Hear My Voice: A Call for Empathy and Reform
In this insightful blog, David Strang, former HMIPS Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland and current trustee of the Prisoners' Week Trust, explores the theme of this year’s Prisoners' Week, “Hear My Voice.” Drawing on his extensive experience, David emphasises the crucial need to listen to those often overlooked within the criminal justice system.
Having spent years engaging with prisoners and prison staff, David highlights the significant disparity in how individuals at various levels are heard and treated. He brings attention to the challenges faced by those at the bottom of the hierarchy, advocating for a system that genuinely supports and values their voices.
David's blog urges us to rethink our approach to imprisonment and to advocate for meaningful reform. He calls for empathy and action on behalf of the vulnerable and marginalised, reminding us that true justice involves not only hearing but also understanding and addressing the needs of those in our care.
“Hear my Voice” is the theme for this year’s Prisoners Week in Scotland (17 – 23 November 2024). For too many people in the criminal justice system, their voice is not heard. Rather they are out of sight and out of mind.
I spent five years as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland (2013-2018). I spent time listening to the voices of people in prison – people serving a prison sentence, people awaiting a trial or sentence, people who work in prisons. If there is a hierarchy in the criminal justice system, High Court Judges appear at the top and people who offend lie at the bottom. Everyone else is somewhere in between.
People at the bottom are not listened to, they are often judged unfavourably and are blamed for the situation they find themselves in. Although the rights of prisoners are clearly defined in law, they can be denied these rights for a number of reasons. One role of the Prisons Inspectorate is to ensure that people in prison are treated well and receive what they should. For this reason, people in prison are keen to speak to members of the Inspection team and the Independent Prison Monitors; their role is to monitor the conditions in prison and the treatment of prisoners and to report publicly on what they find.
The function of advocacy on behalf of people without a voice is an important aspect of any system that seeks to support vulnerable and marginalised people, whether in the justice system, health provision, housing, education, finance and benefits, or any other area of public service.
The Scottish Prisons Commission (of which I was a member) published its report “Scotland’s Choice” in 2008. In it we suggested that a prison population of around 5000 would be sufficient for the needs of Scotland. Today there are more than 8000 people in our prisons in Scotland. Prison is often an expensive failure as a response to crime. Imprisoning people for a short sentence is shown to result in increasing offending, rather than reducing offending. An unnecessary sentence of imprisonment puts barriers in the way of people making positive choices about their future. The result can be the loss of a job, expiry of a tenancy resulting in homelessness, breakdown in family and personal relationships and damage to health, particularly through problematic substance use. These all make it more difficult for people leaving prison to make a fresh start.
There has been much in the news recently (particularly south of the border) about prisons being full and overcrowded. The solution to prison overcrowding is not to build more capacity, but rather to reduce the number of people being sent to prison in the first place.
Prisoners Week each year is inspired by a verse from the letter to the Hebrews – “Remember those in prison as if you were in prison with them” (13:3). The Prisoners Week prayer includes prayers for the victims of crime, for people in prison and their families and friends, and for prison staff and all who care. Let us remember people in prison and do all we can to listen to them when they plead “Hear my Voice”.