“The car caught fire and my brother burned to death in front of my eyes.” Will Steele “That night was a turning “After 18 years in prison Quick reads point in my life that I being able to self-isolate Ian Rankin thriller - never thought I would ever in my own home ain’t no the National Newspaper for Prisoners & Detainees recover from.” Will Steele hardship.” Linda Calvey Reading Ahead a voice for prisoners since Comment // page 24 Comment // page 23 Comment // page 28 June 2020 / Issue No. 252 / www.insidetime.org / A ‘not for profit’ publication/ ISSN 1743-7342 VIDEO VISITS ROLLING OUT 15 // LOCKDOWN FROWNS 22 // LOCKDOWN LEARNING 37 An average of 60,000 copies distributed monthly Independently verified by the Audit Bureau of Circulations WHERE IS PRISONS EXIT STRATEGY? Keeping prisoners locked up 23 hours a day for months on end is turning prisons into “ticking time bombs”, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary warns Inside Time Exclusive infection. He also urged min- controlled regimes stay in want to stay safe and healthy. isters to accelerate early re- place, the number of prisoner But … keeping prisoners in leases to cut overcrowding. deaths in England and Wales this situation for what could In an interview with Inside could be limited to 100, whereas be another year will lead to Time, David Lammy (left) said Prisons have been on lock- without them between 1,900 other problems. the lockdown in jails to curb down since March when the and 2,700 prisoners could die. coronavirus could damage res- whole nation was told to “stay “It will lead to serious issues idents’ mental health and lead at home” in the face of the Lammy welcomed the intro- around mental health and to tensions, conflict and unrest. pandemic. However, a gradual duction of video visits at some wellbeing, it could affect self- lifting of the restrictions in prisons, but said residents harm, and certainly it can He called on the Government outside society, beginning in should also be offered educa- increase tensions in our pris- to provide an “exit strategy” May, has not been reflected in tion and therapy by videolink. ons and that can lead to con- for easing the restrictions, jails. flict and to unrest.” starting with a drive to test He said: “Of course everyone more prisoners for COVID-19 Public Health England has accepts it’s exceptional times, David Lammy speaks © Deposit Photos and trace the spread of the advised that if tightly and prisoners themselves to Inside Time page 21 CAPPTIVE! Hedgehog mania! Reform charity launches COVID Action Prisons Project: Tracking Slumping numbers of hedgehogs over recent Innovation, Valuing Experience decades have put one of our much-loved part of Britain’s native wildlife at risk. But now our spiky “The COVID-19 pandemic friends are being given a helping hand by people is the biggest thing to hap- in prison - with projects which take in injured and pen in prisons in 40 years. orphaned animals and care for them until some can But it’s mainly happening be released back into the wild. In the first of a series unnoticed by the media and the general public.” of articles for Inside Time, Bea Finch of the Ministry of Justice Ecology team looks in detail at some of Prison Reform Trust Director Peter Dawson 39 27 the schemes. specialising in complex and high profile criminal defence and appeals. Jeremy Moore is one He is notable for acting in numerous miscarriage of justice cases, including of the leading solicitors successfully representing Barry George in his appeal against conviction for the murder of Jill Dando and subsequent in the country, for criminal retrial. To speak with Jeremy about your case Freephone 0800 144 111 defence and miscarriages please contact us at the address or on the number below. We represent clients Mailbox 19, 275 Deansgate, of Justice throughout England and Wales. Manchester, M3 4EL 2 Mailbag ‘Mailbag’, Inside Time, Botley Mills, Botley, Southampton SO30 2GB. Insidetime June 2020 Correct the lie insidetime Mailbites a voice for prisoners since 1990 Name supplied - HMP Winson Green Terrible waste the national newspaper for prisoners published ST - HMP Swaleside by Inside Time Limited, a wholly owned In a recent Inside Time article subsidiary of The New Bridge Foundation, Louis Burdett (Inside Time April 2020 issue) founded in 1956 to create links between the I read that the government cannot change the sentence rightly raises the issue of vapes and plastic offender and the community PUBLISHED waste that will end