Reacting to an announcement by Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk, about plans to rent spaces in foreign prisons, Christopher Stacey, Chief Executive of Prisoners Abroad said: 

“Prisoners Abroad opposes any policy that would see British prisoners moved to serve sentences in prisons outside the UK. As the only charity supporting British prisoners held overseas, we see the significant levels of isolation and trauma this causes; from being imprisoned so far away from home and family, not understanding the language and being excluded from opportunities to work and participate in effective rehabilitation programmes.  

That’s why we have to provide the support that we do, including providing grants for people to pay for basic essentials, to safeguard people’s welfare and fundamental human rights to help them to survive with dignity and hope.

This policy would be the wrong response to the problem of overcrowding in UK prisons. It would exacerbate the challenges of maintaining family contact and would not support the rehabilitation and resettlement of people.”  

 

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Emily Richards, Head of Giving and Communications

[email protected]