A MAN OF VISION
Tireless campaigner for prison reform and chair of the APPG on Alcohol , Drugs and Criminal Justice – David Ramsbotham , 6 November 1934 – 13 December 2022
General David Ramsbotham ( Baron Ramsbotham GCB , CBE ) was born on 6 November 1934 , the son of a clergyman who went on to become the Bishop of Wakefield . He joined the army through national service in 1953 , then took a history degree at Cambridge before re-joining to rise through the ranks . He had received many honours by the time he retired as a general in 1993 .
He served as HM chief inspector of prisons for England and Wales from 1995 to 2001 , during which time he wrote hardhitting reports to the Home Office , challenging home secretary Michael Howard and then Jack Straw . He was highly critical of worse-than-Dickensian conditions in badly overcrowded prisons and did much to draw attention to the imbalance between punishment and rehabilitation . Writing his book Prisongate : The shocking state of Britain ’ s prisons and the need for visionary change , in 2003 , he made a clear case for reform .
Entering the Lords as a cross bencher in 2005 gave him the chance to keep campaigning for prison and probation reform . In 2009 he told DDN about a broken system with demoralised staff ( DDN , 27 July , p12 ). ‘ The three things that are most likely to prevent reoffending are a home , a job and a stable relationship , all of which are put at risk by imprisonment ,’ he said .
He was also highly critical that in too many cases support services – accommodation , benefits , treatment – arrived too late for someone leaving prison : ‘ There ’ s an awful lot of talk about it , but they haven ’ t got it organised and they don ’ t actually do a great deal of work with a lot of the offenders until they ’ re virtually released ,’ he said . ‘ It ’ s too late by then – you ’ ve had them with you for a long time , and you really ought to have done more . Leaving it as late as that is , frankly , barmy .’
It was a theme he would return to many times as chair of the APPG on Alcohol , Drugs and Criminal Justice , a role he fulfilled energetically until recently . He engaged vigorously in debate and his views helped to inform the work and progress of the group .
He will be missed greatly , and we extend our sympathies to his family .
HOW CAN I LEARN ABOUT TRAUMA ?
I picked up a copy of your magazine at my family service and was very interested to read about trauma (‘ A question of trust ’, Jan , p10 ). It made me realise that there have been things in my childhood that have affected me , my daughters and my grandchild .
It ’ s a good thing that staff are becoming more trauma informed , but could they be doing more to help the whole family ? There are things that I can ’ t even bear to acknowledge to myself , and which I have never been able to talk to my family about . Yet these things were the reason I turned to drink and drugs . When my daughters were having a hard time as teenagers , I used to give them alcohol and pills to make them feel better . I am not proud of that . They both got involved with drink and drugs and have broken up with their partners . Sometimes I feel so guilty I am overwhelmed .
I only picked up DDN by chance and I had never heard of a trauma-informed approach . How can people like me who are not professionals learn more ? Name and address supplied
GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT – NOT HYSTERIA
I have been a long-time reader of DDN and appreciate the wide range of subjects that the magazine covers and that you don ’ t shy away from carrying opinions that may be controversial and challenge an orthodox viewpoint .
With this in mind , I wanted to say how much I enjoyed last issue ’ s article by Nick Goldstein and found his opinion on spiking interesting and thought provoking ( DDN , Jan , p24 ). If you read some national newspapers you would believe that there is scarcely an uncontaminated drink in some nightclubs and we should bring our own special straws to drink from sealed bottles if we
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‘ There are things that I can ’ t even bear to acknowledge to myself , and which I have never been able to talk to my family about . Yet these things were the reason I turned to drink and drugs .’
want to remain safe . Nick ’ s sensible well-argued piece was a timely reminder that this is not necessarily the case .
Before continuing I want to stress that we need to be incredibly careful around this subject and at all costs avoid victim blaming .
Many years ago a colleague working in a forensic laboratory told me that in all the samples tested they had not found a single instance of one of the so called ‘ date rape ’ drugs . Their explanation was that the primary drug used to ‘ spike ’ someone in a club or bar was alcohol . As they explained it is far easier to top up a glass with vodka or order someone a treble when buying them a drink than smuggling specific drugs in for this purpose .
It seems to me that the focus needs to move away from ‘ bogeymen ’ with ‘ knockout drugs ’ to awareness around alcohol and how to access help if you see someone in trouble . An excellent example of this is the ‘ ask for Angela ’ initiative which acts as a codeword for bar staff that someone is in trouble or someone is acting suspiciously .
Practical guidance and support is what is needed , not media hysteria . A Garner , by email
DDN welcomes all your comments . Please email the editor , claire @ cjwellings . com , join any of the conversations on our Facebook page , or send letters to DDN , CJ Wellings Ltd , Romney House , School Road , Ashford , Kent TN27 0LT . Longer comments and letters may be edited for space or clarity .
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