Prisoners voting

Neil Carmichael managed to get front page of the SNJ a couple of weeks ago saying he hopes prisoners will get the vote - basically as he says this will mean we wont be liable for the fines. Yet when it came to the vote he voted the opposite way?!! I am not alone in being confused judging by the handful of letters in the local press last week.

Here is what Caroline Lucas said after the vote: "David Cameron says he feels ‘physically sick' - yes, physically sick - at the idea of prisoners having the vote. He finds that the views of the European Court of Human Rights - set up largely by Britain to promote our values of tolerance and respect - make him physically sick. That allowing people in prison to retain their right to vote - and in doing so, perhaps help to encourage them to return to the mainstream of society - makes him sick. I'm proud to be one of just 22 MPs who voted to uphold human rights and to challenge Britain's flouting of European law."

Women in Prison talk

I must publicise a meeting organised by Positive Justice Gloucestershire entitled "Women in Prison: Ruined Lives, Damaged Children.” The speaker is Baroness Jean Corston who has updated her national Report. It is on 11th November at St Laurence Church Hall, The Shambles Stroud at 7.30.

Photo: A friend who works in the prison service let me photograph her marmalade from one of her colleagues!

Unfortunately it is a Full Council night so I can't go but it will be very good - this is an issue that just does not get enough attention. We sadly lost Pauline Campbell who was a great campaigner on this issue: it is great that Positive Justice are highlighting it.

'People on loan' in Gloucestershire?

The Living Library is an innovative method designed to promote dialogue, reduce prejudices and encourage understanding. I loved the idea!

In it’s initial form the Living Library is a sort of mobile library set up as a space for dialogue and interaction. Visitors to the Living Library are given the opportunity to speak informally with “people on loan”; this latter group being extremely varied in age, sex and cultural background.

The Living Library is about trying to break stereotypes by challenging the most common prejudices in a positive and humorous manner - a sort of “keep it simple”, “no-nonsense” contribution to social cohesion in multicultural societies. Some of the titles previously available at libraries include: Feminist / Muslim; Young Adult Gay Man / Survivor of a Brain Tumor; Ex Gang Member / Ex Prisoner / Ex Addict; Constable; Humanist / Altruist / Volunteer; Big and Beautiful Formerly Size 5 and Bulimic; Iraqi Refugee / Artist; Highly Sensitive Male / Father of a Gay Son / Jewish. See more at: http://living-library.org

When I asked whether Gloucestershire was doing this I learnt that the Councils Community Cohesion Group is piloting it and trying it out as part of the member induction programme, where they are arranging for 'living books' from among the clients of council services to be available for members to meet with them. Great stuff.

I do think listening to others is a very powerful way of creating change - indeed that was part of the philosophy behind the Coffee House discussions where people can meet and talk and listen - indeed we've had a huge range of topics including a chance to hear views that many don't in their everyday lives like 'freedom to wear the veil'. Next week we have all the political parties represented in the Green party-sponsored discussions on defence in The Space at 7.30pm.

Social Work poem

In Scotland, the Association of Directors of Social Work commissioned this poem "for the social workers of Scotland" - I was trained as a Social Worker and now work for two charities working with people who have mental health issues. I thought it was good and worth more people seeing...

	Brothers and Keepers By Edwin Morgan
	It was heard all right; that was not the argument. Day or night it echoed from wall to wall, A voice, never incomprehensible, But a question many found intolerable: 'Am I my brother's keeper?' Some with scorn, Some with anger, some with quick dismissal, Some with the half-uneasy consciousness Of being put on the spot, some blustering, Some brazen, some bound to macho boasts, Kicking the can of pity out of play, 'Each to his own, let them get on with it!' Conflicting shouts and voices did not stop us. Threats were grist to the mill. We wanted The record of what was and is and may be To be set down if not in letters of the fire At least in good black print and clicks of mouse To open up what's wrong, what's right, texting, Probing, shaming, dreaming, countering The last indifference. Who could be indifferent When we took psychotic Steve from his filthy bolthole Into a modest hostel room and he murmured In half-belief 'Is this all for me?' The reward of gratitude is a star in dark skies. You cannot always help but trying is the crux. I well remember that old alky Bill Who shared his hovel of a house with others; They held him prisoner among the litter Of needles and syringes and empty bottles Waiting to be smashed on social workers. Another place for Bill? - possible, But he's a bloody mess from fights at the moment. We don't give up, that nothing is easy Makes it even better not to give up. Everyone alive is subject to change. Hope lies where you least expect it. Take exclusion from school, or rather don't take it! Sandra, a so-called impossible child, Made sure each class was disrupted to breaking-point. Yelling, hitting, throwing chairs about, Was she getting what she wanted, Did she know what she wanted? Was it 'What is to be done with her?' Or rather 'What has been done to her?' She was a child abused, her mother on drugs, She had become a 'case', found caring arms In social services alone, and there Not only care but cure: a worker assigned To be with her throughout school, helping, calming, A bridge of sympathy between teacher and pupil, A dedication not all that far from love. Homelessness is terrible, but a home Without love is almost equally so. We watch, we measure, we praise whatever Society can do, given the means and the people To unknot fearful twists of fate, each day Brings more, and if we are powerless We cry out in our powerlessness. If we are to blame, then we are to blame; Fair treatment is what we ask. My friends, There is always without doubt a worst case, And it is so bad because it is so rare, Call it the dark night of the carer's soul. Here you have Carl, supreme in cunning, Known to have a personality disorder, But showing the social team 'continued improvement': Ah what a mockery he made Of schizophrenia! This man, however, Took a claw hammer to his next victim's head, Fried his brains with butter and ate it - 'Very nice' he said. And unpredictable One might add, although social workers Would still have nightmares, thinking, shivering - What was needed other than what they had, Vigilance to the last degree, happy recall Of those so many they had helped, brought back To life with faith and hope blessedly renewed. Oh if you ever thought we were not required, Workers on the very edge of despair, Consider Joe, kicked out by his foster-carers At twelve, having stolen from the little they had: 'Ah don't know why Ah done it, but it's okay If they didny wahnt me back, it's okay - My ma didny wahnt me either.' To live In such an unquestioned acceptance of defeat Is dreadful, yet we know Joe can be helped. The value of a soul can be drawn out By those who are trained to do so, those Who can blow the tiniest downtrodden spark Of self-esteem into flame. You drop a tear In instant sympathy or you are filled With anger against systems and perpetrators, And this is good and fine and natural. But change is all the practicalities Of learning, funding, understanding, change Is everything we believe to be possible Whatever the squalor and sickness and stink. There will never be a paradise with people like angels Walking and singing through forests of music, But let us have the decency of a society That helps those who cannot help themselves. It can be done; it must be done; so do it.

