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A Story of Two Brothers: Rob and Roddy
Over a period of 3½ years writing about the Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence, and almost 20 articles later this may become my most important piece. Without overstating this issue, I am now persuaded that IPP is a matter of life and death. Allow me to explain why.
What follows is a long-form article. This is deliberate because it portrays the lives of real people. I have chosen to include the views and recollections of Roddy, over a span of time, shared with me in the hope that his brother Rob will not become yet another death in custody statistic.
Growing up in a rural village, their childhood was difficult and could be seen as abusive.
As a teenager Rob learnt to play the guitar and was a drummer in a band playing at various venues across England and Wales and remained an active musician right into adulthood.
Drinking socially, smoking cannabis and dropping acid had become part of Rob’s teenage years and early adulthood. His working life started as a vehicle accident repair technician where he developed an interest in fabrication, working as a highly skilled fabricator with various engineering businesses. After some short relationships and at least one long term relationship Rob eventually married a woman who had three boys from a previous relationship. To this day, two boys from his marriage speak highly of him.
At some point before marriage, he stopped dropping acid and smoking cannabis but was still drinking socially and at family home gatherings. But Rob’s drinking became problematic to the point that his marriage broke up and he lost his employment. Alcohol consumption increased and Rob resumed taking cannabis products.
Rob recognised that he had problems and sought help from his GP and other medical professionals. He was diagnosed as being alcohol dependant and was recognised by medical professionals that he was suffering with some form of mental health impairment. On more than one occasion Rob was admitted to a mental health hospital and was also an outpatient with mental health services.
There were concerns regarding suicide and the mental health services considered various diagnoses. Rob was prescribed various anti-psychotic medication and was taking the prescribed medications.
While under the care of mental health services, he worked as a volunteer in the community, grass cutting, hedge cutting and strimming, using his own petrol-powered equipment to do the community work.
He still played as a band member and was active on the pub social scene. However, during this time, he became involved in an on/off relationship with a person who was to later become the sole victim of his wrongdoing.
Roddy recollects:
“In August 2009, my brother’s on/off partner informed him that she was having an intimate relationship with someone else. My brother was aggravated and became distressed at this confession. He got intoxicated and sent voice and text messages threatening to burn his victim and he then went to his victim’s home where he continued to threaten to burn her. She ran to a neighbour, called the police and stated that she felt in fear for her life.”
Rob has always acknowledged that he made threats. He has maintained that his intention was never to kill his victim, he has said that he wanted his victim to have an understanding and feel the distress that he was feeling! His victim stated that she felt in fear for her life.
When arrested, Rob claimed that the police should have referred him to mental health services by way of sectioning under The Mental Health Act. Instead he was put before a Magistrates Court which chose to refer the matter to Crown Court rather than handing him a hospital order, even though he had no previous convictions other than for a speeding offence. Rob was charged with threat to kill. He didn’t agree with the entirety of the victim statements but recognised and accepted his wrongdoing.
What is very clear here and very sad is that there were three missed opportunities to section Rob: shortly after arrest by police; at the Magistrates Court and at the Crown Court. This set Rob on a trajectory that should never have occurred.
Roddy continued:
“My brother entered a guilty plea. This meant there was no trial for the victim, my brother or the court to endure. My brother’s mental health history was not considered by the crown court, and a mental health professional told the court that there were no significant mental health factors to be concerned with.
However, in fact my brother was an outpatient with mental health services and had been prescribed and was taking anti-psychotic medication that should not be prescribed to an alcoholic who was intoxicated at the time of wrongdoing and was also known to take cannabis products with a history of taking recreational opiates such as acid.”
It makes you question who this “mental health professional” was. Surely, they would have had access to medical records, and if so, why did they choose to ignore or disregard those clinical notes?
In the Crown Court, Rob was handed an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence with a tariff of 3 years reduced to two and a half years on appealing the sentence tariff.
As far as Roddy is aware, from the point of arrest and so far, Rob stopped consuming alcohol and other recreational drugs, and has remained sober and drug free.
HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) staff did not provide Rob with his prescription medication at the strict time he was instructed to take it and eventually stopped the prescription medication completely.
Rob concluded that if you mix a cocktail of alcohol, recreational drugs and anti-psychotic medication coupled with the emotional effects of a dysfunctional relationship with his victim, all within the context of being unfaithful and/or with an interest in polyamorous intimacy, you have a recipe for him or anyone else to act un-characteristically dangerous at the time of committing these acts of wrongdoing. Rob has since refused to take any anti-psychotic medication that healthcare professionals might prescribe.
During his two-and-a-half-year tariff period, Rob was fully engaged with the HMPPS regime, completing the 12 Step Alcohol Dependency Treatment Programme and engaging in various other activities such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Education, Gymnasium, Changing Tunes music group, Chaplaincy, Koestler Awards and many other productive initiatives along with producing and playing a lead part in a Les Misérables musical theatre performance attended by the then Duchess of Cornwall, now Queen Camilla.
