‘compassion And Care Are Being Stripped Away’: A Just Stop Oil Activist On Her Time In Prison

Louise Lancaster, 59, was 1 of a group of Just Stop Oil activists fixed nan longest-ever UK sentences for serene protest for readying disruption connected nan M25 successful November 2022. This year, she wrote a diary for nan Guardian, detailing her first six months down bars. Here, written earlier her merchandise connected 8 April and aft her condemnation was reduced connected appeal, she reflects connected her last months of incarceration.

January

At nan commencement of nan year, I turned a area and encountered a caller affectional landscape. Transfer to unfastened situation and nan condemnation entreaty were connected nan horizon. Change, retired of my control, was brewing.

Open prison, a surveilled situation without bars aliases locks, intended arsenic a stepping chromatic to organization reintegration, is simply a extremity for galore successful closed prison. But, heart-wrenchingly, it is only a tube dream for nan much troubled inmates – those who struggle to adhere to nan strict behavioural rules, truthful often owed to vulnerable intelligence health, analyzable psychological aliases neurodivergent needs, which location is scant proviso to cater for.

Every day, I effort to prosecute pinch Tina, whose soul distress tin consequence successful loud, anguished outbursts successful nan nighttime and repetitive calls for help. She regularly finds herself punished for these, pinch downgraded conditions, locked successful her compartment for days without TV, telephone aliases relation clip pinch others. Prison is nary fresh spot for Tina.

This morning, I telephone my daughter, Verity, but first prime up a connection she near a fewer days before. I would person loved to person phoned her astatine nan time, to stock and support. I consciousness a pang of guilt and nan chasm betwixt us. Today is her birthday.

It is besides nan time Cressie, Lucia (her co-defendants Lucia Whittaker De Abreu and Cressida Gethin) and I are assembled successful HMP Send’s video room for our entreaty hearing.

Two foot-thick tomes of tribunal papers measurement down nan table. Next to them, a cup of delicious flapjacks Lucia had made, that happily we are allowed to share. The ineligible arguments went connected for 2 days and we strained to hear, but we are sustained by nan knowledge that thousands stitchery extracurricular nan court, to peacefully and insistently make their support known. And we’re uplifted to spot (co-defendants) Daniel (Shaw), Roger (Hallam) and appellants from nan different 3 proceedings groups, via nan video-link system, connected nan screen. The verdict will return 4 to 8 weeks. We are not holding our breath.

February

News successful nan UK and overseas is getting grimmer by nan day. Surreal stuff. Trump’s tornadoes of turmoil, world temperatures tipping 1.75C supra pre-industrial levels, 35% of Los Angeles engulfed by wildfires, and Storm Éowyn, listed arsenic a existent threat to life successful nan UK, is ripping nan covers disconnected polytunnels wherever I activity successful nan situation gardens.

I and those moving pinch maine location are besides being scattered, reassigned to different activity aliases education. This tin hap without warning. It’s very unsettling for nan galore neurodivergent group who dress up astir half nan situation population. Appealing against nan moves is futile.

I person conscionable been put connected a 12-week acquisition course, which I’m already qualified for and which I will ne'er complete, arsenic I move situation successful 3 weeks. Given really overmuch accusation nan situation strategy amasses connected us, it is specified a discarded that inmates’ clip is not much intelligently managed. There is small follow-through aft courses, speech from links established by altruistic staff, pinch extracurricular trusts and employers that boost nan hopes and dreams of a few.

A objection extracurricular Southwark crown court, London, arsenic chap activists are sentenced successful July 2024. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/Zuma/Rex/Shutterstock

Pre-empting nan move to unfastened prison, I hole cards and small gifts for each I’ve built relationships pinch here. I consciousness sheepish letting Ava know. As a overseas national, she is barred from unfastened prison, contempt attending each people asked of her complete nan galore years and giving overmuch to nan situation community.

Today is grey and drizzly. Cressie and I transverse nan workout gait pinch our integrative boxes to cod lunch. An serviceman spots america and cheerily announces we are moving to East Sutton Park unfastened situation tomorrow. We speech puzzled looks. We are nan fortunate ones. Mina, a chap transferee, only finds retired successful nan morning.

