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Articles by Paula Harriott
Your right to be forgotten
People with criminal records can ask internet search engines to hide their history, so they can start afresh. But it isn’t easy. Here, Paula Harriott of Unlock calls for a fairer system – while below, Elliot Tyler describes the difficulties his friend faced Michael says his conviction will never go away. He was convicted of possession of cannabis with intent to supply when he was 22.He pleaded guilty and received a two-year custodial sentence. Today, he’s 41.
It’s time to let prisoners vote
People serving prison sentences are banned from voting in UK general elections. The ex-offenders’ charity Unlock is launching a campaign to change the law In 2017, when asked about votes for people in prison, Conservative MP Philip Davies said: “I think giving the vote to any prisoners is idiotic, unjustifiable, and is about as popular with the general public as finding a rattlesnake in a lucky dip.” The notion of prisoner voting has long rattled all sides’ notions of genteel public opinion.
We’re losing the human touch
I’m deeply troubled by this new direction of travel in our justice system. It’s clear that Artificial Intelligence has incredible potential to improve our lives – but it isn’t the answer to complex and deep-rooted problems. Replacing the skill, experience and judgment of people working in the system with unaccountable computers is an extremely worrying turn. The ‘AI Violence Predictor’ has several problems.
Old convictions are holding too many back
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The writer is chief executive of Unlock, a charity that campaigns for reformed offenders Louise Haigh committed a crime more than 10 years ago. Before she was an MP, the woman who was Sir Keir Starmer’s transport secretary until a few days ago pleaded guilty to fraud; magistrates meted out the lowest possible sanction they could.
Old convictions are holding too many back
The writer is chief executive of Unlock, a charity that campaigns for reformed offenders Louise Haigh committed a crime more than 10...
Meet Paula - Unlock
Unlock is a beacon of hope for people with criminal records. The people who contact us rely on the team’s knowledge and expertise to help them navigate the difficulties and barriers to life having a criminal record can cause. I know from personal experience how important Unlock is. I remember writing from prison to get advice. When I came out, Unlock was there to help with practical things like how to get affordable car insurance.
Prisoners on prisons: Experiences of peer-delivered suicide prevention work
Abstract Prison suicide is a global concern, with rates consistently exceeding those in non-incarcerated populations. Prisoners deliver (suicide prevention) initiatives in jurisdictions around the world. As part of a research project seeking to foreground prisoner voices in criminological knowledge, former prisoners and academics coproduced an innovative, retrospective examination of peer-delivered prison suicide prevention in England.
No new prisons for women!
In 2012 I (Rona) published research on the rights of the child when mothers are sentenced in the UK criminal courts. In this research I pointed out that under the Human Rights Act the rights of the child to a private life - which must include the right to the care of her/his parent - were engaged when a parent with care is sentenced. I called for consideration of these rights during the sentencing process to become statutory law.
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