Rob also achieved the Enhanced Incentivised Earned Privileges (IEP) award, often seen as coercive and controlling measures used by HMPPS, and could therefore see no reason as to why he would not be released from prison.
Roddy expanded:
“At or near his tariff expiry and on the run up to his first Parole, HMPPS staff stated that he would need to complete a Healthy Relationship Programme (HRP). This was a Ministry of Justice (MOJ)/HMPPS Offender Behaviour Programme (OBP) that my brother did not qualify for as his Offender Violence Predictor scores (OVP) were too low.
Later this programme was discredited and shut down as it was found to be ineffective and arguably delivered the opposite of what it was supposed to achieve. My brother was shoehorned onto the HRP and found himself distressed and unable to cope with the course and some of the other attendees. Rob was removed from the HRP programme, and HMPPS staff blamed him for his distress.
My brother did not get his Parole direction for release.”
It was around this point that Rob realised an IPP sentence was a life sentence and concluded he was never going to be released. The effect turned out to be devastating; he withdrew into himself, stopped his personal care and stopped engaging with HMPPS, attempting suicide on at least two occasions and asking a prisoner to throttle him to death. On another occasion he placed a chair leg across his neck asking another prisoner to jump onto the chair leg. These were acts of desperation.
Roddy explained what happened next:
“HMPPS Safer Custody contacted me stating that they had become concerned for the welfare of my brother. I decided to visit.
This was to be my first ever visit to someone in a prison. Once in the visits hall, HMPPS staff informed me to make my way to the table and chairs of the person I had come to visit. I couldn’t see my brother, so I was instructed to go to a chair and table identified by an alpha numeric code. A person was sat on a chair at the table. It was my brother. I didn’t even recognise him, he was unkept, emaciated, grimy and grubby. He looked like the depictions of Jesus shown nailed to the cross. He wouldn’t give any eye contact, was on a frightened hyper vigilant alert looking around the visits hall and I couldn’t get him to engage in any coherent conversation or accept an offer of food and drink from the visits hall tuck shop. Staff called time on the visit, and I left and broke down in tears from seeing my brother in such a terribly neglected physical and mental state.”
Eventually, Rob was transferred from prison to a low secure mental health hospital, the same hospital he had been admitted to when he had sought help from his GP. But this time he required physical treatments before they could start any mental health treatments. He was transferred to a hospital to have an ingrowing toenail surgically removed; it had grown so far up into his foot that amputation of the foot was considered. He was also taken to a dental hospital to deal with some issues regarding the neglect of oral care.
Back at the low secure hospital, Rob was so emaciated that his body couldn’t process solid food, which meant that he had to be fed on gels. Recovery was slow, nevertheless he started to engage and receive visitors. He prepared and cooked meals, trained in the hospital gym, started playing guitar and engaged in other mental health therapies. The hospital staff, probation staff, a social worker, family and a friend all participated with getting Rob well.
A community reintegration package was developed, and Rob was informed that this could not be implemented until after he had been returned to prison and then transferred from prison back to the hospital. He was led to believe that he would go back to prison for six months and then be returned to hospital. But he was transferred back to prison and not returned to the hospital.
Rob phoned Roddy from prison in a distressed state.
At or just before the six-month period of having been returned to prison, HMPPS staff informed Rob that he was to be placed on an Offender Behaviour Programme (OBP) called Kaizen. He informed staff he did not qualify to do Kaizen as his Offender Violence Predictor scores (OVP) were too low and that he was to be returned to hospital for reintegration into the community.
Roddy picks up the story:
“This led to some form of altercation between my brother and several HMPPS staff. Up to this point, my brother’s incarceration had been in the closed category C training prisons. I and others visited my brother during this period, and my brother kept in contact with me and with his support network through telephone calls and ‘email a prisoner exchanges’.”
The altercation led to a regressive move into the category B prison estate where the Kaizen OBP was available. Rob refused to do Kaizen and this OBP has since been removed as it was found to be ineffective in much the same way as the HRP OBP.
Continuing to maintain that he did not qualify for any HMPPS OBP’s due to his OVP scores being so low, Rob refused to do any OBP that HMPPS suggested.
Adjudications followed with periods in segregation, Rob was downgraded to the basic IEP level and moved around different cells and wings. He was beaten on several occasions with one beating resulting in a hospital admission where 17 stitches were needed to Rob’s head.
HMPPS Forensic Psychology Services claimed that Rob had what they call an Offender Personality Disorder (OPD). The MoJ OPD diagnosis is highly questionable as the criteria is loose and ambiguous. Once on this pathway the label is hard to shift. It is not listed in either the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM) or the International Classification of Diseases Manual (ICD).
