The Brighton and Bristol Anarchist Black Cross prisoner support groups will both have stalls at the London anarchist bookfair, this Saturday 24 October. We’ll be alongside the comrades from the Campaign against prison slavery, and Haven Distribution books to prisoners. Come along and have a chat with us, find out more and pick up some interesting info and prisoner’s details.

Brighton and Bristol are also hosting the following workshops:

1pm @ room EB2: Too Many Prisons, Not Enough Justice
1st workshop – explore the factors that increasingly contribute simultaneously to the criminalisation and victimisation of our communities, and our activists.

2pm @ Skeel lecture hall: Greece – after the December 2008 insurrection
Greek speaker – after the highs of last December, struggles in Greece continue at a level unheard of in the UK. They do so in the face of a massive counter-offensive by the allied forces of the Greek state, capital and the fascists. Up date of the situation on the streets, and how the movements are responding.

4pm @ EB4a: Anarchists for Prison Abolition
2nd workshop – discuss ways of preventing the criminalisation and over-policing of our communities and ways of opposing the growing “prison society”.
Please arrive on time each time!

Also 31 October & 1 November in Brighton at The Cowley Club – Gathering Against The Prison Society
On the evening of the 31 October there’ll be a fundraising social at the Cowley Club featuring Bristol legends Spanner and Jesus Bruiser, plus Crowzone, and DJ’s from Terra Audio.

Prisoner support should be an essential facet of any anarchist’s political activities; yet our prisoner support groups attract so little actual support from our fellow anarchists. Why is this?

The following article has been written by comrades from Brighton ABC, with input from other anarchists including us here in Bristol. The article is due to appear in the special issue of Freedom newspaper to be given out at the London Anarchist Bookfair on 24 October 2009. We think its well worth circulating far more widely….

Why Prisoner Support?
Prisoner support should be an essential facet of any anarchist’s political activities; yet our prisoner support groups attract so little support from our fellow anarchists. Why is this?

Of course, it is natural for us to support someone we are close to, friends and family or even a comrade from ones affinity group, when they are banged up. Yet why do so few anarchists support comrades from within the wider movement, let alone prisoners in general? Mutual aid and solidarity are surely a central tenet of the anarchist ‘belief system’, one brick that any anarchist society should be built upon, yet it is something that often doesn’t extend beyond one’s immediate environment (family/friends/affinity group).

Not Sexy Enough
We all know that prisoner support is not particularly glamorous or possibly rewarding in terms of apparent immediate effect: we don’t see our circle A spray-painted on the wall, cashpoints superglued-up, disruption caused by a picket or the reality of an article appearing in our favourite organ of propaganda (though most of those can also be used as a weapon in any prisoner support campaign). Instead, prisoner support is largely invisible, the writing of letters, the sending of money and the giving of other practical support. Yes, we might go along to a gig raising funds for prisoner support but are we doing that to donate funds or because we want to see the bands?

We might read a call-out for support for a particular prisoners’ campaign but are we really paying much attention? Or are we going along to prison pickets when they are called? This is in fact one really simple and effective way of showing solidarity and support for individual prisoners, as well as showing the managers of these factories of repression that we outside the prison walls know and care about what they are trying to do to our comrades, those we chose to support, on the inside. And prisoner support groups regularly get feedback on these events showing clearly that they work, that the prison authorities take notice and are much less likely to abuse the prisoners supported.

Certainly Not Trivial
Writing letters too may seem a trivial method of showing support for individual prisoners but it is a concrete and practical starting point, and one that also very readily lets those on the ‘inside’ know that those on the ‘outside’ are thinking about them and showing them solidarity.

But there are so few anarchist prisoners I hear you say. Yes, it is true that the level of struggle in this country is very low and that too is reflected in the level of struggle within the prisons too, but that is no reason for being complacent. Anarchists surely should be seeking out class struggle activities to support wherever they occur, both inside prisons and in the wider communities, in the UK and abroad.

Despite the poor showing in the international exchange rates of that last bastion of Empire ‘the pound in your pocket’, our filthy lucre still goes a long way in certain parts of the world, particularly in Eastern Europe and South America. So there’s one area where practical solidarity is still valuable.

