Simon & Schuster India’s Post

Why did we need to use Freedom of Information requests to learn about the increased use of “pepper spray” (PAVA) against Muslims in prison? Why does the impact of Islamophobia in prisons remain conspicuously absent from standard reports from Government and the charity sector? This erasure shows a lack of care/expertise and is complicit in state violence. In this context the increased use of pepper spray (PAVA) is inevitable because there is a lack of accountability. When reading the data we should therefore ask: what preceded the use of PAVA spray? Not just in the seconds or minutes but weeks and months before. Are the prison officers reacting to a sudden moment of violence or does it reflect a build up and why? What environmental factors, such as culture, pervasive racist media coverage, or prison policy influenced the use of PAVA spray? What was the prisoner officer’s relationship to the prisoner before the use of PAVA? Had the prison officer, as we have heard repeatedly from incarcerated Muslims, threatened them with not being allowed to attend Friday prayer as a form of control? What negative impact did this have on the prisoner? When Muslims consistently report negative experiences of the prison system and a constant surveillance of their “Muslimness”, what impact is the increasing use of PAVA against them going to have? Read the full briefing here: https://lnkd.in/ef95MwkM

THREE WAYS TO RADICALLY REDUCE WOMEN'S PRISON POPULATION by Corbett Network member Sonya Ruparel CEO Women In Prison: Many women in custody are serving short sentences for non-violent crimes, and their needs would be much better met in their communities by local services. As I said while giving evidence to the Justice Select Committee this month, there are ways to quite quickly reduce the women's prison population ⌚ Look at remand : A high proportion of women in prison on held on remand (awaiting trial or sentencing) and many don't go on to receive a custodial sentence - but even a short stay in prison can wreak havoc on a woman's life. 🏥 Stop using prison as a place of safety: We are seeing prisons being used as a so-called "place of safety" when we know they are anything but safe. Investment in community-level services is needed so women can receive the support they need locally. 💙 Stop sending unwell women to prison :The majority of women in prison experience some form of mental ill-health. We are also seeing women with complex mental health needs sent to prison, where their access to support and medication is delayed or cut off. Prison is not an appropriate place for unwell women and cannot be used as an alternative to medical, psychological or psychiatric help.

The systemic racism faced by Muslim/Black/brown people in the prison system, and their families, is once again being ignored in the current debate about over-crowding in prisons and early release. Racism in the criminal legal system is not another “policy priority” but is instead hard-wired into the DNA of policing and prisons. How else do you explain that the Muslim prison population has nearly tripled since 2002, now making up 18% of the prison population. Ruth Wilson Gilmore reminds us that it is a trick of perspective to think of prisons as sitting on the margins of society. Speak to anyone who has had to navigate the prison system in order to support a loved one and they will tell you how difficult and traumatic it can be. Our new resource, Jami’an, provides practical advice for families who are separated by the prison system while recognising the importance of faith in helping to survive a violent environment. We also know that family and community support is vital in ensuring people do not end up returning to prison. Being in prison and having your freedom taken away is not natural, even though it is presented as a normal part of our society. This is why family connection is so vital: “Visit days are some of the best days when in prison, you look forward to these days like no other. It gives you a feeling of normality spending time with your loved ones” – Former prisoner. You can access the resource here: https://lnkd.in/emhFc5_y

QUOTE: The chief inspector of prisons told the BBC it costs nearly £250,000 a year to keep a child at Wetherby, adding: "With outcomes like this, there has to be a real question over whether this is working." COMMENT: Spending nearly £250,000 (two-hundred & fifty thousand £££’s) a year to keep one child incarcerated in a secure environment seems to be an incredible amount of money. And naturally, it’s being funded by the British tax-payer. How much does it cost to keep one prisoner in a conventional British jail each year? … Only a fraction of a quarter of a million £££’s. Someone is making a massive profit here! Our Government should be interrogated at a Public Enquiry to explain how they can justify the cost of keeping one child in Wetherby for that incredible amount of money. Unfortunately, Government Ministers are extremely reluctant to provide straight answers to the General Public.

HMP Whatton, in Nottinghamshire, is a prison for men convicted of sex offences that housed 848 prisoners at the time of our inspection. It holds a complex population: many have committed serious crimes and are serving long or indeterminate sentences. Healthy establishment scores: 🔒 Safety: Good ⚖ Respect: Reasonably good 📚 Purposeful activity: Not sufficiently good 📅 Preparation for release: Reasonably good Points to note: 📄 B wing cells were cramped, mouldy, and had unscreened toilets next to beds; prisoners lined walls with cardboard for warmth 📄 Self-harm was higher than at comparable prisons 📄 Prisoner literacy and numeracy skills were low 📄 Accredited programmes were limited. Notable positive practice (NPP): ✅ A group of prisoners had been trained to provide peer support as social care advocates (SCAs) to many prisoners who needed support with some daily tasks by the Carers Federation. These SCAs undertook accredited qualifications and received ongoing training, advice and supervision from an external agency based in the prison. ✅ Prisoners from protected groups had recorded podcasts for the prison TV and radio channel. This demonstrated a commitment to learning about prisoners’ experiences, raising awareness among their peer group and staff. 🔍 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eemXDC3W