In fact, it was devised by the MoJ, which recruited Forensic Psychologists and trained them through their own programme. In other words, the MoJ created an OPD diagnosis purely for the purpose of justifying the Offender Behaviour Programmes (OBP) and the OBP pathway. Furthermore, the Forensic Psychologists own professional body being the British Psychological Society (BPS) have been critical of this, stating on more than one occasion that Forensic Psychologists and the OPD diagnosis is causing IPP prisoners harm.
Huge questions arise when you realise that 96% of IPP prisoners receive this OPD diagnosis, a blanket and sham diagnosis, which has also been referred to as an abuse of power, especially when you also discover it was invented by politicians and officials and not through grounded clinical decision.
During this time, Roddy continued to visit his brother. They exchanged emails and Rob phoned both his brother and others who had been a support.
Then another transfer occurred. Rob was sent to a Long-Term and High Security Estate (LTHSE) Category B prison. He continued to disengage accepting that this type of prison is where he will spend the rest of his life.
More distress came when he was refused attendance at his mum’s funeral or seeing her in the funeral directors Chapel of Rest. At this point he was still engaged with other prisoners around him and accepted visits from Roddy but claimed he felt too unsafe to leave his cell which meant that on occasions he didn’t turn up for visits.
For Roddy, this was a 600-mile round road trip, and contact remained via email and phone.
After several years in the category B LTHSE, Rob was transferred to a private medium secure hospital. But this was seen as another regressive move.
Roddy explains:
“My brother is not best pleased and questions as to the reasons why, and demanding he is returned to prison. The hospital claim that they cannot diagnose my brother as he is not engaging and is refusing to take anti-psychotic medication. It is around this time that I discover the parole process is paused when a prisoner is transferred to hospital. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention experts claim that suspending parole when a prisoner is in hospital is discriminatory. I and others visit my brother in hospital, telephone communication becomes difficult and email communication is not facilitated. After several months, my brother is transferred on another regressive move to the category A LTHSE.”
More anguish followed as Rob became distressed with this further regressive move; Rob believed he will be killed if incarcerated in a category A prison. Calls from HMPPS and the chaplain, and confirmation from a call from Rob, informed Roddy where his brother was held.
But this was the last phone call, there were no more emails or accepting visits either, Rob totally disengaged and housed within the Healthcare unit of the prison.
A call from the Chaplin informed Roddy that his brother, now on an induction wing was too frightened to leave his cell, even for slopping out. Due to no in cell sanitation a bucket is supplied for any waste. However, Rob accepted the chaplain’s offer to escort him.
An arrangement by Roddy for an in-person visit resulted yet again in a no show. The Chaplain explained that Rob had stopped engaging with anyone and was on the Healthcare wing and he suggested Roddy arrange another in-person visit and if Rob didn’t show again then arrangements could be made for Roddy to actually visit his cell.
Roddy recollects:
“I’m met in the visit hall by my brothers HMPPS Assessment Care in Custody Treatment (ACCT) manager and taken to the prison healthcare unit, my stress and anxiety levels are through the roof. I’m ushered into a side room and put in front of a panel of HMPPS staff comprising the ACCT manager, a Forensic Psychologist, a Mental Health worker, a Safer Custody representative, the Prison Chaplain, and an Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) member. The ACCT manager proceeds to inform everyone what has been observed and what has happened with my brother. I cannot recall what other comments might have been made by the other panel members. However, I feel that I am there as a last-ditch effort to try and get my brother to engage. I recall informing the panel about the disgraceful way in which the MOJ and HMPPS treat my brother and other IPPs and that what we need are whistleblowers. I inform the panel that they will not whistle blow on the mistreatment of IPPs when their salaries depend upon it and I direct most of what I am saying to the forensic psychologist asking her not to take personally what I’m saying as I’m directing what I’m saying at the forensic and mental health professions.
I’m taken to the healthcare cell to see my brother. I’m almost overwhelmed with what I see. My brother is sat in the middle of a bed, feet on the floor staring at the floor dressed in filthy grey prison clothes. Strewn across the floor in front of my brother are what appears to be personal effects contained in opaque plastic bags. Standing in the open-door space is the HMPPS Safer Custody representative and just inside the doorway is the ACCT manager and in front of him is the prison chaplain. I can’t smell anything as I believe my senses are overwhelmed to the point that my sense of smell has shut down.
