In Place of Rage and Violence

Description

‘Heavy-end’ prisoners communicate their thoughts, experiences and feelings in their own words in a unique collection amassed by the editor during his two year stint at Welford Road.

Review

‘In Place of Rage and Violence will most likely appeal to the already converted, but could reach a broader audience if used to supplement mainstream teaching materials in Criminology and Criminal Justice studies. It is worth asking your library to stock a copy or two, if only to counter-balance some of the more weighty tomes that currently dominate academic Criminology:’ Internet Law Book Reviews

Foreword

”It is with great pleasure and a certain amount of pride that I write the foreword to this excellent collection of work by the men of Leicester Prison. I have been associated with the Writer in Residence Scheme for many years at several different prisons and I have a firm belief that any form of creative arts can help prisoners increase their self esteem, and this can so often be their first introduction to an education department or a learning centre, which in turn can be the first step away from a career in crime. I remember vividly, a young offender, whom the courts and society had labelled ‘a thug’, showing his grandparents in a crowded visits room a piece of work that the writer in residence had helped him to get published. The young man was full of pride and it proved to be a turning point in his life because he was able to build on this small step and engage with staff on a process of change. I am very grateful for the work and dedication of our current Writer in Residence Tim Reeves, a man who is never afraid of a challenge, and who can always find some good in any man, no matter what his offence or his background might have been. Regretfully, Tim is due to leave us shortly as he comes to the end of his residency. He will be missed by both staff and prisoners and I would like to say a big thank you for the time and encouragement that Tim has always given so freely. I hope you enjoy this anthology, I think the title is very apt. I know of several men who have replaced rage and violence with written words— now if we could only encourage a few more men to take this pathway”: Steve Turner

Governor, HM Prison Leicester

Editor

Tim Reeves was Writer in Residence at HM Prison Leicester from 2002 to 2004, funded by the Arts Council. He also teaches creative writing at the University of Warwick and his novel The Escape Artists was shortlisted for the 2004 Lichfield Prize. He has an MA in English.