Another is taking your solidarity to the streets. A classic example of this is the Greek prisoners’ hunger strike in November 2008, when most of the prisoners in Greece’s 21 prisons went on an 18-day hunger strike in support of a comprehensive 45-point program of prison reform. Mass demonstrations and numerous solidarity actions outside the prisons in support of the hunger strike helped secure major concessions from the Greek state, concessions it could be argued that would not have been so easily won without such open displays of solidarity.

The Social Prisoner ‘Problem’
Which brings us to the so-called ‘social prisoner’ issue, which has long been a problem within the anarchist movement, with the more liberal elements in the anarchist movement decrying any involvement with ‘common criminals’. Fortunately, most anarchists involved in prisoner support see it in a somewhat different light.

If you are a long-term prisoner in any prison system, you have two options: either you do the ‘bird’, knuckle down and toe the line, making as little trouble for yourself as possible; or you stand up as an individual and fight for your dignity and the dignity of other prisoners against a system that is designed to squeeze that dignity out of everyone. Prison after all is still, despite what all the PR about rehabilitation and behaviour modification therapy would have us believe, designed to punish the individual prisoner, to make them not want to return and therefore not commit that next ‘crime’ that might earn them more time.

Therefore, when we come across prisoners who have become radicalised by the prison experiences, who are engaged in the class struggle against the system of social control that is prison, we should be supporting them in their struggle. After all, even the most cynical anarcho must see that we as a movement need to get the idea of a non-hierarchical decentralised class-free society more widely accepted and those at the sharp end of the state’s system of social control and conditioning should be more receptive than most.

Also, from a purely selfish standpoint, when the few anarchist prisoners that do end up inside are looking around for comrades to engage with in resistance to the prison regime, history has taught us that it is these social prisoners that anarchists make common cause with in struggle. So logically we should be showing them solidarity now, not waiting till it becomes merely a reward for the mutual aid and solidarity that they have themselves shown our imprisoned anarchist comrades.

Revolutionary Solidarity
Just as prisoner support should be more than just first aid to fallen comrades, support for other class struggle prisoners should be a conscious act of revolutionary solidarity, of practical everyday anarchist politics. Prisoner support also cannot be reduced to just a form of charity, writing a few letters to a prisoner or bunging an ABC group some spare cash. Prisoner support should in fact be seen as part of a wider revolutionary solidarity, which anarchists of all flags should be actively engaged in. It should be an integral part of the anarchist struggle, both against the prison society and in support of the new society we wish to see built in the ruins of the old.

In the end the most important thing we all can do is to get out there and get active. It is only through struggle and building a revolutionary movement that we will help not just anarchist prisoners, but everyone in need of solidarity.

Practical Things You Can Do:
Write to prisoners – practical solidarity that entails a commitment to the prisoner we write to as well as a trip to the post office.
Financial support to prisoner support groups – we spend a lot of our time and effort fundraising, time and effort that could be better spent elsewhere.
Books to prisoners – instead of spending your ‘hard-earned’ on that next tome on anarchist history, give the money to Haven Distribution books to prisoners project.
Other letter/faxes/e-mail writing – prisoner support groups often fight campaigns at the behest of prisoners to get them better conditions/parole/even not being executed.
Organise – in the workplace and community. This is something we could all be doing. No excuses now!

Useful info / contacts:
You can download these pdf leaflets by Brighton ABC on ‘writing to prisoners’ and ‘social prisoners’ OR check them out on Brighton’s website.

Brighton ABC, PO Box 74, Brighton, BN1 4ZQ. e-mail: brightonabc@risup.net
Bristol ABC, c/o 14 Robertson Rd, Easton, Bristol, BS5 6JY. e-mail: bristol_abc@risup.net
Cardiff ABC. email: mail@cardiffprisonersupport.tk
Leeds ABC, PO Box 53, Leeds, LS8 4WP, UK. email: leedsabc@riseup.net
Campaign Against Prison Slavery
Gathering Against The Prison Society

The 2 Bristol EDO Decommissioners arrested near Manchester on Saturday have been released today, Monday 19 October!

