The Independent Monitoring Board for Prisons is looking for new members
Getting behind the wall
In every community, there are people who are out of sight and out of mind behind prison walls. It is important that they are treated fairly and humanely and that they are helped to change and reintegrate into society because, at some point, perhaps very soon, they will return to those communities.
So, in every community, there are also independent monitoring boards or IMBs: members of the public, appointed by ministers, with unrestricted access to a nearby prison and those within it. They work with others, contributing their own experience and gaining new skills. They gain a unique insight into what can make prisons, and therefore society, a better place.
Anne Owers, National Chair of the IMBs, says:
“Reaching out to those who are excluded is fundamental to social justice and is reflected in the teaching of all faiths. One of the most familiar biblical texts expresses this in simple and practical terms: the call to visit those in prison. I know that all across the country, prison chaplaincies organise visiting groups to support individual prisoners. IMBs have a different, but equally important, role: as an independent presence in prisons every week of the year. It is an opportunity not just to witness what is happening behind prison walls but also to influence the way prisoners are supported and given the opportunity to change and rebuild their lives.”
The local IMB are looking to recruit new members. If this sounds like something you would like to hear more about, then please visit www.imb.org.uk to find out more or to apply.
