Life sentenced prisoners and their information needs – October 2013
Some lifers are experts in prison matters and can quote prison policy, law and rules sometimes at length! However, not all lifers have the information they need to support them with serving their sentence. A recent report from the prison and probations inspectorates (A joint inspection of life sentenced prisoners September 2013) looked at lifers during the last part of their sentence in prison and then in the community.
Some lifers are experts in prison matters and can quote prison policy, law and rules sometimes at length! However, not all lifers have the information they need to support them with serving their sentence. A recent report from the prison and probations inspectorates (A joint inspection of life sentenced prisoners September 2013) looked at lifers during the last part of their sentence in prison and then in the community. This report looked at all aspects of a life sentence and resettlement.
Their research highlighted that lifers are not always treated as a distinct group within prison and there is not enough awareness of their specific needs. This can mean that staff underestimate the amount of help and advice that is required. They found that especially at key times in the sentence, such as moving to an open prison or going for parole, staff sometimes assumed that lifers already knew the system and did not take time to make sure they had relevant information.
Prison Service Order 4700, chapter 4 talks about the information lifers need shortly after being sentenced. It states that lifers should be individually briefed on their tariff, their individual risk assessment, their responsibility to reduce their risk of harm, the parole process and release on licence. It goes on to say that if resources permit, this information should also be given to a lifer’s family. So, people given a life sentence should have an opportunity to talk to a staff member and ask any questions. We know that this does not always happen.
One of the problems that the inspectorate found was unrealistic expectations when moving to an open prison. It is not true that people have home leaves the minute they get to open and will be able to go out to work or visit family straight away. It is important the people have a realistic understanding of what it will be like. Ideally, people will have a chance to visit an open prison before they move and speak to staff and prisoners there. This can help to manage the transition into lower security and be ready to take on the extra responsibility. Under a quarter of the prisoners interviewed said they had been prepared well for open.
Another problem that the inspectorate identified was information for parole. Sometimes, staff assumed that lifers knew the system because they had already been through parole. Just over half of the lifers interviewed who were still in prison said that no one in prison has explained the parole process for them. Others said that they got their information from other prisoners. Another said he had learnt about parole from the television programme ‘Lock them up or let them out’!
It is understandable that people in the early stages of a life sentence might not yet have all the information they need but it is concerning that this seems to be happening all the way through the prison sentence. Lifers may have been inside a long time but that does not mean they always know all the rules and regulations.
from insidetime issue October 2013
