Travesty of justice
Bill Keller’s deep exploration of the prison system in England and Wales is a shameful indictment of those responsible for this beleaguered public service. They must know that it is in everyone’s interest to build a rehabilitative culture, not one of hopelessness that throws up endless barriers for those safe to release.
Some will say that it is time to worry when a journalist such as Keller, with such considerable experience of documenting the horrors of the US prison system, finds so many similarities with the UK’s. In truth, the worrying should have begun long ago, when successive governments pushing hyperventilating “tough on crime” rhetoric allowed the UK prison population to double. Campaign organisations have raised the alarm repeatedly, but politicians, journalists and judges have—for the most part—looked away.
Excerpt from Prospect Magazine’s Letters: October 2023 – read full article here
Here’s my letter on @billkellernyc ‘s indictment of prisons in England and Wales in @prospect_uk “The challenge is to develop systems that do not require punishment as a precondition for helping people rejoin society; to deliver public education on the benefits of alternatives;… pic.twitter.com/PEic28v3TU
— Professor / Dr Felicity Gerry KC (@felicitygerry) September 22, 2023