1

UNLOCK wins Guardian Charity Awards 2011

eriCA CrOmptON

RemaRkable and inspiring bril-liant Great Positive These are just a few of the many words of praise that came along with winning the Guardian Charity awards 2011

Credit was heaped on the UNlOCk teamsrsquo heads by esteemed judges such as Jane asher baroness Howarth Pauline broomhead Caroline Diehl mbe and Sir Stuart etherington

ldquoThis award is a public statement acknowledging the efforts of all reformed offendersrdquo says chief executive bobby Cummines to fellow reformed offender and Guardian columnist erwin James In the article he speaks about the barriers he faced and his decision to join the newly formed UNlOCk 12 years ago

The Guardian award recognised UNlOCkrsquos aim of a society ldquoin which

reformed offenders are able to fulfil their positive potential through the enjoy-ment of equal opportunities rights and responsibilitiesrdquo as well as the work done with just three full-time and two part-time staff and a dedicated team of volunteers

Other achievements chronicled in the Guardianrsquos pages include UNlOCkrsquos work in successfully introducing high street banks barclays and Halifax into prisons to improve resettlement

everyone is thrilled with the award ldquoItrsquos wonderful to get our work recognised like thisrdquo bobby tells The Guardian ldquobut we are still a long long way from eradicating needless discrimination against people who have made mistakes but have paid their debt to society and want to take their place alongside everyone elserdquo

INDex

The Record The free newsletter for law-abiding people facing discrimination and inequality as a result of a criminal record

Issue 8

wwwunlockorguk January February 2012 forumunlockorguk

Happy New year

Letter from the editor eriCA CrOmptON

WersquoRe back and armed with news of an award too Read our cover story to find out how UNlOCk scooped a win at the Guardian Charity awards 2011 We like to think of it as an Oscar for charities

also this month IanC writes on the ROa and The legal aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders bill (laSPO) ndash the latter of which boasts it will reform the CJS but will it IanC investigates making his essay essential reading for members

Wersquore reintroducing writer author and expert by experience David Honeywell with his shiny new opinion column Writ-ing with Conviction the title of which was coined by andyH after lengthly discussion on the Forum In his inaugural column David writes about the michael le Vell case and in future issues will digress to other topical matters which are in the news and catching hold of his expert eyes

Therersquos also regular features which chart happenings in the media and your good selves in the membersrsquo Forum Plus this month wersquore starting to look at progres-sive employers who work with reformed offenders (rather than against us)

Welcome to The Record a monthly magazine by and for reformed offenders

guardIaN goNg

p1 editorrsquos Letter Guardian Gong p2 Filtering Old amp minor Convictionsp4 employment Opportunitiesp5 Writing with Convictionp6 LASpO v reform of the rOAp8 Second ChanceP10 press amp media

Join UNlOCk as a member to receive your free copy of The record

directly every month Click here

Issue 8

2

An updateCHriStOpHer StACeY

ON the 19th December 2011 Sunita mason the Independent advisor for Criminality Information management wrote to the Home Secretary (Theresa may) and Secretary of State for Justice (kenneth Clarke) This letter enclosed a report on the work that she had undertaken with the Independent advisory Panel on the Disclosure of Criminal Records (IaPDCR) of which I am a member The IaPDCR was originally established in September 2010 The Terms of Reference amp membership set out what the Panel was intending to achieve basically the aim was to try and recommend a process that could be used to filter old and minor convictions from being disclosed on CRb checks

