PRISONERS' ADVICE SERVICE
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Mission Statement
Prisoners’ Advice Service (PAS) is the only registered charity to provide free advice and representation to adult prisoners in England and Wales regarding their legal, human and healthcare rights during imprisonment. The core aims of PAS are to provide high-quality and independent legal advice to prisoners, and to uphold the principles of social justice within the prison legal system. We offer advice to prisoners on matters involving different areas of Law including Prison Law, Family Law and Immigration Law. We are a small charity working on behalf of some of the most marginalised and overlooked members of society. Your donations enable us to continue in our mission. We are very grateful for your support.
About This Cause
Prisoners’ Advice Service (PAS)________________________________________ PAS is a small charity that works with one of the most marginalised of all communities – that of adult prisoners – yet which punches far above its weight in terms of the number of service-users we are able to advise and represent each year regarding their legal, human and healthcare rights, Prison Law and the conditions of their imprisonment. In defending the rights of prisoners, PAS regularly cites the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010. The Human Rights Act 1998 introduced the European Convention on Human Rights directly into UK law. It requires public authorities (including prisons and the Probation Service) to act compatibly with a person’s Convention rights. This means that prisons must respect the rights of prisoners when making decisions about their care or treatment. If they fail to do so, they could be acting in breach of the law. The Equality Act 2010 is the law that governs discrimination in England and Wales. It sets out the different forms of unlawful discrimination that people might be subjected to. These ‘protected characteristics’ remain germane within prison walls. Our work is not replicated by the state, local authorities, any other third sector organisation or by private business. It informs and educates prisoners, stimulating engagement and positive mental well-being, and assists in their rehabilitation by modelling a more positive, inclusive, version of the law that works on their behalf. By taking on legal casework that would benefit from such a step, our work also influences prison policy in the longer term. We deliver these outputs using our telephone Advice Line, Letters Clinic, Legal Casework, Outreach Clinics inside prisons and by providing information within the prison sector. Our caseworkers are fully qualified solicitors and barristers. PAS Core Aims ________________________________________ With bona fide legal information, and access to Legal Aid for prisoners, at a premium in prison, the first obstacle that prisoners face to asserting their rights is that they do not know them. Our services ensure that many thousands of vulnerable people every year are able to receive proper legal advice about, and assistance with, their rights whilst imprisoned. Our core aims are: • to ensure that legal advice is accessible to all adult prisoners in England and Wales regardless of ability to pay; • to educate prisoners with regard to Prison Law so that they can better comprehend their legal and human rights and support themselves and other prisoners; • to contribute to the reduction of recidivism, and to help build stronger communities, by upholding principles of rehabilitation and social justice inside the prison estate; • to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable groups in prison and to bring about positive changes to the prison environment. Specific groups that we work with are women, whose rights are routinely overlooked, those that are discriminated against and persecuted, including black, Asian and minority ethnicities (BAME), refugees and LGBT+ prisoners, and the least powerful: older prisoners, those with physical and mental disabilities and those with learning difficulties. Our Services in 2021-22________________________________________ Despite complications incurred as a result of the pandemic, the majority of PAS’ services remained available as usual throughout. Our core services are: • our telephone Advice Line, via which, in 2021-22, we successfully responded to an impressive 39,694 calls from prisoners; • our Letters Clinic, which saw PAS receive 1,389 letters from service-users, and send out 6,278 letters or related items to prisoners in response; • legal casework, which saw PAS open 65 new cases on behalf of prisoners; • Toolkits, Guides and Information Sheets, which were downloaded from the website on more than 10,000 occasions, are available in prison libraries and are sent out to prisoners by PAS caseworkers. These include two guides to LGBT+ rights in prison and four to women’s rights under Family Law; • Outreach Clinics inside prisons. Though this service has been suspended for two years, PAS is slowly being permitted access to prisons once again. In 2021-22, when callers to the Advice Line were asked, “Do you now consider yourself to have a greater understanding of your legal/human rights?”, 91% said “yes”. When letter respondents were asked the same question, 86% said “yes”.