Monitoring fairness and respect for people in custody John Weightman MBE Vice President of the National Council

The only qualification needed to be in possession of human rights is to be human Stephen Shaw, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Monitoring fairness and respect for people in custody Independent Monitoring Boards strapline

A healthy prison - Safety - Respect -Purposeful activity - resettlement -Dame Anne Owers -HM Chief Inspecctor of Prisons

A decent prison Prisoners are not punished outside the rules of the prison Promised standards within the prison are delivered Clean, properly equipped facilities Prisoners should be protected from harm Prompt attention to proper concerns Actively filled time Fair and consistent treatment by staff Phil Wheatley, CEO NOMS

“It is said that no-one truly knows a nation until one has been inside the jails. A nation should no be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones” Nelson Mandela: well known prisoner and former President

- Provide an independent view on the standards of fairness and humanity inform the Secretary of State - report annually

How we do this - unaccompanied access to all parts of the prison - ability to speak privately to any prisoner - access to all the records of the prison

Some current issues Overpopulation Mental health Equality of opportunity provision for the elderly and infirm Sentence expired foreign nationals Impoverished regimes No hope sentences Short sentences

Some internal issues Separation from ministers Recruitment/tenure/young people/ethnic minorities Payment/independence professionalism