Ministry of Justice Gag prisoners fighting Miscarriages of Justice

In a disgraceful move regulations were changed last year preventing Jeremy and others like him from speaking to journalists on the phone or in face to face interviews for fear that the truth about Jeremy's case and others like them will become known. This is a deliberate act to stop prisoners wrongly convicted gaining public support.

In 1999 Law Lords ruled that it was illegal to stop prisoners having oral interviews with media to read more click here

In contrast to this human right to oral uncensored contact with journalists the MOJ have made it considerably more difficult for innocent prisoners to talk to journalists.

Prisoners: Mass Media

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many times (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have authorised prisoners serving a sentence for each type of offence to contact the media in each of the last five years; [61753]

(2) if he will take steps to ensure that prisoners contacting the media without authorisation are given sanctions; [61754]

Mr Blunt: Prisoners are required to seek permission for contact with the media only if doing so by telephone or face to face interview and in consultation with Ministry of Justice Press Office. They do not require permission to contact the media by written correspondence. Prior to a change in policy in July 2010, all decisions on applications for contact by telephone or face to face interview were made locally by governors and no central records were collated. This information could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since July 2010 only applications for face to face interviews have had to be referred to the Ministry of Justice Press Office for approval on behalf of the Secretary of State for Justice. There have been no decisions to allow an interview in this time.

Prisoners who breach the rules relating to contact with the media will be dealt with under internal disciplinary procedures and face additional monitoring of their communications.

source - Commons Hansard Archive