<
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2023/sep/03/un-highlights-psychological-harm-to-uk-man-jailed-since-2012-for-phone-theft>
"A UN torture expert has called the case of a man driven to psychosis after
being jailed in the UK for more than a decade for stealing a mobile phone
“emblematic of the psychological harm” caused by indeterminate sentences.
Thomas White was handed an imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentence in
2012 for stealing a mobile phone – four months before such prison terms were
abolished. He has been in jail ever since after initially receiving a minimum
two-year tariff.
His family say his mental condition has deteriorated significantly since his
imprisonment and that he now suffers from psychosis. They say he requires
urgent mental healthcare.
Clara White, Thomas’s sister, who is being supported by the campaign group
JENGba (Joint Enterprise Not Guilty By Association), said that he had had no
mental health issues before his sentencing. “He never experienced
hallucinations or voices. He was very musically talented. Since his IPP
sentence, all of his talent and ambitions have lain dormant,” she said.
She said the family had noticed a downturn in his mental health in 2016. “He
was ringing home sounding very unwell, mentally, physically, spiritually. He
would talk to us down the phone in Roman numerals. In prison, he was wearing
his own bedding and believed he was Jesus Christ.”
She added: “In 2020 we fought to get him out to a different prison because
there was no progressive programme in there. He was becoming really unwell,
very psychotic.”
Alice Jill Edwards, the UN’s special rapporteur on torture and other cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, told the
Guardian: “The cases
of Thomas White and many others are emblematic of the psychological harm caused
by the IPP sentences. The resulting distress, depression and anxiety are severe
for prisoners and their families.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