Before sitting on the bed next to my brother, I asked if it was okay for me to sit on the bed next to him. He did not respond so I informed him that I was going to sit on the bed next to him. I tried to get him to engage in conversation, I do not recall what I said. I did not get any response. I asked my brother if I could put my arm across his shoulders. He did not respond. I put my arm across his shoulders. I asked my brother if I could give him a hug. He did not respond. I hugged him and sat on the bed next to him with my arm across his shoulders and continued trying to get him to engage. He did not respond. I started to refer to The Bible. He responded by grizzling Stop, Stop, Stop. I stopped. I remained sat in silence with my brother, observing the awful environment that he was incarcerated within and had many intrusive thoughts running through my own mind. The chaplain broke the silence stating he was needed elsewhere and said goodbye. Rob remained sat staring at the floor. We sat a while longer in silence until two staff in the doorway stating it was time for me to leave, and I was ushered back to the side room with all the panel members other than the prison chaplain. I was too distressed to say much and felt that it best to say very little other than to thank the staff for facilitating the visit. The ACCT manager escorted me back through the prison to the visit hall and I left with a lot of mixed emotions.”
Roddy later found out that he had been used by HMPPS to close the ACCT so that his brother could be discharged from prison healthcare and transferred onto a regular prison wing. This was very troubling for Roddy who then sought privately funded counselling for himself to help deal with the trauma caused by this dreadful situation.
Yet again another no show at a visit, no phone calls and no response to emails led Roddy to believe Rob was still disengaged. Roddy was informed by a member of staff that Rob didn’t want to see him. When pressed for more information that same member of staff said he had never met Rob, but would go to his cell and ask him if he would attend the visit. News came back that Rob just grunted when asked about the visit, this was interpreted as a No.
Roddy asked if his brother was self-isolating. Wing staff didn’t think so as his cell was neat and tidy and he collected his meals without engaging with anyone. Yet staff hadn’t specifically looked at the board or asked the wing staff if he was self-isolating. This was a contrast to the chaotic state of Rob’s cell previously when Roddy was escorted to it by members of staff.
Roddy’s brother Rob is now fourteen and a half years beyond tariff and he in his eighteenth year of continuous incarceration for making threats whilst in a state of personal distress. Roddy gets no response from his brother from emails and information he sends regarding IPP prisoners.
This month Roddy has learnt that Rob has been moved yet again to a hospital. There has been no communication with the family as to this move or reasons why. Meanwhile, Roddy’s name as next of kin has been removed, it is unclear if this is just temporary as how would else would Roddy learn of his brother’s condition or even visit him?
I have found this to be a remarkable story. As it sinks in, we must all be mindful that there are hundreds more stories where families and friends serve the sentence alongside their loved ones. Roddy will never give up on his brother Rob or other IPP prisoners and their families.
Prevention of Future Deaths
This tale of two brothers culminates in a call to real action. IPP prisoners have died in custody, that is they have died by suicide, signalling that in their cases the sheer mental attrition proved too much for them to bear any longer.
Roddy does not want this for his brother. Why wait for someone else to die, surely something must be done now. The system is not only setting people up to fail, but in reality, is the system as it stands setting people up to die?
According to Gov.uk, Coroners have dealt with approximately 30,000 inquests so far this year, of which 377 resulted in them issuing a Regulation 28: Report to Prevent Future Deaths. This is within the coroners’ legal powers, and which are publicly available online. Coroners may issue their report to anyone the coroner believes must define the steps they will take to prevent future deaths, and who are given 56 days to reply.
Among them are four inquests concerning IPP prisoners which came to my attention whilst writing this piece, two from 2026. What I found was astoundingly chilling. In the small sample where a Regulation 28 Report on Prevent Future Deaths (PFD) was issued by the coroner, the coroner took care to define the harm that IPP causes.
In the investigation and inquest of Ronald Meikle aged 47 who died on 30 April 2024 in custody at HMP Woodhill, the PFD issued by Sean Cummings, Assistant Coroner for the coroner of area of Milton Keynes, under Concern 7, Mr. Cummings wrote:
“I am concerned that Mr Meikle’s IPP status was not sufficiently recognised as a material risk factor requiring structured support, regular review and coordinated care.”
The reply from NHS Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) dated 18 May 2026 was on time, 3 pages long, structured and considered. It was clinically grounded across all 12 concerns raised by the coroner. In their reply to Concern 7: Vulnerability of IPP prisoners, they wrote:
“We are explicitly considering IPP status within clinical risk assessment and referral processes. Because this is an explicit vulnerability, we can structure our clinical support packages and ensure regular reviews by the MDT.”
In sharp contrast to that reply, the reply from HM Inspectorate of Prisons dated 4 June 2026 was late, curt, unstructured and nonchalant. It read like a copy and paste from a playbook. It made no direct reference to the 12 concerns raised by the coroner, but instead generalised and mashed together everything in the context of an Urgent Notification process invoked by the Chief Inspector of Prisons. Tellingly, and this is a key point, the reply from HM Inspectorate of Prisons made zero reference to the fact that Mr Meikle was an IPP prisoner, nor answered the coroner’s concern 7 on the specific harm of IPP.