up in landfill. WEEKLY ONLINE AND MONTHLY IN PRINT that a judge has given. This troubled me as I know the Vapes are classified as waste electrical and government can and have electronic equipment, and along with kettles, Board of Directors done so in the past. Does toasters, televisions, computers, etc, is the anyone remember when the fastest growing waste stream in the UK. Trevor Grove - Chairman Former Editor Sunday two sides of the Irish border Outside of prison the rest of society is obliged Telegraph, Journalist, Writer and former Magistrate. Just, wow were at war? Many lives to recycle waste, so why is there no sign of it Dr Peter Bennett Trustee, New Bridge were lost, innocent people happening on the wings inside prison? Surely Foundation and former Governor of HMP Grendon Chris Hartley - HMP Wakefield who just happened to be in we have a duty, like others, to try and repair John D Roberts Company Director employing the immense damage we have done to our former prisoners the wrong place at the wrong Hope everyone reading this is okay, I’m doing fine, trying to planet. Prisons should not be exempt. Louise Shorter CEO Inside Justice and former keep my head down. The reason I’m writing is that I and time. Terrorists were tried producer BBC Rough Justice some other lads here have been doing pictures and making and convicted and sent to Alistair H E Smith BSc FCA Chartered Accountant, prison, many with sentences Thanks Captain Tom! Trustee and Treasurer, New Bridge Foundation things out of bread for the NHS workers here. The things we have been making are to say thank you for all the hard work that would see them die in JP McDonagh - HMP Onley Phil Wheatley Former Director General of Prison prison. The government of Service. they’ve been doing during these trying times. The nurses this country then decided I have spent all day thinking about the good have been putting these up on the wall of the Meds hatch for people in the world, and all it took to show me all to see. We’ve been doing this since the outbreak of the that these people had a right The insideteam to family life and under the this was the actions of one World War II virus. I wrote a thank you poem last week and it got put up veteran. Captain Thomas Moore, who has on the wall. But later that day I noticed that it had been taken Good Friday Agreement they were released. They did not raised so much money for the NHS. My down and my poem was sent to Security because someone grandfather died a long time ago, and, to my complained about us giving the staff ‘gifts’. I was told by an serve their full sentences, so the government DID change knowledge, he is the only Traveller to have left officer that the nurses are uncomfortable about receiving Ireland and joined the British Army. His name these thank-you poems and pictures. their sentences. That proves to anyone that the govern- was Shakie Pat McDonagh, and on behalf of John Roberts ment CAN change sentences my grandad and all the Travellers in prison, I Publisher I find this outrageous because a lot of lads have gone out of for all IPP prisoners. All IPPs would like to say thank you to Captain Moore and Director their way to do this for them because we recognise the hard could be released tomorrow and thanks to all the healthcare staff for their work that all NHS staff are doing. All we are doing is saying hard work. thank you, what is so wrong about that? I really do not get it if they so desired. So that at all. This has angered me as it seems they are throwing our statement in Inside Time gratitude back in our faces. I wonder if NHS staff on the other was a lie. All IPP’s should be It’s our life side of the wall are acting like this? I very much doubt it. I be- allowed the same rights as Sy - HMP Altcourse lieve it is because they think we are low life and don’t de- convicted terrorists - the right to a family life, as we are all I’ve been on my recall since May last year and Erwin James Rachel Noel Smith serve to be treated as humans. It certainly says something have been waiting for a parole date. I was Billington OBE Commissioning politically sentenced prisoners. Editor in Chief about how they view us. finally given the date of the 16th of April. But Associate Editor Editor now we are on lockdown till god knows when, so what is going to happen? Will there be a parole hearing, will they do it via video-link? Nobody seems to know anything and to top it off I can’t seem to get hold of my Probation worker. I’m stuck here and I think it’s unfair.