There is a huge over-representation of the mentally unwell, those suffering from learning or other disability and the illiterate.

Katherine Gleeson Founder of Dyslexia increase awareness https://www.facebook.com/groups/bowde/?ref=bookmarks

"Those with Dyslexia are Let down by the schools system  that Teaches  a one way or no way  fits all education system .Then you cant be surprised they can get caught up in the criminal justice system that fails them again "

 

 

 http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/uploads/documents/NOKNL.pdfhttp://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/projectsresearch/mentalhealth 

 

“For a proportion of those prisoners the removal of legal aid makes it impossible for them to engage fairly in decision making processes that will have a huge impact on their lives, rendering those decision making processes inherently unfair.”

Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “At a time when prisons are out of control, access to justice is more important than ever.

“We currently have a situation where a child or mentally ill person can be denied the option of asking for funded representation, even when they are struggling to progress through the convoluted prison system. This is unjust and must be challenged.”

Deborah Russo, Joint Managing Solicitor of the Prisoners’ Advice Service, said: “We are finally before the Court of Appeal on this important case and sincerely hope the Court will be able to see the plight of prisoners and how these swingeing cuts have so severely curtailed their ability to access justice.”

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

Unsafe Prison's

There has been a dramatic decline in standards and this has  brought rise in a numbers unsafe prison's. Inspections found that outcomes for prisoners safety was poor in many prisons. There is  various explanations, such as the  the impact of reductions in staff numbers and the IPP Prisoner and a changing  population. However, in practice,  there had been far too little detailed analysis of trends, root causes or intelligence. in practice it also comes down to problems the   security-related information reports undermined any practical active way to address the issues.

Model,s were not  fully acted on leading to a direct impact on the ability of prisoners to access activities, learning and training .  offender supervisors   contact with prisoners was severely limited. Delays in processing release plans  Most prisoners  not having an up-to-date offender assessment system (OASys) assessment. Many prisoners were denied the opportunity to progress. There was a clear need for the leadership of the prison and get a grip of the problems facing them and move away from merely reacting to events.Of course staff shortages have had an impact on many areas of service delivery however poor response and lack of  deadline and  inspection recommendation not acted on HAS seriously resulted in the  unsafe prison stands standards
who was accountable  of the impact of benchmarking staff shortages?certainly the case that staff shortages contributed to the restricted restricted regime that we have now. prison need to develop plans to address the  greatest challenge and accept charges for there failings.

Comments

Williams
prisoner has recently sent me in writing his permission for me to share his life story to whoever may be able to help him). I believe, that if the IPP prisoners were all paroled out immediately if they have exceeded the initial tariff then it would be tantamount to the Government admitting the initial sentence, passed into law by Blunkett when Blair was PM, was inhumane and wrong then the Government would be found liable for massive compensation. This is why the prisoners have been abandoned. It is taking up so much of the Parole Boards time to review them each year and also to stage oral hearings - but they are 'voluntary' and cheaper for the Government than paying out for a legal action.

Sincerely,

Williams

Alb

Point regarding release of safe ipp prisoners noted. However, the parol board are far from independent particularly as they rely hand and foot on being spoon fed information about the prisoner by the prison system, namely prison psychologist. This as a consequence influences OM and OS recommendations for the prisoner. Risk assessments on ipp prisoners generally tend to nit pick and find petty faults, when In fact post tariff detention/imprisonment is strictly reserved for protecting the public against commission of further specified offences. In Robert's (2016) lord justice Thomas clearly expressed in his judgement that the government could invoke provisions in LASPO 2012 that will allow them sentence conversation for ipp prisoners without offending the rule of law. What do you think of that? 

  

Gray

 my friend,  was born and brought up, put in care and then arrested and convicted. He has been in at least 8 prisons in the 12 years he has been in jail and is currently in the Norfolk area.I am now living in the suburbs of Birmingham, so if any of these locations are useful now or in the future I would be pleased to assist. We have written to various MPs and Home Secretaries over the years

Peterson

Yes my brother has been ipp almost 10 yrs after only getting a recommendation of 5 only, he behaved & complied with all he had too now he's suffering from major depression because he can't get out. Our father died last year & this has affected him so much .

Abbey

my son who has been in prison for nearly 10 and a half years on ipp he never hurt or wounded anyone he did threaten they could not interview him for two days he was that out of it .my son he got so frustrated being told he was a danger to the public

 Charles
Dear Katherine
But why are you in support of the IPP situation? Has someone you care about been affected?I really would like to understand why you have given heart and dedication to the IPP situation; and I don't make judgement, I just would like to see your reasons as then I'd understand better. I'm kind of odd really; I like to know the energy that I am prepared to freely give is being given because its time to let that which is be as it should be. Again I can't just explain, far too much to explain anyway..
How did you get to be in these meetings? What is it that you do that enables you to get to such high places? And again I only ask as its important for me to understand the bigger picture.

Best wishes

 Charles



Debbie
Im a foster carer for a young man who was given an IPP sentence at 17 and is still in prison at 27. He was in care from 2yrs and had a failed adoption at 8yrs. I would be happy to talk to the media. 

http://www.nationalpreventivemechanism.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/NPM-Detention-Population-Data-Mapping-Project-FINAL.pdf

 http://howardleague.org/news/court-of-appeal-to-hear-charities-challenge-to-legal-aid-cuts-for-prisoners/

IPP. In a nine-day diary — one officer reported , self-harm and suicide of prisoners happened every day except one. Futher MP Victoria Prentis said veteran and women also IPP prisoners that had low reoffending rates and should be considered for early release to reduce the prison population

           Impossible’ pressures causing rise in suicides

PRISON officers spoke of their sorrow yesterday as they remembered colleagues who had taken their own lives due to high stress levels at work.

