The Lloyds TSB Foundation Young Offenders Programme
The Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales has launched its Young Offenders Programme which has 1 million funding available to charities which are working to improve the life choices and chances of young offenders in England and Wales.
You need to be a registered charity in order to apply. Your charity can be any size but should have a proven track record of working with young offenders, aged between 15 and 21, in areas including:
* Acommodation
* Skills training
* Employment mentoring
* Drugs and alcohol
* Mental health
* Restorative justice
* Family support and relationships.
Grants can fund new and innovative work. They can also be used to extend a proven model of successful work or to enable the development of joined up projects. Funding can be up to three years and can cover core and project costs. Capital costs are not covered.
The application deadline for expressions of interest is 25 September 2009.
For more information see the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales website http://www.lloydstsbfoundations.org.uk/FundingProgrammes/Pages/YoungOffendersFundingProgramme.aspx
The Impetus Trust
Reducing Re-Offending Fund has 1.3 million to support 3 6 charities in the criminal justice sector. The fund is collaboration between Impetus Trust, Indigo Trust, Esm Fairbairn Foundation, and the Henry Smith Charity. The funding will be over 3 4 years and aims to make a significant impact on the high level of re-offending in the UK.
Successful organisations will receive a combined package of unrestricted funding and tailored capacity-building support from the Impetus Investment Team and network of consultants and advisers.
The deadline for applications is 15 September 2009.
For more information please visit: http://www.impetus.org.uk/reducing-reoffending-fund.html
Inside ‘n’ Out Magazine- 2nd Edition
Editorial First Word
Welcome to the second issue of the INO Magazine. We have exciting plans for the future and will keep you updated in future issues of the INO Mag.
If you haven’t heard of us yet we are a magazine set up to enhance positive communications. It showcases how individuals are achieving re-entry to community life.
The magazine covers current issues of debate within the Criminal Justice System and offers its readers link to, and information about, other charities, public services and organisations that ex-offenders may find useful.
The INO Mag is an independent platform for those on both sides of the prison wall to share experiences, with the aim to provide a better understanding between parties. The project also provides ex-offenders with volunteering opportunities, as a first step towards the rehabilitative pathway of gaining employment. We have worked with several ex-offenders looking to get their lives back on track and continue to support them in this difficult task.
If you are interested in sharing your story, informing young people currently entering the system or just expressing your ideas for our/future, please contact us at the back of the magazine.
We look forward to your experiences.
Resettlement and Rehabilitation
Taken from a NOMS presentation
To reduce the likelihood of re-offending and cut crime, (ex) offenders need to…
• Have equitable access to suitable and sustainable accommodation and housing support.
• Have a Job or access to the skills which are most likely to lead to suitable and sustainable employment.
• Have timely access to benefits (e.g. Housing, Job Seekers Allowance) finance products (e.g. bank account, insurance), and be able to manage and stay out of debt.
• Be free from problematic drug and or alcohol addiction.
• Have equitable access to health and social care services in particular around Mental Health
• Be able to manage and maintain healthy relationships with their children and families
• Be able to think through how to deal with difficult situations and develop positive attitudes and behaviour in order to get along with people and prevent cycles of re-offending.
• Recognise the harm done to victims and communities which requires organisations and service providers to breakdown local barriers to social and economic inclusion
• This magazine aspires to educate what is available to (ex) offenders so they can make an informed choice whether or not to reoffend.
• All proactive ideas and opinions are welcome. Write to the address at the back of this publication.
Con Air
John talks about Prison Radio and the PRA.
In January this year the newspapers were full of stories about ‘con air’ the prison services plan to introduce a radio station across 140 prison. They stated the £2m would come from existing resources and the possibility of a charity becoming involved in the project’s delivery.
As usual the mainstream media reaction was fuelled by misunderstanding and cheap shot headlines around lazy lags spoon fed Chris Moyles 24/7. It’s not actually about that at all and justice system will know the truth. The opposition spokesman talked of the government using this as a way of not dealing with the real issues which is true but what an opportunity to talk up his own former Tory colleagues Johathan Aitken, whose own report released recently, is authored by someone who actually knows what its like inside!
