What happened on the way to prison
St Pancras rail station, London
Sat drinking my Earl Grey tea at the train station on my way to a London prison, I was approached by a young man. He was dressed in grey jogging bottoms, a hooded jacket and a union Jack bobble hat, carrying a small bag and a small blanket tied to the straps.
He asked me for any loose change and I asked him what he needed it for. In a hushed voice he said it was for a bed for tonight yet it was only 11:15 am. He explained the hostel would cost £12 for 5 nights. I asked him if they provided food he said yes. I apologised for not having any change with me but said I hoped he would manage to get the money together and told him to take care.
There are many like this young man; you could see the hopelessness in his eyes and his manner.
We live in such a rich country yet there are so many who struggle financially for various reasons.
It wasn’t really the poverty of that young man that struck me, but the way other people in their fine clothes completely ignored him.
Even if we are not in a position to help we can still show kindness. We are all capable of prejudices, even when we don’t see the full picture. I think we need to stop living our lives with our heads in the sand!
Justice Select Committee part 3
I seem to be making a habit of this; on Wednesday 16th March I attended the Justice Select Committee for the third time, again listening to the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP being questioned by a team of MP’s.
I sat behind Mr Gove and watched as he interacted with the committee. The meeting can be accessed from this link: http://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/e67772ca-8c75-4112-853a-0fbd80688389
The first question he was asked was “How would you encapsulate the overall purpose of the thrust of the Government’s prison policy”? Michael Gove replied “In a sentence, it is about turning prisoners from liabilities into assets”. Interesting use of language I thought.
He continued by stating that…”the critical thing is to make sure that during their time in prison there is purposeful activity…” I have come across some excellent forms of purposeful activity but to be honest there just isn’t enough going on. Is it all down to money? If millions can be found to build new prisons then surely purposeful activity has to be included.
The stories coming out of many of the prisons in England and Wales are appalling, locked up at least 22 hours a day, rat infested are but a few I have read this week.
When will we see real progress?
The most successful custodial establishment according to Nick Hardwick former chief inspector of prisons was the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) in Colchester. However, in October 2015 there were 35 being held at the MCTC, hardly an example to compare. The ratio of staff to detainees is far higher than within the prison estate which is surely a factor along with greater governor autonomy that contributes to its success. I have visited it and was impressed by the order, cleanliness and regime. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/484448/Detainees_Military_Corrective_Training_Centre_Colchester.pdf
But how do you really measure success?
Michael Gove gave an example of Bronzefield prison as being a very successful female prison, yet this week one of the main stories I have read is about staff giving out sleeping bags to women released with no accommodation. It doesn’t add up!
I want to read more success stories, see real progress and watch as these “liabilities are turned into assets”
The Criminal Justice Blog 