tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post3847637312821252593..comments2024-03-19T08:48:37.047+00:00Comments on Prison UK: An Insider's View: The Scariest Prisoner? An Innocent OnePrisonUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-18646338584092047342015-09-04T09:14:38.624+01:002015-09-04T09:14:38.624+01:00Hello, I am a completely innocent lady, prepared t...Hello, I am a completely innocent lady, prepared to be polygraphed to prove it, about to be sentenced for "hate speech". I was framed: how I was may be of interest. The transport police, their labs & bosses did it (using EMR/electronics of the police interview (music) tape the master tape too, while the solicitors did nothing when it was reported to them.<br />As bad, the jury was fixed BY THE STATE USING LONG RANGE E.M.R at night from outside on the electoral rolls inside their crown court PCs from which jury members for the whole country are selected using postcodes. Geeks write it can be done! And, the lying evil police are allowed to "Vet", and select unwanted but likely good jurors; being bad themselves they wd not select good people.in the guise of weeding out criminals. <br />Our jury system has been destroyed ; do not go to them expecting justice anymore.<br />C.P.Pict Director, ChildeRunawaysNightsheltersCharity.4.9.15.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-35114941007234082802015-03-29T12:12:08.378+01:002015-03-29T12:12:08.378+01:00Thanks for your question. Some years back a few pr...Thanks for your question. Some years back a few prisons, mainly lifer establishments, did permit MP3 players. A lifer I once shared a cell with explained that they had access to computers (non-internet) and music was downloaded from CDs and shared between the cons. However, that has now stopped completely. MP3 players and similar devices such as iPods are now completely banned under PSI 30/2013. <br /><br />CDs can still be purchased from approved suppliers such as Gema Records, the firm that supplies certain models of PlayStations and computer games. However, prisoners have to buy these themselves via the prison using only the money available in their 'spends' accounts. Family and friends can only order books (or audiobooks for inmates who have certain disabilities).<br /><br />It's the same situation with DVDs. These can only be ordered by the prisoner via the prison. When I was inside the approved supplier for DVDs was Amazon.co.uk, but this may have changed since they are no longer an approved supplier for books (Foyles, WH Smith, Blackwell's and Waterstones).<br /><br />Most prison libraries do have DVD libraries, although the range and quality really varies. Also, under current rules no DVD rated as 18 can be watched or owned by a prisoner. The maximum is a 15. Ridiculous, really as Film 4 regularly shows 18 films and that is one of the nine approved freeview channels prisons can receive on their rented cell TVs.<br /><br />There can be technical issues using a Playstation to show DVDs. I once shared with a lad who had a Playstation 2 and it had a nasty habit of damaging DVDs. The best solution is to share a pad with someone who has either a Playstation or a DVD player and then you buy the other item. Even if you are on Standard level in the IEP system, you can still share with a bloke on Enhanced, although you won't be able to order any DVDs until you get Enhanced yourself.<br /><br />I hope that helps. Let me know if you need further advice or information.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-91791255359318352522015-03-29T07:33:50.104+01:002015-03-29T07:33:50.104+01:00what is the situation with having a MP3 player in ...what is the situation with having a MP3 player in jail and what about radio/cd player players that have a built in mp3 facility. how is it possible to buy the music and what about storing the music, how is this done in jail? what about a ipod, are these allowed? again how is music added to the player? do the prison arrange this. for buying cds and compilation albums, can family and friends order them and have them sent in to the jail. i read somewhere this is possible but the cds must be genuine items and sealed and sent direct from the company that family or friends buy it from, is this correct? what about dvd movies? i know you can have a playstation etc on enhanced status which will play movies but where do i get the movies from. do they have any films in the prison library that can be borrowed like the libraries on the out? any help appreciatedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-84041015436928134182014-10-20T16:54:32.087+01:002014-10-20T16:54:32.087+01:00I suggest you post something about Chris Grayling ...I suggest you post something about Chris Grayling on the David Icke Forum!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-5008670304397603632014-10-20T14:01:46.497+01:002014-10-20T14:01:46.497+01:00Thanks for the comment. I did manage to see the se...Thanks for the comment. I did manage to see the second half of the documentary, but I'll try and catch it online. From what I saw it does look pretty tough! I'm not surprised to hear that when Russia suspended the death penalty in 1996 cons started committing suicide, presumably because death was considered preferable to living in a Russian prison!