Register to vote before 19th May: but not if you are a prisoner

Are you registered? If not, you don't have long left to register in time to ensure that you can vote in the local and European elections on 4th June 2009. The 19th May registration deadline is fast approaching and Stroud District Council has made a final call for those eligible to vote to ensure they are on the electoral roll. Completed applications for postal votes must also be received by this date. Anyone not registered by 19th May will not be able to vote in the local or European elections.

Registering is particularly important for anyone who has recently moved home - if they do not register at their new address they risk falling off the electoral register. Not signing up could also seriously harm residents financial as well as democratic status. Companies offering credit all refer to the electoral register. Anyone not on it is likely to find their application refused. You won't be automatically registered even if you pay council tax.

* If you are not sure you are registered to vote, call the electoral services team on 01453 754383 or email elections@stroud.gov.uk
* If you haven't already received and returned a registration or postal voting form, call 01453 754 383, email elections@stroud.gov.uk or download one from the council website at www.stroud.gov.uk/voting

Interestingly the ministry of justice has published a consultation on voting rights for prisoners. It sets out several options which could see some prisoners, depending on the length of their sentence, getting the right to vote. Submissions should be sent to the ministry of justice by 29 September. The government has decided to hold a separate consultation exploring questions relating those detained under mental health legislation.

At the moment only a small number of prisoners currently have the right to vote. The right to vote is basically restricted to the following categories of prisoner:
* Unconvicted prisoners
* Convicted but unsentenced prisoners
* Persons imprisoned for contempt of court and other prisoners classified under Prison Rule 7
* Those serving a term of imprisonment in default of payment of a sum of money, adjudged to be paid on conviction

The vast majority of prisoners held in UK jails or other places of detention in the UK are barred from voting and the UK has a tradition of removing voting rights from prisoners dating back 140 years. The UK is at odds with many other European member states. At present, sixteen European nations permit all prisoners to vote without restriction, including Denmark, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Most other countries allow prisoners to vote with some restrictions. Seven other European countries have a total bar, these are: Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Luxembourg, and Romania.

At last thing slook set to change - the European Court of Human Rights judges found that the UK has been breach of its treaty obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights in applying an absolute bar for all prisoners.

Our prison population has large numbers of people with levels of mental distress far higher than in the general population. In a recent large-scale survey of prisons carried out by the Office of National Statistics in 2005, it was found that over one-third of men serving prison sentences had a significant mental health problem (such as anxiety or depression), nearly one in ten had experienced psychosis and one in four had attempted suicide in prison. Over three-quarters of men on remand and nearly two-thirds of male inmates met the diagnosis of having a personality disorder.

I find it extraordinary that prisoners have been excluded for so long. Let yus hope the changes come soon - it might even make MPs more interested in penal policy, and reducing re-offending?

Downgrading ecstasy: is it the Government that needs help?

Today in the news we have a government- commissioned report which recommends downgrading ecstasy from the most-dangerous group of drugs.

Photos: more snow pics from last week - first is view across to Selsey, the second to Whiteshill and the last to Puckshole

Basically the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs says ecstasy should be reclassified from a Category A drug to Category B. Experts concluded that ecstasy had little impact on short-term memory loss and was not a significant factor in criminal behaviour. Category A drugs include heroin, cocaine and crack. Suppliers can face life imprisonment.

The Advisory Council's chairman, Professor David Nutt even went as far as to say that the risks associated with ecstasy were no greater than horse riding. I'm not sure if that statement is helpful even though it appears to be true - anyhow it looks like the government will reject the experts' advice. Similarly last month the government rejected the Advisory Council's advice on cannabis, restoring it from a Category C drug to Category B. It was Labour who set up these expert panels why are they now ignoring the advice?

The Green Party drugs spokesman Shane Collins claims the cause is politically-motivated cowardice. I have to agree - the Daily Mail will give a nice roasting to folk seeming to approve drugs - all drugs pose health risks but we need a rational and informed debate. As Mr Collins said: "Rejecting the advice of its own experts appears to be habit-forming and is definitely dangerous. The government should seek help."

Guantanamo Bay: no more anniversaries please

Today Sunday protesters will mark the seventh anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility at a demonstration to be held outside the US Embassy. My thoughts will be with them - and indeed I applaud their actions to highlight this gross injustice.

Photos: more of Ruscombe valley from earlier last week when we had that smattering of snow

Here is the comment from Green Party MEP for London, Jean Lambert, who was previously named MEP of the Year for her work on Justice and Human Rights: "It remains to be seen whether President Elect Obama will stick to his word and close down Guantanamo, but I sincerely hope that this is the last time that we have to mark this sad anniversary. This facility symbolizes nothing more than injustice, torture and illegal detention. By denying an effective and open legal process to detainees at Guantanamo, and other secret prisons around the world, the current US administration has consistently made a mockery of human rights. What is certain is that the new President will need the backing of governments around the world if the US is to succeed in finding safe countries in which to repatriate the many victims of this debacle. I call on the UK Government to provide its support and encourage EU Member States to do the same to bring this dreadful chapter to an end."