Regulation 28 Reports to Prevent Future Deaths are an existing instrument to obtain detailed answers and, as the title suggests, to ascertain clear actions to prevent future deaths.
So again, I ask, why wait for someone else to die? Something else must be done, and done now.
Glimmers of hope
When Andy Burnham became Prime Minister there was an acknowledgement from Mr. Burnham that IPP is unjust, and he declared that he would end IPP before the next Parliament. This has been welcomed. However, this is not the first announcement providing a glimmer of hope. Many such glimmers have come and gone without any tangible or meaningful change. Therefore, I will leave the last words to Roddy:
“I’m hoping he [Andy Burnham] remains true to his words and takes expedient action to end IPP which has been ruled by United Nations experts as torturous, cruel, inhuman, degrading conditions and that the incarceration of IPPs is arbitrary and therefore unlawful. I believe that Rob and most IPPs like Rob need trauma treatments without MOJ, HMPPS and parole interference. Hospital and Community Treatment Orders are in my view the way forwards. It’s been done for at least one IPP who is now a former IPP and IPP survivor.”
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Photo credit: Copyright © Andy Aitchison Photographer. All rights reserved. Used with kind permission. To view his images, please visit the website www.andyaitchison.uk
First published by The Criminal Justice Blog 15 Nov 2026.
Article: Copyright © Faith Spear FRSA. All rights reserved.
Contributions: Copyright © Roddy Russell. All rights reserved.
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References cited in this article
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06086
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7ce48eed915d7c849ade01/glossary-programmes.pdf
https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm
https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/classification-of-diseases
https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm
https://www.judiciary.uk/courts-and-tribunals/coroners-courts/reports-to-prevent-future-deaths
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1629/part/7/made
https://preventabledeathstracker.net/
https://insidetime.org/newsround/andy-burnham-pledges-to-scrap-ipp-but-cancels-more-early-releases/
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/08/1140237
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References consulted and suggested further reading
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/offending-behaviour-programmes-and-interventions
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hmpps-accredited-programmes
https://prisonreformtrust.org.uk/adviceguide/offender-management-and-sentence-planning/
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/offending-behaviour-programmes-and-interventions
https://www.gov.uk/algorithmic-transparency-records/hmpps-violence-in-prisons-estimator
https://www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and-resources/chapter-16-reports-to-prevent-future-deaths-pfds/
https://preventabledeathstracker.net/
https://www.bps.org.uk/forensic-psychologist-job-profile
https://doi.org/10.1348/135532503762871273
https://doi.org/10.1348/135532503762871255
https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/research-mental-health-prisoners-digested
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/dsm
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/international-classification-of-diseases-icd
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Should inmates be given phones?
Offenders who maintain family ties are nearly 40% less likely to turn back to crime, according to the Ministry of Justice. With secure mobiles being rolled out in prisons we ask…
Should inmates be given phones?
This was a question posed to me back in November 2021 by Jenny Ackland, Senior Writer/Content Commissioner, Future for a “Real life debate” to be published in Woman’s Own January 10th 2022 edition.
Below is the complete article, my comments were cut down slightly, as there was a limited word count and reworked into the magazine style.
Communication is an essential element to all our lives, but when it comes to those incarcerated in our prisons, there is suddenly a blockage.
Why is communication limited?
It is no surprise that mobile phones can serve as a means of continuing criminal activity with the outside world, as a weapon of manipulation, a bargaining tool, a means of bullying or intimidation.
But what many forget is that prison removes an individual from society as they know it, with high brick walls and barbed wire separating them from loved ones, family, and friends.
There is a PIN phone system where prisoners can speak with a limited number of pre-approved and validated contacts, but these phones are on the landings, are shared by many, usually in demand at the same time and where confidentiality is non-existent. This is when friction can lead to disturbances, threats, and intimidation.
Some prisons (approx 66%) do have in-cell telephony, with prescribed numbers, monitored calls and with no in-coming calls.
Why do some have a problem with this?
We live in an age of technology, and even now phones are seen as rewarding those in prison.
If we believe that communication is a vital element in maintaining relationships, why is there such opposition for prisoners?
In HM Chief Inspector of prisons Annual report for 2020, 71% of women and 47% of men reported they had mental health issues.
Phones are used as a coping mechanism to the harsh regimes, can assist in reducing stress, allay anxiety and prevent depression.
Let’s not punish further those in prison, prison should be the loss of liberty.
Even within a prison environment parents want to be able to make an active contribution to their children’s lives. Limiting access to phones penalises children and in so doing punishes them for something they haven’t done. They are still parents.
Her indomitable spirit
A retrospective of 2019
It was a year of challenging the norms, exploring the Arts and Media and pushing some boundaries. It has had its highs and lows with times of difficulty and frustration yet amongst it all there have been moments to celebrate, moments of laughter and new friendships made.