For your Second Look Act edification: Second Look Act- According to a report issued by the Sentencing Project, New York State has the third largest population of people serving terms of life imprisonment in the country. Nearly 9,000 New Yorkers are currently serving life sentences. Every year, nearly 1,000 people are sentenced to 10 or more years in prison, and over 5,000 people have been there for 15 years or longer; https://lnkd.in/em3SKzwQ According to a report issued by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, over 30,000 people are incarcerated in New York’s prisons. There are over 8,000 people today over the age of 50 in New York prisons and 44% of New Yorkers in state prison struggle with a chronic health condition; https://lnkd.in/eAnm545q According to a study issued by the United States Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, between 1994 and 2014, the national number of people in prison who had served more than 15 years increased 526%. The number of people in prison for 25 years or longer increased from 26 people in 1994 to 1,330 in 2014 (over 5,000% growth); https://lnkd.in/eMPjEMXV Office of Bureau Statistics National Corrections Reporting Program (consumer/public interface) - https://lnkd.in/eJdq7itG

Our new pamphlet, UnCaptured, is produced in a context of increasing racism faced by nearly 14,000 Muslims in prison and yet this fact remains absent from official reports.   The organisations and authors of these standard reports often lack the expertise and close proximity to our communities to not only witness systemic racism and apply a sophisticated analysis.   UnCaptured aims to expand the knowledge produced and narratives told about incarcerated Muslims. Our intention is to build analysis that is not only intellectually rigorous, but can also register emotion, vulnerability, heritage, culture, and religion. Without such a methodology we will only hear the most basic stories.   It is borne out of Maslaha’s approach combining practice with theory. Our practice is with people in prison and with those in the community, building interventions that respond to the immediate harms of prison, and point to sustainable community infrastructure.   It requires building spaces of trust while being present in spaces of harm and violence. In doing so we witness and challenge the stereotypes of radicalisation and extremism that shape the perception of, and response to, Muslims inside prison (as well as those outside). Even where harm to Muslims in prisons is acknowledged, official government reports often render these invisible by focusing on Muslims as a ‘risk’ factor to be mitigated.   Read UnCaptured here: https://lnkd.in/ephqMhcF  

Prisoners to be released early to alleviate overcrowding crisis Some prisoners will be freed up to 70 days early after ministers quietly extended an emergency scheme to alleviate the prison overcrowding crisis. The scheme, which allows prisoners to be set free before their release date, will be extended from 35 days to 70 days from May 23. An email sent to probation and prison staff, admit the changes will “create additional work for many people at a time when we know we have our own resource challenges”. It says prisons face “significant challenges” and that despite the emergency measures to create more space “pressures continue in the male estate”. The move comes in response to Prison Service forecasts which have estimated that space will run out in male prisons from next month without further measures to free up cells. Violent offenders, including domestic abusers, sentenced to less than four years in prison will be eligible for the scheme, as are burglars, thieves and fraudsters. However, the measures will not apply to sex offenders, terrorists and all criminals serving a sentence of more than four years. Source(s): The Times Daily Mail The Sun

The United States has an over-incarceration problem, and it’s contributing to a crisis in our prison system. ⚫ Overcrowding leads to poor conditions as more incarcerated people are packed into less space. ⚫ Combined with understaffing, overcrowding pressure on an already strained system, with too few staff for too many incarcerated individuals. ⚫ Poor conditions are the result, creating an unsafe and inhumane environment for everyone who lives and works in prison. The prison system cannot operate safely and effectively under these conditions. Matthew Charles from our campaign partner FAMM believes, “we need to find ways to safely reduce the number of those that are incarcerated, meaning those that don’t necessarily have to be there, should not be there. And those that need to be kept there should be there.” Join our campaign and learn more about the issues facing our prisons by signing up to our newsletter today: https://lnkd.in/ekV6N8x4  

Seven years ago, HMP Liverpool was described as "squalid" and infested with rats and cockroaches. Today, thanks to extensive renovations and a positive change in culture, it's a shining example of hope and redemption. WT is delighted to share an article published in The Telegraph about one of our transformative projects: Liverpool Prison. Undergoing a multi-million-pound refurbishment, the prison has become a hub of industry, with offenders working on various contracts, including producing utility belts for Prison Officers and a commercial laundry facility, with contracts from sporting organisations.  Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, during a recent visit, noted the commendable improvements, emphasising that "prisons, as well as prisoners, can be redeemed." The wing-by-wing refurbishment will see every cell renovated and deliver 350 more prison places. This will increase capacity and provide better living conditions for offenders, with lighter, airier spaces and improved facilities. It's heartening to see the positive impact of these changes, demonstrating that with investment and the right approach, even Victorian-era prisons can be transformed. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ezcUn9_3 HM Prison and Probation Service #PrisonReform #TransformativeProjects #ConstructionConsultancy #WTPartnership #WTNorthernHub #MinistryofJustice