The reason prisoners are locked away for such long periods of each day is either a lack of genuine jobs to do in prison, lack of education resources or lack of staff to facilitate these things. This all leads to prisoners being in their cells for longer periods so why not take the opportunities to try and reach them with positive content around rehabilitation, victim awareness and opportunities to get involved in project like Ino Mag when they get released.
As the founder of Ino Mag I would welcome the opportunity to create content that was broadcast inside prison but more importantly take ex-offenders who had worked on these projects and offer them the opportunity to choose it as a career option when back in their communities.
Communities across the world use radio as the main form of community news gathering but in this country we seem addicted to television news and the local newspaper industry appears to be in full retreat due to the economic climate. Perhaps prison radio is a way of changing perceptions, providing news and also to provide a genuine community based opportunity to leave the cycle of criminal justice system.
What is the Prison Radio Association (PRA)?
The PRA is an award winning education charity that provides support, guidance and expertise to existing prison radio stations and advises prisons interested in setting up radio station and radio training facilities.
The PRA was established in response to a growing demand from prisons to engage in prison radio.
The PRA is working on the development of a National Prison Radio Service, with the potential to reach every prisoner in England and Wales.
“I have chosen to lend my support to the PRA because I believe this is innovative broadcasting to a quite literally captive audience… the potential in all sorts of ways in enormous.”
John Snow
Barnardo’s Launches YOP
Kate Davis – Holmes from Barnardo’s explains what YOP stands for.
Barnardo’s have launched a Young Offenders Programme (YOP) aimed at people aged 16 to 25. Participants are offered retain training in flexible placement in a Barnardo’s shop. Barnardo’s would like to see the YOP providing a stepping stone into employment and resettlement.
Participants will also have the opportunity to work towards a Youth Achievement Award by putting together evidence of four 15 hour challenges. The first challenge, which can be completed in the prison environment, usually looks at job search issues. The next three challenges can be tailored, to an extent, to the needs and aspirations of the individual.
Carolyn Marnoch, a Barnardo’s shop manager, comments: “The programme has been a very positive experience for me, for the YOP volunteer and for my other volunteers. The YOP volunteer has gained confidence, skills and experience; I have gained a dedicated and hard-working volunteer. There are some very bright and talented young people in the prison system who deserve a second chance and I feel privileged to have worked with them.”
The Head of Reducing Reoffending at HMYOI Thorn Cross says: “Valuable schemes such as Barnardo’s YOP enable us to engage with the community and reintegrate individuals into a society from which many are excluded by their antisocial behaviour. Through partnership working, the programme helps to improve self-esteem and frequently serves as a fresh impetus and hope to those who will be released back into the community.”
Barnardo’s believe in the potential of every child and young person no matter what they are, what they have done or what they have been through. Barnardo’s will support them, stand up for them and bring out the best in them.
If you are interested, please contact Kate Davis-Holmes at kate.davisholmes@barnardos.org.uk or Tanners Lane, Bakingside, Ilford Essex, IG6 1QG. Her mobile number is 07990805613.
UNLOCK
The National Association of Reformed Offenders
Who are UNLOCK?
• UNLOCK was established as a charity in 2000.
• UNLOCK was set up by and is led by reformed offenders.
• UNLOCK has over 4,000 members and 5 employees
• UNLOCK is independent.
• UNLOCK does not take government funding to deliver contracted services.
• UNLOCK aims to achieve equality for reformed offenders and a society in which reformed offenders are able to fulfil their positive potential through equal opportunities, rights and responsibilities
What does UNLOCK do?
• UNLOCK receives thousands of letters, phone calls and emails. In response we:
• Offer direct information, support and referrals to expert organisations.
• Develop and deliver innovative projects to demonstrate how problems can be solved.
• Run campaigns that seek to change discriminatory laws, policies, practices and attitudes.
• Act as channel for the voices of reformed offenders to influence policies, practices and attitudes.
What are UNLOCK’s current objectives?
• Improved access to bank accounts, insurance and financial capability training.