Suicide and mental illness such as post-traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism and depression are in direct correlation with work misery, officers said, and also contribute to relationship breakdowns and social isolation.

HMP Wayland delegate Michelle Atkins addressed the Prison Officers Association (POA) annual conference to commemorate a colleague who had killed himself before last Christmas.
She said she was “absolutely sure” the tragedy had been caused by stress as her co-worker had been open in talking about his troubles and the extremely poor work conditions they endured.

Another delegate spoke of the suicide of a female officer which was attributed to long hours and prison pressures caused by low-staff numbers.


The link between work stress and poor mental health has been highlighted by an independent health and wellbeing survey carried out by the University of Bedfordshire.

Dr Gail Kinman, who led the research, said that conclusions drawn from the 1,680 responses from prison officers in England and Wales had been “really worrying.

” None of the six Health & Safety Executive management standards were met, according to the survey, which was published to coincide with mental health awareness week.

Only 10 per cent of the officers felt they had sufficient backing from their own managers after suffering prisoners’ verbal and physical abuse, it also revealed. Stigma could also prevent officers from sharing their worries as “stress is like this dirty word,” Dr Kinman said.

In a nine-day diary — involving seven consecutive 11-hour shifts — one officer reported , self-harm and suicide of prisoners happened every day except one.

A disturbing 84 per cent of respondents said that they felt pressured to go to work when ill, with governors “constantly” calling sick officers, even on the first day of bed rest, to ask when they would return. “This is one of the most important findings of the survey,”

Dr Kinman said.And in a wretched testament to the toll that overcrowded and understaffed prisons have taken on workers, the average life expectancy after retirement was found to be only 18 months.
Three-quarters of those surveyed admitted fears over whether they would be able to carry out their role and receive full pensions by reaching retirement age, currently set at 68.

Andy Hamlin, a delegate from HMP Elmley, said that “employers do not give a rat’s backside about our health and wellbeing.” 

Prison officer numbers were cut by 41 per cent during the five-year Conservative-led coalition and the POA fears that the dire situation will get even worse under an even crueller Tory majority government.
Joe Simpson, of the POA national executive council, urged delegates to download the report to send to their MPs.He said: “We want to live in dignity and decency after much hard work in public service.

 

 

 

Comments

 

 

Gleeson

 Liz Truss never answers the questions because she does not have the answer. Her plan is i hope what I will offer will work out in  months?  in fact it likely to take  years .  only doing what the other did  before her  little but talk. The amount of officers  and money mentioned is  Laughable.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38765381  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38353433 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38414416 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-38344319  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38353436

 

 

Brackenbury

Mine was one of the  lucky ones who was found in time, cut down and revived, doesn't mean I don't still live in fear but I'm getting him back on track slowly, his I believe was one of the occasions in March 2016, it's disturbing seeing this, especially sexual assaults, stabs/gunshots?? Traumatic injuries and it seems it's a daily occurrence too! And this is just one prison!

The biggest question puzzling me of liz trusses proposal of 1.6 billion (or whatever it is!) for brand new bigger prisons....is where is she going to pull all these extra officers,from to run them??... Her ar.. maybe where she pulls all her other "good ideas" from! Has somebody not told the poor woman we don't have enough as it is!! If it wasn't so serious I'd have to laugh at the stupidity!! Someone with half a brain please stand up.

 

I  have the Freedom of information request on call outs to East England ambulance service to hmp wayland from 2011- March 2016! Sad to see my partners suicide attempt on the list below.Ambulance called outs to Wayland  Prison  demonstrating the bigger picture.

 

 

 Brackenbury

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banbury MP Victoria Prentis said veteran and women prisoners had low reoffending rates and should be considered for early release to reduce the prison population

 

The Justice Select Committee member made the comments in a debate on the prison population, which has nearly doubled since the 1980s to 85,000.

But she admitted the proposal was just "tinkering around the edges".

The Banbury MP member added Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners - who remain in prison for public safety - could also be released.

'Shift sentencing framework'

In the Commons debate on Wednesday, she said: "Women prisoners and veterans have very low reoffending rates. But this is tinkering around the edges of the large prison population at the moment."

 

In November last year Justice Secretary Liz Truss unveiled a White Paper detailing £1.3bn investment in new prisons over the next five years, and plans for 2,100 extra officers.

But some high-profile prison riots in HMP Birmingham, Bedford and Lewes towards the end of 2016 led the National Council of Independent Monitoring Boards to claim low staffing levels had contributed to the disruption.

 

Ms Prentis added: "If we can't recruit, as I accept the department is trying desperately hard to do, would the minister commit today to at least considering whether we should have a shift in the sentencing framework, a shift... to community-based alternatives?"

Prisons minister Sam Gyimah, responding to a range of points at the end of the debate, said: "It is incredibly simplistic to say that the problems in our prisons are simply due to staffing.
 

 

 

Our prisons have changed and to deal with that complex problem, we need a multifaceted set of answers. That is what this Government is not delivering." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-7734-Suicidal-prison-staff-at-the-end-of-their-tether#.WItHtY9viUl
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38755318