Along with the woman from Brighton who was also arrested for alleged breach of bail, they were in court today in Oldham (apologies, it was not Brighton as we expected). However it seems the prosecution offered no evidence and/or ran out of time, so the case was dismissed. So we can only presume it was some straight up harassment of the 3 defendants by the state, because lets face it if they really wanted to nail them they would have tried a bit harder. But thats good news for now, all 3 should be safely tucked up in their homes by now, getting some well earned rest. Lets be a bit more careful out there next time folks…

Support the Bristol demo

Down in Brighton, Elijah (James) Smith and Robert Alford start day 2 of their appeal against a previous anti-EDO action on Tuesday. Evil EDO boss Paul Hills is due to give evidence. More background info here.

Keep checking the Decommissioners and Smash EDO for news and actions, and please support the Bristol protest on 31 October.

If you are in need of a little inspiration, check out news from Greece here and here.

2 of Bristol’s 6 EDO Decommissioners were re-arrested on Saturday at an anti-militarist protest (see photos) near Manchester.

Robert Nicholls nicked

It appears they were picked up by cops for breach of their stringent bail conditions, namely that they should not communicate with each other. However witnesses stated they did not do so, they just happened to be in the same geographical area (a bit like when they are living in Bristol!), namely the public protest and rally, where they were listening to speakers. The 2 were Robert Nicholls and Tom Woodhead. After being lifted they were taken to nearby Oldham police station, before being transported to Brighton, where it is believed they will be in court on Monday accussed of breach of bail conditions. Additionally, a Brighton anti-militarist, who has also been implicated in the EDO Decommissioning case, was also arrested for the same breach of bail at the same protest, and is also likely to be in court on Monday. Respect to all those on the Target Brimar protest who walked afterwards to picket the police station.

Given that the 3 were all taken to the same police station, and were probably transported to Brighton in the same vehicle, then it seems they would have been placed in a much smaller geographical area together, where communication would have been practically unavoidable. So we wonder if the cops will now be taken to court for aiding and abetting peoples breach of bail conditions?

Meanwhile word has come in that the remaining Bristol Decommissioner on remand, Elijah (James) Smith, was ghosted out of Lewes prison sometime last week, and its believed taken to Doncaster prison. Doncaster is a higher category prison and is run by private prison scum company SERCO. ‘Ghosting’ of prisoners involves their sudden unannounced movement to another prison, and is an old trick by the state to stop awkward prisoners (like those that stand up for their rights, and wont take any old shit) getting settled anywhere or communicating their grievances to others. It also disrupts the prisoner’s support networks, such as letters and funds sent in, visits arranged etc. Its not clear exactly why James was ghosted? Especially as he was due back in court in Brighton on Monday 19 October, for an appeal against a previous anti-EDO protest conviction. Maybe they just wanted to mess up his preparation for the case? We’re sure James wont let the bastards get him down.

For news of planned protests to support the Bristol Decommisioners see here and here. And keep yer eyes peeled to find out where James is gonna be taken next!

The last remaining Bristol EDO Decommissioner on remand, Elijah (James) Smith, is in the midst of a frenzy of court activity these current few weeks. Indeed the court appearances for a variety of cases is hard to keep up with. In fact, we think it’d make far more sense to just let the guy out and write-off all the cases, doesn’t our injustice system have better things to waste their money on? Like corrupt politicians, or murdering arms corporations? Obviously not in this class society!

So first up, James is now back at Lewes prison, and seems likely he may be there until 5 November. He had a bail/custody hearing this week down in Brighton, and surprise, surprise, they didn’t let him out!
So write to him, and dont let the bastards grind him down: Elijah Smith, VP7551, HMP Lewes, 1 Brighton Rd, East Sussex, BN7 1EA (and that is his correct prison ID number).

Next week we believe James, and others, have an appeal hearing arising from an old Smash EDO carnival case. The week after, probably 26/27 October, the 6 Bristol Decommissioners, plus the 3 Brighton folks caught up in the case, have a pre-trial hearing for their main case. That case is now due probably in mid-May 2010, having been deferred on the request of defence solicitors due to delays in prosecution paperwork – and we gotta say we think its pretty shit the case is deferred, is it really to the defendants benefit, or just more money for the legal team? The legal team after all will not have spent 16 months on bail or on remand by then!

