“Take a day at a time in “I would abolish prisons as “One year on. Has enough order to face the enormity they are and make them been done? My honest of your situation.” places where people can response: I don’t think it the National Newspaper for Prisoners & Detainees Coralyn Burge thrive.” Frances Crook OBE has.” Junior Smart OBE a voice for prisoners since Comment // page 18 Comment // page 19 Comment // page 22 July 2021 / Issue No. 265 / www.insidetime.org / A ‘not for profit’ publication/ ISSN 1743-7342 LONG WALK TO FREEDOM 21 // SCOTTISH FOCUS 30 // SENTENCE PROGRESSION 38 An average of 60,000 copies distributed monthly Independently verified by the Audit Bureau of Circulations DECLINE IN OB PROGRAMMES Courses fall by 40% in a decade, raising fears that lifers and IPPs will miss out on parole Inside Time report March 2010, when 8,469 pro- greatly reduced since March grammes were completed. 2020, when face-to-face activ- The prison population re- ities in jails were suspended Only one in 16 prisoners takes mained steady over the due to concerns about virus part each year in courses de- period. transmission. signed to reduce their risk of reoffending. The number of The figures include courses Evidence of a decline in the 15 “accredited programmes” for general offending, sexual use of programmes will fuel a completed in English and offending, violence and do- wider debate over whether Welsh prisons has dropped mestic violence. They exclude they actually work in prevent- steadily for the past decade. drug and alcohol programmes ing reoffending. There are 21 Cool head in a crisis! The decline has brought in jails, which have been accredited programmes ap- warnings that some prisoners handed over from the Prison proved for use in English and Ref who took control of Eriksen emergency is former prison officer may be stuck in custody be- Service to the NHS. Welsh prisons by the Correc- cause they cannot gain places tional Services Accreditation on courses which they must Over the same 10-year period and Advice Panel (CSAAP), an complete to show the Parole the number of prisoners com- expert body appointed by the Board they can be released pleting the Thinking Skills Ministry of Justice which de- safely. Programme, the most wide- cides which courses would be ly-used course, has declined of benefit. It has been criti- Nationwide Prison Law Specialists In the year to March 2020 from more than 5,000 a year cised for secrecy as it does not there were 5,068 completions to just over 2,000. disclose who its members are, of programmes in prisons, what it discusses at its meet- according to figures released All figures relate to the ings or why it reaches its last month by the Ministry of pre-pandemic period. The decisions. Justice. It marks a decline of number of prisoners taking 40 per cent from the year to part in programmes will be Continued on page 14 • Recall • Parole • Sentence Calculation • HDC • Pre-tariff Reviews • Cat A Reviews • Re-categorisation • Adjudications 47 0151 200 4071 Jail drama takes no prisoners First timer gets taste of real Time in authentic prison show 63 Hamilton Square, solicitors Birkenhead, Wirral CH41 5JF NEWS FLASH! INSIDE TIME STOPS PRISONER SCAM! 36 2 Mailbag ‘Mailbag’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton SO30 2GB. Insidetime July 2021 Degrading regime insidetime The Berwyn Council Mailbites a voice for prisoners since 1990 Ahmed Hussain - HMP Wakefield Scott Bott - HMP Berwyn Trendy Frankland the national newspaper for prisoners published MJ Stone - HMP Frankland by Inside Time Limited, a wholly owned To this day here at Wakefi eld I have been at HMP Berwyn for two years and have only just subsidiary of The New Bridge Foundation, we are still on a severe found out this prison has a ‘prisoner council’ that meets with I give credit to Mr McNamee for putting his founded in 1956 to create links between the lockdown regime, which the governor once a week. I asked questions about this and name to the letter (January issue) with his view offender and the community PUBLISHED found out the following - that ‘the police are great’. My own view is that WEEKLY ONLINE AND MONTHLY IN PRINT consists of 45 minutes exercise per day and the rest of the Mr McNamee’s view is very naïve and the day under segregation • The council is made up of two prisoners per house (each police are not so great as he thinks they are. Board of Directors regime, waiting to be unlocked house has over 600 prisoners); His views are far from unique here at for a shower and a 10-minute • The council members are hand-selected by the governor; Frankland. Lots of inmates are on the same Trevor Grove - Chairman Former