• Implementation of anti-discrimination laws to support equality for reformed offenders.
• Enabling of prisoners to vote in line with the European Court of Human Rights judgement.
• Establishment of a community-based alternative to prison focused on training and employment.
• A trusted, flexible and high quality information service
• More positive public opinion of reformed offenders
• Development of a strong community of reformed offenders committed to equality.
What has UNLOCK achieved so far?
• Provided thousands of reformed offenders and family members with information and support.
• Developed a service offering access to insurance to people with convictions and their families.
• Highlighted prisoners’ need to open bank accounts and convinced Halifax to run a pilot project.
• Set up bank account opening projects in 5 prisons, in partnership with Halifax and Barclays.
• Developed financial capability training specifically for former offenders called ‘UFC’.
• Trained 130 staff and peer supporters in 33 prisons and 8 community-based charities to deliver UFC.
• UNLOCK has contributed to many TV and radio programmes, as well as stories in the printed media include the BBC, Sky, Channel 5, The Times, The Guardian and the Independent.
• Established the UNLOCK Forum, an internet-based community solely for people with previous conviction share experiences, highlight issues, ask questions, support each other and work towards equality.
If you have any experiences of UNLOCK we would be interested in sharing them with you.
Useful Addresses
Apex Trust HQ
7th Floor, No.3, London Wall Buildings, London Wall, London. EC2M 5PD.
020 7638 5931
Job-check@apextrust.com
Leicester Branch
Apex House 74-76 Charles St, Leicester, LE1 1FB
Tel: 0116 261 6510
Clinks
25 Micklegate, York, YO1 6JH
www.clinks.org
Futures Unlocked
9 Newarke Street, Leicester. LE1 5SN
0116 255 3742
admin@futuresunlocked.org
Gay Rights in Prison
48 Princess Terrace
Brigton BN2 5JS
Koestler Arts Centre
168 a Du Cane Rd, London. W12 OTX
020 87400333
info@koestlertrust.org.uk
Leicestershire Cares
42 Tower St, Leicester LE1 6WT
0116 275 6490
info@leicestershirecares.co.uk
Nacro
Park Place, 10-12 Lawn Lane, London
SW8 1U. 020 78407200
www.nacro.org.uk
Prison Reform Trust
15 Northburgh St, London , EC1V 0JR
020 72515070
www.prisonreformturst.org.uk
Shannon Turst (Toe by Toe)
38 Edbury St, London, SW1W 0LU
020 7730 4917
enquiries@shannontrust.org.uk
Smart Justice
Same contact details as the Prison Reform Trust
Prisons Education Trust
Wandle House, Riverside Drive, Mitcham,
Surrey CR4 4BU
020 8648 7760
info@prisonseducation.org.uk
UNLOCK
35 a High Street, Snodland. Kent ME6 5AG
01634 247 350
enquiries@UNLOCK.org.uk
Youth Justice Board
11 Carteret St, London SW1H 9DL
020 727 13033
enquiries@yjb.gov.uk
Our Contact Details
Inside ‘n’ Out Magazine
Community Media Hub
Learning & Information Library
Bishop Street
Leicester LE1 6AA
Tel: 0116 299 5413
Editors- John Coster and Mark Clark
Email – editor@inomag.org
Web – www.inomag.org
Reparation?
What is Reparation?
Reparations designed to help the young person to put right the harm their offence has caused, either to the victim or to the community.
There are many ways they can do this, including:
- Making an apology to the victim of crime, either by letter, by video or in person
- Doing something for the victim, for example, repairing any damage that has been done
- Doing some unpaid work to help or benefit the community
Reparations defined as a set numbers of hours which are carried out voluntarily by the young person.
Reparation can either be Direct (to the victim) or Indirect (to the community).
Reparation can be classified into 5 main groups:
- Sport: e.g. helping to coach different sports to children
- Community work: e.g. helping out at a youth club, playclub, community centre
- Outdoor Work: e.g. carrying out gardening for a local environmental group
- Art/Music Related Work: e.g. designing a poster to deter other young people from offending
- Trade: e.g. carrying out work in the trade industry such as building and maintenance, painting and decorating, carpentry.