On 5 November, the adjourned Raytheon 3 case (which includes James) returns to Yate magistrates court for a committal hearing. All 3 defendants subsequently where involved in the EDO decommissioning, however the 2 cases are entirely separate, and any attempt by the prosecution to join the 2 different cases together is a purely political move in an attempt to build a conspiracy case. We’ve said it before, but cant the state, cops and politicians deal with the fact that successful cock-ups do happen?

It seems likely James may not actually need to appear at Yate cos its largely legal arguements, and in any case on 6 November he is due at Maidstone court – this relates to a charge that he threatened the boss of EDO during a previous court case. So lets get that straight, James verbally threatens the EDO boss in public and gets taken to court, whilst the EDO boss helps manufacture weapons that are used to kill innocent people, and gets to make a nice little earner. British justice? Fuck off!

Are you following all this? Well there will no doubt be more…

In the meantime, help keep up the pressure on EDO and the other dealers in death, and help put a smile on the faces of the defendants, cos remember they cant go within a zillion miles of anything to do with EDO. From the 17 October onwards for a couple of weeks there’s a variety of anti-EDO/anti-militarist/defendant support events. For the latest details check the Smash EDO site, and the Bristol Decommissioners site (note Smash EDO’s details of Bristol events is now out of date as of today). And remember, support all the defendants, and those in prison.

The election of PASOK (Greek socialist party, think NewLabour, but controlled by a family dynasty) in the recent snap general election has, so far, changed absolutely nothing in Greece. The pattern of state repression, and resistance by workers and other social movements, continues.

On a turnout of 71% on 4 October, PASOK got 44%, which means about 160 seats in parliament out of 300. The commies got 21 seats, and a radical left coalition 13 seats. Papandreou, the PASOK leader, took power on 8 October, announcing his government were ‘antiauthoritarians in power’! On the 9 October the police and security forces launched a 3 day invasion of the radical Athens area known as Exarcheia. This saw thousands stopped, searched, humiliated and brutalised on the streets and in bars, clubs and cafes, with well over 100 detained. The 10th saw a protest march in the area. The 8th had seen a smallscale sabotage attack against banks and a fascist bookshop. At the final rally before the election of the soon to be outgoing right-wing Prime Minster, a bomb went off near to him, allegedly planted by radicals. On the 9th October a Pakistani immigrant ‘without papers’ died of wounds inflicted on him by police after being tortured in a police station between 26 to 28 September. He had been wrongfully arrested…but without papers he had no rights, and no right to healthcare. He is one of many migrants to die in the last year. This is life on the streets of Athens, and all major towns in Greece, day after day after day. Resistance, repression, resistance, repression.

At the port of Peiraeus, just outside Athens, and Greece’s largest, dockworkers are now on their 13th day of strike against the privatisation and sale of this publicly owned asset. Despite PASOK’s promise (oh yeah?) to renegotiate the deal, the dockworkers are committed to staying out until the 18th October. Also recently announced, 2 national one-day strikes by workers of Vodafone and Wind telecoms, one for the 14th and one for the 15th October. This is life for the workers of Greece, strike after strike after strike.

The Greek economy is fucked. The only solution of the bosses and politicians is privatisation, cuts, pay freezes (and real non-payment of wages), unemployment, repression. The cops are heavily infiltrated by, and work with, the fascist groups on a daily basis. The prisons are horrendous and inhumane, despite the prison uprisings last November. So it goes on, repression and resistance, in a battle the EU and international capital cannot afford the Greek government to lose. In a battle the people cannot afford to lose.

We hear little of this in the UK. Whilst the election results made the news for a couple of days, we hear nothing about the daily struggle and class war. Its like Bristol Comutiny happening every day magnified a thousand times, but never being reported. And the radical anti-authoritarian movement in Greece is many thousands times bigger than here. There are independent media sources that we can turn too – the most regular, and in-depth is on the LibCom newswire. Athens Indymedia has an English page. Occupied London blog has regular updates, whilst 325 is good for actions of social war and prisoners. The Wombles site is good for all round international news and actions. Clandestineenglish is great for migrant and no border issues.

What can we do here in the UK? Well keeping ourselves better informed is a start, as the battle playing out in Greece is extremely significant and a pointer towards things to come. People going to London and/or Brighton in late-October will have the chance of hearing first hand from Greek speakers on the current situation, and of asking them directly – what can we do in solidarity with you?