The year began at one of my favourite places, the beach at Aldeburgh on the beautiful Suffolk coast, wrapped up against the elements, a brisk walk with my family and then tea in the warm. Perfect.
My first trip of the year into Westminster was for the APPG on Miscarriages of Justice, at a session entitled: ‘Aftermath of Wrongful Convictions: Addressing the Needs of the Wrongfully Convicted in England and Wales’. We were reminded that half of all victims of miscarriages of justice were homeless within six months of their convictions being overturned.
According to ‘Supporting Exonerees’ a JUSTICE report published 2018, in the last five years only five people have received compensation from the Ministry of the Justice after having their convictions overturned and not a single person in 2018. By contrast, between 1999 and 2004, there were 162 successful applications.
Across the year there were four sessions of the APPG on Miscarriages of Justice, all of which I managed to attend. These were co-chaired by Baroness Stern and Lord Garnier QC, and featured members including: Dame Anne Owers, National Chair of Independent Monitoring Boards; Michelle Nelson QC, Barrister at Red Lion Chambers; Dr Philip Joseph, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist; and Erwin James, Editor-in-Chief of Inside Time.
My sincere hope is that the work performed by this APPG, even though it has no statutory powers, will be effective in some way and not evaporate like a silent conversation that never happened.
It was also a pleasure to attend a joint Criminal Justice Alliance (CJA) and Ministry of Justice event, held at Petty France, London to discuss the aging population in prisons. It’s well known that the level of healthcare and social care within prisons is inconsistent and all too often not fit for purpose.
This was the first of six CJA round tables and meetings I attended and participated in during the year, including their AGM.
Not all my work is in Westminster or even in London. For example, as a part of the Female Leaders at 50 (Twitter: @femaleleaders50), I was able to share part of my story, listen to others and enjoy a fantastic evening reception and dinner in Cambridge. Thank you to Ciara Moore, looking forward to our next gathering this year.
Female Leaders at 50
Being recommended for membership of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) was a highlight because it showed that what I am able to contribute to society has value. In fact the letter I received from the RSA included a copy of the statement by the person who recommended me, saying:
“Faith is a very potent voice and commentator on prison issues. Her blog https://faithspear.wordpress.com/ has quite a following. She is an accomplished writer and speaker and has huge respect in prison reform circles.”
In the letter, the RSA said:
“I believe that you have an important contribution to make in supporting our work, and that you will be a valuable addition to our diverse and influential movement of like-minded people committed to building a better society”
I was so delighted and can assure you I’ve already begun to make good use of my membership to this prestigious organisation. Planning, sharing ideas and debriefing after meetings. The RSA provides an excellent space to meet and greet at its venue in central London which is very convenient given the nature of the work I am asked to do.
The Spring season was busy both personally and professionally. Dr Marianne Colbran kindly invited me to attend an LSE media event: ‘Breaking prison narratives’. The event produced interesting conversations, some heated debate, and time for participants to reflect individually on what the day meant for them. It was eye-opening and definitely an event I was pleased not to miss.
Michael Palin
The Executive Ladies lunch with Lady Val Corbett later the same month featured guest speaker Michael Palin. Michael was very engaging to listen to, with anecdotes of his life and adventures. He showed particular patience afterwards as many asked for a memento selfie photo. Networking, raising funds for prison reform and for the Robin Corbett Awards always makes it a working lunch with a clear and meaningful objective. The help, strength, encouragement and inspiration that people derive from these lunches is priceless. And that was exactly how it was when Prue Leith joined us as guest speaker later in the year. What an entertaining and fascinating woman.
Large parts of my work can be challenging and distressing. Sometimes it can be harrowing.
I attended the inquest into the death of a young man, Thomas Kemp. The Suffolk area coroner, Jacqueline Devonish, recording narrative conclusions, said: “Kemp stabbed his wife to death during a psychotic episode when she tried to prevent him from harming himself. He then took his own life.”
The fact that he killed his wife and then himself was widely reported, including in my local media because he worked at the local university. But his full connection with the justice arena was not mentioned. I first met him back in Summer 2017 when visiting the University campus because I was invited to observe training of graduates. Thomas was employed by the University of Suffolk as an administrator. He worked on the Masters programme called ‘Unlocked Graduates’. After his death, his name was rapidly erased from the university’s website and, to the best of my knowledge, no acknowledgement of his tragic death was ever published on the Unlocked Graduates website.
Let’s hope the memory of Thomas Kemp has not been totally erased. Whilst I do not condone what he did, as someone who appeared to have serious mental health issues, it is clear that the system failed him and his wife.
I have subsequently learned that many involved in the teaching of the Unlocked Graduates programme at the University of Suffolk have themselves had to take time off due to stress. For me, there are many questions about Unlocked Graduates which remain unanswered and I know I’m not the only one.
