Bangkok Rules

GIRL POWER

Today, International Women’s Day, we decided to calculate just how much Girl Power we possess…

Founders: 50% female

Governors: Philippines 43% female, UK 20% female

Managers: 100% female

Staff: 67% female

Long-term volunteers: 75% female

Current short-term volunteers: 100% female

Previous short-term volunteers: 95% female

If you’d like to read what our ladies have got up to lately, we’re pleased and proud to introduce you to Healthy Bonds, our 2023 impact report.

GIRL DisEMPOWER

And it’s a good job we are such a female-dominated organization, because the number of female prisoners across the world is increasing fast - up 20% since 2000!

How many women are behind bars right now, do you think…?

100,000?

250,000?

500,000??

No, it’s well in excess of 750,000! That’s an awful lot of female disempowerment.

GIRL RE-EMPOWER

But there is one tool that is helping to shine a pink-ish tinged light into this feminine doom and gloom…

The so-called Bangkok Rules are United Nations rules on the treatment of female detainees and non-detaineed offenders. If you haven’t read them, please do! And if you know someone who works with female detainees, shove a copy under their nose!

No, they don’t make the problem of female detention go away. But, where they are properly implemented, they make a significant difference to the re-empowerment of female detainees.

Dr Rachael Pickering is our co-founder and Chief Medical Officer.
Her views do not necessarily represent those of Integritas Healthcare

Alexei Navalny

One day

My 16th February 2024 started out as a pretty standard Friday, doing my job as a doctor within the UK’s prison system. Sadly, it ended in tragedy with the unexpected death of one of my detained patients. After leaving the prison, I sat in my car for a while, thinking and praying for my late patient’s family. And as I drove out of the prison car park, I noticed two parked up police vehicles…

Investigation

Of course, the police were there because - whether expected or unexpected, self-inflicted, accidental or murderous - all UK deaths in custody are subject to extensive investigation by multiple agencies:-

• the police

• the coronial system

• the health service

• and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

In addition to all these measures, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), which is responsible for monitoring member states’ compliance with Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, also takes a keen interest in deaths behind bars.

Two deaths

In the busyness of managing the immediate aftermath of my own detained patient’s death, I missed the breaking news about another custodial tragedy - that same day but thousands of miles away, in the frozen Artic Circle…

Prisoner Alexei Navalny, the fiercest and most enduring critic of President Putin, is dead.

Investigation?

• He died just one day after being well enough to laugh and joke with his judge.

• There is the usual confusion about the cause of his death and the location of his body,

• The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, whose agency executive is (according to Wikipedia) a certain President Putin, is on the case.

• And so it remains to be seen whether the United Nations has engaged in a spot of wishful thinking, in calling for his death to be rigorously investigated.

One judge

UK detainees are relatively blessed compared with those held in many other parts of the world. UK conditions of detention are regulated, monitored and - when found to fall short - investigated. Yes, I know full well that there are many problems behind my nation’s bars - and the CPT highlights these failings on a frequent basis. But compared with many places in the world, UK places of detention sit within a veritable Garden of Eden where the Rule of Law presides.

Yet viewed through the long lens of eternity, whether a free President in the Russian Federation or a detained person in the UK, one day every one of us will die and face judgement by the same Judge.

From His courtroom, He examines all the goings on in our world, with notable concern for detainees:-

The Lord looked down from His sanctuary on high, from heaven He viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.
(Psalm 102:19-20)

And to those who ignore the visible suffering of others, yet alone those who cause it, He will say…

 Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire… For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat… I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me…

Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.
(Matthew 25:41-45)

The author is one of our spokespeople
Their views do not necessarily represent those of Integritas Healthcare

Will nitrogen enter the death arena?

So once again, death penalty demonstrators are gathering outside a USA prison. This time though, things are a bit different: the execution agent is gaseous, and the condemned man is a repeat attender…

Who and why?

Kenneth Smith is one of two assassins-for-hire who in 1988 killed Elizabeth Sennett, the wife of a pastor who hoped her life insurance could ease his financial troubles. Shortly after the killing though, the pastor killed himself - rather than face earthly justice.

A long 22 years later, in 2010, Kenneth’s partner-in-crime received the stiffest penalty meted out by the US Justice System - execution. And Kenneth himself is sentenced to the same punishment, yet he’s still on death row - at least until later today, 25th January 2024, when he is scheduled to become the first person in the USA to be executed through nitrogen asphyxiation.

Why gas and why now?

But why are the authorities using nitrogen gas rather than lethal injection, and why have they waited until now - almost 36 years after the murder - to execute him? Well the answers to these two questions are linked…

The USA’s capital punishment appeal system is notoriously slow and convoluted. It’s common for condemned people to spend around 20 years on death row. Some argue that this long wait for almost certain death is itself a form of psychological torture. And it’s not uncommon for death row prisoners to die of illness rather than by the executioner’s hand.

