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Articles by Francesca Gilks
Prisons in England and Wales to cut spending on education courses by up to 50%
Prisons across England and Wales are set to slash frontline spending on education courses by up to 50%, despite promises from Keir Starmer to improve “access to learning” in last year’s general election manifesto. The budget for classroom courses at HMP Leicester will be cut by 46.5%, another men’s prison is cutting spending by 25%, while a women’s prison is cutting its provision in education by 26%, sources have confirmed.
No more girls at YOIs – but what about the boys?
Girls will no longer be sent to Young Offender Institutions (YOIs). Instead, those placed in custody by the courts will go to secure schools or secure children’s homes. The change, announced by the Government in March in response to an independent review of girls in custody by Susannah Hancock, prompts a bigger question: is there any future for YOIs? Until this year, a handful of girls were detained in YOI Wetherby, an establishment primarily for boys.
World Prison News
America gets tough In mid-March, the USA deported 238 alleged Venezuelan migrants to a super-max mega-jail in El Salvador, claiming they were members of two Venezuelan gangs, Tren de Aragua and MS-13. They were deported and imprisoned without a trial and were given no chance to dispute the US government’s claims. The 238 migrants are currently imprisoned in CECOT, El Salvador’s terrorist confinement centre and the largest prison in Latin America.
Our focus on English and Maths just doesn’t add up
A former English teacher says prisoners should be offered music, art or acting lessons as an alternative to Functional Skills The 10 of us are in HMP Feltham’s library for our weekly visit. Book covers are flipped open and stamps interrogated.
Careering: “a charming and feel-good hour well spent”
“Stokes and Summers”, first names Kate and Claudia, are currently taking their Edinburgh Fringe show “Careering” on tour. The pair, who started on TikTok, performed their hour-long sketch show about temping as receptionists: in their words “Once upon a time I was on the small screen. Now I’m only screening the calls”. The hour-long sketch show is charming, and both performers had great stage presence and were eminently watchable.
Hedda Gabler: Ibsen’s classic brought to life
Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler is on at the Robinson College Auditorium, presented by the Brickhouse Theatre Company and directed by Kitty Croft. The play has some brilliant moments and certainly deserves to be seen by more people, though it didn’t quite hit its tragic climax. The six-person cast did a good job of keeping their energy even when performing to a small audience and the excellent chemistry between cast members meant that there were frequent moments of audible audience reaction.
‘We’ve gone from clapping to slapping doctors and nurses’: Cambridge’s final-year medics on NHS junior doctors’ strikes
Could junior doctors be the next to strike? It seems that many have had enough, and may very well be joining the record-breaking list of NHS staff who have taken to the picket line. The British Medical Association (BMA) are currently voting on a proposal to undertake a three-day strike in March, with the ballot-box closing on 20th February. Recent headlines have been dominated by reports of NHS underfunding, staff departures and continued strain from Covid and flu season.
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