Women’s prisons

Press, 31 January 1986, Page 16

Women’s prisons

Sir, —I have periodically mentioned Soviet abuses of prisoners of conscience. Having just read Pat Carlen et al, “Criminal Women,” in the interests of impartiality I must report that British women prisoners’ inside experience closely resembles Soviet dissidents’ experience. Specifically, they mention gross staff violence, inmate violence condoned, inadequate meals, medical neglect, frustration of complaints to higher authorities, excessive sentencing, humiliation, taunting, perversion, favouritism and excessive use of the psychiatrists’ drug Halopendol for torture. Soviet prisoners work long and difficult hours. British women prisoners are left isolated, unemployed, bored (books and hobbies deliberately im-

pounded, outside messages denied) and emotionally tortured. They are deliberately provoked into violence. With Soviet dissidents, British women and incidents in Northern Ireland’s Maze Prison, one wonders whether our own incarcerated are safe.—Yours, etc., SUSAN TAYLOR. January 26, 1986.