Probation Service Reinvigoration Campaign
CROPS Newsletter No.2 : May 7th 2009
Dear CROPS Supporter/Founder,
I have said to some of you already, my application to be one of the "standers on the fourth plinth in Traflagar Square", as part of Anthony Gormley's Art project this summer, has been accepted and I will be entered in a Lottery for this on the first of the months of June July Aug and Sept: I plan to spend at least half of the hour talking about B.liar Blair, and NOMS and CROPS, even if I have to lash out £70 for a loudspeaker ! I may practise at Hyde Park Corner [Speakers Corner] on a Sunday, too].
we have raised £133 so far, and we have plans to raise the rest ourselves if necessary, but all contributions still gratefully received at this time.
We hope the website will be up and running as soon as my computer-ace friend Anmar Hassan returns from hols [which I had forgotten he is taking - first hol. for 5 or 6 years], in a few days time.
Chris and I tomorrow will be at London Branch NAPO meeting as retired London Probation staff members: Mr Jonathan Aitken is speaking to them : he is the first, and only, public figure so far as we know to say the NOMS should be abolished. Can he influence policy in the Conservative party?????
I have sent our manifesto to JA's boss The Right Hon. Iain Duncan-Smith Con MP, but no reply there yet.
I also sent the manifesto to my old colleague at Uni, George Young, Con MP, and he has forwarded it to Edward Garnier, MP, who I had forgotten about, but who has been long-time Con spokesperson for Justice matters, and with whom I have spoken before.
Can we trust the Conservatives ???
If the Lib Dems don't show eager interest in our paper, I am ready to chat up the tories instead, if Chris and Martin agree...
We are meeting David Howarth Lib Dem spokesperson for Justice on Monday afternoon at Parliament -at last !!
Wish us luck !
The Queen was interested to hear my views, but has forwarded our paper to Jack Straw: Gordon Brown was denied the opportunity to read our paper by his letter answering staff, who also sent on the paper to Jack Straw: I am annoyed by this and will write again, complaining, because the whole point was that Gordo should OVERRULE J Straw, because he, Gordo, wants to win the next election, and we can't afford £2,000,000,000 GBP on prisons in the recession, and cancelling that could help him win votes.
See my letter to the Independent Friday last 1st May.["Titan prisons are still Titan prisons when they hold 1,500 persons, and Straw still intends to build two of these, at least"]
Gordo could instead DOUBLE the size of the Probation Service at a mere £700,000,000, and need not build a single new prison place, and could watch the closure of several prisons in the next few years, saving millions of further pounds, and allowing the prisons to work effectively with the remainder, about 60, 000 maybe, instead of the present 82,500 or so.
You know it makes sense!
The Guardian published an interesting letter from Prison Officer Stewart McLaughlin, Branch Secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, [POA], from Wandsworth prison, London on Tuesday 28th April.
He basically agreed with me, saying that 1,500 is still a "Titan" , or too big for a decent prison: Wandsworth holds 1,640 prisoners, but has "Certified Normal Accommodation" [CNA] of just 1,100, so is overcrowded by nearly 50% !!!
We will start talking to the POA soon: we don't disbelieve in prisons : we just want them to be not overcrowded, to help them to be as rehabilitational as possible.
The letter underneath this was from a Paul O'Farrell, who appeared to be from a PO in Tyne and Wear, reminding us that PO's are being made redundant, as they are down south near London also : the NOMS is economising by using more and more almost-untrained officers [Probation Service Officers, or just "Offender Managers"]. And these people have no idea how to supervise in a social work, healing kind of way. Community Penalties are not being used to help offenders with their problems, just for "Punishment".
Must stop now:
up the workers !!
regards ,
Will.