<br /><br />Interestingly, only a tiny proportion of prisoners in the UK maintain innocence. Most plead guilty in the courts to get the usual 1/3 discount (1/4 for most murder cases). <br /><br />Launching an appeal isn't something to do lightly, as it can have serious consequences for those that aren't successful. In theory, the full Court of Appeal (three judges) can make what is called a 'loss of time' order if they reject the appeal. This can mean that any time spent in prison from the date the appeal was launched until the final hearing doesn't count towards the sentence to be served. If the appeal has taken a year or two to come to court, then that is a lot of prison time to lose (or to have added to your sentence, whichever way you want to look at it). That's why some prisoners decide not to take the risk, even if they are innocent. PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-49382424449002148462014-10-20T10:31:09.027+01:002014-10-20T10:31:09.027+01:00You should watch "Russia's Toughest Priso...You should watch "Russia's Toughest Prison" on BBC4, none of the cons plead their innocence in this show!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-45099829526835033952014-10-20T10:05:42.580+01:002014-10-20T10:05:42.580+01:00Interesting that you should raise this issue. The ...Interesting that you should raise this issue. The one thing that you never want to admit to in prison is being a qualified locksmith. Apparently they are considered to pose such a risk to prison security that they are liable to spend their entire sentence in high security conditions, perhaps even in solitary down in the Block (segregation unit). Funnily enough, I've never met a con who wants to own up to having trained as a locksmith! I wonder why?PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-4765290546440702922014-10-20T09:59:26.773+01:002014-10-20T09:59:26.773+01:00Thanks for your comment, Peter. It give you pause ...Thanks for your comment, Peter. It give you pause for thought that since the average annual cost of keeping someone in prison for a year is around £40,000, it would actually be much cheaper to send a con to university, as this would more than cover annual tuition fees and living expenses!PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-23072063724365099512014-10-20T09:56:23.113+01:002014-10-20T09:56:23.113+01:00Thanks for your question. Even an appellant will h...Thanks for your question. Even an appellant will have a sentence plan. However, in those cases - in theory - the requirement to participate in offending behaviour courses is set as a 'future target' dependent on the outcome of the appeal. This means that prisoners on appeal should be able to achieve Enhanced status. <br /><br />In reality, much depends on the attitude of the individual offender manager (community probation officer) and the offender supervisor (inside probation). Since November 2013 I've known several prisoners who have lost their Enhanced even when they have a live appeal running. Although they pointed out the provisions in PSI 30/2103, they were simply ignored.<br /><br />Prisoners who do get to Enhanced status and are then unsuccessful in appealing their convictions then face the prospect of losing their Enhanced unless they are willing to give up maintaining innocence. Again, I know a number of inmates in this position at the moment. PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-18205395797910456222014-10-20T08:47:04.141+01:002014-10-20T08:47:04.141+01:00Cons should study "lock picking" to ente...Cons should study "lock picking" to enter the library?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-52805055889380780192014-10-20T07:00:01.087+01:002014-10-20T07:00:01.087+01:00If you cannot afford the tuition fees, you can stu...If you cannot afford the tuition fees, you can study part time using YouTube. For example, try searching for "Lock picking".<br /> <br />Peter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-77956846747379132112014-10-20T06:11:34.193+01:002014-10-20T06:11:34.193+01:00Thanks, it does clear that up (although it seems u...Thanks, it does clear that up (although it seems unfair) but I noticed the caveat regarding a live appeal, does that mean if they have a live appeal they can follow (or be excused from) their sentence plan requirements and thus, theoretically attain Enhanced status? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-86751662558847505682014-10-19T23:02:12.167+01:002014-10-19T23:02:12.167+01:00Thank you for your comment. Prisons are full of no...Thank you for your comment. Prisons are full of non-violent offenders who live on a daily basis with men who have been (or still are) very violent. They would also be exposed to the ready availability of drugs (legal and illegal) and potentially share cells with inmates convicted of very serious offences. I've personally witnessed people entering prison who have never been involved in drugs, gambling or violence getting caught up in these activities inside jails. It's not for nothing that prisons have been described as the 'universities of crime'.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-84442933117567729012014-10-19T22:56:15.769+01:002014-10-19T22:56:15.769+01:00Thanks for your question. If you look at para 6.10...Thanks for your question. If you look at para 6.10 of PSI 30/2013, it states:<br /><br />Prisoners who deny their offence or who are appealing their conviction<br /><br />6.10 In determining IEP levels, the fact that someone is in denial of their offence should not automatically prevent them from progressing through the privilege levels, including to Enhanced level. It is a prisoner’s commitment to rehabilitation, good behaviour and willingness to use their time in custody constructively which should determine whether they meet required standards. Further guidance on the issue of deniers/appellants is attached at Annex D.