“His Honour” Gerald Clifton is a retired circuit ,judge and a member of the Parole Board for England and Wales. His job, in part, is to chair parole hearings and consider prisoners like myself for release. However, writing in The Times recently, he has nailed his colours to the mast and directly contradicted the aims and remit of The Parole Board.
Three words to summarize Mr Clifton’s comments…”What a crock”..It’s no surprise then when inmates who are serving a tariff sentence resign themselves to the fact that they’ll maybe never get out.? therefore never even looking towards progression or having any long term goals, thinking only of making tomorrow or the day after a little easier for them to get through..
The most troubling thing really is that comments like his make prisoners who want to change resent the system which is meant to encourage that and mistrust even those members of the parole board who don’t agree with Clifton’s comments.
It can be very hard not to begin to resent the system when it seems so stacked against you. But I’m determined not to become bitter. I think that would only add to the tragedy of it all.