There has been a fantastic response to ‘Books in the Nick’. The Met Police News report has spread the news widely.
A great piece in The Guardian included a quote from Frances Crook of The Howard League hoping that something like this could be used in prisons for First Nighters. Watch this space! And a similar project has been running through the Islington Reads scheme with great success.
There has been coverage in The Standard, The Times and The Bookseller and MSC Whitmore has been speaking about ‘Books in the Nick’ on ITN news, BBC Front Row and BBC World Service. It has obviously fired the imagination. We look forward to updating on progress as it goes along.
A few months ago we wrote about Books to Detainees in Custody Suites in Bristol and Brixton. Now, the brainchild of Metropolitan Special Constable Steve Whitmore, we have together launched ‘Books in the Nick’. Give a Book was pleased– as always– to benefit from advice from David Kendall and Prison Reading Groups’ contacts with prison reading volunteers who know well through their work how incredibly valuable books can be to prisoners, particularly those who feel isolated, agitated, lonely and bored.
There has been a fantastic response to ‘Books in the Nick’. The Met Police News report has spread the news widely. A great piece in The Guardian included a quote from Frances Crook of The Howard League hoping that something like this could be used in prisons for First Nighters. Watch this space! And a similar project has been running through the Islington Reads scheme with great success.
There has been coverage in The Standard, The Times and The Bookseller and MSC Whitmore has been speaking about ‘Books in the Nick’ on ITN news, BBC Front Row and BBC World Service. It has obviously fired the imagination. We look forward to updating on progress as it goes along.
A few months ago we wrote about Books to Detainees in Custody Suites in Bristol and Brixton. Now, the brainchild of Metropolitan Special Constable Steve Whitmore, we have together launched ‘Books in the Nick’. Give a Book was pleased – as always – to benefit from advice from David Kendall and Prison Reading Groups’ contacts with prison reading volunteers who know well through their work how incredibly valuable books can be to prisoners, particularly those who feel isolated, agitated, lonely and bored.
Steve and his colleague Sergeant Freeman delivered 4 large boxes of books to the Metropolitan Police Service’s busiest custody suites. The area delivered to was the South cluster of the Met – Wandsworth, Sutton, Croydon and Brixton. They process over 1000 prisoners a week. Each person can be held for up to 24 hours or 36 hours with an authorisation from a superintendent. The average age for arrested children is 15-17, but children as young as 10 can be arrested or detained. Their parents need to be contacted and a suitable guardian present at the police station. But they can still be detained in a cell over night with little to occupy them. As Steve says, We aim to change this.
Space has been allocated at all sites for the books and Brixton and Croydon had shelves up in their office ready for books to be on display. Steve told us that the Designated Detention Officers were very happy to receive such well-chosen books and asked if they could also access them– which of course they can as they will be giving them out. All sites have been told the detainees can keep the books but only if they ask for them. We will encourage the time-honoured system of sharing and returning of books. All sites will note what are the most popular reads. Kent police collected a further 6 boxes from Steve.
We compiled a flyer to put in the boxes with info about the many FREE resources available for people to follow up reading or learning should they wish to. Copies of The Week Junior magazine were also put in, courtesy of Abi Spooner, marketing director of The Week – a nice addition. The magazine is designed to feed children’s curiosity about the world around them.
Give a Book thinks this is a great new project. We look forward to hearing how it goes and to updating you, dear reader, as it develops.