The Panel as you can imagine bringing together a wide range of perspectives on an issue so contentious was bound to create its own problems It is certainly true to say that not everybody agreed with one another about how such a filtering process should work However crucially there has always been universal agreement across the panel that there should be some form of filtering Recognition that the current system of disclosing all information is disproportionate is an important step amongst such a broad set of stakeholders

as you will see from the section on the UNlOCk website about the IaPDCR we have published a number of documents during the course of Panel Some of these documents may appear quite strange and be difficult to understand because the papers produced by other members of the Panel have not been published by their respective authors However our hope is that by publishing these you will get an idea of how the Panel has worked and what difficulties have been encountered However most importantly I want you to see how hard UNlOCk has tried to bring the Panel to some form of consensus at times this has meant being pragmatic in our recommendations and making suggestions for a process that in the long-term is not ideal but one which we think would

represent a significant improvement and provide a foundation for improvement

Unfortunately (and the reasons for this are still unclear) the Panel has not universally agreed on a set process for how filtering should operate This is disappointing I felt that during marchapril 2011 (and this is hopefully reflected in the papers that I wrote) the Panel was making good progress and with a final push it would have been possible to bring a consensus together on a practical process that members signed up to Sadly the necessary meetings did not take place and the result has been a paper which although useful perhaps didnrsquot go as far as it could have done

Analysis of Sunitarsquos paper The paper does not recommend a specific process It does however establish a number of principles to any given filtering process I wonrsquot go into detail about the paper as you can read it for yourself all along Irsquove been pushing for what I think reflects the need that has been strongly identified by our membership Indeed the reason I fought for UNlOCk to be represented on this Panel was to ensure that the voice of reformed offenders was heard Other Panel members have been much more cautious Coupled with the lack of evidence-based research on the effects of a filtering process in terms of risk and reward it is difficult to envisage much more than a cautious approach towards implementation In practice this has meant a number of things

Firstly the threshold for filtering has

been suggested as being set at 1 (ie one conviction caution etc) Whilst this is understandable in terms of giving people a ldquoSecond Chancerdquo I have argued that in practice you are likely to come across situations where in one case somebody might be charged with committing one offence whereas somebody else having done exactly the same thing wrong has been charged with two offences If the result is that the first person receives one conviction (which assuming it is regarded as lsquominorrsquo can be filtered in the future) but the second person receives two

Continued overleaf

fIlterINg old amp mINor coNvIctIoNs

desIgN skIllsThe record needs you

eriCA CrOmptON

WersquoRe SeekING a design whizz to work as The recordrsquos Designer converting text into a professional and visually engag-ing publication Yoursquoll work to a monthly deadline alongside our editor develop-ing the design of The record Yoursquoll need familiarity with up to date design pack-ages The role requires around 6 hours a month (depending on how speedy you are) For more details click here

3

(and so cannot have them filtered) then the system of filtering wouldnrsquot be working effectively Irsquom pleased therefore to see recognised the need for some form of exception to this principle where disposals related to the same set of events It was suggested that in a court setting this could be done by using one ldquosentencing eventrdquo which is an approach I am in favour of

Secondly there has been a reluctance to consider the sentence length when trying to ascertain seriousness Yoursquoll see in the documents that Irsquove published that I have been a keen advocate for this It enables considerations to be had on lsquominorrsquo which are more than just about the sentence type Unfortunately this is not something that is within the current recommendations I have been assured that there is appetite for considering the filtering of convictions (rather than just out of court disposals) and so in my opinion there has to be a consideration of sentencing as otherwise the system will hardly scratch the surface in terms of capturing convictions which are regarded as minor

Finally there have been strong pushes for the Police to retain the ability to disclose any information that has been filtered out through whatever rules are established This power would undoubtedly run contrary to any system of automating the process of filtering and because of the way CRbrsquos are currently issued (ie being sent directly to the employer) this would cause problems such as whether you would have to disclose something to the employer that should be filtered but could still be disclosed arguably the planned changes for CRb checks whereby the certificate is sent only to the individual would solve some of these issues and the ability for the Police to still make a discretionary decision on whether to disclose may allow for the filtering rules to go further than what they would do otherwise However and most importantly whilst the ability for the Police to make a decision to disclose non-conviction information remains I find it hard to argue that the Police shouldnrsquot be able to disclose filtered information Ideally I think this should be the case

but it would be perverse for the Police to be able to disclose a lsquoNot Guiltyrsquo verdict but not disclose a lsquoGuiltyrsquo verdict For me the practical question is around the process for allowing the Police to disclose such information to ensure that this only happens rarely where it is absolutely necessary ensuring that the process doesnrsquot unfairly disadvantage the individual

