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| Grayling hits back at critics over ban on sending books to prisoners | Grayling hits back at critics over ban on sending books to prisoners |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The justice minister has gone on the attack in the prison books row, castigating "leftwing" groups for being unable to deal with the government's rehabilitation agenda. | The justice minister has gone on the attack in the prison books row, castigating "leftwing" groups for being unable to deal with the government's rehabilitation agenda. |
| Writing on the ConservativeHome website, Chris Grayling strongly defended rules introduced in November that allowed prisoners to receive only letters and cards from home. The measures, in effect, mean that prisoners can no longer receive books, a move that has sparked anger among writers including Mark Haddon and Philip Pullman, who have described the rules as "despicable". Haddon told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that prisoners would have little money to spend on books and would have to order books from a special catalogue. | Writing on the ConservativeHome website, Chris Grayling strongly defended rules introduced in November that allowed prisoners to receive only letters and cards from home. The measures, in effect, mean that prisoners can no longer receive books, a move that has sparked anger among writers including Mark Haddon and Philip Pullman, who have described the rules as "despicable". Haddon told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that prisoners would have little money to spend on books and would have to order books from a special catalogue. |
| Grayling, however, defended the new measures as the kind of changes the public wanted to see – "a regime that is more Spartan unless you do the right thing". | Grayling, however, defended the new measures as the kind of changes the public wanted to see – "a regime that is more Spartan unless you do the right thing". |
| The justice minister writes: "It was never the case that prisoners were simply allowed unlimited parcels – books or otherwise … It would be a logistical impossibility to search them all, and they would provide an easy route for illegal materials. The only change over the past few months has been to ensure that all prisoners are treated the same. They can receive one parcel of essential items when they first arrive, but after that they can only get letters and cards from home, unless the circumstances are exceptional." | The justice minister writes: "It was never the case that prisoners were simply allowed unlimited parcels – books or otherwise … It would be a logistical impossibility to search them all, and they would provide an easy route for illegal materials. The only change over the past few months has been to ensure that all prisoners are treated the same. They can receive one parcel of essential items when they first arrive, but after that they can only get letters and cards from home, unless the circumstances are exceptional." |
| David Cameron's official spokesman said the prime minister backed the ban on receiving books and entirely supported Grayling, whose department imposed it to preserve a rigid system of rewards and punishments for prisoners. He said there was no need for prisoners to be sent books as they could borrow from prison libraries and keep a limited amount of reading material in their cells. | David Cameron's official spokesman said the prime minister backed the ban on receiving books and entirely supported Grayling, whose department imposed it to preserve a rigid system of rewards and punishments for prisoners. He said there was no need for prisoners to be sent books as they could borrow from prison libraries and keep a limited amount of reading material in their cells. |
| Jeremy Wright, the prisons minister, has ruled out a change in the new rules. | Jeremy Wright, the prisons minister, has ruled out a change in the new rules. |
| Wright told the Today programme that the rules were not about banning books but "sensible security precautions" to prevent items such as drugs being sent to prisoners. Friends and families could always send money to prisoners so they could buy books, he added. | Wright told the Today programme that the rules were not about banning books but "sensible security precautions" to prevent items such as drugs being sent to prisoners. Friends and families could always send money to prisoners so they could buy books, he added. |
| Yet even senior Conservatives who normally support Grayling, are bemused by the episode. | Yet even senior Conservatives who normally support Grayling, are bemused by the episode. |
| One senior Tory minister told the Daily Mail: "Chris Grayling wins the prize for the government's least enlightened minister. He has no backing for this from any quarter at all." | One senior Tory minister told the Daily Mail: "Chris Grayling wins the prize for the government's least enlightened minister. He has no backing for this from any quarter at all." |
| The row began after Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, wrote an essay for the website Politics.co.uk saying how "from now on, any man, woman or child in prison will not be able to receive a book from outside", and called the situation "part of an increasingly irrational punishment regime orchestrated by Chris Grayling that grabs headlines but restricts education or rehabilitation". | The row began after Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, wrote an essay for the website Politics.co.uk saying how "from now on, any man, woman or child in prison will not be able to receive a book from outside", and called the situation "part of an increasingly irrational punishment regime orchestrated by Chris Grayling that grabs headlines but restricts education or rehabilitation". |
| Under the rules, convicted prisoners were required to wear prison uniform for the first two weeks of their sentence. Many prisoners also lost their automatic daily access to a gym and to daytime television. The change in the punishment system in jails in England and Wales also meant individual prison governors lost much of their discretion over which perks and privileges could be used to reward good behaviour, which are now prescribed nationally by the Ministry of Justice. | Under the rules, convicted prisoners were required to wear prison uniform for the first two weeks of their sentence. Many prisoners also lost their automatic daily access to a gym and to daytime television. The change in the punishment system in jails in England and Wales also meant individual prison governors lost much of their discretion over which perks and privileges could be used to reward good behaviour, which are now prescribed nationally by the Ministry of Justice. |
| The ban on books being sent to prisoners by families and friends is part of a new "incentives and earned privileges" regime, which allows prisoners access to funds to buy books and other items as they move up from "basic" level. | The ban on books being sent to prisoners by families and friends is part of a new "incentives and earned privileges" regime, which allows prisoners access to funds to buy books and other items as they move up from "basic" level. |
| Grayling said the big change in the prison regime meant prisoners no longer get privileges just by "keeping your nose clean" but by engaging in "proper rehabilitative activity". Penalties for bad behaviour are tougher too, including losing the right to wear your own clothes and having to wear a uniform instead. | Grayling said the big change in the prison regime meant prisoners no longer get privileges just by "keeping your nose clean" but by engaging in "proper rehabilitative activity". Penalties for bad behaviour are tougher too, including losing the right to wear your own clothes and having to wear a uniform instead. |
| "And of course it's the kind of thing that leftwing pressure groups hate. That's why they are trying to persuade the public that we have banned books and brought a halt to all rehabilitation. It is, of course, complete nonsense." | "And of course it's the kind of thing that leftwing pressure groups hate. That's why they are trying to persuade the public that we have banned books and brought a halt to all rehabilitation. It is, of course, complete nonsense." |
| Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League, responded to the apparent attack from Grayling by saying: "Concern on this issue extends far beyond 'leftwing pressure groups' or indeed a non-partisan charity of almost 150-year standing and consultative status with the United Nations, which the Howard League for Penal Reform enjoys." | |
| A former prisoner told the Guardian that although libraries exist, access can be severely restricted, particularly in closed prisons. | |
| "I've been in establishments where prisoners only get 20 minutes a week to visit the library and change books. Also, with the current cutbacks, few new books are being bought and local county libraries – which often run prison libraries on contract – are increasingly unable to supply books on inter-library loan," he said. | |
| He added that the new rules also set a strict limit on the number of books a prisoner is allowed to have at any time: 12 (excluding the Bible or other approved religious texts). This means that prisoners studying for Open University courses or other qualifications often cannot get hold of the required study material. |