人物景深|Inside Time

“Give prisoners a voice so that they would not feel so isolated and the prison system would be more transparent.”

 

Inside Time 是專門為受刑人出版刊物的全國性報社,在英國的監獄內發放紙本報紙,給予他們最新的外界消息,促進監所資訊的流通,鼓勵他們了解監獄裡的規範,而不是去打破規則。印象最深刻的案例是2009年Sean Hodgson冤獄平反案件,一位冤獄27年的受刑人Sean Hodgson看到了Inside Time的資訊後,決定再次爭取自己的權益,聯繫上了報紙上的律師,重新找尋證據也成功抓到了當年真正的犯人!
倡議類型的資訊像是前面介紹過的組織PRT也有文章刊登在Inside Time上過,而不只是資訊類,也會刊登受刑人所寫的文章、詩詞。
Inside Time的編輯部門就有四位是更生人背景,大多是在監所內就很有文學造詣、很會寫文章的人,尤其對於監獄裡的情況又很了解,製作了監獄的工具書作為受刑人的指南,Inside Time推動的Q&A專欄及Mobile APP也是透過他們的發想而誕生。
Inside Time董事暨發行人John Roberts說比起一般人,和更生人讓他工作起來更舒適,因為他對他們的背景瞭若指掌,反而是外面來的人讓他感到很陌生。
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有時候造成距離感的不是身分背景,而是心裡的距離。
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英國現在開放更生人就業的企業越來越多了,也受到社會鼓勵。
曾經有個案例是Inside Time想將巴士公司雇用更生人司機的故事寫出來,卻遭拒絕,因為他們擔心公開之後可能面臨到的是大眾減少搭乘,不希望新聞被下標題是坐到罪犯開的車,引起恐懼。這也是台灣目前會遇到的問題,如何用最能讓人接受的敘述方式呈現受刑人故事值得人深省。
目前的英國企業接納更生人情況的確改善不少了,最重要的一步還是受刑人要能為自己爭取機會,在監所內運用Inside Time或是其他管道發聲。
Inside Time is the national newspaper for prisoners and detainees distributed throughout the UK prison. The content is mainly driven by the prisoners plus the things that are happening outside. Inside Time encourages its readers to understand the rules rather than to break them. The most impressive case was in 2009 from Sean Hodgson, a man who had already served 27 years in prison for a murder that he did not commit. He was reading Inside Time and noticed a solicitor’s advert, and decided to try once more to fight for the injustice. Finally, this time he was acquitted and released. The solicitor had arranged for the evidence to be re-examined which not only resulted in Sean’s release but identified the person who had truly committed the crime.
In addition, Inside Time also posted an article written by Prison Reform Trust which we’d introduced last week. The newspaper focuses on not only written work letters, articles, interviews but also prisoners’ poetry, rap and stories.
There are some former prisoners who work for Inside Time now in the editorial department. They are experts in literature and familiar with the prison system, so they published several books about it. They often come up with fresh ideas, like the Q&A column and Mobile APP, which Inside Time is developing recently to publish articles online.
The Director and Publisher of Inside Time, John Roberts said, “Compared to general people, I prefer working with the former prisoners because I’m so familiar with their backgrounds.”
Sometimes it is not the background of identity but the distance in the heart that distances us.
Nowadays, In the UK, hiring formerly incarcerated employees is gradually encouraged by the public. Numerous entrepreneurs are giving former inmates jobs. The same situation in Taiwan should also be improved. The most important thing is to give prisoners a voice to stand up for themselves.