The Creative arts in prisons is an area which interests me greatly. So, this year it was particularly interesting to have visited Snape Maltings for the celebration of their 20-year collaboration with HMP Warren Hill. The day was made up of performances, art exhibition and workshops showcasing the role of music and arts in rehabilitation with their partners Koestler Arts, The Irene Taylor Trust, Clean Break and Fine Cell Work.
Entering the main auditorium, I noticed someone waving at me and was surprised to see it was Dame Anne Owers (Chair of Trustees, Koestler Arts). We sat together to watch the performance; at one point, they handed out percussion instruments and everyone was encouraged to join in with creating improvised music. The whole event was one of inclusion, acceptance, hope and the potential of those currently serving sentences. It was a privilege to speak afterwards with some of the musicians and singers.
From that event came an invitation by Fanny Jacob, Creative Project Leader and Julian Earwaker, Writer in Residence at HMP Warren Hill to an art exhibition and fundraiser. A fascinating afternoon was spent with around 30 guests including the local Mayor. I chose to support the Families In Need (FIND) charity by purchasing one of the works of art.
I wanted to explore a little more about what role the Arts play within the prison estate. For that reason, I attended another Koestler Art exhibition, this time on London’s South Bank entitled “Another Me”.
Erwin James
Some people visit these exhibitions in groups, others in pairs but I prefer to visit alone so that other people’s initial reflections don’t become mine. For me it’s not just the pieces of art that can stop me in my tracks but the titles given to the pieces. For example, this year I discovered works of art called “Stand Alone”, “Consequences”, “Innocent Man” and “Woo Are You Looking At?”.
From matchsticks to J-cloths, from socks to gold leaf, such variety of materials used with such ingenuity.
But the question that stayed in my mind was:
“Are these exhibits examples of escapism or expressionism?”
I took this question forward and developed it when having the opportunity to interview the writer Erwin James. Choosing a venue familiar to me but unfamiliar to Erwin, my motivation was to try to explore the impact on a person who becomes a prisoner of being categorised and given a number and watched by security; just like works of art in galleries. An interesting parallel that I have tried to explore in the past.
This is the amazing feedback from Erwin:
“One of the highlights of my year in 2019 was being interviewed by Faith in the National Portrait Gallery. I’ve been interviewed many times over the years by press, radio and tv – but what I liked about Faith’s approach was that she wanted to introduce art as our common ground as well as our interest in prison reform. I’ve known and admired Faith for a number of years. We haven’t always agreed on prison reform issues, but I’ve always respected her integrity, which shines in her writing, her passionate crusade for a more humane and effective prison system – and above all her indomitable spirit. I’m just glad we’re on the same side…”
Jeremy Paxman
My return visit to the Bernard Jacobson Art Gallery in London was on a warm summers evening. It was the occasion of the bi-annual Contrarian Prize, for which I was pleased to have been nominated in 2017. The gallery was full and I met some real and would-be contrarians. The winner was Katherine Birbalsingh (Twitter: @Miss_Snuffy), founder of Michaela School and the prize was awarded by Jeremy Paxman. Chatting afterwards, Jeremy told me he had heard of me, which was somewhat astonishing. But the conversation with him was good and far from superficial.
It was also a genuine pleasure to catch up with my friend Ali Miraj, founder of the Contrarian Prize.
Being met in the entrance hall at the Lebanese Embassy by His Excellency the Ambassador for Lebanon to the United Kingdom, Rami Mortada, was an unexpected and memorable moment. Having received an invitation from Dr Lewis Owens the evening reception was arranged for former hostages Terry Waite and John McCarthy to meet on Lebanese soil together for the first time since their kidnap. It was a proud moment for me to meet them both, Dr Waite for the second time, and to have the opportunity for a short conversation. The ordeal of these remarkable men, imprisoned against their will, provides us all huge lessons about incarceration.
Terry Waite and John McCarthy
This year it has once again been a pleasure to be an associate member of The Corbett Network. It’s founder Lady Val is an inspirational woman, who I am pleased to call a friend. Her determination to promote reintegration and to support those released from prison into meaningful employment is exemplary. She has gathered around her a group of people who share this vision. Among them is Jo Apparicio, Business Management Director at The Chrysalis Programme, with whom I share the same passions and sense of humour, and to whom I leave the last words of this blog.
Thank you for reading.