It is extraordinary that this facility is still operating - let us not forget that after six and a half years of illegal imprisonment and being subjected to appalling torture, Binyam Mohammed, a former London resident, is still held in Guantanamo. The only evidence against him was extracted through torture and yet he is has been refused a civilian trial. Such treatment is outrageous. Sadly he is not alone and our Government has failed to criticise or condemn the US for this appalling breach of human rights - see my letter of nearly 2 years ago on this here.

It is high time that the remaining detainees be given a fair trial or released to safe countries. This abuse of human rights has gone on for far too long and must not be allowed to continue. We must not still be protesting about Guantanamo Bay next year. For more information go to: www.guantanamo.org.uk/

A lifetime of ID Control

As noted a combination of work commitments and broadband difficulties means that I wont be able to update this blog until around 16th. I have also changed the 'Comment' setting so that they wont be added until my return (this is after having over 60 spam adverts added last time). But I have scheduled a couple of blogs in my absence so it will not be all quiet here. Here's another:

Photo: See how this was created here.

The government has now launched a consultation into secondary legislation under the ID cards act, some details of the civil penalties under the act have emerged. Regular blog readers will know I am wholly opposed to this move and publicise here some of the latest developments courtesy of NO2ID...

Here is how NO2ID describe what this will mean under a heading 'A lifetime of ID Control': "For instance you could have £1000 penalties sent to you by e-mail if you fail to turn up at a time and place of their choosing, refuse to be fingerprinted, photographed or hand over documents (e.g. birth or marriage certificates), or fail to tell them you've moved house for 3 months. Anything that the Identity and Passport service think is "deliberate or reckless" provision of incorrect information could lead to 2 years in prison. Other dubious 'highlights' include: a tax on marriage - women who change their name will have to buy a new card; those without bank accounts won't be able to get ID as you can only pay by credit or debit card, or cheque; and the homeless will be able to nominate a park bench as their 'address'. Welcome to a lifetime of state identity control!"

The Coroners and Justice Bill, announced in the Queen's Speech last week has extraordinary new data-sharing powers which could be exercised without Parliamentary debate. It seems the government is trying to sneak through new powers in a bill "to create the new role of The Office of the Chief Coroner".

Here is NO2ID again: "The new powers follow on from the Thomas/Walport Data Sharing Review which recommended "that where there is a genuine case for removing or modifying an existing legal barrier to data sharing, a new statutory fast-track procedure should be created". Jack Straw highlighted these new 'fast track' data-sharing powers which he said will "simplify the data protection framework and remove any unnecessary obstacles to data sharing".

"These powers would allow the government effectively to set aside not just the Data Protection Act and data protection principles when it suits, but the much more fundamental protections of Articles 6 and 8 of the ECHR/HRA, of common law confidentiality and of ultra vires (Ultra vires refers to acts of a public body which fall beyond its jurisdiction or remit). This goes far beyond data protection into administrative and constitutional law. Rather than protecting our personal information as it should, the government is cutting away safeguards for its own data-trafficking convenience. This bill as it stands smashes the rule of law and builds the database state in its place. We need to do everything we can to stop these powers being passed otherwise it really could mean the end of privacy as we know it."

Good news: Positive Justice comes to Gloucestershire

When I trained as a Social Worker back in the early 80s one of my placements was 6 months in the Dorset Probation service - while I never pursued that line of Social Work it was nevertheless an eye opener and for years since I have continued to have an interest in the reform of prisons and punishment - hence it is great to hear of this new group in Glos - but more of that later.

Photo: A friend who works in the prison service let me photograph her marmalade from one of her colleagues!

First a bit re stuff in Glos - we have seen locally Gloucester prison having one of the highest suicide rates and being deemed 'unfit for purpose' - and the terrible number of deaths amongst women prisoners - including 9 at Eastwood Park at Falfield, near Wotton-under-Edge (see my here press release last year re this and 2006 here - there are several others but here are answers from 2005 re dealing with crime). That's not to say that all at Gloucester is bad - their Time Bank project is a great example of positive project, as is the project to keep fathers in touch with their children.

Greens have also weighed into the ASBO debate when they were first introduced (see here) - this didn't go down well with The Citizen whose editorial condemned Greens for being naive especially when I criticised their 'name and shame' approach - most charities and organisations working in the field supported our view but they never printed my letter coming back to them - see here. Last year on this blog I wrote about my disgust that prisons were exempt for 3 years from the Corporate Manslaughter Act and some of the absurd reasons people are sent to jail for (see here). It seems things are improving but we still have a very long long way to go.

One of our great losses recently was the death of prison campaigner Pauline Campbell (see my blog here). Britain has the highest prison rate in Europe - and our Government is building evermore prisons - on dreadful hugely costly PFI schemes. All the stats show prison isn't working: huge numbers of offenders reoffend within 2 years of release. Prisons, of course have an important role to play but many petty offenders should be in mental health or drug treatment programmes.

Greens have long called for 'Restorative justice' in which criminals face their victims in truth and reconciliation sessions and undertake some form of 'pay back'. Trials have had impressive results cutting violent crime re-offending rates. Where prison is the only option sentencing should be in keeping with the offence and include rehabilitation. It is pointless spending huge amounts of tax on prosecution and £40,000 plus a year on imprisonment if you are just going to release people into an even more hopeless world, with fewer prospects than when they were sentenced. Having said all that Greens need to do more work on all of this...