Amadeu Casellas is a Spanish anarchist who has been in prison for over 25 years, thats 5 more than the Spanish legal maximum to be in prison, and 5 more than his original maximum sentence. His ‘crimes’ all relate to expropriation, the robbing of banks to fund the workers and other social movements in the late 1970’s, just after the death of the fascist dictator Franco and the end of his regime – a regime that stole the funds and property of countless Spanish trade unions and individuals, as well as murdering many of its people.

His present hunger strike has lasted 88 days so far, as he tries to force the prison to free him as required by their own laws. He is also on hungerstrike because the prison system has broken its promise after his last hungerstrike to send him to the ‘third grade’ of the prison system, which allows home visits and is preparation towards release.

His supporters are calling for solidarity. There was due to be a protest in London today (details). People are also asked to send faxes and emails to the numbers below – obviously Catalan or Spanish is better, but anything is good!
Fax number: (++34)932140179 (You can send it with this program for free)
Or email sindic@sindic.cat or justicia@gencat.cat
Write to Amadeu too:
Amadeu Casellas Ramón
UHP – Hospital de Terrassa
Carretera Torrebonica s/n
08227-TERRASSA – (Barcelona)
Espana

His supporters also have a blog Freedom for Amadeu which has the option of a google translator on it.
They have sent out the following appeal….

“Amadeu Casellas is a prisoner who has spent more than 25 years in jail due to his participation in dozens of bank robberies, helping with that money to the funding of worker’s struggles in the late 1970’s. None of his felonies involved blood crimes. Amadeu has always been a committed and active person, participating in many actions, in the streets as well as in prisons.

When he was 14, in 1973, working at a factory, he discovered anarchism. He believed in the armed struggle and in a essential revolution. In 1976 he robbed the Banco Mercantil de Manresa. During the next two and a half years he robbed more than 50 other banks. In 1979 he enters prison and is welcomed with a brutal beating. During all the time he has spent jailed, he has participated many hunger strikes and other types of protests, he has sewed his lips and has made countless complaints: about the prices inside prison, against the irregularities and exploitation of the inmates forced to work, against the faking of blood analysis or penitentiary reports… All of this has caused him many  ‘first grades’ (isolation), and transfers from prison to prison, with the intention that he givse up. He has reported abuses against prisoners rights, and of the entire prison system.

Last year, after holding a 76 day hunger strike, Amadeu gained the promise of the penal institution to enjoy permits that would allow him to get to the ‘third grade’ (weekend permits, the possibility to work outside prison and just go there to sleep…) and a subsequent freedom. This promise was then blatantly ignored by the institutions.

Since July 15, Amadeu is again on hunger strike. More than 80 days already. This particular hunger strike started after the repression he has suffered since he wrote some communiqués where he explained, with actual names, some facts related to the people in charge of the Catalan prison system. Since July 2008, Amadeu has spent more then 200 hundred days on hunger strike!

He has endured forced feeding (3.5 litres a day of whey) since September 24. His lawyers and family find it extremely difficult to talk to him. Many ‘prison workers’ and jail unions have tried to sanction the lawyers.When he wants to smoke, the rest of the inmates of the penitentiary wing of the Terrassa Hospital are forced to go back to their rooms. As well as hunger strike, Amadeu has felt forced to add a thirst strike so to be able to get visits from family and lawyers. That first thirst strike accomplished his intentions. But since Sunday October 4, he has started another one because they’re trying to transfer him again to prison, because ‘his health has improved.’

Some actions and demonstrations have taken place, in Spain as well as in other countries. We feel the need to ask for solidarity with this anarchist fighter. A call for decentralized actions has been made until he gets his third grade and leaves the hunger strike. It should be noted that Amadeu’s position depends solely on the Catalan prison and political system, not of Spain’s. Anyway, actions, information and solidarity should be carried in any possible way.
It might also help (as happened during last year’s hunger strike, along with many actions) to saturate this fax number and e-mail accounts with messages supporting amadeu:
Fax number: (++34)932140179 (You can send it with this program for free)
Or emails sindic@sindic.cat and justicia@gencat.cat
Solidaridad!”

with a focus on anti-fascist prisoners this month

Bristol ABC’s regular monthly letter-writing night at Kebele social centre, 14 Robertson Rd, Easton BS5 6JY, from 7 to 9pm. On Wednesday 14 October.

solidarity - just do it

This month we’ll focus again on anti-fascist activists imprisoned around the world for their actions. Supporters of Bristol AntiFa will be along to help out, and tell you about their campaigns.
Bristol ABC will also have lists of other anarchist, class struggle and radical prisoners who welcome support.

