Prisons - new material (71)
01 October 2008
Catalogue of Failure, Deborah Coles. Socialist Lawyer no. 50 (September) 2008, pp. 22-23. This article examines the “incontrovertible evidence of serious human rights abuses of women prisoners and [the] abject failures in the criminal justice system” reflected in the 118 deaths in women’s prisons since 1990, (89 of which were self-inflicted). It gives an insight into an important new book by Coles and Marissa Sandler, “Dying on the Inside” (ISBN 9 780 9468 5822 4) that was launched at the House of Commons on 2 April 2008 and which can be purchased from the INQUEST website: www.inquest.org.uk
A Radical Vision for Scotland’s Prisons, by Looking to the Past?, Douglas Thompson. SCOLAG Legal Journal Issue 375, pp.9-11. This piece appraises recent proposals for major reform of the Scottish prison system made by Professor Alec Spencer, former Director of Rehabilitation and Care in the Scottish Prison Service. He “proposes that the Scottish prison service be split up, with local councils taking responsibility for inmates serving short sentences, and that the national prison service take over responsibility only for the 3,000 or so most dangerous offenders. He proposes that both remand prisoners, many of whom do not ultimately receive a custodial sentence, and short-term prisoners requiring lesser levels of supervision, should fall under the responsibilities of the newly formed Community Justice Authorities, established in April 2007”
Pressure to Deport Foreign National Prisoners, Frances Webber. IRR website 4.9.08. This piece looks at the automatic deportation provisions of the 2007 UK Borders Act which came into force on 1 August 2008 as part of the government’s drive to deport any non-British and non-EEA citizen who has been sentenced to a prison term of 12 months or more, no matter how long settled in the UK and no matter how valuable their work is to their local community. Available as a free download: http://www.irr.org.uk/2008/september/ha000007.html
Too Little Too Late: an independent review of unmet mental health need in prison, Kimmett Edgar and Dora Rickford. Prison Reform Trust February 2009, pp. 70. This report reveals that many people who should have been diverted into mental health or social care from police stations or courts are entering prisons, which are ill-equipped to meet their needs and then discharged back into the community without any support. It draws on evidence provided by the Independent Monitoring Boards of 57 prisons. Available as a free download: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/temp/TOOspLITTLEspFINALspVERSIONlo.pdf
Will a death in custody always be subject to independent investigation? Forum for Preventing Deaths in Custody, 19.1.09, pp. 23. This report publishes research examining whether the systems for investigating deaths in custody comply with the UK’s human rights obligations. It finds that the regime may not fully comply with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights and expresses concerns that some deaths involving psychiatric patients and children who die in custody may not always be subject to independent scrutiny. Available: http://www.preventingcustodydeaths.org.uk/article_2-compliant_investigations_paper_final.pdf
What Price Imprisonment? Lord Ramsbotham. Legal Action February 2009, pp. 7-10. This is an abridged version of a talk given by Ramsbotham, who was HM Inspector of Prisons between 1995-2001, at the 2008 LAG annual lecture in November. It considers the failure of the prison system to cut rates of re-offending pointing out that while security has “its proper place” it “should not be considered the number one priority as opposed to doing things with and for prisoners”.