The three main parties fight to be toughest on punishing criminals, but what matters most is actually cutting crime. It is therefore great to see the emergence of this new group - Positive Justice Gloucestershire. I was delighted to read in a letter by a Polly Wallace of this group - she wrote to The Citizen challenging the absurd and ill-informed criticism of their columnist Martin Kirby for the prison wasting money on a job for a Gloucester Prison Library. Her letter makes all the right points about the need for restorative justice and the value of libraries - indeed the project mentioned above re fathers keeping in touch with their children is part of the librarian's role.

Anyhow to find out more go to their website or the meeting...

Gloucestershire meeting

They have a public meeting planned 'Crime and punishment - where's the justice?' on Nov 21, 2008 at 7:00pm at Oxstalls Campus, University of Gloucestershire, GL2 9HW. (near junction of A38, Estcourt Rd., and B4063, Cheltenham Rd.). The speaker is Erwin James, Guardian columnist, author of 'A life inside'. County councillor Brian Oosthuysen is chairing the meeting which is followed by a panel discussion - panel to include: Bishop of Tewkesbury, Andrew Neilson, Assistant Director, Howard League for penal reform, Jill Saward, rape victim and campaigner and Nigel Whiskin MBE, Associate Director, Restorative Solutions. Free admission, free parking. All welcome. Telephone: 01453 759438

See more at their website: www.positivejusticeglos.org.uk

See more on Restorative Justice on this blog here when I counter a call for prison treadmills to be introduced and here another blogger's view. Lastly see here Chris Jordan - Seattle-based photographer - scroll down to see his photos that depict 2.3 million folded prison uniforms - equal to the number of Americans incarcerated in 2005.

Greens at Tolpuddle

Various friends joined the Tolpuddle Martyr's annual festival - see here - and see more re history and museum here. On February 24th, 1834, six farm labourers from the Dorset village of Tolpuddle were arrested on a charge of taking part in an 'illegal oath' ceremony.

Photo: Derek Wall, Green party Principal Speaker with Ricky leading this part of the march - and below Derek delivering a speech to the festival

The real offence was that they had dared to form a trade union to defend their livelihood. For this they were sentenced to seven years' transportation to the penal colonies of Australia. The sentences provoked an immense outcry, leading to the first great mass trade union protest. The campaign won free pardons and the Martyrs' return to England. A historic episode in the struggle for trade unionists' rights in Great Britain. To commemorate the bravery of the martyrs' struggle against poverty and authority, this annual festival features music, speakers and family entertainment. Here's Ricky's letter:

Dear Sir,

It is a sad fact that there are now more families living in poverty in the UK than during the divisive days of Thatcher. The minimum wage, achieved after prolonged impasse, is just that – a bare minimum. As the cost of essentials, energy, food, utilities, rocket, as house-prices collapse yet the cost of a mortgage doesn’t, this bare minimum is leading to real hardship.

Despite this part of England being a tourist haven, a wonderful place to retire to and a magnet for potential second-home owners, there would appear to be very little “trickle-down” of the wealth brought into the area; rural wages remain very low, the cost of living is spiralling and many families are having to struggle just to get by.

Last week, many of us would have passed colleagues, friends, neighbours standing on the picket-line, stoically representing their demand for a fair wage. They cannot vote for their own increase like MP’s, they cannot bring the country to its knees because of complete reliance on the delivery of petrol, they cannot book an appointment with the boss. They have to rely on their Trade Union.

Anyone who has ever been forced to take strike action, and this includes the police, nurses, teachers, firemen, knows that once you go on strike, the level of public support for your cause plummets. Who’s going to protect us from crime, look after the infirm, teach the kids, put out the fire? It is never an easy choice to go on strike, not just because of the loss of pay, not just because it sets worker against worker sometimes – but because workers do not like NOT doing the work they are employed to do.

These points and others were well made by Tony Benn in his key-note speech at Tolpuddle last weekend. Members of the South West Green Party proudly made their way to Dorset for this extraordinary annual commemorative event, this year more popular than ever, to join fellow Trade Unionists and work place activists from all over the world. The Green Party Principal Male Speaker, Dr Derek Wall, was one of the guest speakers on the Sunday.

It was for daring to ask for more, that the six Tolpuddle Martyrs were put on trial, imprisoned and then deported to Australia as convicts. It was their subsequent pardon that led to the growth of our Trade Union movement, which has been campaigning ever since for workers' rights, a fair wage and improved conditions. Tolpuddle was a fitting place to be after the two days of action undertaken nationally by members of the public service Unions. Improved pay and conditions will never be offered – they have to fought for, continually.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Ricky Knight - Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for North Devon
South West Green Party Lead Candidate for 2009 European Elections

Sad loss of a great campaigner on prison reform

I was shocked to read in today's Citizen that prisons' campaigner Pauline Campbell, whose daughter died of a drug overdose in jail, was found dead on Thursday near the entrance to the graveyard where her child was buried. Tragic indeed.

It was also a strange cooincidence that I should be writing the blog entry earlier today about prisons. Indeed Pauline was an inspiration in tirelessly raising the issue of prison conditions - and as Greens have also highlighted locally our prisons still need urgent attention (see here). Here is the comment I left on the Citizen website:

Pauline Campbell tirelessly shed light on the fact that we continue to detain women in a system that cannot keep them safe. The lack of state accountability, and the failure to take action to prevent deaths is shocking. Inquests have continued to expose appalling conditions of incarceration like inadequate healthcare, overuse of force, the use of segregation and isolation for suicidal women, failure to implement suicide prevention guidelines and a lack of staff training. This ongoing abuse of human rights calls for a fundamental rethink of the way women are dealt with by our criminal justice system. As Pauline Campbell highlighted, we urgently need reforms. Her death is a great loss indeed.