There are improvements (including Statutory Guidance) being made to the way the Police disclose non-conviction information and these could be similarly applied to the way the Police disclose filtered information I have seen some fantastic examples of how Police forces have managed the process of disclosing non-conviction Unfortunately Irsquove seen examples where it has been handled less well Ultimately any process of disclosing previously filtered information would have to be carefully constructed to ensure that individuals didnrsquot find themselves in difficult situations with their employers

Where next The Government has yet to respond to the paper that Sunita has submitted as I understand it this is because of two pending court cases which challenge the current process of disclosing all PNC information Whilst these could be seen as being similar to the ldquo5 Constablesrdquo case from what I gather they are challenging the disclosure rather than the retention of the information This is the line that we have taken throughout this issue

The judgement of one of these cases is due shortly and we will provide more details when these are available The outcome could be pivotal If the challenge is successful it could force the Government to take proactive steps If unsuccessful the appetite within Government for changing this system without any legal requirement to will become much clearer

In the meantime it is important to keep the pressure up on the Government as always we suggest that members write to their local mP to ask them to push on their behalf for changes to the system any responses you receive or any positive progress can be discussed on a thread on the membersrsquo Forum

fIlterINg old amp mINor coNvIctIoNs

bbc documentaryadvertisement

We are making a documentary about street robbery filming with both people that have been victims of street robbery and also those that have committed a street robbery

We would like to speak to people who have been convicted of a street robbery to get a better understanding of how and why these offences take place

Have you been convicted of street robbery Are you under 30 We would like to hear from you

To find out more please email Hedieh in confidence at

hediehmehdyzadehrenegadepicturescouk

telephone 0207 449 3240

mobile 07954 706163

4

employmeNt opportuNItIes

Closing Date 3rd February

Role Senior Head of Programmes (london)Responsible to Chief executiveResponsible for Head of Programmes (birmingham) Programme managers london Office Staff and Head of PolicyObjective The primary role of the Senior Head of Programmes (london) is to manage the development and delivery of User Voicersquos projects and programmes in the South eastern region The post holder is also expected to be london based and manage the smooth running of the london HQ office of User Voice being responsible for the overall financial and HR management of the charityLocation london based but extensive travelling is required within the area of projectsSalary Up to pound40000 depending on experience

The primary role of the Senior Head of Programmes (london) is to manage the development and delivery of User Voicersquos projects and programmes in the South eastern region and also to develop the charityrsquos HR and financial systems across the three regional offices The post holder is also expected to be london based and manage the smooth running of the london HQ office of User Voice The successful candidate will have experience of managing projects and programmes to a high standard experience of managing people to ensure effective delivery and a strong commitment to the values of User Voice

Role Volunteer CoordinatorResponsible to Senior Head of Programmes (london)Responsible for VolunteersObjective To manage the User Voice Volunteers Programme and ensure effective delivery of performance of all the volunteersLocation london OfficeSalary Up to pound25000 depending on experience

The Volunteer Coordinator will be responsible for developing and implementing User Voicersquos volunteers programme and manage the volunteers in the field User Voice comes into contact with a large number of people who want to volunteer for User Voice including but not exclusively ex-offenders The post holder will therefore need to develop an appropriate programme of vol-unteering opportunities in a range of settings from office to prison environments with the necessary policies and procedures in place They will then be responsible for managing and supporting the volunteers and developing further volunteering training or employment opportunities for them The successful candidate will have experience of establishing and managing successful volunteering programmes in a range of different environments and with hard to reach groups

We particularly welcome applications from ex-offenders and from all sections of the community regardless of race gender sexual orientation religion age or disability For the full job descriptions and person specifications email Amie-rose Long at amieroseuservoiceorg

applicants for either post should send a CV and a statement of their suitability for the role to Daniel Hutt User Voice 20 Newburn Street london Se11 5PJ or danieluservoiceorg The statement should set out the applicantrsquos experience and suitability in relation to each point of the Person Specification

