More calls for action from our members in prison

Last week, we shared the thoughts of our members in prison on the day-to-day issues behind bars that the government ought to focus on.

This blogpost looks at what their responses tell us about wider issues, including the work of the probation service, maintaining family ties, and sentencing, particularly sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPP).

It closes with some reflections on the need for reform of the entire criminal justice system.

Probation 

When we canvassed our members in prison earlier this year, we received more complaints about the probation service than observations on any other topic. And this was before the announcement of the SDS40 early release scheme, which has added to probation caseloads. Members offered some suggestions for how the service could be improved. 

“My Probation Offender Manager has a caseload of 80. That is unsustainable. I have spent my sentence trying to engage with my sentence plan and Offender Manager only to be ignored and rebuffed because I’m not in my release window.” – Simon 

“(Probation) are too risk averse and restrictive: this being at fear of reprisals for themselves instead of focus on victims and prisoners. This often causes log jams in the system. Although they are very busy they ignore prisoner communications and regularly cancel appointments.” – Darren 

“To deliver a better service to the whole community, the focus should be on reducing re-offending, through improved probation & rehabilitation … Meaningful education & training so that those released can earn a living and most importantly, effective support from a well-resourced probation service to deliver quality resettlement provision and re-integration into the community, which would protect the general public better and be seen to be a good use of public funds.” – Bruce 

“A major uplift in probation recruitment and retention. This would probably mean more funding, i.e. to increase wages.” – Charlie 

“A large percentage of people in prison have been recalled by Probation without following the rules as laid down by a parole board I faced. Any one, or all 4 to be followed. 1. A verbal warning. 2. A written warning. 3. A final written warning. 4. A last-chance-saloon type of interview with the probation officer and Head of Probation Services. Probation regularly skip these options, and they get away with it.” – John 

Family

Many members wrote to us about the importance of maintaining family ties, which can help to prevent reoffending. 

Despite a government policy in support of increasing family contact, prisoners are often left wanting. Many are in prisons many miles from their families, making visits difficult and often prohibitively expensive.  

“Focus more on the maintaining of prisoners’ family ties instead of sending people 3+ hours way from their children!” – Lewis 

“I am too far from home and I want to be closer to family. I no longer have any care or enthusiasm to jump hoops for Parole panel/probation etc. I only care about seeing my family/daughter. Only god knows how long I have to live, so long as I have regular visits, I’ll be happy.” – Mumdy

“I would look at investing in some sort of travel service for prisoners’ families to access prison visits. I would have lots of literature around the hall in regards to LGBTQ+ topics & also about mental health and stop it being a taboo subject.”  – Ryan 

IPP 

The IPP sentence remains a contentious issue. Although the sentence was abolished in 2012, almost 3,000 people who were given it remain in prison today. Members wrote to tell us how this injustice affects not only people serving the sentence, but prisons as a whole.  

“The fact that I, and others are still serving sentences that are illegal is enough to affect us all. We should not be here and one cannot blame the prison staff, but it should be said, the rules in this establishment are changing for the worse.” – Anonymous 

“It’s the not knowing of when I’ll get released. I do not want to die in prison. I suffer from depression and I have done since I was a child. The new governor has implemented a new regime which is very unsettling for all the prisoners here.” – Dan 

“Persecuted by an obsolete law that was abolished 12 years ago, so that it’s legal for me to be scooped up like a fish in a net, dumped into prison, and just left there, until I can be dealt with. The ‘toxic legacy’ of IPP.”  – John 

“Not being able to access many of the services that are for IPP prisoners. The units are too small, 20 by 10 spaces on two units. IPP prisoners are there for a long time, which prevents others taking part. There needs to be a larger unit utilized for all life sentence prisoners, with the correct support in all jails.” – Robert 

“Using judge’s remarks, re-sentence all IPPs to the determinant sentence, which would have been passed, making this exercise easier as it is already documented.” – Simon 

“Well, I feel that us IPP’s have had a rotten deal. And the recent IPP awareness week, you may recall, boiled down to nothing really, just lip service. I’m now convinced that nothing short of a full root and branch reform will make a difference. Anything else is just sticking plaster really.” – Brent 

Wider reform 

The comment above was one of several we received from members calling for far-reaching reform of the criminal justice system. I will finish this blogpost with some more of those calls for action.  

“Stop playing to the red-top tabloids with the ‘tough on crime’ mantra aimed squarely at locking up more people for longer with no support and no rehabilitation in deteriorating and under-funded conditions.” – Simon 

“Take politics out of the entire process. Put minimum standards of service into law with associated budget provisions. Listen to and use the experience of the countries that are doing it vastly more successfully, for example, Norway. Dissolve the not fit for purpose IOPC [Independent Office for Police Conduct], IPCI [Independent Prisoner Complaint Investigations], and CCRC [Criminal Cases Review Commission] and start again with independent bodies with teeth, integrity and backbone.” – Geoff 

“There needs to be a smarter use of prison as not all those in prison need the restrictions. Home Detention. GPS tags are useful alternatives. ‘Unpoliticise’ the criminal justice system. A full-time body, not politically affiliated, press or media pressured, or vote driven. Justice systems not affected by general election. Consistency.” – Darren 

“An increase in the funding, quality and range of activities within the mental health services. Give everyone a personal counsellor and you’ll see a significant improvement in behaviour, stability and reoffending. Relationships matter!” – Charlie 

“There’s simply not enough space to write what needs to be done. It is a total overhaul of everything from community structures to rehabilitating offenders …  An unimaginable financial investment to catch up with decades of neglect.” –  Tahir  

Tim Kerr, Membership Officer 

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