How is it decided what Reparation the young person does?
Reparation should be a positive experience for all involved. Therefore, negative, purely punitive activities should be avoided.
Reparation should be relevant to the young person’s offence to help them to understand how they are repairing the harm they have caused.
The victim’s views on the activities the young person can do for Reparation must be taken into account and acted on where appropriate.
Reparation should be based on the young person’s strengths or interests (including employment aspiration).
What are the aims of Reparation?
- To involve and empower the victim, helping them practically and emotionally
- To offer the young person the opportunity to put rights the damage
- To help the young person develop an awareness of the impact of their actions
- To encourage understanding and breaking down of stereotypes
- To help both parties bring the incident to a close, so that they can get on with their lives
- To bring healing and forgiveness to relationships hurt by crime
- To encourage the young person to move on and avoid re-offending
- To help the young person integrate back into their local communities
Who supervises the Reparation Placement?
All activities are supervised either by a member of staff at your placement or a member of staff from the Youth Offending Service. All the supervisors are Police checked and are responsible adults.
How long will it last?
If the young person is on a referral order then their reparation will last between 6-30 hours. This must be completed during the length of the young person’s order
If they have a reparation order from court, then the number of hours will be between 6 -24 hours
For any other orders, their case manager will decide with them.
What if they are ill and can’t make the session?
The case Manager at the youth offending service should be informed straight away, before the time of the appointment. The case manager will in turn call you to inform you and advise you of alternative arrangements.
What do I have to do?
You should:
If you are interested in helping prevent young people from re-offending, then you should contact the reparation team
- The reparation team will then arrange a meeting with you to assess your potential placement and discuss any questions you may have
- A form will need to be completed for you to be added to the Youth Offending Service Reparation list
- A risk assessment will be completed
How will I know that a young person is interested in working at my venue?
A member of the Reparation Team will contact you informing you that a young person is interested in working at your venue
The worker will only disclose relevant information i.e. name, age, level of risk to your users
The worker will arrange a meeting between the worker, the young person their parents/carer and yourself. At this meeting you will be completed and signed, confirming details of times, dates and work that needs completing. A copy wil be given to all parties involved. The nature of the offence will not be disclosed due to confidentiality Regulations
What will I have to do whilst the placement in progress?
We ask the Health and Safety regulations are explained to the young person prior to them starting work
- Treat the young person the same way you would any other member of staff
- Provide any equipment that is required i.e. goggles, hard hats
- Build a rapport with the supervisor and the young person
- Advise the case manager of any concerns, or if the young person fails to attend
For further enquiries Please ask for the Reparation Team
Leicester City Youth Offending Services
Eagle House 11 Friar Lane, Leicester LE1 5RB
Tel: 0116 299 5830
Youth Offender Panels
From April 2002, England and Wales will pioneer an entirely new way of dealing with young offenders aged between 10 and 17 years old.
All of the local criminal justice agencies have combined their efforts and resources to bring the scheme to Leicester.
This partnership now needs to involve local people of the community to make it work.
What is a Youth Offender Panel?
Most young offenders who appear in court for the first time and plead guilty will receive a Referral Order, lasting from 3 to 12 months and requiring them to attend a Youth Offender Panel meeting.
What happens at the Panel Meetings?
Each Youth Offender Panel meeting will have two community members and a member of the Youth Offending Team.
The panel will be led by one of the community members, with the Youth Offending Team member providing information and support.
The panel will meet with the young offender, their family and where appropriate, the victim with the aim of reaching an agreement that:
- Considers how and why the offences occurred and what can be done to prevent it happening again
- Ensures young offenders take responsibility for their behaviour.
- Increases the young offender’s understanding of the harm done to the victim and how they can make amends.
- Afterwards, the Youth Offending Team will monitor the young offender to ensure adherence to the agreement. The panel will meet to review progress and can refer the youth offender back to court if the agreement is not being kept.
How is a youth Offender Panel different from a Youth Court?
