10 October 2022
The States of Jersey Prison Service (SoJPS) is celebrating National Prisons Week (9 to 15 October
2022) and taking the opportunity to raise the profile of the work that happens at HMP La Moye on
a daily basis.
During this week, SoJPS will hear from service users (ex-prisoners and those currently serving)
and professionals across the Island, to consider the lived experience of those individuals. They will
look at ‘what works’ and what else they need to be doing in La Moye to ensure that prison is a
productive time for all those in custody, and how their needs can best be met to reduce the risk of
reoffending in the future.
There will be a number of events taking place during the week, including a visit by Lewis Gibson, a
former prisoner of Prison Governor Susie Richardson, who has travelled to Jersey with his partner
and children to be part of the journey over Prisons Week, and offer insights from other prisons and
jurisdictions.
Lewis will be meeting with prisoners on all wings across the week, sharing his inspiring story from a
hardened criminal of 20 years, to his final sentence and why that marked the end of his criminality
and changed his criminal identity.
As part of the sessions, Lewis will be using skills he learnt and talents he discovered in prison and
will be sharing his spoken word as performed in Winchester Cathedral as part of the BBC Songs of
Praise service on Easter Sunday 2022.
Other activities in the week include an opportunity for the families of prison staff to visit the prison.
Meetings will take place between prison managers and the local Anglican community to look at
ways that the prison and churches can work together even more closely to support the successful
resettlement of prisoners on release. A church service will take place at 10.30am on Sunday 16
October at St Mark’s Church, St Helier. The Prison Governor, chaplain and Lewis Gibson will be
interviewed by the Pastor, Pete Clayton, on ’life inside’ and the difference that having a faith can
make to those who live and work in prisons. All are welcome.
There will also be a workshop involving current and former prisoners from Jersey with staff and
practitioners to explore their lived experience and a further workshop to consider alternatives to
punishment and what the evidence says about really resolving crime and addressing the impact of
crime head on.
Running alongside the week, will be a fundraising campaign by prison staff. They will run and cycle
130km over five days to recognise the service of each member of staff in the prison, culminating in
a final kilometre on Friday morning in memory of Prison Officer Scott Barnes who died in service in
2017.
The money raised will be going to charities that are currently working with the prison service and
making a difference to the lives of staff and prisoners alike. If you would like to help them reach
their target donations can be made at: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/artur-soliwoda1?utm_term=4pPBMpMPX
Prison Governor, Susie Richardson, said: “We are delighted to be part of this national campaign,
which we hope will raise awareness about the needs of all those affected by prisons: prisoners and
their families, victims of crime and their communities, those working in the criminal justice system
and the many people who are involved in caring for those affected by crime on the inside and
outside of our prison
.“We also feel it’s important to recognise the service of our prison service staff and the work they do
in looking after the most complex members of our Island community and working to ensure that
we release them as better neighbours.”
gov.je