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Jess Brown-Fuller and James MacCleary Tour Lewes Prison
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Last week, Jess Brown-Fuller, MP for Chichester and Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson, toured HMP Lewes, a Category B male local prison with Lewes’ local MP James MacLeary. Jess and James were given a tour of the facilities before sitting down with the Governor, Mark Creaven, and then meeting with Sussex Pathways, a charity supporting people leaving prison.
During the tour, the pair met with staff members in different parts of the prison, discussing the processes inmates go through, support for prison staff, and funding challenges across the sector more widely. They then met with Mark Creaven, to discuss the significant improvements noted in recent inspections of the prison and how these improvements have been achieved.
Following this, they sat down with Sussex Pathways, a criminal justice charity that aims to reduce reoffending by working with inmates within the prison. The charity provides one-to-one sessions to support prisoners in becoming part of the community when they are released and supports them with finding accommodation if necessary.
Afterwards, Jess said:
“It was eye-opening to see the work going on inside HMP Lewes with James. I pay tribute to the staff there, who are working under extreme pressure not only to keep the public safe, but also to provide an environment that supports prisoners in becoming functioning members of society.
“The work of Sussex Pathways was also fantastic to see. Their support for inmates is exceptional, especially considering the harsh realities of funding cuts to support services that many inmates used to rely on.”
“The key to reducing the prison population, that currently runs too close to capacity much of the time, is to reduce reoffending rates. The work both the prison and the charity are doing to achieve this provided valuable insight that the government should take note of while they tackle the prisons overcrowding crisis and the revolving door of repeat offenders.”