Although Panel has the backing of the court, it is not a court of law. There are several important differences:
- Panel will be less formal than courts. This will encourage communication between the young offenders, their family and their victims
- Panel members will have a particular understanding of the effects of crime in the community.
- The local nature of panels will bring home the real effects of crime to the young offender by requiring them to consider the effects of their actions on victims and the rest of the community.
Who can be a panel member?
As long a s you are at least 18 years old, you can apply to be a community panel member. No qualification or experience is required and the most important factor will be your personal qualities.
Panels will reflect the communities they serve and we are looking for members who reflect the diversity of the areas they come from, in term of age, gender , ethnic origin and social background.
You should be of good character, although criminal convictions will not necessarily disqualify you as long as they are not serious or recent.
You will need to be prepared to undergo police checks and provide references to show you are suitable to deal with young people.
Commitment
Community Panel members will be expected to serve on at least one panel per month. We expect panel meeting to last between 45-90minutes
You will receive 56 hours training in the first year and regular refresher course and support from the youth offending team after that.
Members will need to commit themselves to serving for at least a year.
If you are interested, please contact
Referral Order Coordinator
Leicester City Youth Offending Team
0116 299 5830
Or visit
Leicester City Youth Offending Team
Eagle House
11 Frair Lane, Leicester
LE1 5RB
Tel: 0116 299 5830
Email: youth.offending.team@leicester.gov.uk
False abuse allegations to be wiped from workers’ records
Teachers and youth workers who have been cleared of alleged abuse against children will be able to wipe the claims from their records, the government has said.
Junior children’s minister Baroness Delyth Morgan last week pledged to change the system as part of an overhaul of the statutory guidance on handling of allegations of abuse against those who work with young people.
Morgan said a review of the guidance had shown it to be largely effective. However, she acknowledged concerns within the sector over the requirements in existing guidance that references on prospective employees should contain details of any allegations of abuse, even those proved untrue.
In a letter accompanying the launch of a consultation on the revised guidance, Morgan said: “I am happy now to confirm that we do intend to amend the guidance to make clear that allegations which have been investigated and demonstrated to be completely untrue do not need to be included in a teacher’s references.
“We are committed to ensuring that the systems for dealing with allegations provide effective protection for children against abuse while also providing a fair, transparent system for teachers and other members of the children’s workforce that minimises the impact of allegations that turn out to be unfounded.”
David Whewell, chair of the Confederation of Heads of Young People’s Services, welcomed the proposed change. He said: “This is an important change. If someone has been accused of something and that accusation has been found to be untrue, to then tar them with that forever more is very unfair.”
By Ben Willis
Children & Young People Now
15 May 2009
Big idea to ease prison overcrowding is scales back
Jack Straw has abandoned plans to build three giant ”Titan” prisons, each holding 2,500 inmates, after criticism from prison governors and penal reform groups.
The £1.2 billion programme for the biggest jails in Britain was the centrepiece of a huge expansion of prison places to 96,000 by 2014. Mr Straw, the Justice Secretary, will tell MPs next week that instead of the three Titan, the Government plans to build “mini-Titans”, each holding 1500 inmates.
He will announce the sites for two of the new jails next week, providing a future justice secretary with the option of scrapping the remaining three if the prison population stabilities. The mini-Titans are planned for the South East, North West and West Midlands and will be built and run by the private sector.
They form part of the biggest prison building programme in Western Europe. In addition to the five 1,500 – place jails, the Government is planning to build eight smaller prisons to house 5,400 inmates.
The Ministry of Justice said that total prison capacity would till increase as planned. “We have consulted on plans for new prisons and have listened carefully to all views.” a spokesman said.
A Whitehall source said that Mr Straw had never been ideologically wedded to Titans. He had listened to people such as Dame Anne Owners, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, and decided on the grounds of efficiency, effectiveness and security that it was better to build jails with 1,500 places, the source said.
A consultation paper on Titans last June said that each jail would be built on a 50-acre site. The jails would have been up to five storeys but divided into five separate units each holding about 500 inmates. Ministers argued that a Titan site could have held self-contained remand jails, youth jails and prisons for adults, allowing for saving to be made on shared services such as catering, education and administrative functions.
