Association of Prisoners takes on the state
Ben Gunn, a life sentence prisoner at HMP Shepton Mallet, is the general secretary of the executive committee of the Association of Prisoners (AoP).

For some time now, the AoP has effectively been banned by the Prison Service and the Ministry of Justice, by their use of a Prison Service Order no.4480. After much thought, the AoP has decided to go ahead with self-organising themselves into a coherent force to fight for the rights of prisoners, and to effectively become a union for prisoners. Their solution? To ignore PSO 4480 on the grounds it breaches their human rights, and if the state enforces it they intend to legally challenge HM Govt using Article 11(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Families and supporters of prisoners are asked to circulate info about the AoP to prisoners around the country.Prisoner solidarity campaigners/groups, along with prison reform organisations are also called upon to support the AoP. As part of info circulated by the AoP, Ben Gunn issued this callout:

Call For Support
"The Association of Prisoners is this generation’s attempt to give prisoners the voice we have long attempted to have heard.

Many other groups and organisations exist which play a role in attempting to change the prison system. Some are small and advocate abolition. Some are large, and advocate slow change. Some groups confine their work to specific subgroups of prisoners while others conduct broad based campaigns.

Along with the AoP, prison reform groups span the full width of political thought and action. The sole common ground sometimes seems to be dissatisfaction with the status quo.

This is a call to put differences aside. Prisoners need your help. In order to function, the Association of Prisoners needs the support of reform groups as well as prisoners themselves.

This is a once in a generation opportunity to help form a broad movement which could reshape the landscape of power within prisons and lead to real, positive change.

We hope that you can support us, in whichever way you can. At this moment, the immediate need is to spread the word, informing prisoners across the country that there is a group to represent their interests and which
encourages them to set up unions in their particular prison.

We call on everybody to use their contacts with prisoners, individually or collectively, to pass this call over the walls."

The attached pdf sets out the aims of the AoP, and provides a guide for prisoners to self-organise.
There is background info on the AoP here http://prisonersvoice.blogspot.com/
Read Bristol ABC's article here http://bristolabc.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/the-associat...ners/

Ben Gunn has been in prison for over 30 years, since he was 14, when he admitted killing a friend. He was given a 10 year tariff, but as a result of standing up for his and other prisoner's rights, he is still inside. His current attempts to obtain parole are being'obstructed' by prison bureaucracy. Ben Gunn is presently the only known serving prisoner to maintain a blog (with the help of friends) on life inside prison. It is well worth a read, see http://prisonerben.blogspot.com/

If you are in touch with a prisoner, or their family, please try to pass on this information.