In a new initiative led by the Criminal Justice Project team based at Kent Law Clinic, free law advice is being offered to prisoners in the local community.
Working in collaboration with national charity, the Prisoners’ Advice Service, and led by Law Clinic Solicitor Lucy Welsh, a team of around 20 student volunteers in the Criminal Justice Project has begun operating a letters clinic to assist prisoners who have problems relating to their rights.
The provision of prison law advice was dropped by many law firms across the UK following cutbacks to legal aid.
Lucy Welsh believes there are currently no firms offering a prison law advice service in East Kent:
‘This service will allow students to gain an in-depth understanding of issues for prisoners while also being able to quickly provide assistance to vulnerable people in state funded institutions that have suffered their own significant cutbacks.
‘It is hoped that working with national charitable organisations such as the Prisoners’ Advice Service will enable our students to develop a greater understanding of social welfare issues generally as well as provide a much needed public service.’
Issues the team expects to be dealing with include matters relating to:
- prison discipline (with the possibility that this might include attendance at disciplinary hearings in prison),
- issues relating to licence conditions,
- visiting rights,
- issues involving categorisation of prisoners,
- and applications for parole.
Student volunteers will be appointed by Lucy Welsh to undertake research on enquiries coming in to the Clinic and will work with her to draft an appropriate response within a short time frame.
As well as promoting the service locally, by inviting Prison Governors to put up posters, the team is liaising with the Prisoners’ Advice Service and hopes to support its national letters clinic.