The Citizen report: Mrs Campbell who organised two protests outside Eastwood Park Prison, near Wotton-under-Edge - one of which in January 2007 she was arrested for - was described by prison reform groups "inspiring campaigner" and a "human being of indescribable bravery". The 60-year-old, from Whitchurch, Shropshire, was arrested 15 times for protesting outside jails across the country where women inmates had died of apparent suicide. She held 28 demonstrations and was charged five times for her direct action, which included blocking prison vans, but she was never convicted. Mrs Campbell's 18-year-old daughter, Sarah, died of drug overdose at Styal prison, Cheshire, in January 2003, the third of six women to die at the jail in 12 months. A spokeswoman for advice group Inquest, of which Mrs Campbell was a member, confirmed she had died but could not confirm the circumstances.

See Guardian obituary here and Pauline's interview in Community Care here.

Prison treadmills are not an answer to energy problems

I have had some correspondence with the letter writer below regarding his idea to use the prison population of this country to generate electricity.....an idea I do not support - more of that later...

Letter in Western Daily Press 10th May 2008:

Perhaps Cllr Philip Booth, P W Rowsell-Dobson and I should pool a few ideas. Cllr Booth is obviously following an energy economy tack; Mr Rowsell-Dobson is concerned with the redeployment of the under-utilised pool of labour lying idle within our prison system. I am proposing that the prison population could share its talents with the energy industry in a very direct way; by generating electricity manually.

Treadmills came into English jails following a 1779 prison reform Act, which said the prisoners should be given "labour of the hardest and most servile kind".

Sir William Cubitt designed such a treadmill specifically for prisoner power generation, to power the cotton mills. It was like a very wide paddle wheel. Workers held on to a bar and climbed the paddle wheels, like walking upstairs for hours on end. They had to keep lifting their legs; gravity gave them no choice. A shift lasted eight hours of which 40 per cent of that time was spent resting. It was hard graft as it was intended also as punishment.

Today, we are approaching an energy crisis and more options are needed to obviate it. This could be the one we've already tried and forgotten about. If teams of prisoners, shift-working on treadmills 24/7 in humane conditions, could generate enough electricity to enable their own buildings to become self- sufficient, then why not extend the principle?

As recently as 2003, a device was invented to transform energy from children's seesaws, swings and roundabouts into electricity, a partial solution to affordable and sustainable energy. When the oil runs out, the wind ceases to blow and the tide is on the turn, the energy gap needs a base- load to sustain the demand. Does it really have to be a multi-billion pound nuclear reserve when we could, in the time honoured phrase, do it ourselves? Bernard Seward, Bristol

Read more about Cubitt here. The Playwright and author Oscar Wilde was one of the more famous prisoners forced to man the treadmill and Charleston slave owners for a while would rent one to punish the slaves.

It is reported in Bellevue Prison in New York treadmills prisoners produced about 100 watts each, with the energy used to grind grain to make bread for themselves. Apparently according to a Professor who studied it, "they hated it roundly." Of course Cubitt's treadmill may have originally had a productive purpose, but a pound of coal could soon do the work of five men working all day on a treadmill. Now the suggestion from the letter writer is that we should reintroduce the treadmill as a 'green' answer to energy.

Now, of course, people pay good money to do the same thing and call it recreation or fitness - and use up electricity in the process. I am sure those machines could be better designed to use the energy created but that is a different matter....Companies have also apparently produced televisions that children can power by riding stationary bicycles. It would seem that fifteen watts - about enough to power a small light bulb is all that researchers think is possible to pull out of a single human exerciser for any sustained period. Except in extreme cases of highly fit athletes, the limit for stationary bicyclists seems to be in the range of 75 watts to 150 watts.

On the Bellevue Penitentiary treadmill, prisoners climbed on treads protruding from a wheel that was slightly over five feet in diameter and turned three times each minute. If one assumes that a typical prisoner weighed 132 pounds, then the prisoner must have worked at a power of almost 140 watts. Since the normal duty cycle allowed each prisoner to rest one-third of the time, the sustained output would have been a little over 90 watts - sustained, according to the report, for up to ten hours a day. That figure of 90 watts confirms the reported unpleasantness of the task. A similar output was demanded of nineteenth-century Australian convicts, who worked up to twelve hours per day; some said they'd rather hang than work their mill.

Photo: the pedal washing machine?

We can view that 90 watts in yet another context. At best, only about one-fourth of the energy in food emerges as useful mechanical work. Thus, laboring on the treadmill - sustaining 90 watts for ten hours - itself requires more than 3,000 Calories. So Bellevue's inmates worked hard enough and long enough to require double the food intake of a normally active adult male. Even with greater efficiencies of todays technology applied to treadmills this does not make much sense? The energy produced would barely power the prison lighting.

I am told by a correspondent on this issue that the Northleach, Gloucestershire, House of Correction is open as a sort of heritage site. Apparently Sir George Onesiphorus Paul had the building designed on humanitarian lines - compared with what had existed previously. The prisoners were given tedious work to do but care was taken of their health. John Looseley, a Gloucestershire local historian has written a book based on original records regarding this institution. The 'prison doctor' has written notes in the 1820s of the treatment given to the inmates during their stay. This includes details the diet of the prisoners - it was apparently such that they would be able to undertake the expected work such as turning the treadmill without suffering loss of body mass.

Anyway for me this is really a non-starter for many reasons - a compulsary treadmill would be a barbaric dehumanising practice that rightly was ended - but of course there might be a few volunteers who want to keep fit but this is not the way to tackle our energy needs or to punish prisoners for that matter - first we need to look at reducing the energy needs - insulation and more is the way to go - indeed more energy could be saved by prisoners installing insulation if that was really what this is about? And if you are talking of 'greening' prisons then take a leaf out of Oregon's book - in a year or two, Oregon’s prisons could be powered partly by the sun. Already one of the 14 prisons, the Warner Creek Correctional Facility, uses some geothermal energy to heat its buildings.