4

employmeNt opportuNItIes

Closing Date 3rd February

Role Senior Head of Programmes (london)Responsible to Chief executiveResponsible for Head of Programmes (birmingham) Programme managers london Office Staff and Head of PolicyObjective The primary role of the Senior Head of Programmes (london) is to manage the development and delivery of User Voicersquos projects and programmes in the South eastern region The post holder is also expected to be london based and manage the smooth running of the london HQ office of User Voice being responsible for the overall financial and HR management of the charityLocation london based but extensive travelling is required within the area of projectsSalary Up to pound40000 depending on experience

The primary role of the Senior Head of Programmes (london) is to manage the development and delivery of User Voicersquos projects and programmes in the South eastern region and also to develop the charityrsquos HR and financial systems across the three regional offices The post holder is also expected to be london based and manage the smooth running of the london HQ office of User Voice The successful candidate will have experience of managing projects and programmes to a high standard experience of managing people to ensure effective delivery and a strong commitment to the values of User Voice

Role Volunteer CoordinatorResponsible to Senior Head of Programmes (london)Responsible for VolunteersObjective To manage the User Voice Volunteers Programme and ensure effective delivery of performance of all the volunteersLocation london OfficeSalary Up to pound25000 depending on experience

The Volunteer Coordinator will be responsible for developing and implementing User Voicersquos volunteers programme and manage the volunteers in the field User Voice comes into contact with a large number of people who want to volunteer for User Voice including but not exclusively ex-offenders The post holder will therefore need to develop an appropriate programme of vol-unteering opportunities in a range of settings from office to prison environments with the necessary policies and procedures in place They will then be responsible for managing and supporting the volunteers and developing further volunteering training or employment opportunities for them The successful candidate will have experience of establishing and managing successful volunteering programmes in a range of different environments and with hard to reach groups

We particularly welcome applications from ex-offenders and from all sections of the community regardless of race gender sexual orientation religion age or disability For the full job descriptions and person specifications email Amie-rose Long at amieroseuservoiceorg

applicants for either post should send a CV and a statement of their suitability for the role to Daniel Hutt User Voice 20 Newburn Street london Se11 5PJ or danieluservoiceorg The statement should set out the applicantrsquos experience and suitability in relation to each point of the Person Specification

5

The AccuseddAvid HONeYWeLL

IN light of the recent case of michael le Vell who was falsely accused of a child sex offence on a six-year-old girl once again we are reminded of how easy it is for someonersquos life to be turned into a living hell over a fleeting accusation

Fortunately the 47 year old Corrie actor who described the last few months as the ldquomost difficult and upsetting phase in my liferdquo has been able to return to work and put the whole thing behind him after the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence

but for many who have gone before him and come through the other end this has not always been possible In some ways it is worse for people who are high profile as the tabloids immediately publish what details they have on their front pages with the biggest photo of the accused they can squeeze on However they seem to receive more support from

their many adoring fans and the best legal teams money can buy

Sadly for many others an allegation such as this is enough to destroy a life because as we all know lsquomud sticksrsquo but it should never be forgotten by the finger pointers and the like that this can happen to absolutely anyone We now live in a society where the accused is judged immediately before the accuserrsquos claims are investigated Teachers child-minders public figures and anyone who works with children is always at a high risk not to mention parents

In the case of le Vell the accuser is now an adult but for some reason in this day and age we immediately believe the word of a child over the adult with often terrifying and irreversible consequences

Other cases include those accused pleading guilty to such accusations under duress in exchange for a community sentence and barely any media coverage because the very thoughts of a public shaming and prison brutality was too much to bare also by insisting on a not

guilty plea and going to trial the courts attitude of putting a child on the stand or through the ordeal of a trial on top of the costs a trial incurs will result in swift retribution for the accused should they be found guilty However the long-term consequences for those who choose the plea bargaining option can be stifling

david was born in Lincolnshire on a royal Air-Force base but grew up in Grang-etown middlesbrough He has two degrees both from teesside university in criminology and a masters in social research methods