The letter-writing nights are public events. Do come along and engage in some basic solidarity with political prisoners. This is also an informal opportunity to find out what Bristol ABC do, and why, and have a chat over tea and cake. We have plenty of basic info about how to support prisoners, campaigns against prison and the wider prison society, and much more.

More Info:
About Bristol AntiFa
About some AntiFa prisoners

Prisons are in the news this week, and not just because of the shocking statistic that the prison population has increased by 66% since 1995, to  just over 84000 locked up human beings. The main furore has been the call by the Prison Governors to abolish prison sentences of less than 1 year, which is a start…but their call is not driven by a sudden awakening to the concept of freedom. No its down to fear, fear that their overcrowded, corrupt and inhumane institutions are close to exploding, despite the introduction of countless measures since the Strangeways riot in 1990 to ever more control and isolate prisoners.

With the likely cutbacks in public spending whichever party is in Government (although the Tories are threatening to ringfence prison spending, it’ll still mean cuts), it is clear plans to build more prisons will be affected. Which is a problem as the government expect prison numbers to rise to over 95000 by 2015, perhaps more given the likely social unrest arising from the recession and worsening unemployment. So where are they gonna put them all? Hence the Governors call to abolish sentences under 1 year. But we dont see any party taking the political risk of that option, they are quite happy to let prisoners rot, locked up for 23 hours a day, taking drugs supplied by corrupt prison screws.

Meanwhile opposition to prison is warming up inside and out. Prisoner Ben Gunn’s blog remains live after the Ministry of (In)Justice was forced to back down and allow his mail out, and the Guardian has run an interview with him recently that highlights both his case and the concerns of prisoners. Ben himself has been writing on his blog about his original murder offence 30 years ago, and why he is still inside when he only got a 10 year tariff – powerful stuff and well worth a read!

The Campaign against prison slavery (CAPS) has announced in a press release the overhaul of its website, with a load of useful facts and info on prisons, and is celebrating some success in its efforts to expose the exploitation of prisoners as cheap labour. It is worth remembering too that the use of slave labour in prisons directly attacks also the working class outside, through the driving down of wages and the loss of jobs. The full CAPS press release is below.

Communities of Resistance (CoRe), is a relatively new grassroots initiative that aims to stop prison expansion in Britain, and ultimately opposes all models of imprisonment. They are having a bit of a relaunch, with a an organising and strategising event in London on 21 November. Check their website for more news and info.

Random anarchists, including from the UK ABC network, will be gathering in Brighton in late October, for a ‘Gathering Against The Prison Society’. This is a call to debate and exchange ideas and information in the long struggle for total freedom. By prison society we mean the situation, such as in the UK, where our almost every move and action is monitored in some way by the state, one of its agencies, or by private corporations – all to ensure the continued dominance of capital and the state. Be it the CCTV cameras popping up everywhere, or the records held on your online activity by search engines and service providers, it is clear we now live in a society where we are all considered guilty of something. So whilst we call for the abolition of the prison system, that is just the start of dismantling the wider prison society.

In the same vein, with balaclavas on, the anti-prison/anti-state zine and resource ‘325′ has relaunched its website, and has also published issue 7 of its zine. You can downlaod the zine as a pdf – it’s a compelling and provocative read, for anarchists and indeed anyone else who allows themsleves the freedom to think.

Here’s the CAPS press release in full…

CAMPAIGN AGAINST PRISON SLAVERY – NEW WEBSITE

The Campaign Against Prison Slavery [1] are pleased to announce the launch of their newly expanded website. In addition to a redesign and new Prison News page, the website includes information newly released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) following a three and a half year struggle by two freelance journalists to get their simple Freedom of Information request answered.