Prisons need reforming

We need to start from thinking about what are our prisons for? Punishment clearly has a place but surely we also want crime to be cut? If this is the case then our prisons are desperately in need of reform - see news release here - the Home Office calls for more prisons as our current prisons are bursting - yet our Government's own research shows prison is not the answer.

Despite media reports, crime is in long-term decline. Instead of arguing from the facts, this government's unquenchable thirst for punishment sees them calling for ever longer sentences for more crimes. Indeed we have seen this government introduce 40 plus pieces of law and order legislation and have created over 1000 new crimes - with the longest prison sentences in Europe. There are over 5000 people in prison who with serious mental illnesses who should be in hospital. Our prison population is at an all-time high - and prison doesn't work well: reoffending rates are increasing and successful schemes in prison are not expanded - take for example Transco training gas fitters and guaranteeing them a job or inmates teaching others to read as half of all prisoners are illiterate - these are the types of schemes we need to see more.

The three main parties fight to be toughest on punishing criminals, but what matters most is actually cutting crime.

Home Office research assessing the cost-effectiveness of crime reduction speaks for itself: on average £1,000 spent on 'Hot-spot policing' cuts 1.9 crimes and the same spent on prison reoffending-reduction schemes cuts 2.3 crimes. But £1,000 spent spent on parenting programmes cut 11 crimes and the same spent on Youth Inclusion and Support Panels that offer intensive support to young people cut 15 crimes.

Isn't it time we invested taxpayers money in what really works?

'Restorative justice' in which criminals face their victims in truth and reconciliation sessions and undertake some form of 'pay back' is what we need to see. In UK trials, 90% of victims felt helped by this process, and in Australian studies, violent criminals were 50% less likely to re-offend. Where prison is the only option sentencing should be in keeping with the offence and include rehabilitation. It is pointless spending huge amounts of tax on prosecution and £40,000 a year on imprisonment if you are just going to release people into an even more hopeless world, with fewer prospects than when they were sentenced.

IDAHO: human rights need to be bedrock of policy

Today Greens will call on world leaders to renew efforts to secure the protection of all human rights worldwide at a speech to mark 'IDAHOBIT' (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia).

As blog readers will know I have been deeply disappointed by the EU climbdown over outlawing homophobia and ageism - plus we have news that last Saturday police in Moldova have turned a blind eye to harassment at a Moldova Pride march.

Dr Caroline Lucas, Green MEP, has noted that there is increasing evidence that universal human rights are being eroded in the face of international appeasement of conservative regimes: “We developed a near-universal system of global human rights protection in the 20th Century, a legal regime designed to stamp out discrimination and harassment – but in the first decade of this century we have seen that system repeatedly undermined. There remain 77 countries around the world where the ‘crime’ of being homosexual is still punishable by imprisonment, or even execution, and this is a direct affront to international human rights law."

The theme for this year's event is 'women' – it is often lesbian and bisexual women who are bearing the brunt of this state-sponsored discrimination, with the full knowledge and complicity of the British government. The case of lesbian Pegah Emambakhsh is a recent example - the Home Office wants to deport her to Iran where she faces arrest and possibly
stoning to death for her sexual orientation.

It is perhaps no surprise that some of the world's most conservative regimes, like those in Iran, China and Eastern Europe, continue to harass, abuse and discriminate against their citizens on the basis of their sexuality - but that our government here in the UK isn't challenging this daily is unacceptable.

As Caroline Lucas said: “It's time for a renewed campaign to persuade our government to take human rights seriously – and to make fighting to stamp out all forms of discrimination a bedrock of British foreign policy.”

And as Jean Lambert, Green MEP said: "IDAHO gives us all the opportunity to celebrate diversity. The European Union should now ensure that all LGBT individuals can live free from
oppression. I urge everyone who is supporting IDAHO 2008 to also sign the
www.signtostopdiscrimination.org petition."

Call for action to help Ingrid Betancourt

I've just read that Ingrid Betancourt is near death and a French plane is on standby in French Guiana to take her away. I've followed news of her since her capture by rebels in 2002. See my letter to David Drew MP below.

Dear David,

I would be very grateful if you would ascertain as a matter of great urgency whether the Government has intervened on behalf of Ingrid Betancourt prisoner of the FARC guerrillas in Colombia? She is a former Colombian Presidential candidate, for the Green Party, whom President Sarkozy has been making representations for as she also has French citizenship.

Britain remains a very important trader with Colombia which gives us leverage to hopefully bring about a release. You will be aware that human rights across Colombia are in a poor state and that if President Uribe goes for a military solution it could have horrendous consequences.

We understand that Ingrid is now in very poor health according yesterday's report.

Regards, Philip Booth

See BBC report here - I notice she is exactly a month older than me. CORRECTION! As someone pointed out to me after reading this - she is infact 11 months younger - ah well that'll teach me to blog late at night,

Sign petition to decriminalise prostitution

A while back Siân Berry, Green Party Mayoral Candidate for London, and Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London, signed the Safety First! Petition, which calls for the complete decriminalisation of sex work, so that the focus of official efforts can be on protecting the most basic human rights of prostitutes, life and health. I've only just got around to this and would urge others to also sign the petition here:
www.petitiononline.com/swsafety/petition.html

Green Party policy calls for the complete decriminalisation of prostitution on the “New Zealand model”, so that the focus for sex workers moved on to their safety and wellbeing. Although it is the so-called ‘Swedish model’ of criminalisation of the customers of prostitutesis receiving much attention at present. However this approach drives sex work, and particularly street sex workers, further into the twilight, further from traditional areas, further into danger.

