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.

Price of Pandemic on Prisoners

A startling report was published by HM Inspectorate of Prisons on February 11th 2021 about the effects of restrictions imposed on prisoners in England since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prisoners have had to spend 22 hours in a cell every day and have been unable to attend work, education, rehabilitation interventions or gyms, in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. Visits from relatives and friends have also been suspended or highly restricted.

Saving lives

When the first lockdown was implemented back in March 2020, radical changes had to be made within the prison system as it was estimated that 2,000 prisoners could die from COVID-19. To an extent the measures have worked: the numbers of deaths has remained low thanks to the precautions.

The prisoners, made aware of the restrictions in the community, not only understood the necessity of prison lockdowns but also felt largely safe from the virus. As time has stretched on though, their mental strength to endure their restrictions has worn thin. Many desire the resumption of activities to make their lives meaningful again.

Price paid

The lasting psychological, physical and emotional impacts are already starting to show, with prisoners reporting an increase in self-harming behaviours, drug misuse, and deterioration in physical and mental health.

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, commented

‘The cumulative effect of such prolonged and severe restrictions on prisoners’ mental health and well-being is profound. The lack of support to reduce reoffending and help prisoners address their risk of serious harm to the public does not fill me with hope for the longer term […] Locking prisoners up in prolonged isolation has never been a feature of a healthy prison.’

The conditions many are faced with are not those you would wish upon anyone: eating meals in the same room as an unlidded toilet, inadequate ventilation, and often sitting alongside a cellmate. Those housed in single cells may not have the difficulty of being cramped in with another, but instead suffer the psychological impact of isolation and loneliness. These descriptions sounds more like those found in the detention centres of a low or middle income country, not the United Kingdom.

When allowed out of their cells for the daily activities of showering and exercise, there is a strict time limit. Many are frustrated that they don’t have long enough to complete these tasks.

Although the report does state that inter-prisoner violence has decreased, due to the reduction in face-to-face contact between prisoners, bullying and intimidation have increased.

And many prisoners have remarked on how underprepared they are for release into the outside world; without access to rehabilitation programmes or meaningful work, their chance of re-offending is far higher.

The solution?

The introduction of video calling and in-cell telephones have allowed some prisoners to remain in contact with their support networks. This may even be a post-pandemic solution for many isolated prisoners of the future.

The end of January saw eligible prisoners in England being offered vaccines, in line with the community rollout. This sparked some public debate as elderly & certain ill offenders will now be receiving vaccination before their (perhaps younger or fitter) victims in the community. That said, prisoners are not the only ones at risk within the prison system: prison staff are at risk and their representative bodies feel that both they and their prisoners should be higher up the vaccination queue.

Whilst individuals may disagree as to who should go to the top of the queue, there is common ground in the knowledge that we cannot fight this virus whilst fighting each other. We must act as a team to stop the spread and save lives.

The future

The longer-term impact of the restrictions imposed on prisoners is yet to fully come to light. However, this report has shown that - unless we act soon - many offenders are at risk of serious mental and physical deterioration. It is too soon to lift the restrictions without putting thousands of lives at risk. So, in order to emerge from this pandemic safely, we must look to vaccination as the way forward - in prisons as in the community.

The Importance of Masks

We all know that a properly-fitted mask reduces your risk of COVID-19; ensuring there are no gaps around your nose, chin, or at the sides of your face protects everyone during this pandemic. This is especially true for detainees, who are at higher risk of becoming infected. Firstly they live in closed systems, often in shared cells, making it harder to social distance. There are higher rates of physical co-morbidity and mental health diagnoses in prisoners, which is further compounded by having limited access to healthcare. If you are entering a secure environment, please ensure your mask is worn correctly, use an alternative to shaking hands, implement good hand hygiene, and practice social distancing.

Integritas serves the physical, social and spiritual needs of detainees held within police stations in Olongapo City and the surrounding Zambales region of the Philippines. We ensure we abide to WHO guidelines for safe practices during the COVID-19 pandemic while we do so. We have only been able to do this with our supporters’ generous donations. If you would like to know more about our work during COVID-19 please visit our donation page and consider supporting our work.