“I was first introduced to Faith in May 2017 at a Networking event. I was immediately struck by Faith’s absolute passion, drive grace & unconquerable spirit in ensuring that individuals caught up in our judicial system are listened to, given a voice opportunity & support to reintegrate back into their families & communities in a positive & sustainable way with dignity as returning citizens to our society. Working with Faith over the past couple years in this environment sharing many common goals & thoughts I am in constant awe of Faith’s passion & drive and feel a great privilege to call her a dear friend. Faith is indeed a rare lady & a real woman of substance & I have no doubt that with her drive & passion she will be instrumental in the future in helping change the judicial system & prison reform for the better supporting individuals both in the prison system & also on release reintegrate and return to our society in a positive way”
In the context of a blog like this, it’s possible to only mention a fraction of the workload, time and miles covered. For obvious reasons you will appreciate I’m unable to share the full extent of everyone I have met or all that has been done.
~
The Power of the written word
Richard W. Hardwick (@RWHardwick) asked me recently if I would consider writing a review for his new book The Truth About Prison in the form of a blog. So here goes.
Reading this book is like listening to myself as Richard writes like I think!
This is a compilation of journeys of many people within a prison environment with a reoccurring theme, the truth about prisons. Truth can be hard to swallow, it can be hidden, but it’s there if we take the time to find it.
I know that speaking the truth can come at a personal cost.
Truth also hurts. But should we ignore it, should we cover it up? No, certainly not.
Walking into a prison is like opening that door C.S. Lewis wrote about and entering another world. A world without the same rules regulations or expectations. To start with its rather strange, almost intriguing and no day is ever the same. Conversations are limited, people are watching you and waiting for you to make a mistake as you are expected to know the rules, but when they are unwritten how can you? It’s like you walk into someone else’s life
When you start reading this book you open in your mind that wardrobe door. If you have never visited a prison you begin to visualise what really happens, who lives and works there. Most importantly you begin to wonder what are the benefits? What is its purpose? And just Why?
Questioning the stories, the anecdotes, the nitty gritty of prison life changes you. Once you open that door there is no going back. From then on, the reader cannot say “I never knew” as you have just begun to learn and hopefully understand about prison.
Why our prisons need to be reformed
First published 05 January 2017 in East Anglian Daily Times under the headline ‘Prison reform is taking too long, say ex-Hollesley Bay IMB chairman and former inmate’
Had the authorities listened to the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) at HMP Birmingham the riot on 16 December maybe could have been prevented. In their annual report the IMB wrote:
“the increasingly difficult behaviour of individual prisoners coupled with staff resource constraints give the Board cause for concern… Many staff are now concerned for their personal safety as well as for the safety of the prisoners… A solution is required urgently.”
Instead what happened was described by the Prison Officers Association as the biggest prison riot since Strangeways in 1990.
So why have prisoners behaved in this way?
Toxic combination
Sentencing guidelines have placed more people in prison for longer periods of time and has, therefore, inflated the prison population to record numbers. This in turn has given rise to overcrowding, and together with under-staffing and the emergence of psychoactive substances also known as “legal highs”, our prisons have become places of deprivation on a record scale. It’s a toxic combination.
Faith Spear
Less well publicised factors such as restricted access to education, to facilities, and the right of association with one another add to the frustration felt by those living inside. People being locked in their cell for 23 hours every day or sometimes for days on end during “lock down” creates a volatile atmosphere.
A high number of people in custody suffer from genuine mental health issues. They are imprisoned sometimes to protect society. But those are in the minority. Many people in prison with mental health issues are only there because the courts have no idea what else to do with them. For their sake and for the sake of society in which we all live, it is entirely the wrong place to send them.
IPP is defunct
Others are in prison under the now defunct rules on Imprisonment for Public Protection, known simply as “IPP”. These people don’t have a release date. Many prisoners today under IPP have already served time far beyond the normal tariff They are left to languish until the parole board decides it is safe to let them out.
I’m not saying we should open the prison doors and let everyone walk out. That would be reckless and irresponsible. But I am saying it is time to speed up the process of evaluation to make sure that those who don’t pose any risk to the public be allowed to go home as soon as possible.
What concerns me most is the utter boredom that so many of people in custody must endure. They are invariably portrayed as having a low IQ, a high percentage with a reading age of an 11year old; many have been in care and come from seriously complex situations. What isn’t realised is that many people in custody are intelligent, well-educated and have skills that could benefit other prisoners and need something worthwhile to do.
In other words, purposeful activity whilst in prison must be a priority. Lives are wasted here; I see it all the time.
So many organisations are involved in the ‘prison industrial complex’. Big money is made from those who find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Everyone wants a slice of the profits, but too little is re-invested in the prisoners and in the conditions in which they are held.
There are not enough links with the outside community, with colleges and University. Too few businesses are willing to give prisoners another chance, but without a fresh start it is impossible for them to be reintegrated back into society.
Beyond the Gate
I have seen the crushing stigma that ex-prisoners live under on release; the failure of a system that is meant to be there for them beyond the gate, the lack of accommodation, the difficulties of finding work, the list goes on.
It’s time for society to think differently towards people who find themselves in prison.
“Our prisons are in crisis and prison reform is taking too long.”