At our most recent Green party conference, we heard from a speaker from the Safety First! campaign about how criminalisation of actions associated with prostitution left workers vulnerable to violent clients, and encouraged police and other authorities to treat them as criminals even when they are in fact victims of serious crimes.

Siân Berry said “Decriminalisation could mean that instead of hearing about prostitutes being murdered or battered by their clients, we would instead be talking about health and safety in sex work premises (which are already 10 times safer than working on the street).”

Siân has also deplored Clause 72 of the Labour government’s Criminal Justice Bill which proposed introducing a new “order to promote rehabilitation” for the offence of “loitering or
soliciting for the purposes of prostitution”. This would effectively re-introduce imprisonment for the offence of soliciting, which was abolished by a Tory government in 1982.

Siân is also quoted saying: “The government with this Bill is treating prostitution as though it were an illness, and one for which women and men should be punished. Of course we would hope that sex workers who want to get out of the industry, and who need help with that, should find it immediately – and for that the government needs to provide greatly improved funding for, for example, drug addiction treatment programmes. But women and men arrested for soliciting should not be forced into ‘treatment’ against their will. And the government should note that it is often its own policies - inadequate support for women with children, the withdrawal of recourse to public funds for failed asylum-seekers, that is forcing women and men into the industry....Centuries of criminalisation have not wiped out, have not even reduced, the level of prostitution – instead it has left on our streets, and our consciences, the bodies of many murdered women and men.”

Glos Green party have commented on this issue in past - see for example here, here and Coffee House discussion on People Trafficking here. I would urge people to consider signing the petition mentioned above.

18 Nigerian men facing death sentence for sodomy

A long while back I raised with David Drew the case of 18 Nigerian men charged with sodomy who could all face death by stoning.

Reports from the Nigerian news agency, NAN, say that 18 men in the northern Nigerian state of Bauchi, which is governed by Islamic Sharia law, have been arrested on charges of sodomy and could be sentenced to death by stoning (this is the prescribed penalty for sodomy under Sharia law). The 18 men have been remanded in prison after they were arrested Sunday, 5 August 2007, at a private party in a hotel, where they were allegedly celebrating a "gay wedding." They were arraigned on Wednesday before Justice Taminu Abubakar of the Bauchi High Court, and will soon be sent for trial. I asked David Drew if he could act - he kindly wrote a formal question:

David Drew Hansard source: "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations on behalf of the 18 Nigerian men in the state of Bauchi charged with sodomy and who potentially face deaths by stoning."

Meg Munn Meg Munn (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Foreign & Commonwealth Office) Hansard source: "The charges of sodomy against the 18 Nigerian men in the state of Bauchi, Nigeria, have been replaced with charges of indecent behaviour and vagrancy, for which the death penalty would not be given. Our high commission in Abuja followed the trial closely and discussed the case with the accused men's defence counsel and local non-governmental organisations, whose view was that making representations might be counter productive now that the charges had been reduced. Consequently no representations were made but we shall continue to monitor the case."

This is clearly an issue that still needs following.

Corporate manslaughter Act but prison service delayed 3 years

Councils and other public and private bodies whose negligence leads to the death of individuals will face prosecution under a new law due to come into force next April. The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act was passed last week and something many of us have been pushing for a long while.

Photo: A friend who works in the prison service let me photograph her marmalade from one of her colleagues!

The Act now includes deaths in custody but only after a three-year delay. This is apparently to allow consultation with the Prison Service and the police - if the last years are anything to go by then they will need to pull their socks up fast. Lord David Ramsbotham, former chief inspector of prisons, who led the parliamentary campaign to include deaths in custody in the legislation, was “disappointed” by the delay, and challenged the rationale for it, saying: “The prison population is increasing day by day and I cannot see that in three years time we will be any better off than we are now. The problem will still be there.”

Indeed yesterdays Citizen had an article about violence on the rise in Gloucestershires' prisons again - see article here and Green party news release from June this year that also says more about what we should be doing. It is really quite shocking - how can we teach offenders respect if we show so little ourselves - of course prison has it's place but it is no wonder reoffending rates are so bad - highest prison pops in Europe - and who are we sending there:

- Naked rambler Richard Gough, 47, seven months after a court ruled that, during his efforts to promote naturism, he had committed a breach of the peace and exposed himself in public.
- The depressed mother Angela Schumann, 28, was jailed for 18 months in November after trying to kill her daughter by jumping from the Humber bridge with the two-year-old.
- Climate change demonstrator Irene Willis, 61, a Green party activist from Suffolk, was sentenced to 21 days' in prison two years ago after refusing to pay a fine for demonstrating against climate change and nuclear weapons at USAF Lakenheath.
- RAF man said war was illegal - Malcolm Kendall-Smith, 38, an RAF flight lieutenant, was jailed for eight months for failing to obey a lawful order in relation to service in Iraq. He had argued that the war in Iraq was illegal.
- Homeless hostel couple Ruth Wyner and John Brock were sentenced to four and five years' jail for allowing drugs to be sold at their hostel for the homeless in Cambridge. Their sentences were reduced by the Court of Appeal.
- Teenager who took her own life - Sarah Campbell, 18, from Cheshire, committed suicide in prison in 2003 after she became the first person to be convicted of manslaughter by harassment after stealing credit cards from a stranger.
- Stole a mobile phone - Joseph Scholes, 16, was sentenced to two years in 2002 a week after the Lord Chief Justice declared that mobile phone thieves should be jailed. He hanged himself in his cell.

