³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

« Previous | Main | Next »

SEE HEAR: Wednesday 4th November 1pm ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ TWO

SH Line Producer | 12:50 UK time, Tuesday, 3 November 2009

In this week's See Hear, our extended investigation asks whether deaf prisoners are getting equal treatment.

In one part of the country, the mother of a young deaf man in a Young Offenders' Institution fears that her visits are his only opportunities to communicate, as he's the sole sign language user in the prison. She's worried that he is losing out without full access to education and interpreter support on the education and rehabilitation courses he needs to attend.

We also spoke to a former prisoner about his experiences as a deaf person behind bars. He found that the lack of interpreter access within the prison system also left him unable to fully participate in elements of prison life.

But at another prison, Deaf chaplain Vera Hunt volunteers to visit deaf prisoners to provide emotional support, and she teaches other inmates BSL Level 1.

Armed with our findings, we challenged the Ministry of Justice, who maintained that the Prison Service is meeting its duty to give fair treatment to deaf prisoners, while conceding that textphones or email access are only available to certain deaf prisoners in a few establishments.

We're also visiting Melissa for the fourth instalment of her Baby Diaries, where she relives the traumatic birth of her beautiful baby Isobel. It's very emotional stuff... have a box of tissues nearby.

Comments

  • No comments to display yet.
Ìý

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ navigation

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Â© 2014 The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.