Change is possible
Those who know me personally can confirm I usually have around 20 projects on the go at any one time in what may be considered a pretty hectic life. However it may look, I do in fact, have quite a lot of structure built in. Organised chaos as the saying goes. Living with complex mental … Continue reading Facts, fears and fables: Silent Battles: Reform!
“In light of history, experience and the present limitations of human knowledge, we find it quite impossible to say that committing to the untrammelled discretion of the jury the power to pronounce life or death in capital cases is offensive to anything in the Constitution" (as cited in, Wolfgang & Riedel, p.120). Wolfgang, Marvin, and … Continue reading Does it heal?
I'm not sure if irony is the correct term to use in this instance, because I'm doing exactly what I knew I would be. However, it is my goal, metaphorically of course, to make the walls that surround our prisons, invisible. The taxpaying public, with the hundreds of millions of £££'s spent on our prison … Continue reading A Day to Remember
As you can see by the image I have included below, I am still, eagerly I must say, awaiting delivery of my copy of this excellent collection of poems and drawings by parents and children affected by imprisonment in the UK and abroad which has been edited by Lucy Baldwin & Ben Raikes. I'm fortunate, … Continue reading SEEN & HEARD
Allow your mind to visualise prison, if you can - even if for only the briefest of moments - as a chess board. You have two opposing sides, made up of many: labels? titles? names and so on, or even pieces? Within one arena, all going in different directions. Some more restricted than others, confined … Continue reading Gary Kasparov the learner driver!
I am not aware of how other, former, prisoners who were also once listeners, or even prisoners now, feel in respect of talking to someone else themselves. I always found it an awkward position to be in, especially as I was involved in the training of listeners as well. It never felt right to get … Continue reading Lost Inside!
The process begins. The laws of this upside-down kingdom reveal the arena. Predator? Prey? Violence rules! Okay?
‘Bird’ just went plural with Kendra Houseman and Dave Breakspear. Dave appeared on our very first episode of Bird ‘Mental Health Behind Bars | Can Lessons be learnt?’ and Kendra came into our lives at episode 3 ‘UK Street Gangs | A Look Inside’. The links to both these podcasts are available at the end … Continue reading 3 Little birds!
Michael Spurr, announced last year that there will be no more public bidding on contracts to build new prisons. Therefore, with an extensive building programme planned, any new prison will be maintained and managed by the private sector. As well as any existing public prison, that may be put out to tender. It has always … Continue reading Facts, fears and fables…part 5
One to one... They meet, maybe across a table. A soulless room, wet with tears, thick with pain. STOP!!! Please!.... Just listen, before you fail me. For a poem is not just sound it is silence as well. We fail to listen to understand whilst providing rapid response. The empathetic listening ear, changes ways of … Continue reading Listen!
Journey of a reformed man 