The record prison population is largely due to the large number of offenders who do not pose a threat to the public but are being dragged back into overcrowded, overstretched jails at great expense to the taxpayer. Prisons exist to protect the public and detain serious, persistent criminals rather than warehouse people who have done their time and need support in the community to rebuild their lives.

We are failing by not having restorative justice (see excellent blog entry on this topic from another blogger here) and failing people to provide the help that is needed - many prisoners should be being treated for mental health problems - some 300 in Gloucester prison last year alone - and a staggering 52% of prisoners have been found to have limited literacy skills, which will seriously hamper their learning and work opportunities - and 20% of the total prison population were found to have a hidden disability. Infact I saw one quote a while back say early recognition of hidden disabilities could keep 15,000 individuals out of prison each year and save tax payers £410 million!!!

Anyhow this Act will hopefully sharpen up not just the penal service but much more - since the Health and Safety at Work Act came into force in 1974, 10,000 people have died at work - but only 11 directors have been convicted of manslaughter and only 5 of those were jailed.

Last year eleven people were killed at work every week. According to the Health and Safety Executive almost 75% of these "accidents" were caused by managers cutting corners to maximise profits - take for example the inquest into the death of steel fixer Kieron Deeney - a verdict of “unlawful killing” was passed after he fell 40 feet to his death through a hatch covered by a piece of plywood. Also nothing is as cheap as casual labour - with accidents much more likely to be suffered by agency workers - see Simon Jones campaign.

Anyhow there is lots more that could also be done to reduce workplace deaths and injuries. Unions in the past have called on the Government to introduce a system of roving health and safety reps in the UK to allow unions to bring safer working to workplaces where there is no union presence. The experience of other countries like Italy, Norway and Australia suggests that roving reps can have a significant impact on improving workplace safety records. Giving union safety reps more rights in more workplaces is the ultimate win-win. It provides skilled, trained on-the-ground union safety advisers at absolutely no cost to the Government, complementing the work of the Health and Safety Executive and saving lives in the process.

But enough on all this for now - am still suffering flu effects so will need to go for a sleep now.

Mobile Police Station visits

Hey and while we are on law and order the Mobile Police Station is due in Whiteshill the first Tuesday and third Friday in the month and in Randwick on the first Sunday and third Saturday in the month.

Roger's 80th birthday

Saturday night saw a seriously good party in Horsley - veteran peace campaigner Roger Franklin had his 80th birthday party - family and friends descended on the village hall for some great dancing and an exceptional spread of food.

Photo: Party invite

Roger has campaigned tirelessly against nuclear and war - especially with the Trident Ploughshares campaign - his home in Tickmorend is famous for it's signs celebrating it is a "Nuclear-Free Zone", he has written many letters to the local press, helped set up Resurgence for which he wrote occasionally, has been a great support to local Green party media work, been on numerous demonstrations like at Faslane and gone to prison for his refusal to pay for war.

Roger was unfortunately not his usual bright self due to an illness but still managed to get around and talk to lots of people - I really admire this guy and the courage he has to take on the establishment - I remember years ago when I first met him properly - I lived in Walkley Wood not far down the road from his home and was invited to call in for tea - which we had in his homemade mugs in his kitchen with some great debates and conversations before going off canvassing.

Anyhow I could go on lots more - a seriously monster-sized chocolate cake with the CND symbol was cut by Roger - it tasted amazing!!! There were several speechs including from John Papworth - who was one of the original group that set up Resurgence and then went on to establish the Fourth World Review - he was famous in 1999 for being the Reverend that was ticked off by the Church of England for preaching to his congregation that it was okay to steal from supermarkets if you were poor and hungry. At the time much of the press treated his comments as 'beyond the pale' but he struck a chord with many who were fed up with the supermarket consumer culture.

After being in London I had to leave a little early so missed the rest of the dancing and all but it apparently got better and better!! Meanwhile the same night Transition Stroud were celebrating at Slad farm with a day of events and party in the evening.

Fingerprint scanning scheme for pubs

Pubs and clubs around the country are introducing fingerprint scanning systems for drinkers. The scheme which is backed by the Home Office was first trialled in Yeovil but plans are afoot to expand the system to Coventry, Hull, Sheffield, Leeds, Gwent, Nottingham, Taunton and possibly Swindon. If they are successful there are plans to spread it across the country.

Drinkers must have their thumbprints scanned and supply their name, address and date of birth to enrol onto the system before they are allowed to enter licensed premises taking part in the scheme.

I can't see local pubs like the Carpenters, Vine Tree or Star introducing such measures, but I am concerned by the increasing number of authoritarian measures are being introduced by UK pubs and clubs following new licensing laws which were introduced in November 2005. Licensees are now subject to increased fines and possible criminal prosecution with a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment for knowingly serving someone who is under-age. As a result many pubs have responded with extreme measures that threaten the freedoms of 'everyone', not just those who happen to look under 18, such as fingerprinting and ID-ing all customers as if they were all potential troublemakers.

Many readers of this Blog will know that I am wholly opposed to the introduction of the new ID cards - they are an extraodinary waste of money and unnecessary and damaging to our freedoms. Greens have campaigned locally on this, held public meetings and joined the national NO2ID card campaign. I have to say I was bitterly disappointed our local MP supported ID cards despite reservations he shared publicly.

If you are in any of the towns affected by this fingerprinting, especially Yeovil, and are willing to do something then send an e-mail to phil@no2id.net (please put "pub fingerprinting" in the Subject). And if anyone knows a pub that would like to take NO2ID beer mats, Newcastle NO2ID has created some with the logo on the front and key counter-arguments on the back, ideal for starting the discussions of the scheme that we need. Beermats are produced in huge quantities, so they need more than a handful to make up an order(if we can make up a total order of several thousand we can produce beermats for £15 per 100). Enquiries to newcastle@no2id.net