Letter From HM Prison and Probation Service Regarding Treatment of Assange

Recently I sent an email to the UK Prison service describing my concern over Julian Assange’s treatment in their prison.  I have attached this letter below:

Now keep in mind, I have sent a larger letter in the past.  Once again, their response is concerning.

So to my understanding, the UK does not consider 23 hours in a cell without reasonable contact with other humans solitary confinement?  Since when?  The definition of solitary confinement according to ncchc,org is:

Solitary confinement is the housing of an adult or juvenile with minimal to rare meaningful contact with other individuals. … Regardless of the term used, an individual who is deprived of meaningful contact with others is considered to be in solitary confinement.

In my return reply, I am going to add this definition and ask what exactly it means to be in a cell 23 hours a day without meaning contact in their definition.

The second issue they supposedly address in this letter is that it is not their responsibility to address his health issues.  So, we have learned it’s not the judge’s nor is it the Prison Services.  They basically tell you to contact the NHS England and Welsh department at gov.uk.  It seems no one there really take responsibility for anything except making sure their incarcerated are miserable.

Thirdly, this reply speaks of giving each individual 30 minutes in the library a week.  I hope you caught that.  30 minutes a week.  30 minutes. A week.  No one could properly prepare their defense in that amount of time.  No one.  Not even a genius like Julian Assange could prepare their defense in 30 minutes a week.  It absolutely astounds me.

Fourth, I want to point out that  he is in remand.  Remand is to imprison an individual until they go to trial.  This person is usually put in a lower security prison as they have not been to court yet.  They usually can wear their own clothes, (Julian’s clothes were taken by the Ecuadorian government and given to the U.S. as evidence, of what I don’t know). Usually, they get more visit time and more access to phones and the internet.  This isn’t so with Julian Assange.  He only got one call for Christmas.  He gets two 30 minute visits a week.  (By the way, 1 hour a week with visitors is not meaningful contact.

This letter baffles me and makes me wonder just what the U.K. thinks is justice and law and order.  Looking at the conditions Julian Assange is enduring also takes me aback as to what would happen to someone who isn’t as famous as him in British custody.  Also by sharing this letter, according to them, I am in violation of their copyright orders and:

Official/Official Sensitive/Secret/Top Secret

This e-mail is confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual to whom is is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this e-mail in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please contact the sender. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of HMPPS. Although this e-mail and any attachments are believed to be free of any virus or other defects which might affect any computer or IT system into which they are received, no responsibility is accepted by HMPPS, or its service providers, for any loss or damage arising in any way from the receipt or use thereof.

So I guess I am going to jail for sharing.