In Kenneth’s case, it was 33 years between conviction and the authorities first taking him to the death chamber in November 2022. But things didn’t go to plan…

As is common to many botched executions, his would-be executioners lacked sufficient skill in venous access to get the necessary needles into him. After several hours of trying, his death warrant expired and so they had to abandon the execution and return him to death row, his home for the previous three decades.

And in the aftermath of that debacle the authorities promised not to try to use lethal injection on him in the future.

So that is why Kenneth has been rescheduled to die - at another time and in another way.

Why worry?

Right now, more than the usual amount of last minute legal appeals are going on. And this is due to at least two key factors…

Firstly, no-one can reasonably deny that surviving a botched execution is a traumatising experience. And Kenneth’s legal team is arguing that it’s cruel to do this to him all over again.

And crucially, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is alarmed at the prospect. Quoting an extract of their full statement:-

We have serious concerns that Smith’s execution in these circumstances could breach the prohibition on torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, as well as his right to effective remedies. These are rights set out in two International Human Rights treaties where the United States is bound by – the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment [CAT].

So, will the execution go ahead and - if so - will it go as ‘smoothly’ as the authorities hope? All eyes - and many hearts and prayers - are fixed on that death chamber right now. We’ll be updating you soon.

Dr Rachael Pickering is our Chief Medical Officer
Her views do not necessarily represent those of Integritas Healthcare

Presentation by British Embassy in Manila

From 2017 until the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we were honoured to partner with the British Embassy in Manila, focusing on the care of British Nationals, and when possible other prisoners, who were held within Philippine places of detention. And as the pandemic is now easing, we have been able to celebrate a resurrection of this partnership…

On 31st May our Filipino arm, Integridad: Heart for Detainees, was honoured to welcome the British Consul Mr. Neill James and his colleague Mam Jaimie Sarmiento to Integritas House Olongapo (IHO).

Mr. James presented us with a most generous gift of specialist medical equipment, which was funded by a British government grant. This amazing equipment will particularly aid our telemedicine consultations with detainees. It will also enable us to give even better care to detainees generally. We are extremely grateful for this gift and we look forwards to putting it to good use in the near future, for the benefit of Philippine detainees of all nationalities.

Following the presentation of the equipment, our Operations Manager Mam Loy Napalan gave Mr. James and Mam Sarmiento a tour of our new clinic within IHO; all being well, we anticipate that it will open formally in mid-July. She also explained to them how we adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic - for example, by switching largely to telemedicine clinics.

Mention must also be made of the Philippine National Police. Mr. James’ visit to Olongapo, which was part of his regular commitment to visit prisons and other detention facilities within the Philippines, would not have been possible without appropriate security measures. So we were grateful to the officers and their canine helpers who performed a sweep of our premises before the visit.

This successful visit concluded with an enjoyable discourse over lunch.

For media enquiries, please email our office.

NEW: H&J 2022/23 dates released

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After growing success and positive feedback from current and previous delegates, Integritas’ ‘Health and Justice’ track is back for another year.

Dates have now been confirmed and applications will open soon. Will you be part of the next delegation?

September 9th-10th 2022 conference

Oct. 4th 2022 webinar

Nov. 1st 2022 webinar

Jan. 13th-14th 2023 conference

Feb. 7th 2022 - webinar

March 7th 2023 webinar

April 28th-29th conference (CMF national conference is 21-23rd)

May 9th 2023 webinar

June 6th 2023 webinar

July 7th-8th 2023 conference

A Time of Plenty?

What do you think about at this time of year? Perhaps the long lists of gifts you need to buy, organising the family get together or just hunkering down and avoiding the madness.

For Christians, Christmas is when we celebrate the person of Jesus Christ coming into our world. He came and was willing to get stuck in with the painful mess of humanity. Jesus loved the unlovable. Regardless of somebody’s past He said I can help.

At Integritas, we are motivated by Jesus’ love and His example to treat our neighbour as ourselves.  We have a particular concern for the 11 million of our fellow human beings currently behind bars across the world. Many of these people are kept in terrible conditions, without adequate food or healthcare and do not know when they will next see their loved ones. Regardless of their past actions, we believe they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Like many other charities, the pandemic has taken its toll on Integritas. We have lost many of our main sources of funding and this has directly impacted the work we are able to carry out. This festive season we are asking you to help us help those most in need across our world. Any donation will go a long way to provide healthcare to vulnerable men and women behind bars.

So perhaps this year, as it is for me, will be the first year you think about the world’s detainees, those forgotten and abandoned in unthinkable conditions. There is a great need and we can work together to show radical love to one another.

