Tomorrow
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS)is holding a 24 hour conference. Those going are the Prison Governor's Association (which supports prisoners getting the vote), Association of Chief Probation Officers, officials from the Ministry of Justice (I have no idea if Kneejerk Jack is going), Juliet Lyon, Director of the Prison Reform Trust (PRT) is going. I am surprised that neither she nor anyone else in the organisation thought to inform me that the conference is taking place. Jailhouselawyer has not been invited to attend, however, I did speak to Phil Wheatley the Director General of NOMS for 45 minutes (7.45 - 8.30) this morning and although it was an interesting chat, he would not extend an invite to me.
There are issues I would have like to have raised.
A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour. Once described as "The Devilish Advocate" (Guardian), I do have the ability to provoke a response. Sometimes it comes from someone who uses a thought process, and sometimes from jerks usually associated with the knee.
Keep us posted on this principle and how far it gets.
ReplyDeletewhy is it assumed that (ex) prisoners have nothing to contribute?
ReplyDeleteJames: I will indeed.
ReplyDeleteprison guru: You raise an interesting question.
Presently, I am reading literature in relation to this email request:
"I am preparing my PhD thesis on civic engagement and political participation among prisoners internationally, especially examining the Irish experience.
I have written a chapter dealing specifically with Ireland and another on the international experience which elaborate on the themes and details in the BJC article.
If you are interested and are in a position to read a draft and comment on a chapter I would be grateful for your suggestions".
As you can see, in private ex-prisoners can contribute.
Publicly, it appears that as lifers Ben Gunn and Charles Hanson observed in Inside Time, Prison Reform groups do not really represent prisoners. Unfortunately, there are some ex-prisoners who do claim to do that but either sing to the Establishment tune or are more interested in lining their own pockets.
Personally, I am going to Europe to the Committee of Ministers to put the prisoners case for the vote which the government is trying to deny them. Phil Wheatley told me that the Prison Service is ready to implement measures to facilitate this once the government gives him the green light.
We are also going to the High Court. There is a problem, we also need some prisoners prepared to write to Elkan Abrahamson to get in on the action. Some parts of the claim must be from prisoners in custody and not ex-prisoners. It is a matter of urgency given that the next General Election is not that far away.