Posts by lewis

How the ZMT bridges the gap between inquiry reports and real-world impact In a system designed to punish crime by taking away people’s time, it is ironic that working in prisons, we often ask ourselves: How can we avoid wasting time by moving beyond well-intentioned policies and recommendations to affect meaningful change inside prison walls…

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…

– 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…

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…

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…