Richard Cookson and Phil Chamberlain [2] had originally placed two Freedom of Information request in January 2006 asking for information on contracts between 10 and 8 named prisons, Young Offender Institutions and Immigration Removal Centres in England and Wales and the private companies using prison labour in the prison workshops; specifically the names of the companies, the nature of the work and how much the contracts were worth. The MoJ refused [3] and the 2 journalists were forced to appeal to the Information Commissioner, who 2 years later found in their favour. The results was a Guardian article ‘Inside the Sell Blocks’ [9 Sept 09] and the new prisonlabour.org.uk website.[4]

This has been a significant victory for CAPS as it now opens up Contract Services [5] to scrutiny and Prison Service outsiders will finally be able to examine more fully whether the quality of training provided in Contract Services workshops is as poor as prisoners are constantly telling us it is. This is doubly important as the Conservative Party plan to double the number of Contract Service workshop placed in England and wales if elected next year.[6]

Notes to editors:

[1] CAPS was formed in 2002 by ex-prisoners, prisoner support groups and activists to campaign against compulsory labour in UK prisons and for the abolition of the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme (IEP).
[2] Two freelance journalists who between them have written extensively for the Guardian, Independent, Times, Financial Times, New Statesman and Daily Mail.
[3] The Ministry of Justice has consistently refused to release this information under the FOI Act’s Section 43 ‘commercial interest’ exemption.
[4] A fuller version of this story can be found at http://www.againstprisonslavery.org/caps_news.html#sell_blocks and in an article by CAPS member Joe Black in the October 2009 edition of the prisoners monthly newspaper Inside Time.
[5] Contract Services is the body, part of what appears to now be called the Offender Employment Skills & Services Group of the National Offender management Service, that manages workshops contracting labour to outside private companies.
[6] See Richard Cookson and Phil Chamberlain’s Guardian article ‘Prisoners Promised ‘Real Wages’ Under The Tories [8 Sept 09]

Shepton Mallet prisoner Ben Gunn’s blog has got the Ministry of (In)Justice all in a tizzy, and his blog is only 23 days old.

The blog is believed to be the first, or at least the only current blog, to be updated by a serving prisoner. Of course, he doesn’t personally post new articles to the blog, because as a prisoner he has no internet access. So he writes them by hand, and then gets friends to post the articles up on his blog for him.

The MoJ insist that Ben Gunn’s blog breaks the rules. He disagrees: “In 2008, the justice minister, Maria Eagle, told MP Sion Simon that prisoners could blog, subject to the rules of correspondence. Yet despite my complying with the law and ministerial pronouncements, the prison service is now reverting to its old habits – attempting to squash the vocal dissenter.“

Last week the Guardian’s Comment is Free section got interested and posted what at that point was likely to be Ben Gunn’s ‘the last post’, on 14 September. It wasn’t, and the Guardian ran another post from his blog on 19 September titled ‘Why should prisoners be denied the vote?’. If you look at Ben Gunn’s blog you will find more posts right up to today. So have the MoJ backed down? Well not completely, but it does seem they haven’t been able to intimidate the prisoner into silence. By all accounts he’s got himself some legal representation to challenge the MoJ. He also has a useful friend in John Hirst, ‘The Jailhouse Lawyer’, an ex-prisoner and like Gunn a thorn in the side of the MoJ as it tries to ride roughshod over any rights prisoners may have. Read Hirst’s comments on the situation last week here. Now Hirst’s blog today shows mixed messages from the authorities, with one idiot saying that Ben Gunn’s blog is allowed, and another saying completely the opposite. For updates watch this space, or rather keep an eye on the blogs of Gunn, the Jalhouse Lawyer, and of course the liberal utterings of the Guardian. If you believe in freedom, and support for Ben Gunn’s campaign, then put a supportive comment on his blog, and let the MoJ know what you think of them.

Note to right-wing hang em and flog em crackpots – yes we know Ben Gunn is a murderer, he admits it himself quite openly, that he committed an awful crime when he was 14 years old. He has now been inside for 30 years, on a sentence with an original 10 year tariff, largely because he has stood up for himself against the powers that be. He is what we call a ’social prisoner’, who we support, not because we agree with all he has to say, but because we recognise that through his experiences he has come into conflict with the state in its many forms, and has been both radicalised and enlightened by his struggle. Best wishes Ben!