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Ben
Lecturing
About Me
- prisonerben
- United Kingdom
- Previously known as "one of Britain's best known prisoners...he constantly questions authority and exposes the futility of the system" The Times, Ben was finally released from prison after 32 years in August 2012. Pleading guilty to the murder of a friend when he was 14 years old, he renounced violence and fought for the recognition of the inherent dignity of all human beings. As a result of speaking truth to power, he served far longer than the recommended 10 years, leading Education Secretary Michael Gove to argue that he had "been punished excessively for a crime committed as a child". One of the more intellectual of prisoner-campaigners, Ben chose to educate himself from schoolboy level to having both undergraduate and post graduate degrees. He is currently one of very few prisoners in Britain ever to attempt a Doctorate. Ben's speciality is non-violent action and the Human Needs Theory. Now on Life Licence, He is forging a career as a CJ policy consultant, writer and - as ever - campaigner.
I would hope that with the amount of time already served,simply because he has the moral courage to speak out and challenge an injust sytem, should ensure this is all done as quickly as is humanly possible. Yes!! Come on Ken...we are all watching!!
ReplyDeleteAnd to you Ben, keep strong, keep blogging!!
Neither the Parole Board nor Ken Clarke are going to say anything more until Ben demonstrates that he can be trusted in open conditions. I'm sure he will, but as far as I know, that's how it works.
ReplyDelete@Jim Brown
ReplyDeleteHow is he to demonstrate that?
Opportunities for him to demonstrate anything at all seem quite thin on the ground...
Was he not removed from open prison once before for particularly spurious reasons?
@ Adam. Yes. because of his refusal to be broken by a system that has failed him all his life........
ReplyDeleteHow many of us would just put their heads down and ignore the appalling abuse of power that goes on inside out prisons? Ben speaks out, and pays the price for being articulate and intelligent.