RE: THE ZAHID MUBAREK INQUIRY WITNESS STATEMENT OF ...

possible. From the security angle we were looking for anything on escapes orthreats of violence; on prisoners we were looking for anything on self-harm orpossible domestic or family problems: generally we were looking for anyconfessions or comments about crime.19. The general guidelines were for five per cent of mail, in or out, to be read(although those seen as an escape risk would be given special attention) but Iwould estimate that, on Lapwing, 75 per cent of mail was seen. In relation toStewart I remember that, on 12th January 2000, Prison Officer Debbie Hoggbrought me a letter Stewart had written to be sent out. It contained references tothe comparison between the numbers of black people at Feltham with the numberat the Manchester prisons he had been in before. It was not threatening but wasgenerally racist in nature and referred to "niggers". I cannot recall if it referred to"Pakis".20. Prison guidelines suggest that such a letter should be seized and recorded in thewing "Stopped Letters Book" and possibly a Security Information Report (SIR)completed and filed. However, officers are allowed to exercise discretion onbreaches of the Rules and I regarded one of the main jobs on the Induction Unitto be to prepare young prisoners (some of whom were in prison for the first time)for life in prison and, consequently, I adopted a less strict policy in relation tomatters such as inappropriate letters.21. The language used by the young prisoners amongst themselves, both verballyand written, was often aggressive, boastful and 'foul-mouthed'. Often youngprisoners just did not understand that what they said or wrote was unacceptable,inappropriate or offensive. In this respect they needed direction and guidance.Additionally, to raise an SIR on this for a prisoner only staying for a night or twowould have not been a practical way of dealing with the issue.22. Therefore, in the majority of cases, we returned an unsuitable letter to theprisoner and counselled/advised him why it could not be sent in its current formand that it needed to be re-written, in acceptable language. My view was that itwas better, in most cases, to resolve these sorts of issues in a less heavy-handed5 -925-