He spent many years suffering with mental health issues was in youth custody prisons and psychiatric hospitals - eventu-ally turning his life around through writing and education which he has documented in his autobiography Never ending Circles He wants it to offer hope to others who have had similar experiences and now wish to turn their lives around

You can read more about david at wwwdavid-honeywellcouk

wrItINg wItH coNvIctIoN

6

essayiAN C

bRIeFlY in the western world we use the term rehabilitation to distin-guish between that which is possible using socially scientific criteria against that which was previously seen as natu-ral or a God given belief system The modern theory of rehabilitation focuses on lsquomodelsrsquo of punishment and assistance designed to alter behavioural character-istics These can include the lsquomedicalrsquo model in which crime is seen as an illness or the lsquojust desertsrsquo model and the lsquoan eye for an eyersquo concept amongst others all the models involved accept the principles of possible reform against the previously held belief system of hanging or deportation to remove the offender permanently

For many years the punishment model held sway as in the 1980s Thatcher era with the short sharp shock regimes In the mid lsquo80s there was a rather more pro-gressive and liberal theory of educational reform changing back to the punishment model around 1995 This included the lsquowarehousingrsquo of offenders in prisons and the lsquojust desertsrsquo model based on punish-ment both as retribution and deterrence

Governments change but the models remain static and with each successive government the previously held model is usually replaced by another one in the hope that it will achieve the desired effect This has been going on for over two hun-dred years and it is only recently that the idea of reform has had attached to it a new theory that in order to continue reform there has to be a removal of stigma

Continued overleaf

laspo lsquovsrsquo tHe reform of tHe roa

membership rules OKeriCA CrOmptON

a new membersrsquo Statement has been launched as a pre-requisite of joining as an UNlOCk member

No doubt you know all this already but the idea is to garner an agreement from you so yoursquore fully aware of what yoursquore signing up to Itrsquos available here

also as part of your membership Christopher Stacey has created a Terms of membership document When you have a moment do take a glance here These new documents are designed to keep everything running smoothly as it does but new members are encouraged to read up on the rules so do take a look

members

|

CHEAPER HOME amp CAR INSURANCE FOR REFORMED OFFENDERS IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNLOCK

wwwadrianuxcoukunlock

0800 089 0341

MeganMegan Sales Clerk Adrian Flux

Adrian Flux have teamed up with UNLOCK with the aim to provide those with convictions with home and car insurance

at competitive rates

7

Fast forward to the present and we have a new Government that at first glance seems to accept this mason and Dholakia both focused on the 1974 ROa and the discriminatory aspects of being reformed mcNally on behalf of the Government accepted the proposals and Clarke echoed this with plans for a rehabilitation revolu-tion So what went wrong

People in general tend to blame Govern-ments with cries of lsquoright wingrsquo whilst forgetting that every Government of whatever political persuasion has included within its various models of rehabilita-tion a strong element of punishment This present Government realised that previous models donrsquot work and we had lsquowalkaboutsrsquo with the Prime minister and his entourage solemnly touring the inner cities and collectively shaking their heads Opportunistic lsquophotorsquo shootsrsquo spring to mind but to give credit where itrsquos due the first Government in history to acknowl-edge that rehabilitation went beyond prison regimes and the CJS an acknowl-edgement that whilst rehabilitation might well begin within the confines of a prison reform had to continue on release

meanwhile mr Clarke talked about post offence periods and changes to the ROa alongside well meaning and I believe genuine enquiries The backlash from both the public and the media was violent and you only have to go back several months to witness it Whilst we slept a new lsquorevolutionrsquo was silently

taking shape and one which goes back to the punishment model which is all it ever was and in comes the laSPO This is because the public demand it and their votes are crucial Parasitic in nature the Government is influenced by the media and pressure groups who are in turn reli-ant on the populist views and perceptions of the public

The laSPO is a set of changes based on both punishment and lsquojust desertsrsquo models It does concern rehabilitation although through punishment It does seek to alter individual traits through a harsh regime of work and reward It does attempt to provide change through deter-rence and so all in all it is a revolution of sorts but only to those who are unaware that it is simply an old rehash of models with a sprinkling of popular opinion knife crime two strikes and yoursquore out the tightening up of legal aid