If you would like more details on partnering with Integritas please do get in touch. Any donation would be gratefully received and would make a huge impact on the work we are able to do.

Click here to donate.

Ecuadorian prison riot kills over 100 prisoners

On Tuesday 28th September a gang-related riot broke out in an Ecuadorian prison. Prisoners pulled firearms on each other and set off explosives in what has been called the worst gang-related violence in Ecuador’s history. It wasn’t until Wednesday 29th that officials claimed they had the prison under control again, however neighbours of the Guayas prison complex claim to have heard explosions and gunshots early Thursday morning . Ecuadorian authorities said a major operation took place on Thursday 30th to regain control using 900 officers and army soldiers at which point a death toll of 24 prisoners was reported, later rising to over 100 as police worked their way through the prison.

The attack broke out when prisoners from one wing of the prison crawled through a hole and gained access to another wing of the prison which held their rival gang members. Local media reported that the killings may have been ordered from outside the prison highlighting a power struggle between Mexican cartels currently under way in Ecuador.

If this violence had occurred outside of a prison it would not be forgotten, it would be headline news and would be classed as a tragedy. But this event did occur inside a prison, and it was not headline news.

One of the purposes of a prison is to rehabilitate people so that they can re-enter society when their sentence is finished. Events like these call into question whether some prison environments actually achieve their rehabilitative purpose.

To read the BBC article follow this link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-58733202

Songs of Hope

Guilt, loneliness and fear are but a few of the many emotions attached to a prison sentence. These feelings are often long-lasting and can make returning to society very challenging. The current prison system offers little hope of effective rehabilitation with overall reoffending rates of 26% between July and September 2019.  

The Liberty Choir, set up in 2014, has a vision to reduce reoffending rates by providing high quality singing programmes within prisons. They currently have four community choirs who visit prisons on a regular basis to sing alongside prisoners. This inspirational initiative provides a sense of purpose, access to a supportive social network and long term support once prisoners are released, with many ex-offenders joining their local choir upon release. 

 A quick glance at the testimonials on The Liberty Choir’s website show the choir has been a lifeline to many and so much more than just singing. It has been the helping hand to lift them from the vicious cycle of repeat offending. 

 The choir is looking to expand their work and hope to benefit as many people as possible. They are currently looking for musicians with a passion for social justice to join their team. For more information or to consider whether you could be the next person to join this life-changing venture visit their website at libertychoir.org or find them on social media @libertychoiruk 

London's hidden homelessness

London photographer, Anthony Dawton, has spent 18 months highlighting how the homeless have coped during the COVID-19 pandemic. He says the conditions in which London’s homeless live is worse than refugee camps he has travelled to.

Around 2,600 people are estimated to be sleeping rough on any single night in the UK, according to government figures.

an expensive cycle

One third of prisoners leaving a UK prison have nowhere to live once they are released so it comes as no surprise that approximately 41% of the British homeless population has served time in prison. Some prisoners being released from prison are known to re-commit crime to prevent themselves from being homeless. According to the Ministry of Justice national statistics the current overall reoffending rate is 26%, costing £18.1 billion annually. That’s an awful lot of money!

an example of desperation

Anthony Kemp, aged 59, confesses to a murder he committed 38 years ago (aged 21) to avoid sleeping on the streets. He was later found guilty and sentenced to 15 and a half years in jail.

Whilst you may be thinking you are glad that Mr Kemp has been brought to justice, this situation highlights the level of desperation homeless people experience and the lengths to which they would go to to avoid being homeless.

Cheaper, safe option

So why we are not improving the rehabilitation and aftercare of prisoners to ensure that they can leave prison and not have to re-offend just to have a roof over their head? If this was to be achieved then you could pretty much guarantee that the re-offending rate would decrease along with the annual re-offending cost!

Everyone deserves a warm, safe bed.

To read more about Anthony Kemp please follow: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58912035

Fiona Woodhead is our IT & Social Media Assistant

Inmates killed in Indonesian prison fire

On Tuesday 7th September at 01:45 local time a fire broke out at Tangerang prison, Indonesia. The fire blazed for just over an hour until local authority were able to put it out. 41 prisoners lost their lives. Whilst the cause is still being investigated, it is thought to have been due to faulty electrics that had been in place since the building was erected in 1972. Apparently, guards had managed to unlock some of the cells but then had to leave as the fire raged.

This truly heart-breaking event brings to light how important fire safety knowledge is, and how, in institutions, there should be precautions in place to protect those within them. A prison is no exception to this fact, and the detainees within should feel safe in the knowledge that protective emergency procedures exist and are regularly practiced.

At Integritas we campaign for those who do not have their own voice to try and improve prison conditions. We also partner with other NGOs to support their work such as @TripleBCareProjects @val.smithorr which help provide correct care and treatment for adults and children with burns in the Philippines.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-58483850