An 'ex offender' I know was convicted of murder and was given a life sentence aged 22. He served at His Majesty's Pleasure 23 years before he was released. Then he was acquitted of the crime in 2005 (?) by the Court of Appeal. I won't tell you his name, but you can probably find his name on the internet. So, what would happen if there was no parole or review of his case? Incidentally, the monetary price he had to pay for protesting his innocence was that after being compensated for a crime he did not commit was that he had to pay back Her Majesty's Prison Service 23 years rent for Bed and Breakfast (and I am not joking). It is not even funny, so please don't laugh. On top of that, he has lost everything that we take for granted. Prisoners should have the right to progress and to allow people some hope in their lives. The system needs reviewing, but The Guardian's Erwin James is a great example of how a lifer can move on and reintergrate into society even though he is out on parole. (He can be recalled to prison at any time even for a minor offence and is never allowed to leave the UK). On Monday morning I am heading up to Wakefield to be at the graveside of a lifer. There will probably be no more than half a dozen of us there with the service done by the prison chaplain. Here's a question for all those who think lifers should 'rot in hell'. Should a lifer who has committed murder be allowed to have a Christian burial? I never met him, but we wrote to each other via New Bridge: a small prison charity that I volunteer with. His letters were hilarious. He told me to read The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist (which I did) and had me down as Republican, Monarchist, a Guardian reader who hates Chelsea tractors and Chelsea football club. He loved my cycling stories too. Quite quite funny!
Ben Owen ● 4678d