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Our director quoted in Private Eye

Wednesday, 29 June 2022

Our director, Richard Garside, is quoted in the latest edition of Private Eye magazine, on a story about a charity being run from within on of the country's highest-profile prisons.

According to the magazine, a new charity called UNTOLD, which runs training programmes for prisoners with the creative industries, was recently established by the Governor of Isis prison and young offenders institution in south east London.

The charity's official business address is listed as being at Isis prison. The charity's first project is also being run in the prison.

Richard told Private Eye:

The job of a prison governor is already a varied and very demanding one. Until now, I hadn't realised that it could include setting up and running a charity, from with the prison, to do things that existing charities already do. With a chief executive who can pick up the phone to other prison governors, and a prison service official on the board, the unfair advantage that UNTOLD has over other similar organisations is obvious.

Speaking today, Richard added:

I don't doubt the good intentions of those who set up UNTOLD. Nor am I questioning the value of creative projects that engage and enrich and lives of prisoners. But there is a clear conflict between running a prison, and running a charity doing work in prisons.


Read the article here.

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