Prison Ombudsman seeks apologies from staff for unfair treatment of prisoners
Feb 19, 2010
by Stephen Shaw, England and Wales Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, writing in Inside Time:
As Ombudsman, I have tried to pioneer a restorative approach to complaints investigations. If a prisoner has been treated unfairly, a properly worded apology from the staff concerned is the best way of putting things right.
My office mediated a good example of this recently when an investigation revealed that two members of staff had been less than professional during a sentence planning meeting. They were both asked to write letters saying sorry for their actions, and the relevant governor apologised on behalf of the prison as a whole.
I think that restorative approaches are particularly valuable in a prison context. Financial compensation is often inappropriate (unless there is clear evidence of monetary loss). And the pro-social, healing aspects of restorative justice are especially relevant given that so many prisoners are distrustful of authority and alienated from society as a whole.
