My Tuesday... back at 'work work'... and more

Yesterday was spent traveling a little short of twenty miles (per trip) from Royston to Milton via Cambridge, for the first full day back on the Helpline. I had stopped by last week on the way to another Ormiston project at Highpoint, but this was the first real half-day, on the phones.

A little over four hours later, it was all over, and I was feeling like I'd never been away. After stopping briefly in Ely, I returned back to Cambridge, and onto Royston on the last 26 of the night. Caroline met me at the end of the road at about 1930, and we went to the chip shop, for the first time in a while.

Today, just a quiet day in, but I am out again tomorrow at work (covering an unexpected gap in the rota for a few hours).

Other stuff...

My sister was on the phone earlier... "is it the 1A or the 1B that goes to Faraday Street...?" (well that was a surprise, or was it?) Anyway, she's updated me on her recent developments, and her new job[s] and stuff, and asked if I'd had something from her yet. No.... not yet.

Oh, and I got a freebie £4 voucher from TfL following the problems on the Jub and Central Lines during the Sunday of our weekend to London. Speaking of them, the Emma Clarke thing has gone international... and a voice artist in SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA has done some spoofs for their transport system. Straight and to the point, generally. Speaking of which, an extract from a quote from a media person...

' ...“What perhaps they should have done is contact Emma (they’ve still not done that, amazingly, preferring to talk through the media it seems) and say: “quite like some of these, don’t like these two, any chance you can take them down and swap them for something a bit less ‘out there’?” – and, if they were brave enough, commission a few spoof ones to be played at Christmas (“if anyone sees a reindeer on the track, please inform a member of staff immediately”) and on other holidays..."

REINDEER? LMAO... I remember having to do a PA over a train being held in the tunnel with no lights, because of a coat hanger on the track... which we had to get a station supervisor to remove, hence the delay.

Also, looks as if Richmond's Service 23 (see this post) at least is to stay on a more restricted basis, but with some bits added to replace the 22. The updated list of changes and cuts, as well as full details of Christmas & New Year services across Hertfordshire, can be found in Intachange 49, of which paper copies should be ready soon.

If that weren't enough for you, create your own Daily Mail/Express headline with this juicy FTW find, thanks to thebustocrookes ...

Can 'the voluntary sector' make a difference?

I found out about this at work yesterday, but am posting it now because I had to look it up on Hansard. One of the most common calls we get is about potential visitors being unable to book visits at certain prisons. These are the standard, legally-allowed visits, and have to be pre-booked for security. Quite often, someone is allocated to take booking calls, and they can be taken off the phones to do other things - whatever - meaning that the phone goes unanswered for hours, days sometimes. As a result, no booking normally means no visits, and quite a lot of mobile phone airtime used.

So, while I've been away, written representation on the worst 'offenders' has gone up as far as the Secretary of State for Justice... and during October, written questions were submitted on behalf of the Prisoners Families Helpline, by MP Chris Mullin. The answers can be seen here, and I've copied them here for posterity. The new procedure referred to (below) is PSO4410, which says, amongst many other things, "...where a booked visits scheme is in operation an efficient system(s) should be made available for this purpose, ensuring that telephone calls are answered promptly and the booking is administered in good time."

So, while stopping short of nationwide change, it's a very positive start. To answer my own question - combined with what I saw last week, I'd say unquestionably so.

Prisons: Visits

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the National Offender Management Service has taken in response to representations from the Prisoners’ Families Helpline as regards visit booking arrangements at HMPs Risley, Wandsworth and New Hall. [159143]

Mr. Hanson: New Hall has undertaken a thorough review of its systems following representations from the Prisoners’ Family Helpline. Booking hours have been extended and no subsequent complaints have been received since implementation on 27 September 2007.

At Wandsworth solutions are being sought to speed up the booking process and, since 2006, both remand and convicted prisoners are able to book their own visits internally. It is also open to all visitors to book their next visit before they leave Wandsworth.

Risley has taken measures to improve and speed up its system and introduced a second booking line, and a further member of staff to double their capacity for taking calls.

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if he will commission a report from the National Offender Management Service on the steps it is taking to provide an effective booking system for prison visits; [159146]

(2) if he will require the National Offender Management Service to set minimum standards for the prison visit bookings system; and if he will make a statement; [159147]

(3) what information the National Offender Management Service collects on the efficacy of the visit booking arrangements at individual prisons. [159148]

Mr. Hanson: There are no plans to commission a report from the Prison Service, which holds policy responsibility for these matters on behalf of NOMS. The Prison Service is aware of the difficulties many visitors experience when trying to book visits. The procedures and resources for booking visits are at the discretion of governors and directors in each prison, although they are required to have an efficient system in place.

The Prison Service has been pursuing improvements to visits booking and alternative options are currently being explored. In 2006, guidelines were sent to all establishments setting out practical ways of improving of visits booking, and an IT package has been made available to streamline the process. Prisons also have facilities to enable booking by e-mail to ease pressure on the telephone booking lines.

In September 2007 the Prison Service published a revised policy about visits, which introduced a mandatory requirement for all governors and directors to ensure that any system for visits booking is efficient. In future this will be monitored through the relevant performance standard on visits.

Information about the effectiveness of visits booking at each establishment is not collected centrally; although information about good practice at particular prisons has been disseminated as guidance to the whole estate.