Analysis and comment on current developments by the Centre's staff, supporters and associates
In the autumn we will begin work on a new strategy. We are keen to draw on the experience, knowledge and ideas of our many stakeholders as we develop our plans.
In the meantime, we have agreed the main coordinates of our work, both to sharpen our focus in the short-term, and to help guide the development of the new strategy over the coming months.
Prisons should not be filled up with even more people who experience most acutely the social problems governments don’t want to solve. Our communities should not be left without the support and resources they need.
Now that we're coming out of the worst of the pandemic, we're taking this forward. We are building a movement for the redevelopment of land currently occupied by prisons, for the benefit of local communities.
Joint enterprise is a legal tool which allows for multiple individuals to be prosecuted and convicted for the same crime, without taking into account their differing roles or even whether they were present at the scene.
'The many life stories I have heard in the course of my work,' she remarked, 'have given me an infinite respect for the mind's complexity.'
Tabled by the MPs Alex Cunningham and Sarah Champion, the new clause intends to support a move from short prison sentences to community based interventions.
Here I summarise the approach the Centre has taken, and the progress of the amendment thus far.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has seen applications for Universal Credit soar since lockdown was imposed in March 2020. As of the start of May 2020, 1.8 million claims had been received since 16 March – six times the usual claimant rate. Local news reports have also shown that more people than ever are applying for council tax reductions and are struggling to keep up with payments. For example, reportedly one in eight Solihull residents are behind on council tax payments.
Melanie, a single mother from Porthcawl in Wales, who was in poor health and in financial difficulties, read the article while she was in prison. She was serving a sentence of 81 days of imprisonment for owing council tax.
Through our collaborations, locally, nationally and internationally, we take practical steps to achieve this vision in the here and now.
We also acknowledge the significant barriers we face.
Yet there are major holes in our maps of need which affect our understanding of the current scope and impact of services. The Justice Committee’s recent call for evidence about needs and services highlights the uncertainties and points to a worrying future if the picture remains unchanged.
Begging is a recordable offence under section 3 of the Vagrancy Act 1824 (as amended). Anyone found sleeping in a public place or begging for money can be arrested. However, begging, while illegal, does not carry a jail sentence under the Act.
Ex-prisoners struggle to access accommodation on release. They often lose their homes while in custody, sometimes being accused of having made themselves ‘intentionally homeless’.
So why have we only begun to hear about this recently?
This week commemorates the 100th anniversary of the ‘Tulsa Race Massacre’ in Greenwood, north Tulsa, Oklahoma, which took place between 30 May and 1 June 1921. Greenwood, which was a prosperous Black community (known as the ‘Black Wall Street’), was decimated by three days of officially sanctioned terror.