<br /><br />The problem is that little phrase "commitment to rehabilitation". All prisoners who are sentenced to 12 months or more are required to have a sentence plan drawn up by the prison's Offender Management Unit (OMU). This document includes a list of offending behaviour courses or programmes that a prisoner is deemed to require.<br /><br />The general principles set out in Annex D of PSI 30/2013 applies to all prisoners who are 'in denial' of their offence (ie are convicted, but don't have a live appeal ongoing). In order to follow their sentence plan, they would need to do offending behaviour courses. However, in order to enrol for the courses an initial analysis of offence(s) is required. This is something that a prison maintaining innocence cannot do by definition. "Why did you commit this offence?" "I didn't. I'm innocent." You can see the problem.<br /><br />Once a prisoner cannot follow his or her sentence plan, then as Annex D warns, "the prisoner will not be engaging with their rehabilitation or reducing the risk of their reoffending" so this prevents them from attaining Enhanced level in the IEP scheme. It also states: "Depending on the outcome of a full review taking account of the prisoner’s performance and behaviour, it may also prevent them obtaining Standard regime status."<br /><br />In practice, what is happening is that prisoners who are "in denial" are first downgraded from Enhanced to Standard, then interviewed again and asked if they are ready to admit guilt and participate in courses or programmes. If the answer remains no, then they are downgraded again to Basic regime. I know a number of people in exactly this position at the present time and Inside Time carries a monthly crop of letters from prisoners who are now on Basic.<br /><br />In short, the PSI holds out the prospect of gaining and maintaining Enhanced status by prisoners maintaining innocence, but then contradicts this by the specific rules for prisoners who are deemed to be "in denial". I hope this clarifies the position.<br />PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-5711381125162014032014-10-19T22:31:06.116+01:002014-10-19T22:31:06.116+01:00I am a bit confused as I was reading the revised I...I am a bit confused as I was reading the revised IEP documentation and it specifically states that prisoners maintaining their innocence or on appeal should be treated exactly the same as other prisoners with regard to IEP. <br /><br />Is this not being done or misinterpreted? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-8936211460211050052014-10-19T17:47:50.576+01:002014-10-19T17:47:50.576+01:00I reckon trolling could turn into a "gateway ...I reckon trolling could turn into a "gateway crime" by exposing convicted trolls to serious criminals.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-86585966025716346782014-10-19T16:23:36.773+01:002014-10-19T16:23:36.773+01:00Thanks for your contribution and your question, La...Thanks for your contribution and your question, Laura. My own view is that there need to be some incentives to recognise good behaviour in prisons. The old IEP system had serious flaws, but it was still much better than this revised version.<br /><br />Some prisoners respond better than others to positive incentives. However, you will always have some who think it is more rewarding to steal, bully, fight etc so there do need to be some sanctions to protect other prisoners, as well as staff. In fact, most internal prison punishments are much more lenient than would be given in a court outside.<br /><br />My biggest problem with the current IEP system is that it is set up to punish those prisoners who behave well but who claim to be innocent. Some are certainly innocent, others may not be, but I don't think treating them in the same way as cons who fight, steal, bully or smuggle contraband is the right way forward.<br /><br />I do believe that governors and senior managers should have much greater discretion over how their prisons are run. They know the local situation far better than politicians or bureaucrats down in London.<br /><br />MP3 players and iPods or other recording devices are all prohibited in UK prisons. A few prisoners did have old mini-disc players (not recorders), but these were allowed under old rules and wouldn't get through reception now.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-58752367551615676692014-10-19T16:09:50.147+01:002014-10-19T16:09:50.147+01:00do you think it would be better if they got rid of...do you think it would be better if they got rid of the iep scheme completely and replaced it with everyone being on the same amount of money. there's a school in london that works like this - there are no rewards and no punishments. do you think things would improve if they did this? as in would people be happier and behaviour better if they have more access to personal items. also just wondering if you can take an mp3 player into prison? lauraAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-1360738143924803852014-10-19T15:15:23.586+01:002014-10-19T15:15:23.586+01:00Careful! Criticism of 'the Party' could ge...Careful! Criticism of 'the Party' could get you banged up if Crisis Chris has his way... <br /><br />Where is George Orwell when you really need him? <br /><br />"The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just around the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know what no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me.” Amen, Mr Grayling, Amen.