Whilst at HMP Askham Grange I initially thought it was a fantastic prison. On reflection, it was just a better prison than any closed establishment I had been in. The longer I was there, the more that became apparent. Women toed the line because they were petrified of being sent back to closed conditions. The Farmer Review publication in 2019 was met with great anticipation, as it supported more Release on Temporary License time (ROTL), supported rehabilitation and more family building time. But the recommended reforms seemed not to be for the Askham ladies. We had a day a month of ROTL taken off us as Askham had 'business needs'. They needed us to run the coffee shops and garden centres at the prison! These priorities were placed before our rehabilitation.
I spent a lot of my time in custody working with and listening to other women in prison who had suffered traumatic histories of abuse at the hands of men.
However, I spent a lot of my time in custody working with and listening to other women in prison who had suffered traumatic histories of abuse at the hands of men. I was determined to do something about it. After writing to APPEAL, they helped me to tell my life history and get it out to the world. We worked with the prison to get me permission to speak to a BBC journalist who then ran my story on BBC Stories where it was viewed millions of times. Off the back of that I was able to do a live radio interview on BBC Open Source. I found a real passion for speaking up about abuse and felt empowered to do more of this for myself and the other women who had suffered inside. When I was told I had won the Emma Humphrey’s Award for this campaigning, I was overjoyed!
But this feeling quickly turned when Askham had the audacity to say that they would not be allowing me to attend the award ceremony, despite my being granted ROTL for other activities. They cited the risk of public perception in allowing me to attend a 'party'. I was in disbelief at this refusal, as I'm usually encouraged to pat Askham Grange on the back. I was confused and angry as I was given express permission to be interviewed by the BBC and to do the campaigning work I did. I believe my refusal was not because of 'public perception'. I believe they refused as I was a woman speaking out about abuse by men.
many women - in fact close to 4000 - are still being locked up for almost 19 hours a day, many suffering from poor mental health.
Since my release, I have been reaching out to volunteer to support other women who are in similar situations to the one I was in. And although my prison journey is over, many women - in fact close to 4000 - are still being locked up for almost 19 hours a day, many suffering from poor mental health. Although most are the perpetrators of crime, the truth is that they are also victims. Many have suffered years of abuse and coercive behaviour. We then receive the ultimate betrayal by the British justice system - we were thrown into prison. If our mental health isn't already on the floor, we're fed Matazipine and left to get on with it.
It's time for a change. Prison is no place for abused women. Let's make a change.
Winning the Centre for Women's Justice and Emma Humphrey’s Memorial Prize reinforced my need to have a voice for those who have lost theirs.
At first I didn't understand how I had won, however, on reflection, I think I am a lot like Emma. We both suffered through terrible abuse and our determination to improve the system links us beyond the grave. So let's raise a glass to Ms Emma Humphrey’s and never forget about her legacy.
Lilly Lewis is a survivor and campaigns around the treatment of abused women by the justice system. She is also a winner of the Emma Humphreys and CWJ joint award, 2019.