The problems are that it doesnrsquot address the stigma of having previous convic-tions and more fundamentally it takes us back to the question of what prisons are for rather than the lsquowhat comes after prisonrsquo approach and the attached stigma laSPO incidentally is an acronym for lsquolegal aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders billrsquo It does not concern itself with the ROa and whilst Dholakia is still plodding away with his private members bill events have superseded the enquiries and to compare the two is like comparing chalk and cheese

So what next There are those who believe Dholakiarsquos recommendations will simply be added on to the laSPO as amendments There are those who say ldquoletrsquos be positiverdquo and those who believe that a petition or personal recommenda-tion to the various enquiries will achieve a Government U-turn I would point out that the U-turn has already occurred

and I would be inclined to agree with the above beliefs if only any similarities could be pointed out between the aims and pro-posals of laSPO and the recent enqui-ries We were at a cross roads of defining the principle guiding theories behind the classical theorists under whom the whole concept of rehabilitation was based The rehabilitation revolution involving changes to the ROa would have been the litmus test the proof that rehabilitation is possible in practice and not simply as a theoretical abstract that could be argued against What next We wait as we have for the past near four decades for a Govern-ment to act and put an alternative argu-ment to the people at the cost of adverse media and populist opinion

On a lighter note I refer to the section five of the Public Order act which states that it is an offence to cause lsquoharassment alarm or distressrsquo to any person In par-ticular the implementation of laSPO without a change to the ROa might cause me lsquodistressrsquo and so if it goes ahead which it undoubtedly will is that not a criminal offence in itself

laspo lsquovsrsquo tHe reform of tHe roa

8

From Sinner to WinnerFrANKie OWeNS

Author amp ex-con Frankie Owens is in the limelight again and on in 5 4 3 2 1

after being a prisoner and losing every-thing I had not just a Second Chance but also my moments in the starry spotlight Irsquom now an award winning writer with 23 articles published and counting Irsquove got a book due too - 41 days till publish date and counting Irsquove been welcomed by The Huffington Post and Sabotage Times - journalistic heavyweights which has made me more confident to write articles and share my story I recently wrote an article for The Royal Society of arts titled Can We afford Writing in Prison

From Her majesties Pleasure in august to a Royal appointment in December In fact Irsquove achieved so much I can hardly believe my luck Irsquove been fortunate to be interviewed by bbC World Service about The Little Book of prison in December 2011 reaching 1 million listeners around the globe boy It felt fantastic

I have had local bbC radio coverage in November with an invite back to bbC Radio Solent this month for a 90 minute slot on their Saturday show The book launch is planned for Waterstones in my home town of Portsmouth on the 20th February with a signing on Satur-day 25th which is fantastic news If this wasnrsquot enough the local paper are doing a feature on the book and promoting the signing event before the 20th February

Forgive me for blowing my own trum-pet ndash but things are falling into place perfectly They say the harder you work the luckier you get all I know is my hard work has real purpose to help future inmates and the families with ldquoa practical and frank introduction to real life in the prison systemrdquo as the CeO of koestler so eloquently puts it

Thanks to the Prisoner education Trust I have met Jenny Chapman mP the shadow minister for prisons and shared with them my thoughts on writing in prisons and how intervention through

education and creativity can be a power-ful catalyst to reducing re-offending I was also lucky enough to appear in a film by the media Trust sending the message that we are not just ex-offenders

Herersquos what I said under the spotlight ldquoIrsquom more than just an ex-prisoner Irsquom anhellipaWaRD WINNING WRITeR OF THe lITTle bOOk OF PRISON a beGINNeRS GUIDersquo learning mat-ters to me I have a Degree and a mas-ters Degree and believe in education It empowers people challenges you to recognise the benefit of differing opin-

ions to listen to other points of view in a positive way education is the gateway for better understanding it enables enhanced perspective thinking and understanding I believe that learning mattersrdquo

