Posts by lewis
“We’re not trying to blur lines; we’re trying to bring about positive change.”
In the heart of a challenging environment, prisoners at HMP Wayland discovered a powerful tool for change: their own voices. – Shakeil Hemmings, Regional Lead at the Zahid Mubarek Trust The ZMT’s proactive response to the lack of trust in the discrimination complaints process among ethnic minority and young prisoners was to establish a peer-led…
Read More“The one silver lining in my prison journey has been the Zahid Mubarek Trust”
– Niyi Akinseye A narrative about equalities work is that it is not an integral part of reducing reoffending and improving the Prison Service. Today at HMP Bedford Equalities Advocates graduation, we witnessed prisoners change that narrative, stating that completing the course has changed their life, given them a clear sense of purpose, empowered them…
Read MoreI want my voice to be heard… KP – 20 years old
In October 2021, I was convicted of ‘possession of knife/blade/sharp pointed article’, ‘Grievous Bodily Harm with intent (GBHSECTION18)’ and ‘Threat a person with a blade/sharply pointed article in a public place’. There had been a staggering 90% increase in knife crime between 2012/13 and 2019/20 in England and Wales, and not enough is being done…
Read MoreA 10-year prison strategy that lacks vision
Blog – A 10-year prison strategy that lacks vision In my last blog I asked tried to answer a question I get asked a lot, that is, ‘Why does racial disparity persist in the prison system?’. In an attempt to answer it I returned to HM Prison Service’s race review (2008). Despite its failings, the review…
Read MorePrisons Strategy White Paper
How Do Independent Monitoring Boards Report on Equalities in Prisons?
This report focuses on how the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMBs) monitor equalities work in prisons and Young Offender Institutions in England and Wales. The overall aim of this study was to better understand the extent of the reporting and its potential impact on improving transparency, accountability and standards on equalities in prisons. The report specifically focuses…
Read MoreA Record of Our Own: Lockdown Experiences of Ethnic Minority Prisoners
The report reveals the impact of the first six months of Covid-19 restrictions on ethnic minority prisoners and their families. These restrictions have effectively reduced the spread of Covid-19 and saved lives, but they have also had profoundly affected prisoners’ mental health. Covid-19 has also refocussed attention on longstanding challenges in the prison system, including…
Read MoreMonitoring Places of Detention during the Pandemic
On 17th December 2020, the Zahid Mubarek Trust in partnership with the University of Bristol and the Royal Holloway University of London organised the webinar on Monitoring Places of Detention during Pandemic: Lessons Learnt and Opportunities for the Future. Resource Table was developed by the University of Bristol providing examples of innovative practices, tools and ways…
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