Whitehall sources said that the five new prisons were expected to cost “roughly the same” as the Titans. It was unclear how the economies of scale provided by three Titans could be achieved by building five 1,500 superjails. The Titans, a name Mr. Straw disliked, were part of a programme intended to fill a predicted 13,600 shortfall in prison places by 2014. Twenty of the 135 jails in England and Wales hold more than 1,000, including inmates, followed by Birmingham with 1,400 and Wormwood Scrubs with 1,225.
The prison population yesterday was 82, 773, a rise of 21 on the previous week. If the prison estate, 88 out of 135 prisons are overcrowded and more than a quarter of inmates are in cells holding one more than they were designed for.
Penal reformers welcomed then abandonment of the Titans but said that building mini- Titans was not an answer to overcrowding. Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform said that Titan was not an answer to overcrowding. Frances Crook, director of the Howard League of Penal Reform, said that Titan jails were a disastrous idea and were now a “titanic policy failure”.
Ms Crook added: “Building five 1,500 – place prisons, bigger than any other jail in the country, is not the answer to the chronic problem of overcrowding and violence in our jails.”
Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Justice Secretary, said: “Warehousing offenders in hulks twice the size of Wembley Stadium was never going to address increased levels of reoffending and so we welcome plans to scrap Titan prisons.
“However, Jack Straw needs to urgently explain how he will address the crisis in the prison population that has resulted in thousands of prisoners being released early. Only by increasing capacity, reducing overcrowding and replacing our old, expensive and ineffective prisons can we reform offenders and cut crime.”
Source: The Times – 25th April 2009
Teenagers need the power to step off the trouble train
No one who has power, status and security wants to give it up. And it’s especially had for anyone who makes policy or implements it to admit that they should share their power.
The people who run the country generally only talk to, and are influenced by, others like themselves: graduates with good grammar and a history of working hard and doing well. So it felt like a historic day last month when I went into No 10 Downing Street with a bunch of teenagers who don’t fit that mould.
To read the full article please click to the link below
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2009/apr/15/mark-johnson-inside-out
http://www.mark-johnson.org.uk/about/
Church prison project folds through lack of Government support
A pioneering prison support project, welcomed by hundreds of inmates and staff, has folded due to lack of Government support.
The project, developed in Lancashire by the Church of England’s Diocese of Blackburn, was designed to be of national benefit by cutting re-offending rates through comprehensive support to prisoners and their families.
More than 1,300 prisoners applied to join the pilot project, in four Lancashire goals, during its three-year lifespan. The Family Days and Support Project trained 120 volunteers to work with four prisons, Preston, Lancaster Castle, Kirkham and Wymott, creating opportunities for families to spend time together in creative activities.
“The project has helped shape future plans for prisoners and their families in the prisons,” said a 70 page project review, published on April 1st. “The consensus was that the project has filled a niche and will be badly missed.
“The overwhelming feeling is one of sadness and frustration that the project has ended, and worry that much of the good which it has undoubtedly done may be wasted without something to take its place. The general conclusion is that this project, or something very similar, should not only be reinstated in Lancashire but repeated throughout the country.”
The project aimed to create a “through the gate” support policy, keeping families together, reducing re-offending rates by 20 percent and achieving a £3 saving for each £1 invested.
Prisoner rehabilitation started during the first week of a prisoner’s sentence and the project included encouraging work with other prisoner problems like drugs, accommodation, employment and education and training.
Peter Nowland, who supervised the project for the Church of England, said availability of funding from HM Prison Service North – west changed during the year that the three year Treasury funding ran out.
While some of the work led to Family Support posts being set up in prisons “this does not fully address the family issues in the community, nor the need to support families and ex-offenders upon release.”
An unnamed prison governor said: “I think we’d be foolish if we didn’t roll it out, not just regionally but nationally because it’s a key part of what prisoners need… recognition there’s gaps in their lives that we’ve been trying to fix.”
