🚨 BREAKING! 🚨
LORD WALNEY DUMPED (and on Valentine’s Day, no less)
EXCLUSIVE from @bylinetimes.bsky.social - The Home Office confirms that Walney, who was appointed by Boris Johnson, will leave Government.
Read: bylinetimes.com/2025/02/14/k...
#SackLordWalney #SackedLordWalney
Still shouldn’t be in here, please tell the government that by submitting evidence here: consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-comm...
Positive end though, I’m now happily on the super enhanced wing, although I left a clean fully equipped cell, and arrived to one lacking anything that wasnt nailed down, I asked a guard for a dustpan and brush so I could clean before unpacking, he banged me up and never returned.
They couldn’t work the scanner properly so I endured 3 scans before they finally accepted they had the wrong guy. They treated me as though I was guilty, and despicable throughout, upon my return to my cell I found the phone had been broken, and mess left everywhere.
Friday was intense! Firstly I was offered a pad on the new super-enhanced wing which I took and began packing for, then halfway through packing my pad was ‘spun’. I was refused to witness it, instead locked in another room, then taken for a full body scan.
As Storm Darragh ravages the UK, keeping us prisoners awake by rattling our doors, cutting power to 55,000 homes, and placing 3 million lives at risk, I'm struck by the fact that this 1 storm is already more disruptive than all UK climate protest over the last 30 years combined.
Super enhanced is a new scheme being piloted at HMP Fosse with additional privileges.
Like a lot of other things in this prison, the IEP scheme is a good idea being done in a bad way, leading to the most well behaved prisoners feeling unappreciated & disrespected.
Understanding the IEP system, we can see why prisoners on HMP Fosse's longest incident free wing are upset at learning through the grapevine that their wing will never be super-enhanced, like the new wings being rolled out.
Enhanced IEP status @ HMP Fosse means: 4 visits a month, £33.50 form private spends every week, you can apply to go on an enhanced wing & apply for enhanced jobs, courses & enrichment activities. It means we get a small payrise, we can earn up to £19.50 a week for full time work.
Standard means, EG: at HMP Fosse; 2 visits a month, £19 from private spends a week, standard salary rates for prison jobs apply. In a week we earn what would be considered an hours work on the outside.
The 3 IEP Levels: Basic, Standard & Enhanced have different levels of prisoner privileges. Whilst all prisons vary, Basic can mean less / no visits, no TV, less money to spend each week from income & private funds.
All prisoners are equal, but some of us are more equal than others. 🧵
The Incentives & earned privileges scheme (IEP) is the carrot and stick used by all UK prisons. Every prisoner begins their sentence on Standard. If they are caught breaking rules they can be reduced to Basic.
4 Days in a row now we've had a restrictive lockup regime. I've had no yard time etc all, simply due to lack of staff. I listened to Nazanin's inspiring talk last night, and whilst what we're suffering isn't anywhere as extreme as solitary, its still isolating & damaging. tinyurl.com/43njtw7e
All I want for xmas is... sentencing reform! So please write to the independent sentencing review headed by David Gauke. Ultimately we need a regular citizens assembly to review sentencing, but to get this; write to the review, & ask for restorative justice as well. tinyurl.com/5t38cs3p
Every day I see and suffer the consequences of our prison crisis. We were in lockdown all Sunday and again today, losing what short time we have out of our cell; not because of an incident on the wing, but because the prison doesn't have enough staff.
Tragically a prisoner died yesterday morning, that's the second death in HMP Fosse Way in 4 months. When prisons are in such crisis it's ludicrous to lock peaceful protesters up. Keep an eye on our appeal: defendourjuries.org/16-political...
Necessity is the mother of invention; Just made running gloves out of socks I reclaimed from a bin. Looking forward to wearing them on this week's unofficial parkrun.
When is cheese not cheese? When its given to prisoners. The independent monitoring board of prisons has found the 'cheese' given out in prisons is 79% Water, Palm Oil & Starch. Which explains why it doesn't melt; By calling this stuff cheese prisons are breaking the law yet again
Delighted we've won the right to appeal my 3 year sentence for peaceful protest! My case which involved tunneling near an oil terminal will be joined with other heavy prison sentences for soup thrown, the whole truth 5 & gantry climbers.
Dm to help w public letter.
My son's prison visit yesterday was almost cancelled as Northampton station was under water!
The latest floods & extreme weather we're suffering in the UK is a reminder for us all to get behind the solutions to the climate & nature emergency.
COP has failed again. Its madness to repeat the same mistake again and again and expect a different result. We need sortition based assemblies @ every scale to determine the best ways to address the Climate &emergency. timetoassemble.org tinyurl.com/5ycckpx6
After nearly a years wait, I've been granted an appeal against my conviction for conspiracy to cause public nuisance for the 2019 Heathrow Pause campaign. A court of appeal judge agrees that we have strong grounds for overturning the conviction. Fingers crossed!
I was rudely woken up at 5am again by a guard doing a "wellbeing check". Instead of simply looking through the viewing window some guards put the cell lights on, I can't fall back to sleep after being woken up at 5am, ironically I was doing well until the wellbeing check.
Got a meeting with my POM (Prisoner offender manager?) to write an OAYSys report, once that's done I can ask for a recategorization review to go to a category D prison, which would be a lot more relaxed and I'd get to leave for a weekend once a month. Fingers crossed!
Got a meeting with my POM (Prisoner offender manager?) to write an OAYSys report, once that's done I can ask for a recategorization review to go to a category D prison, which would be a lot more relaxed and I'd get to leave for a weekend once a month. Fingers crossed!
Just finished the 10km charity run, I got second place!
Raised over £50 and did it in 45.04 minutes!
Managed to get 8 prisoner sponsors for the 10km charity run today, everything from £20 to £1 donations. Never run 10km before, furthest I've ever run so I'm a bit nervous. The prison is opening up some gates for the route which is exciting.
No run today; I’m resting ahead of tomorrows 10km sponsored run for Leicester Hospital Charity's Xmas Toy Drive!
I’m getting sponsorships from other prisoners, sadly I cant get any sponsorships from the outside; please donate directly instead as if you were sponsoring me: tinyurl.com/27t55xdt
In the stifling bureaucracy of prison, humanity still shines through. It can be seen in the creativity that abounds! From the ingenious ways people make hooch to the beautiful handmade picture frame I just passed to a friend that he'd ordered. I've just made a punchbag & eye mask!