Every clip you move prisons, each your possessions must beryllium checked out, 1 by one. In reception, we dutifully prime items retired of our integrative bags, which get placed successful new, sealed ones. We are amazed to observe that we will recreation by car alternatively than situation vans, aptly named sweat boxes. This seems weird.

Stranger still is nan situation we get astatine – a manor location and grounds akin to nan ones I utilized to sojourn pinch my parents connected a time retired arsenic a kid, pinch functional interiors reminiscent of outward-bound centres I stayed astatine successful schoolhouse groups. The communal rooms are beautiful and filled pinch books. Food is simply a measurement up. There’s a well-run gym, relaxed, supportive unit and nan shared bedrooms person barless plot views, which cheer up nan aforesaid situation furniture. Sadly, nan mattresses are moreover poorer – wrong a week, Lucia’s backmost is successful chronic pain.

Although beautiful, nan location has galore steps – a nightmare for little mobile prisoners, and each activity programmes require a level of beingness fittingness immoderate conscionable don’t have. Prison causes deterioration of wellness for galore inmates. Those who struggle are either assigned activity that exacerbates their information aliases are paid a 3rd of nan meagre costs if they cannot activity arsenic difficult arsenic different people. The individual needs of those brought present tin surely beryllium amended considered and provided for.

March

Protesters clasp portraits of Louise Lancaster and Cressida Gethin during a vigil successful Cambridge successful December 2024. Photograph: Martin Pope/Sopa/Rex/Shutterstock

Meals astatine East Sutton Park are communal events. We eat pinch situation friends from HMP Send. These are releases connected impermanent licence (RoTLs), a communal taxable of discussion. As pinch enhancements and unfastened prison, they are a privilege and mostly favour those who already person nan skills to entree activity successful nan community. RoTLs mostly see nan time release, activity extracurricular nan situation and gradually expanding numbers of nights astatine home. With only 2 female unfastened prisons successful nan UK, galore group are acold from home. Newly projected guidelines are group to trim financial support for recreation for those connected RoTL, which could limit entree for poorer inmates and exacerbate discrimination.

Over lunch, news reached america that HMP Send whitethorn beryllium nan 1 women’s situation James Timpson plans to close to proceedings retired replacement forms of “punishment and rehabilitation”. Send whitethorn person into 1 of nan 14 caller antheral prisons nan authorities insists connected building. We each stock our concerns for those near behind. Some will move to alternate, non-custodial organization provision, therapy centres aliases supplier and intoxicant rehabilitation. It’s decidedly betterment connected nan correct trajectory – but others will surely beryllium transferred. Send is 1 of nan amended closed prisons. What will beryllium their fate?

Today, our destiny has been decided. Cressie, Lucia and I locomotion successful nan unseasonably lukewarm sun to nan video room, wherever our lawyers will pass america of nan verdict of our appeal. It is almost shocking to person a simplification successful condemnation erstwhile 10 different appellants do not. We return clip to process nan caller reality. As good arsenic pleasure, a scope of emotions and thoughts outpouring to mind. Not insignificantly, nan unpredictable threat of curfew tag error, triggering callback to prison; harsh licence conditions regarding information successful events and net use; and restrictions that will forestall america contacting each different and truthful galore others.

But erstwhile I telephone my family to break nan news, they are already celebrating nan twelvemonth disconnected of my condemnation and that I could beryllium released connected curfew tag wrong weeks. Our sentences are still manifestly excessive, of course. The existent injustice is not their magnitude but that citizens engaging successful nonviolent civilian guidance are incarcerated by a ineligible strategy that outlaws information of nan heavy wrongs that compel their action.

The 1,000 group who sat silently connected nan roadworthy and stayed location for 90 minutes, contempt unit from nan constabulary to move, are successful my position nan catalysts for nan simplification successful sentences. My acknowledgment goes retired to them; we must ne'er underestimate nan powerfulness of specified corporate action.

That nighttime I reread Martin Luther King Jr’s letter from a Birmingham jail. I quote: “Injustice anyplace is simply a threat to justness everywhere. We are caught successful an inescapable web of mutuality, tied successful a azygous garment of destiny. Whatever affects 1 directly, affects each indirectly.”

In these quickly shifting sands of world instability, compassion and attraction are being stripped away. Injustice is increasing. We cannot fto this happen.

The names of inmates Tina, Ava and Mina person been changed to protect their identities.

Additional reporting by Matthew Taylor