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Prisons - new material (17)

01 December 1996

The law relating to prisoners Simon Creighton & Vicky King, Legal Action March 1996 pp16-18. Update on prisoners' rights covering the new differentiated regimes and temporary release on licence".

The mandatory life sentence: submission by the Penal Affairs Consortium to the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee in December 1994 and January 1996. Penal Affairs Consortium February 1996 pp8. This PAC submission argues that decisions on the release of life prisoners should not be left to the Home Secretary but should be set by the trial judge; it also argues that decisions on whether to release a prisoner at the end of the minimum period should be made by the Parole Board.

The poor laws Nick Davies. Guardian 8.2.96. Article on the increasing number of people (estimated at 22 000 per year -mainly women) jailed for being unable to pay trivial fines.

Prison Watch press release no. 161. Prison Watch 31.1.96. Covers the inquest of Paul Shaw who was found hanged in his cell in Walton prison in July 1995. An addict Shaw was placed on complete drug withdrawal without support which Prison Watch believes "was a cause of his self-inflicted death".

The mentally disturbed in prison - a disgrace Dawn Pelle. The Law February-April 1996 pp10-11. Examination of the Criminal Justice System and how its fails those with a mental disorder - who constitute up to one third of the prison population.

Conviction newsletter No. 15 1996. The Conviction newsletter campaigns in support of wrongly convicted prisoners. This issue reports the cases of Dave Wood (recently released on appeal), Kevin Armitage James Ingram and Michael Singh.