- English
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About This Book
**Winner of a Koestler Trust Silver Award*** and the only book of its kind by a serving lifer. Contains a Foreword by Tim Newell, former Prison Governor life-sentence expert. A snapshot of the most severe sentence available in the UK which treats key topics in 40 easy to read sections.Alan Baker's personal selection and treatment of topics of concern to life-sentenced prisoners looks at subjects across the life-sentence regime. Ranging from the realisation which 'kicks in' after being sentenced in the dockāshock, numbness, hopelessnessāto the intrinsic nature of long-term imprisonment, it is an explanatory handbook and survivor's guide. Life Imprisonment looks at aspects of long-term imprisonment from inside the head of a lifer: daily preoccupations, the uncertainty about when he or she will be released, the long years ahead, time for reflection, work towards release, setbacks and coping mechanisms and staying out of trouble. It tells about how a life sentence leads to risk assessments, courses, reports, psychological tests and possibly a period in a therapeutic community and/or a resettlement prison. To this first-hand knowledge, Alan Baker adds his thoughts on the state of the prisons, having experienced first-hand the impact that the justice system has on have on someone serving a sentence with no fixed end date. The result is a book packed with useful information as well as an insider's perspective on the major concerns of life-sentenced prisoners, whether about their sentence, future, their victims or the (often greatly magnified) minutiae of prison life.'A hard-hitting set of survival notes from someone writing with great experience of having walked the walk. It is grounded in reality ā¦ Alan Baker writes with sound practical advice and insight which is not for the feint-hearted. He takes prison seriously, recognising it as the place you don't want to be': Tim Newell (From the Foreword).Alan Baker has spent over 20 years in prison (despite a tariff of just nine years) having received a discretionary life-sentence for the attempted murder of another prisoner. He has spent time in some 30 prisons and youth custody centres (as they were known when he was a younger man) and experienced maximum security segregation several times. He received a Koestler Trust Silver Award for the manuscript of Life Imprisonment: An Unofficial Guide.
Frequently asked questions
Information
1 After Sentence
- your prisoner category (below); and
- the offending behaviour courses that it is felt you need to complete (there are references to such courses throughout this book, see especially Section 35, and also your sentence plan).
Prisoner Categories: A Short Note
The Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme (IEPS)
2 Stages of an Indeterminate Sentence
- Stage 1 This is when you are first allocated to a prison (other than a local prison) to serve your sentence. A sentence plan will be put together, which should take into consideration any offending behaviour courses that you need to complete in order to lower your risk, together with any mental health issues, and any educational needs that you may have. This first stage usually lasts a few years and is dependent on the length of your tariff.
- Stage 2 During this stage you would be expected to have addressed your offending behaviour, improved your educational and vocational (work) skills and progressed to a Category-C prison. At this stage, a prisoner should hopefully have received some recommendations that they be transferred to an open (Category D) prison to complete the final stage of their sentence. The recommendations most valued by the Parole Board are those from the prisonerās offender manager and psychologist.
- Stage 3 The prisoner at this stage will be in a Category-D prison (or a Category-D resettlement prison), the difference being that a Category-D prison holds those not deemed dangerous enough to be housed in a closed prison, but who are not yet necessarily safe to be released, whilst at a Category-D resettlement prison, such as Blantyre House, the emphasis is on resettlement back into society. Some prisoners have been held in Category-D prisons for many years. Some are too old or too ill to be tested in work placements in the community (which is what happens at resettlement prisons), while others are disabled and unable to find a hostel placement which is able to provide for their needs or licence requirements. In an ideal world, you will have completed this final stage before your tariff (see next section) date expires, and you look forward to your release.
3 Tariffs
The Whole Life Tariff
4 Parole ā Paper Reviews
Table of contents
- Copyright and Publication Details
- Acknowledgements
- The Author
- Foreword
- Preface
- To My Victims
- 1 After Sentence
- 2 Stages of an Indeterminate Sentence
- 3 Tariffs
- 4 Parole ā Paper Reviews
- 5 Release from Closed Conditions
- 6 Escorted Town Visits
- 7 Single Cell Occupancy and Relationships
- 8 Prisoners Protesting Their Innocence
- 9 The Offender Assessment System (OASys)
- 10 The Personal Officer Scheme
- 11 Therapeutic Communities
- 12 Making A Contribution
- 13 Prison Visits
- 14 Open Conditions
- 15 Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL)
- 16 Lifer Recall
- 17 Driving Lessons
- 18 Travelling Abroad After Release
- 19 Personality Disorder
- 20 Prison Politics
- 21 Bullying
- 22 Same Sex Relationships
- 23 Drugs and Healthcare
- 24 Money Management
- 25 Mental Health Issues
- 26 Self-Harm
- 27 Hygiene
- 28 Adjudications
- 29 Artificial Insemination
- 30 Complaints Procedures
- 31 Access to Official Files
- 32 The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)
- 33 Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC)
- 34 The High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights
- 35 Offending Behaviour Courses
- 36 Possessions and Volumetric Control
- 37 Tough on Crime, Tough on the Causes of Crime?
- 38 Bereavement
- 39 Emotional Trauma and Mental Health
- 40 Some Useful Addresses
- 41 Prison Slang
- Index