MISSION STATEMENTS
We aim to provide a top quality service for:-
Anyone:
- detained at a police station, under arrest or as a volunteer
- bailed to return to a police station at a later date
- charged to appear before a magistrates’ court
- summonsed to appear before a magistrates’ court
- being investigated by the SFO, DTI, FSA, DWP, Trading Standards or Customs & Excise
- appearing before the crown court
- appearing before the Court of Appeal
- whose parole licence has been revoked
- wanting to take a case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission
- wanting to take a case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission
- appearing before a discretionary lifer board.
- with problems arising out of the law relating to prisoners
- experiencing difficulties with Professional or Supervisory bodies
Our staff are to be well trained, pleasant and patient. Our offices are to be friendly, welcoming and unintimidating. Among the members of the Firm "flexibility" will be our watch word.
Solicitors will be available both day and night.
We aim to provide a service for everyone irrespective of race, colour, sex, religion, disability or sexual orientation.
We are committed to providing confidential legal advice of high quality from an independent stand-point, in accordance with the Law Society’s Guidance, to each and every legal aided or privately funded client of the firm.
Introduction
Our "Prison Law" advisors are not just there to help people who are locked up. "Prison Law" certainly does involve helping prisoners who are the victims of unfairness, injustice or who have problems making themselves understood. "Prison Law" also involves helping the friends and relatives of prisoners who themselves are having problems with authority as a result of their loved ones being behind bars. Nowadays, "Prison Law" is also about helping the early release prisoners who are still on licence and who are being threatened with breach.
To be a good "Prison Law" advisor, you need to be patient, thorough and prompt. The advice that you give has to be appropriate, but it is important that you do not give false hope and that you are prepared to let someone know if they are talking rubbish.
Alastair Young, Michelle Coulson enthusiastically backed up by Roger Blackburn, Graham Harper, Pardeep Kalyan and Leanne Simpson are a hard working and formidable prison law team. Supervision from Ian Boddy and Digby Johnson means that strategic advice is always at hand and there is an up to date input of information about recent decisions and results in the Crown and Magistrates' Courts. This ensures continuity of care for the firm's existing clients.
Our main concern is obviously the clients that we have known for sometime. We want to provide an ongoing service in spite of them being temporarily detained away from home. Nevertheless, we are happy to try to help those who make contact with us for the first time from jail.
Are we a firm with an appeal?
No - generally speaking, we are not prepared to take on appeals against conviction. The truth is that there is very little money available to fund the work that you have to do to overturn a wrong finding of fact by a misguided jury. We also hate picking through the bones of dead cases that have been poorly prepared or pathetically presented.
Where we can sometimes help is with appeals against sentence. Bearing in mind, however, that everyone wants their sentence to be shorted. The Courts of Appeal will only rarely overturn sentences and only if the sentencing court is either a) not being told about vital information b) failure to give sufficient weight to important parts of the mitigation or c) strayed too far outside the normal range of sentences for that particular offence in these particular circumstances.
How can we help?
We are happy to assist with:
- Advice and representation at adjudications before an outside District Judge;
- Advice and written representations at Governor's adjudications;
- Advice and written representations for prisoners applying for parole;
- Advice and representation for prisoners appealing against the refusal of parole;
- Advice and representation before the discretionary lifer panel;
- Advice and written/oral representation for prisoners on licence recall
- Advice and negotiating assistance for prisoners with unresolved complaints;
- Advice and representation for prisoners with over restrictive licence conditions;
- Advice and expert assessment for prisoners with MDT problems.
What sort of service can you expect?
The most important thing for any "Prison Law" client is to be able to get hold of your advisor. Our team are happy to give initial and on going advice over the telephone as well as in writing. A call to the office of 0115 941 9141, should find one of the team free to talk. Advisors will often be prepared to give clients their personal mobile numbers to help with instant contact.
Between 10am - 12noon and 2pm - 4pm, working criminal advocates are likely to be at Court. Adjudication hearings will often take place from 9am (or even 8am) in some prisons. Where advisors are attending adjudications, they will obviously be out of reach.
It is important to ring the office at a time when someone is more rather than less likely to be around.
If your own commitments or the regime at your prison mean that it is hard to phone outside of these hours, it is worth asking the Probation Service or a senior officer for special permission to telephone, perhaps between 5pm - 6pm
We aim to respond to all letters within 24 hours, although some letters are more complicated than others and will require greater consideration.
Wherever possible, we like to advise face to face. To be honest the view is that we are not going to send someone on a badly paid 300 mile round trip for a half hour meeting.
As you know, it is often possible to overcome these problems by using video conferencing or using local agents. We have a network of friends in other firms who are happy to attend on our behalf or who will accept referrals or recommendations.
As you will gather, although the department has a good number of staff, it is not enormous. It is important that we take on a realistic case load of clients with whom we can do a job.
If you contact us and find that there is nobody free - do not think this is a once and for all rejection. If we can help, we aim to tell you what we can do for you and how long it is likely to take. If we cannot help, we aim to be just as honest.
Try us for size! Ask if we can help! Judge us by our results! Never be afraid to try again! |
