Not welcome in Dave’s ‘Big Society’

The following is a letter to insidetime, from issue April 2011

Not welcome in Dave’s ‘Big Society’

From Peter Thirlaway – HMP Wealstun

I have tried to get my right to vote and, like many others, the Ministry of Justice have ‘struck out’ my claim. But, just to rub salt in the wound, I have had a letter from the Queen’s Bench Division charging me £76 in costs, to be paid within 14 days of the judgement. I assume that all other prison claimants have had the same? I have absolutely no way of paying this cost as all my assets were seized by the MoJ after my ‘proceeds of crime’ hearing. I have written back asking if I can pay £1 per week out of my prison wages or whether they can defer payment until I am released from prison. At worst they can make me serve a bit more prison time for not paying, which will cost them more in financial terms than the £76 they’re after, and all because I believe that I should be a part of Dave’s ‘Big Society’. This just serves to emphasise the fact that we are not welcome in society, no matter how much lip-service is paid to the rehabilitation of offenders.

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