Editor Sunday phone call. We have been • No minutes are published from the weekly meetings; trend. So much so that it is common for Telegraph, Journalist, Writer and former Magistrate patient with this regime, but • No prisoners are consulted about what issues are raised; certain inmates to enjoy more regular visits Dr Peter Bennett Trustee, New Bridge from the police than from their own families, it has been very detrimental • The meetings are seen as a tick-box exercise with no real Foundation and former Governor of HMP Grendon and with no one seeming to bat an eyelid. to our mental health. I am accountability. John D Roberts Company Director employing Back in the day, these views and police visits former prisoners coping with this with were less common, but we are living in a new Louise Shorter CEO Inside Justice and former prescribed meds, but every Other prisons have an election every 12-months to select pris- day I am having suicidal age with new trends, and, in this sense, producer BBC Rough Justice oners to represent them on the council meetings with Alistair H E Smith BSc FCA Chartered Accountant, thoughts with no end in Frankland is very trendy. governors. Trustee and Treasurer, New Bridge Foundation sight. In addition to this Phil Wheatley Former Director General of Prison degrading regime, we are A great man Service The prisoners currently on the Berwyn council are also being now being told by governors Keith Rose - HMP Leyhill that they are planning to given employment opportunities within the prison, created The insideteam remove association from the for them by a governor. No other prisoners have been able to I knew Eric McGraw from around 1992 and future regime and remove apply for these positions. regarded him as a friend. For several decades, our use of the kitchens. We as editor of Inside Time, he allowed me to have had almost zero I feel it is about time the governors of Berwyn allowed us an bang on about the ineffectiveness of psychol- face-to-face contact with election to select our representatives instead of keeping it to ogy courses and the activities of the dreaded other prisoners, and this has the hand-selected few, some of whom have been on the coun- ‘psycho-babes’. Articles as diverse as ‘Is Your been very stressful and cil for over 3 years. Budgie a Psychopath on the Hare PCL-R Check John Roberts challenging to our mental List?’ or ‘Scotland the Volcanic’, proving Publisher health. Many prisoners no The council should be elected by prisoners every 12 months, geographically that Scotland is not and never and Director longer maintain eye-contact which would make it more transparent, accountable, and re- has been part of the UK, were printed with glee. R.I.P Eric, we’ll miss you. during conversation as we flective of the population (including the VP population who haven’t had that experience should also be on the council). The council should publish for 13-months. I would like the minutes from ALL meetings had over the last 12-months, Course licked to know if this removal of in full, not just the headings, and then publish all future Jason Adams - HMP Ashfield association from prison minutes in full every week moving forward. regimes is covered by a PSI The final question of a section of coursework Rachel Noel Smith Erwin James and whether it is lawful? asked - ‘What is the difference between a Editor in Chief Billington OBE Commissioning Out with the old and in with the new. union and a direct relationship?’ As my answer Associate Editor Editor I wrote - ‘A hot cup of tea and a digestive biscuit’ - simply because I had completely lost interest in what felt like a pointless time-wast- ing exercise when I could have been doing We can help you with: something more stimulating and meaningful, such as licking the walls of my cell. To my Ben Leapman Paul Sullivan David Roberts 1. IMMIGRATION DETENTION/PRISON, BAIL & DEPORTATION amazement, when the marked paper was Reporter and Editorial Operations 2. ASYLUM AND HUMAN RIGHTS returned, the answer I had given had a big red Feature Writer Assistant Manager 3. VICTIM OF TRAFFICKING tick and the word ‘Excellent’ written beside it. 4. IMMIGRATION APPEALS AND JUDICIAL REVIEW Either this just goes to prove the common theory that the more ridiculous a question can be, the greater scope for an even more ridiculous answer, or the assessor became equally bored in marking this pointless coursework and perhaps gave in to the more Justine Allison Carla Rowe Louise Van appealing temptation offered by his own Head of Admin Mechelen Ne mund të ju ndihmojmë me: Administration Assistant Accounts walls! Supervisor 1. PARABURGIM/BURGIM, APLIKIM BAIL-I, DHE DËBIM.