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Class War issue 81: Mark Barnsley Still Fighting Inside, Still Fighting Outside
Supporters of the campaign to free Mark Barnsley have stepped up their activities in recent months. Angered by the Home Office's inadequate response to requests from Mark and his supporters that Jack Straw intervene to force the Crown Prosecution Service in Sheffield to finally disclose evidence withheld at Mark's trial, a group of campaign activists occupied the CPS offices in Sheffield. 16 were arrested and charged with "conspiracy to burgle with intent".
In January, a demonstration was held outside the constituency surgery of Paul Boateng MP, who amused the campaign by telling them that "this government has done more for justice than any in living memory".
As a further indicator of just how bad Boateng's memory must be, he has still not replied to any of the questions put to him about non-disclosure of evidence, or Mark's continued victimization within the prison system.
Mark's campaign has recently attracted a number of high profile supporters - Mark Thomas, Paul Foot (!) and John McDonnell MP amongst others. The response to this from the prison system has been predictable. On 17 January 2001 Mark was placed in segregation at HMP Frankland for "fomenting dissent". Mark was subsequently told he was to be moved to another prison.
Having been told by the Home Office that they had to give some reason for seeking to move him, Frankland decided he had been "organizing a protest" although about what and on which days they have not thought to consider. There appear to be two reasons for this - firstly to disrupt lines of communication between Mark and his supporters, journalists etc and secondly to ensure that Mark does not stay at any jail long enough to build friendships or have any influence.
The Prison Service and the Home Office appear to have decided that Mark's "reward" for fighting to prove his innocence will be a return to ghosting and segregation that characterized the earlier years of his 12 year sentence.
At the end of January Mark was transferred to HMP Wakefield - a clear punishment move, as Wakefield is primarily a jail for sex offenders. In consequence Mark refused to go on the wing and was kept in segregated conditions in an unheated cell with only one blanket. At the time of writing he is on one of the wings at Wakefield, in a cell previously condemned as unfit by the Prison Service.
In response to this, the campaign picketed the Prison Service Head Quarters and the Home Office in London, and supporters in Yorkshire had a well attended and somewhat loud demonstration outside the jail (congratulations on the fireworks!).
We would ask as many people as possible to spare 10 minutes to write to the Home Office and the Prison Service calling for Mark to be moved from Wakefield to a non-dispersal jail such as HMP Garth, to see out his sentence.
Wakefield seems to be allowing Mark only limited access to mail, on a strict interpretation of prison rules. They do however have to tell Mark what mail he has received - all letters to Mark should be sent recorded delivery to avoid mail being "lost" by the jail. Letters should always include a SAE. If you believe Mark has not received your letter, take it up with the Royal Mail in the first instance.
It is not simply the fact of Mark's innocence that should provoke people to support the campaign. Ten years on from the release of the Birmingham 6, the state's only response has been to make conviction easier and appeal harder. By reducing the prosecution's duty to disclose, ditching the right to silence and if Straw gets his way the ending of a right to elect for jury trial in either-way cases, the goalposts have been moved significantly. Coupled with the creation and under-funding of the Criminal Cases Review Commission - as a means of allowing the Home Secretary to duck political responsibility for the continued imprisonment of the innocent - the state's response is not to ensure that miscarriages of justice do not occur, but to ensure that any miscarriages of justice are ever harder to expose.
With the new Criminal Justice and Police Bill, and plans to force disclosure of previous convictions at commencement of trial, it's clear that New Labour is determined that its second term will keep prison numbers at record figures.
Mark Barnsley's case shows that "justice" is not available to working class people in the courts. Fast track criminalisation of working class youth will simply fill the prisons with people fitted up as Mark was. In bidding to free Mark Barnsley we take the first steps in opposing the criminalisation of all of us.
Letters of support to Mark Barnsley, WA 2897, HMP Wakefield, 5 Love Lane, Wakefield WF2 9AG (please enclose a SAE to ensure reply).
Justice For Mark Barnsley Campaign
PO Box 381
Huddersfield
HD1 3XX
Email: barnsleycampaign@hotmail.com
www.freemarkbarnsley.com
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