By Geof Jarvis | Fundraising and Communications Manager
Updated Global Giving Report
1 July to 30 September 2017
Delivery of Outreach Clinics for Women and Disabled Prisoners
Since our last report, your kind donations have continued to help us to expand our outreach services for women and the disabled in prison across England and Wales.
Our Services for Women Prisoners
Over the course of the last three months – July, August, September 2017 – PAS has continued to deliver more Outreach Clinics in women’s prisons, providing 11 clinics in six prisons: HMPs Bronzefield, Downview and Send (all in Surrey), Eastwood Park (in Gloucestershire), New Hall (in West Yorkshire) and Styal (in Cheshire). Over the three month period, we helped 92 women face-to-face through Outreach Clinics alone. We also received seven letters and fielded 28 calls to our Advice Line from these prisons in the same period.
In addition, we received a total of three letters and seven phone calls from other women’s prisons in England (there are no women’s prisons in Wales). These were, HMPs Askham Grange (in North Yorkshire), Drake Hall (in Staffordshire), Foston Hall (in Derbyshire), Low Newton (in County Durham) and Peterborough (in Cambridgeshire).
Working with Disabled Prisoners
Over the last three months, your support has helped support our Community Care Caseworkers to deliver seven Outreach Clinics in two prisons: HMPs Pentonville and Thameside (both in London). During clinics, our Caseworkers held 39 face-to-face meetings with individual, disabled prisoners. Your grant also helped Caseworkers to deal with 84 telephone calls and 11 letter enquiries from these prisons during this three month window.
PAS helps prisoners with disabilities to obtain the auxiliary aids that they require, for example, crutches, wheelchairs, etc. We assist prisoners to gain access to prison workshops and to education classes. Our caseworkers can request that such classes be moved to the ground floor if disabled access to upper floors is not possible. We also work to ensure extended library book loans for dyslexic prisoners and the provision of large print books for visually impaired prisoners.
Some prisons, local authorities, probation services and NHS Trusts fail to meet their legal responsibilities towards prisoners with physical and mental disabilities both during their time in prison and when they are due for release. We liaise and negotiate with these bodies and, where necessary, issue Judicial Review claims against them if they fail to meet their duties towards such prisoners.
Case Study 1: Female Disabled Prisoner Moved to a Suitable Prison
Ms K has multiple physical and mental health issues including anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression and severe Cervical Spondylosis leading to chronic pain and lack of mobility. She was incarcerated in an unadjusted, completely unsuitable, prison cell.
One of our Community Care Caseworkers helped Ms K to secure a transfer to a modern prison facility with a modified cell suitable for her needs. She is now eligible for parole, her mental health is much improved and her physical condition is stable.
Ms K commented on our assistance: “PAS supported me all through my sentence and has been phenomenal, excellent and immeasurable. I will forever be grateful and sing of PAS’ services everywhere, now and in the future.”
Case Study 2: De-categorisation for Terminally Ill Disabled Prisoner
Our Community Care Caseworker recently assisted terminally ill disabled prisoner, Mr M, who was serving a short sentence as a Category C (lower security classification) prisoner. However, as it was deemed better suited to meet his health needs, he was being held in a Category B (higher security) prison. Regardless, the care that he was receiving was woefully inadequate.
Mr M had been allocated a cell on an upstairs landing. As he was therefore unable to manage the stairs, he was virtually confined to his cell and prevented from going outside for fresh air. Mr M also required a special diet to avoid potential choking, but the food provided was not appropriate to his condition.
Our Caseworker sent a pre-action letter to Government Solicitors. This resulted in him being moved to a Category C prison. She then made categorisation representations, which got him de-categorised to Category D (lowest security). The prison initially refused to transfer him, claiming that his medical needs required him to be on medical hold. PAS finally resolved this through correspondence with the prison, and Mr M is now being held in a Category D (open conditions) prison, with medical facilities suitable to his needs.
In Conclusion
Prisoners’ Advice Service remains most grateful to GlobalGIving for helping to support our work with female and disabled prisoners in England and Wales. Without the assistance of charitable organisations such as your own, the work that we do with vulnerable prisoners would be severely curtailed.
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