<br /><br />“War is peace. <br />Freedom is slavery. <br />Ignorance is strength.” <br /><br />Maybe that will make it into the next Conservative Party election manifesto!PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-48131662578876145452014-10-19T15:02:50.437+01:002014-10-19T15:02:50.437+01:00"nasty spiteful keyboard warrior trolls who t..."nasty spiteful keyboard warrior trolls who tweet death threats"<br /><br />Maybe nasty spiteful inept Tories who cause a massive rise in self-inflicted deaths in custody should face a couple of years inside.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-62240548918477423622014-10-19T14:54:27.174+01:002014-10-19T14:54:27.174+01:00Thanks for your comments. Clearly, when people mak...Thanks for your comments. Clearly, when people make threats online (or in other ways) the law needs to deal with them. Sending an anonymous death threat in the post or online is always going to be criminal behaviour.<br /><br />On the other hand, I'm not convinced that jailing people, even for the nastiest tweets or posts, is the right way forward. Recently, I was very impressed with the way in which Professor Mary Beard of Cambridge University dealt with some really horrible trolling on Twitter. She made contact, met up with the student who had tweeted about her and he bought her lunch and apologised. She even offered to write him a reference! I think that was a far more productive way of dealing with this kind of thing than costing the taxpayer money by prosecuting and imprisoning the culprits.<br /><br />When reported, the vast majority of trolls could be given a warning by police and the target of their trolling offered the option of a meeting with the troll to tell them face to face how much pain their behaviour has caused. If a suitable apology is offered and a commitment made to cease any further trolling, then in my view that would be a positive result. It's much easier to hate people you don't know in the abstract. When they are sitting in the same room looking you in the eye, then it's an entirely different thing. I think Prof Beard got it spot on! She's obviously a very shrewd judge of human nature.<br /><br />PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-42799712851032900852014-10-19T14:30:06.805+01:002014-10-19T14:30:06.805+01:00I reckon Chris Grayling should clarify which kind ...I reckon Chris Grayling should clarify which kind of troll he wants to send to jail for 2 years. There are two kinds of trolls:<br />1. nasty spiteful keyboard warrior trolls who tweet death threats <br /><br />2. benign trolls who disrupt conspiracy theory sites when jfk, the mccans and child entertainers are being discussed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-816299440827345432014-10-18T13:14:48.864+01:002014-10-18T13:14:48.864+01:00No, more very brightly coloured pjs with pictures ...No, more very brightly coloured pjs with pictures of space rockets or cute animals! Both of which designs I've seen regularly on prison wings, along with the odd pair of furry slippers!PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-89663671139249937782014-10-18T13:01:37.108+01:002014-10-18T13:01:37.108+01:00Are you referring to romper suits as kid pyjamas?Are you referring to romper suits as kid pyjamas?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-67087809079098403662014-10-18T12:54:36.369+01:002014-10-18T12:54:36.369+01:00Thanks for your response. You are quite right abou...Thanks for your response. You are quite right about the way in which the revised IEP system is popularly perceived. However, part of the problem is the way in which complete falsehoods are peddled by the tabloid media - especially the Daily Mail and The Sun - and then get accepted as 'true', even when they aren't. A good example is the 'Sky TV' in cells lie. This absolutely never happened in any public sector prison - indeed it would have been expressly excluded by prison rules - yet the tabloids ran with this enormous whopper for years and it still crops up occasionally even now.<br /><br />My main objection to the new system is that it does absolutely nothing to make prisons safer or to encourage rehabilitation. It fuels depression and resentment, particularly among inmates who stick to the rules and behave well, yet still perceive that they are being punished unreasonably over and above the loss of their liberty. I also find it very revealing that prison governors and many wing staff, few of whom are bleeding-heart liberals, were opposed to Mr Grayling's interference with the IEP system. They have many years of practical experience of running jails, while he has absolutely none. Yet he ignored their advice and warnings for purely political PR reasons.<br /><br />An example of this is the requirement that prisoners should make a positive contribution by volunteering to do specific jobs or activities in prison to help others as a condition of gaining or maintaining Enhanced status. Fine, most of the general public might say. <br /><br />However, when it is clear that there are so few of these opportunities available in most prisons - whether that is teaching reading though the Toe-by-Toe adult literacy course, wing reps, Listeners (Samaritan-trained peers) or Insiders (peer mentors) - then it becomes clear that you might end up with prisoners who are willing to volunteer, but with no hope of ever getting a qualify role. They then risk losing all their Enhanced privileges, solely because the prison system can't offer such opportunities, especially amid the current overcrowding and under-staffing in many prisons. In my view that contributes nothing to rehabilitation, but risks fuelling unrest, cynicism and disengagement from the system.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.com