There is so much more to tell you Just yesterday I discovered in my inbox an invitation to talk to 150 criminology stu-dents and the Howard league Student Group at birmingham City University on the 29th February So the diary is fill-ing up nicely If you want to know more please follow me on Twitter Frankie-OwensJnr or follow my blog

secoNd cHaNce

oN tHe forumUNLOCK memBerS

1) employment Introduction amp Illegal checks New member Zorro starts lively debate on illegal CrB checks Click here

2) employment SOPO Changes Wookee13 discusses obstacles in the SOpO and how to approach them Click here

3) education amp Training education and training discrimination invictus raises the common theme of discrimination with members Click here

4) Travel aCRO (On bail and pending charge) Caterpillar explores the rules on ACrO certificates and travelling Click here

5) Getting through your sentence Correspondence with police does it have to go through a solicitor roadrunner poses a question to members Click here

6) Support encouragement amp success stories ndash awareness of Unlock against the Odds wonders how to raise awareness of UNLOCK Click here

8

From Sinner to WinnerFrANKie OWeNS

Author amp ex-con Frankie Owens is in the limelight again and on in 5 4 3 2 1

after being a prisoner and losing every-thing I had not just a Second Chance but also my moments in the starry spotlight Irsquom now an award winning writer with 23 articles published and counting Irsquove got a book due too - 41 days till publish date and counting Irsquove been welcomed by The Huffington Post and Sabotage Times - journalistic heavyweights which has made me more confident to write articles and share my story I recently wrote an article for The Royal Society of arts titled Can We afford Writing in Prison

From Her majesties Pleasure in august to a Royal appointment in December In fact Irsquove achieved so much I can hardly believe my luck Irsquove been fortunate to be interviewed by bbC World Service about The Little Book of prison in December 2011 reaching 1 million listeners around the globe boy It felt fantastic

I have had local bbC radio coverage in November with an invite back to bbC Radio Solent this month for a 90 minute slot on their Saturday show The book launch is planned for Waterstones in my home town of Portsmouth on the 20th February with a signing on Satur-day 25th which is fantastic news If this wasnrsquot enough the local paper are doing a feature on the book and promoting the signing event before the 20th February

Forgive me for blowing my own trum-pet ndash but things are falling into place perfectly They say the harder you work the luckier you get all I know is my hard work has real purpose to help future inmates and the families with ldquoa practical and frank introduction to real life in the prison systemrdquo as the CeO of koestler so eloquently puts it

Thanks to the Prisoner education Trust I have met Jenny Chapman mP the shadow minister for prisons and shared with them my thoughts on writing in prisons and how intervention through

education and creativity can be a power-ful catalyst to reducing re-offending I was also lucky enough to appear in a film by the media Trust sending the message that we are not just ex-offenders

Herersquos what I said under the spotlight ldquoIrsquom more than just an ex-prisoner Irsquom anhellipaWaRD WINNING WRITeR OF THe lITTle bOOk OF PRISON a beGINNeRS GUIDersquo learning mat-ters to me I have a Degree and a mas-ters Degree and believe in education It empowers people challenges you to recognise the benefit of differing opin-

ions to listen to other points of view in a positive way education is the gateway for better understanding it enables enhanced perspective thinking and understanding I believe that learning mattersrdquo

There is so much more to tell you Just yesterday I discovered in my inbox an invitation to talk to 150 criminology stu-dents and the Howard league Student Group at birmingham City University on the 29th February So the diary is fill-ing up nicely If you want to know more please follow me on Twitter Frankie-OwensJnr or follow my blog

secoNd cHaNce

oN tHe forumUNLOCK memBerS

1) employment Introduction amp Illegal checks New member Zorro starts lively debate on illegal CrB checks Click here

2) employment SOPO Changes Wookee13 discusses obstacles in the SOpO and how to approach them Click here

3) education amp Training education and training discrimination invictus raises the common theme of discrimination with members Click here

4) Travel aCRO (On bail and pending charge) Caterpillar explores the rules on ACrO certificates and travelling Click here

