A change in prison culture is vital – as is more money to reduce overcrowding | Letters

Pia Sinha’s significant expertise inside and out of the prison system makes her a voice to trust on why our jails are struggling badly (The truth about UK prisons and organised crime: ‘They’re your good lads. Respectful. Keep their noses clean’, 22 September). I lead a charity, Spark Inside, that uses life coaching to support rehabilitation and culture change across our prisons.

We work with staff who go into the service because they want to make a difference. But the challenges of the environment can stifle that spirit. This is why since 2020 we have coached more than 150 prison staff, supporting them in problem-solving, resilience and confidence.

The 2022 prisons white paper said staff hold the greatest potential to make prisons safe, decent places that help prisoners change. Investing in staff wellbeing is an essential part of making prisons more rehabilitative and preventing future victims.

The next step is to change prison culture. We’ve started training prison staff with coaching skills so they can have more transformative interactions with people in their care. We started with gym staff because, as Sinha highlighted, exercise is often the only activity available to those inside.

We bring together staff and people in prison to build trust, empathy and understanding – breaking down the “us and them” culture.

People who live and work in prisons may not agree on everything, but usually they share a desire to improve the environment they are in. When we support people to tap into their strengths and potential, and bring them together with a shared purpose, change can happen.
Vicki Cardwell
CEO, Spark Inside

At the time that Pia Sinha was working at HMP Wandsworth, I was working for the then Department for Education and Skills in the prisoners’ learning and skills unit.

Its aim was to increase the qualifications offered to prisoners and to improve the outcomes, particularly in literacy and numeracy, and in NVQs, often to match the work that prisoners were already doing in prison workshops and kitchens. Such programmes provided structure, achievement and better job prospects on release.

But every year the prison population increased while the funding declined. In overcrowded prisons, more prisoners stay locked up, with little access to education or training. And in some ways, that kind of intervention in prison is too late; a crime has been committed and a victim has suffered.

Intervention and support for families or children at risk would reduce the prison population in time. Whichever way it’s done, it costs money, with results only visible in a few years’ time, when another government may claim the success. Hard choice, but if put to the electorate, it might get votes.
Phil Hind
Edinburgh

In Zoe Williams’ excellent piece on Pia Sinha, the last paragraph was the most telling. The relentless focus on punishment produces diminishing returns for society but, sadly, too often seems an easy and popular fix. Victims deserve better than being the justification for ever longer or harsher punishment. Victims should have support to manage and minimise the physical and mental impact of the crime.

Yes, punishment has its place, as does protection of the victims and others. But once we properly support victims in managing their trauma, wider society can focus more on future protection through rehabilitation. It would probably also cost less in the long run.
Stephen Evans
Horsforth, West Yorkshire