We were wandering around the yard, wrapped up against the cold. It would have been difficult to tell which was the most bitter, the weather or our temperament. Such is the social life of Lifers.
Along the way, we were dissecting the current state of the prison, its facilities, opportunities and - most of all - the capabilities of its senior management.
Between us we hashed out a rough series of ideas which we persuaded ourselves could transform this backwater into a functioning and positive prison. I had to call a halt to this.
Even if we were right in our analysis and prescriptions, surely to try to build a better prison raises all sorts of moral dilemmas for a prisoner? Would a "better" prison (or prison system) be one which would be more enticing to Judges, and so more likely to be filled?
This is a perpetual dilemma for those involved in prison reform. Do too good a job and the risk is that prison becomes an ever greater attraction as a solution to social ills. This thinking has led the charity NACRO to jump into an unholy alliance with Group 4 to run private prisons. Prison reformers running prisons(!)raised an eyebrow when I heard the news, then I vented my spleen in a thousand words in Inside Times.
And yet the issue isn't as clear as I would like. Should people such as myself aim for reform, knowing the risks? Or should we aim for total abolition?
My present view is that we should continue to campaign for prison reform, but only on the understanding that this is a process and not a destination. I will advocate anything that increases the influence that prisoners have over their own lives. Where this leads is a matter for history and determination to reveal. Vive la resistance!
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