5) Getting through your sentence Correspondence with police does it have to go through a solicitor roadrunner poses a question to members Click here

6) Support encouragement amp success stories ndash awareness of Unlock against the Odds wonders how to raise awareness of UNLOCK Click here

9

secoNd cHaNce

Finding a JobSteve KAreN JOrdAN

Former prisoner Steve reflects on how paid work was the final piece in the puzzle

ldquoIrsquom 46 years old and this is the first proper job Irsquove ever had It was a daunting experience just being out and from my first nervous day I never believed I could do it but my confidence has grown as has my self-belief and self-worth and Irsquom looking forward to the future Sue Ryder has been fantastic to me In this final stage of my rehabilitation they have been the final piece of the jigsawrdquo

These are the words of Steve reflecting on how Sue Ryderrsquos prison volunteer pro-gramme helped him turn his life around It provided the opportunity for him to have his first paid job and through that his first home ever at the age of 46

In the remand system since he was 12 Steve served a total of 30 years yet he reformed when given a second chance Steve is now an assistant manager at one of Sue Ryderrsquos shops thanks to the char-ityrsquos national policy of recruiting volun-teers from prisons

Since 2006 the national healthcare charity has placed over 600 prisoners as volunteers in 70 of its shops and offic-

es each year these volunteers provide 40000 volunteering hours worth an estimated pound240000 in staff costs The programme has recently won two pres-tigious national awards recognising its worth both to prisoners and to society as a whole

Prison Volunteer Coordinator Carol Davis said ldquoOur programme transforms lives by directly helping prisoners as well as helping carefully risk-assessed prisoners to repay a debt to society our programme also adds to their chances of securing employment when they are released

ldquoFinding a job is the single most important factor in re-offending ndash it can cut the rate by half as many readers of The Record will know ex-offenders are 13 times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the population

ldquoHalf of all prisoners do not have the skills required for 96 per cent of jobs I am pleased to say that 10 per cent of our prisoner volunteers have moved onto paid work with us ex-offenders cannot prove themselves unless someone gives them a Second Chance We do that and gain a lot from it Steve did toordquo

To find out more about Sue Ryderrsquos Pris-oner Volunteer Programme please contact Carol Davis on caroldavissueryderorg or have a look at this short film

coNtrIbutorsThe record needs you

eriCA CrOmptON

THe ReCORD is always looking for contributions from members and other reformed offenders Wersquod love to hear your ideas for contributions

all is welcome from photographs to fiction hard news to encouraging success stories

Send a brief outline of your idea to newsletterunlockorguk and we will be in touch with you as soon as possible to discuss your idea further

equality for reformed offenders

10

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press amp medIarelevant news this month

bull Metro ndash From thief to fighter for reform ndash Read

bull Guardian ndash Five community organi-sations win Guardian charity awards ndash Read

bull The Independent ndash No compensation for criminals injured in prison

ndash Readbull The Daily Telegraph ndash A criminal record

should not close the door on a career ndash Readbull The Daily Mail ndash So much for strong

action Council abandons attempt to

evict family involved in summer riots ndash Read

bull Metro ndash Why arenrsquot reformed criminals deemed acceptable for game shows

ndash Readbull Observer ndash Lloyds TSB lifts some

restrictions on its basic bank account ndash Read

bull Bicester Advertiser ndash High Court strips taxi driver of licence

ndash Readbull Express amp Star ndash Police to check Can-

nock Chase council tenants ndash Readbull Edinburgh Evening News ndash Royal Mail

chiefs hire criminals for festive post work ndash Read

bull Inside Time ndash Calculator to help ex-offenders ndash Read

edItorIal bull Email newsletterunlockorgukbull Web wwwunlockorgukbull Forum forumunlockorgukbull Post 35a High Street Snodland

kent me6 5aG

bull Editor erica Cromptonbull Designer Chris bath

bull The Recordrsquos content may be repro-duced providing UNlOCk is refer-enced as the source

bull We welcome submissions to The record sent to newsletterunlockorguk how-ever publication is not guaranteed

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The record please contact Chris bath at chrisbathunlockorguk