Probation Service Reinvigoration Campaign
CROPS Newsletter No.1 : April 27th 2009
Dear CROPS Supporter/Founder,
Welcome to the first Newsletter of the Campaign for the Reinvigoration of the Probation Service: this is not a long one as I am on holiday in USA with son and daughterinlaw, but wanted to say Hi as Mr Straw has spoken.
1] Titan Prisons : we sent our objections to Mr Straw in time for the consultation period, objecting most strongly to Titans and telling Mr S. to follow our plan instead.
We hear he will announce today that he is not going with Titan prisons, but will build 5 new prisons holding just 1,500 in each prison, instead of 3 new prisons holding 2,500!!! .... but only two prisons will start immediately.. HUH !!
I have written to the Indie, as I often do, and said this is still "Titan", and how dare he cause us so much expense, and misery ?, and told him and Mr Brown to listen to us instead.
Any one like to write to their paper, esp. Guardian or Times of course, about this.??
Also please let me and others know of other letters in the papers on this subject. The above are all committed to CROPS.
On the subject of writing, it would be good if as many of us as poss. write to our MP, objecting to Titans and praising up CROPS.
2] David Howarth, the Lib Dem Justice spokesperson has finally responded to our request for a meeting and we will meet in May.
3] Website is in progress: Could be finished quite quickly, but we need more money: I am on hol. so have not seen how many subs. have been received in the last week:so sorry if you have sent money and it has not been acknowledged: I will acknowledge by 10th May.
4] I have registered with the "4th Plinth" thingy in Trafalgar square, and if I get on it I promise to spend at least half of my allotted hour talking about CROPS : if u don't know about the 4th plinth, please look it up on the website: they need people from nearly all areas outside London and the South East.
5] The Independent newspaper [Editor Roger Alton] seemed interested in us, and I have not heard back from his Home Affairs Editor, or Deborah Orr,[columnist] as he promised , so I have chased this today .
Best wishes,
Will and the committee [Chris and Martin].