I’ve seen the bad also, the guy who despaired and said there was ‘no hope for people in LS9″ – that young probation officer, and his comments was probably one of the drivers as to what I do today. It rocked the very ground I stood on, and dis-merged the historical partnership that existed between the probation service and the people and histories of those living in East Leeds. It spat on the memory of my late Step-father, my Probation Officer, my Step-fathers Probation Officer. Some people have no idea at what they are doing and have not learned from those dedicated individuals of the past and the present. – I’m going to come back to this, probably many times.

I wish you was based in Leeds, because I know with you I would have a wonderful conversation about what’s brilliant about the service, with anecdotal evidence from the past which would make us all smile. But also I believe we would be able to discuss what is also wrong with it, and how it ‘can’ change and be saved.

” … The problem in gaining client/offender support may be that the “public is at risk” argument, while true, may not be easy listening for many offenders, BUT I expect there will be many more that believe in probation and have experienced that Probation does rehabilitate, helps people to change and improves their quality of life, AND they need to know that they will be gravely affected when probation is taken over by G4S, Serco & Co. This other side of the argument is what I discuss with clients/offenders and I do believe it needs to be promoted more. Whether it’s ‘advise, assist & befriend’ or ‘help, punish, change, control’, first and foremost we provide a service of support to offenders and their families, and we need to let them know that come 2015 this service will be at an end.

It should be no secret that we are fighting to ‘Save Probation’ for staff, offenders, victims and the public alike – but particularly for clients/offenders. It is their service too & they need to know whats on the horizon! Probation Officers & staff being should be informing offenders/clients on probation and in prison of the looming probation privatisation that will decimate the services they receive…. ”

Raymond, it’s a pity I don’t work in Leeds as would have invited you in for a coffee & chat with myself & colleagues!

Women are entitled to be viewed on equal levels, you’re absolutely correct. Maybe that’s why they strive so hard to be heard. Who knows.

But the fundamental issue is that women, particularly mothers who commit crimes are castigated. No matter how much feminism strikes at the heart of society, there is still a stigma attached to women and crime. This is by no means a victim statement, but women are treated harshly because of their gender in the CJS and more so if they have children. The ‘how could she do that to her children’ bandwagon oils its wheels. Or the best one ‘I would never do that to my children, I would never commit a crime and harm my children in this way’

No matter how much women strive for equality, it will never happen and lest we forget, in the CJS. Years ago, back in the 1990’s I was told that women are always higher up the tariff for sentencing to show society how unacceptable it is for a woman with children to commit a crime. With the 21st century now in its teenage years, there are still people fighting for women in the CJS to be treated differently than their male counterparts.

Women’s needs are different to men’s. That in no way lessens men’s needs. Naturally, there is the issue that both lose liberty, children, homes, Gender doesn’t fit into those issues. Both are equal there.

The CJS is a blanket system for all. Underneath that blanket are where the problems lay. There are no equals and there is no room for treating each and every prisoner differently. If we incarcerate people together in one building there will be problems. Women’s prisons, men’s prisons, regardless of gender. There are many ways to solve it. But the basics are there no matter which gender.

Now we are televising prison from the inside. That in itself is indicative of how society is today as we are driven by the media. There are shows where women prisons are glamorised (Bad girls) and documentaries of men’s prisons.

There are not many of the ‘good, wholesome’ British public who want improvements to any prison, it’s just not the way it rolls. They want harder sentences, harsher conditions, harsher treatment as the viewers look on in disgust and tell themselves they would never possibly end up there. It’s called spin and marketing.

Chris Grayling has no idea, he’s about as trained in law, the needs of prisoners and the mental health of all prisoners as the chair I am on sitting on. Which leads me onto my next post…. I’ve just had a brilliant idea….

Documentaries, Television programmes about prisons are often edited to appeal to the opinions on the public and give a false representation of the truth. Just the same as the way the media chose to represent young people negatively like ‘disrespectful yobs’ and this goes on to create a moral panic. Women are seen to be more deviant If they offend as they are meant to be child rearers, caring and maternal…… We are in the 21st Century where females are entitled to be viewed on an equal level to males.

Natalie

That’s an ‘iron fist’ of an account of life inside a women’s prison and compelling to read.

June: Welcome to ex-offender.co.uk and no matter which way we look at it, people do think as you say. It’s fuelled by the ‘hang em and flog crowd’ and those who believe in the death sentence. The ‘prison is a holiday camp’ crowd and amazingly the people who have never stepped foot inside a prison. The clean living little individuals they are. (I often develop a smirk when I read such comments) It’s called having an opinion and like the proverbial holes, everyone has one just some are bigger than others.

There is nothing which can be done about these mind-sets and there is nothing which can be done about the services until such a time there is a real shake-up of the prison system. While there are often rumblings about this, nothing much is ever done and I’ve seen countless articles about this. Fact is, it’s the way it rolls.

Great read there, Natalie.