Protests at Full Sutton and Long Lartin
While protests last year in young offender institutes and at Ford open prison hit the headlines, there has been scarcely a mention of the two recent mass peaceful protests within the high security prison estate.
On 6 December, 80 prisoners at Full Sutton in York refused to return to their cells in protest at the lack of heating. Temperatures in December 2010 were the coldest on record for the month since records began 100 years earlier.
At Long Lartin on 9 January prisoners on three wings staged a peaceful protest against a number of attacks on their rights: in particular, a new prison policy that no religious gatherings, religious instruction or activity outside of formal services is allowed to take place on the wings – a restriction clearly targeted at Muslims. Protesters also complained about changes to the visiting system, including the counting of anyone over the age of ten as an adult (only three adults are allowed in on each visit).
POA vs G4S – a rock vs a hard place
The Prison Officers Association (POA) announced in early March that it would lodge a legal challenge to prevent private contractor G4S bidding to take over four prisons which are currently state-run but which are being ‘market-tested’. In the ‘market-testing’ process, the Prison Service (supported by the POA) bids to continue running the gaols in a competition with private bidders. The POA is not fighting to defend the interests of prisoners; nor is it concerned that prisons run for profit will provide fewer amenities, facilities, rehabilitation or development for prisoners, but that its members will have less power to impose discipline and control. However the union is correct to point out that G4S does have an unfair advantage in that Phil Wheatley, who retired from his post as Director General of the National Offender Management Service in 2010 after 40 years as a prison governor and top Prison Service civil servant, is now a consultant with G4S.
Prison censorship of FRFI
As regular readers of FRFI will be aware, we take all instances of prisons trying to ban our newspaper very seriously. We have recently successfully contested attempts to prevent individual readers at Stocken and Buckley Hall prisons having the paper and are still in correspondence over what appear to be blanket bans at Strangeways and Holloway prisons. Any prisoners who are aware they have been sent FRFI but not been issued it are asked to put in a complaint yourself, contact your solicitor and contact us so we can complain.
Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! 220 April/May 2011