A prisoner commented: “As a prison Listener I truly believe that this project is playing an additional role towards suicide prevention, self- harm reduction … in what I regard as a vital project for the prison Service.” And a family member added: “if I won the lottery I’d give Grassroots (the Church department running the scheme) a couple of million quid just to carry on.”
Source: www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/9121
Give convicts a fresh start, pleads Aitken
The former cabinet minister jailed for perjury has written a landmark report on prison reform
Thousands of prisoners could be released into the community and some ex-offenders allowed to wipe their records clean under landmark proposals from Jonathan Aitken, the former Conservative cabinet minister.
The findings from the former inmate of Belmarsh jail, who served seven months for perjury, mark a significant shift in Conservative ideas on law and order, putting the emphasis on giving criminals a second chance.
He told the Observer that creating an alternative to the “human warehousing” of offenders in overcrowded prisons wit no means of rehabilitation should reduce reoffending. “Punish, yes. But punish thoughtfully, punish constructively,” he added.
His report, to be published tomorrow by the think tank the Centre for Social Justice, will recommend the introduction of supervised halfway homes in the community for some low-risk inmates – women, those recovering from mental illness and ex-service personnel.
Aitken said it would not be a “lax, free-and-easy” regime, but inmates could work and rebuild ties with the community. He also urged reform of the Rehabilitation of offenders Act, reducing the period for which ex-offenders are required to disclose criminal records to any prospective employer. Some convictions, such as murder, never become spent, but minor offenders should be able to wipe the slate clean earlier, Aitken said.
His report, which also suggest prison governors and probation officers be paid bounus for reducing reoffending, was commissioned by the former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith and is being taken seriously in senior Tory circles.
The shadow justice secretary, Dominic Grieve, said yesterday that he was studying plans to use former army camps as halfway homes for offenders which were “in many ways parallel” to Aitken’s proposals, and backed his calls for reform of spent convictions, hailing the report as a “very interesting contribution”.
Aitken said his conclusions were influenced by the experience of his former cellmate, Mickey Aguda, whose funeral he attended last week. “He was a guy who came out of prison with an absolute intention – which he stuck to – of going straight. He had changed, and what he most wanted was to get a job.
“Like most prisoners, the moment they say, ‘And where have you been for the last five years?’ And you disclose it, people just don’t give you an interview.
It’s sometimes just a bit daft not to say that there is a time after which people should be able to have a fresh start.”
In a wide-ranging interview, Aitken also dismissed right-wing claims that prisons are too “cushy” and defended early-release schemes – which the Tories have pledged to scrap – and tagging. The real punishment was deprivation of liberty, not harsh conditions, he said.
“The only people who have TVs in cells are lifers and in my experience TV was one of the worst sources of tension; there are all these arguments about what channels to watch. Prison should be a Spartan experience, but… we are going back to the treadmill if you are going to invent punishments.”
The report also criticises prison officers for turning a blind eye to drugs and home-brewed alcohol in jails. Aitken said his own prison was noticeably quieter at weekends, when drug testing was not conducted, as many inmates got high – followed by frantic attempts on Mondays to flush their systems.
The report marks a personal attempt at redemption for Aitken as well as a political intervention. He was a high flying cabinet minister when the Guardian published allegations that an Arab hotel in violation of ministerial rules. He resigned to sue for libel but was exposed as a perjurer.
Since his release he has campaigned for prison reform. He told the Observer that he would “blush with shame” over his views on prisons during his previous life: “I wasn’t quite ‘local them up and throw away the key’, but I was in that band. I’m bang to rights: I plead guilty to not being thoughtful enough”.
Aitken said jail has “chastened and humbled” him and made him think deeply about his life. Did he consider himself rehabilitated? “In the conventional sense of that word I’m obviously rehabilitated: I am living again, I am not offending, I hope not likely to offend and I’m having a fulfilled, happy, interesting and peaceful life.”
But he denied any wish to resume public life. “I would love to have an influence somewhere, but not in any formal sense. I would love to do something: I have no ambition to be somebody.”
Written by: Jonathan Aitken
Source: The Observer, Dt 22.03.09
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mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}