Prisons event at WQMH on 5 December
Prison Reform: 200 years on from the Gaols Act, December 2023
The Gaols Act of 1823, inspired by the work of prison reformer and Quaker Elizabeth Fry, was implemented to improve conditions in English prisons. Today we see chronic overcrowding, understaffing, and lack of investment in the prison estate.
This was the subject of our dialogue on prison reform in December 2023 at Wandsworth Meeting House. Dr Steve Foster, Associate Professor in Law at Coventry University, discussed the legal difficulties in advocating for prisoners' rights, given that prisons are intended to be harsh.
Single instances of degrading conditions do not breach Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, but multiple instances of inhumane treatment may do, 'and we are very close to catastrophe.'
Liz Bridge, the Quaker chaplain at Wandsworth Prison, gave us a graphic picture of the conditions at one of the worst prisons in the UK: the unsanitary overcrowding, the effects of understaffing, the rats, the high rate of mental illness, the lack of purposeful activities for the prisoners.
A passionate Q and A session followed: the consensus was that not only does the criminal justice system need more funding, but that what goes on inside the system should be more widely acknowledged.
You can read a short essay by Steve on the dilemma of Protecting Prisoners' Rights and enforcing Standards on Prison Conditions here.
An important update: The talk shocked the audience. Here was a prison in our midst where men were living in degrading conditions. In January a group of Quakers and other concerned friends decided to press for and encourage improvements for prisoners, staff and visitors. The aim is to return the prison to decent living conditions, away with rats, flooding, overflowing toilets, suffocating boredom, violence; in with good plumbing, a clean environment, organised activities, reliable daily routines. Some of the problems will be beyond the capacity of the group - the increasing numbers going to prison, the nature of the grim old building. But the group have committed for the long haul.
The conditions in Wandsworth were the subject of an extended item on Channel 4 News on 14th February and featured an interview with Liz Bridge, which you can see here.