Steve had indeed been in a scuffle, exactly why I can not say, the information is just not coming. However, it would seem that the Wardens have been using a cruel tactic of telling Steve he is going to be released soon just so he keeps his head down and out of trouble.
Steven rang me last week and was so excited about the prospect of being released in the next couple of weeks that he had asked his girlfriend to get a solicitor to do the paperwork and had told his entire familly he was coming home.
After speaking to our contact at the FCO it seems there is no such process underway and that the Wardens have said all this to Steven just to get him to calm down and not seek an trouble after the attack that took place.
Its a cruel and horrible thing to do and now we have to tell Steven that the Wardens have been lying to him.
Not the best of jobs......
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Friday, 22 January 2010
It's Been Some Time
It has indeed been a little time since we last updated this blog. One reasons is good, becuase there has not beentoo much to let people know, and the other reason is not so good and that is exactly the same as the first.
However, I had a message on my phone from Steven the other night saying he had been attacked and was worried he has had his arm broken. He said everything has been stolen from him. We have not been abel to get hold of Steven becuase of many different reasons, but I know that Andy is going to try and get hold of him tonight.
As soon as we know how he is we will let you all know.
Take care
Brendan
However, I had a message on my phone from Steven the other night saying he had been attacked and was worried he has had his arm broken. He said everything has been stolen from him. We have not been abel to get hold of Steven becuase of many different reasons, but I know that Andy is going to try and get hold of him tonight.
As soon as we know how he is we will let you all know.
Take care
Brendan
Thursday, 19 November 2009
November Update
The last few weeks since October have been eventful for Steven. He has been placed in lockdown (Confinement to cell), had his clothes and personal items stolen, been beaten up and now, moved to a new gallery (wing) for his own safety.
Currently things seem good and we have been able to help Steven out of the predicament by speaking to him everyday for the last few weeks and sending out a lttle bit of cash to pay off the debt that he had which was the source of his difficulties.
For now all is good, however, I did have some dissapointing news from the FCO yesterday. We had been quite careful to ensure that the PTA (Prison tranfer Agreement) had been ratified by parliament and was all good to go. Our ocntact at the FCO confirmed some six months ago that indeed it was all in place. unfortunately, we have now had feedback from the FCO that ratification has not taken place and is tied up somehwere in the buerocracy between the two Governments.
This is really dissapointing as this was the tool by which we would have been able to get Steven released to the UK and into the British Prison system thus qualifying him for all the services afforded any prisoner in a UK prison, such as rehabilitiation, probation and assistance with adjusting to normal life. It is our fear that he will not be afforded such services and thus have to wait until the end of his sentence (April 2011) and be returned to the UK with no support.
This is sad news. We are still working with the FCO to see if the ratification process can be speeded up, but at present we have no further information.
With the money that people have donated we have been able to buy Steven some new clothes, food and books etc. So we want to thank those who have and are helping in a financial manner. We are still building a little fund to help us get Steven back from nicaragua and help him when he returns, so every penny is a blessing. Thank you to all who help.
We shall keep you informed about the PTA process and any other relevant information.
Currently things seem good and we have been able to help Steven out of the predicament by speaking to him everyday for the last few weeks and sending out a lttle bit of cash to pay off the debt that he had which was the source of his difficulties.
For now all is good, however, I did have some dissapointing news from the FCO yesterday. We had been quite careful to ensure that the PTA (Prison tranfer Agreement) had been ratified by parliament and was all good to go. Our ocntact at the FCO confirmed some six months ago that indeed it was all in place. unfortunately, we have now had feedback from the FCO that ratification has not taken place and is tied up somehwere in the buerocracy between the two Governments.
This is really dissapointing as this was the tool by which we would have been able to get Steven released to the UK and into the British Prison system thus qualifying him for all the services afforded any prisoner in a UK prison, such as rehabilitiation, probation and assistance with adjusting to normal life. It is our fear that he will not be afforded such services and thus have to wait until the end of his sentence (April 2011) and be returned to the UK with no support.
This is sad news. We are still working with the FCO to see if the ratification process can be speeded up, but at present we have no further information.
With the money that people have donated we have been able to buy Steven some new clothes, food and books etc. So we want to thank those who have and are helping in a financial manner. We are still building a little fund to help us get Steven back from nicaragua and help him when he returns, so every penny is a blessing. Thank you to all who help.
We shall keep you informed about the PTA process and any other relevant information.
Thursday, 29 October 2009
A little Book of Words
We have spoken with Steven yesterday to find him better than he has been over the last few days. He is currently still in lockdown but is due to be let out of his cell in the next 5 days.
During this time we have seen Steven's spirits tumble and so we wanted to help him as best we can. We are therefore compiling a little booklet of prayers, thoughts, words of encouragement etc so he can turn to them when he is in not so good a place.
This booklet will be sent out in the next 10 days, however, if you would like to contribute simply email us here with your words or reply to this blog. We will print and paste comments received into the book we are sending out.
Thank you!
Monday, 26 October 2009
Tough Times
Things are not going so well for Steven at the moment. For reasons we do not know he is currently locked in his cell with no bed, no food, no water and has been told he is to stay there for 3 months. We have written to the Foreign Office and are awaiting confirmation as to what exactly is happening and what we can do to sort the problem.
Unfortunately, Steven is not in the best of places and he was close to tears when I spoke to him on Saturday night. Michael, the man that was convicted with Steven has now been released and this has had a big impact on Steven's frame of mind since he has another year to serve. It's all very difficlut and made even more so by this sudden turn of events. Unfortunately Steven was very close to doing something silly and it is our payer that he stays strong in what is a very difficult situation. All he has is his bible. He has had to sell his phone to get food and water, so he is now borrowing a phone. We are in touch with him daily at the moment to try and keep him on a good level keel.
As we got to the end of our conversation last night I asked him not to do anything silly and that those at St. Boniface would pray for him, his response was 'I need the spirit of God inside me to stop me from doing something stupid'
We will be sending out some cash to him this week to help with food. We have not been sending cash recently due to ambiguity as to what is being purchased, however, we feel it is essential now so he can get through what looks like a very difficult time.
We will let you know how things develop.
Unfortunately, Steven is not in the best of places and he was close to tears when I spoke to him on Saturday night. Michael, the man that was convicted with Steven has now been released and this has had a big impact on Steven's frame of mind since he has another year to serve. It's all very difficlut and made even more so by this sudden turn of events. Unfortunately Steven was very close to doing something silly and it is our payer that he stays strong in what is a very difficult situation. All he has is his bible. He has had to sell his phone to get food and water, so he is now borrowing a phone. We are in touch with him daily at the moment to try and keep him on a good level keel.
As we got to the end of our conversation last night I asked him not to do anything silly and that those at St. Boniface would pray for him, his response was 'I need the spirit of God inside me to stop me from doing something stupid'
We will be sending out some cash to him this week to help with food. We have not been sending cash recently due to ambiguity as to what is being purchased, however, we feel it is essential now so he can get through what looks like a very difficult time.
We will let you know how things develop.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
The Ball is Rolling
We have received confirmation from the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) that the PTA(Prison Transfer Agreement) has been signed by Steven. In fact, it was signed by Steven about a year ago in the hope that once all his court appearances are complete the process can be started immediately. It seems this has worked very well.
The only thinkg that is holding the process up at the moment is the official ruling from the court. There is no doubt what the court has decided, its just that the paperwork on the Nicaraguan side needs to be issued so it is official that Stevens sentence has now been agreed and is final.
We are trying to ascertain if there is anything we can do witht he Ministry of Justice to expedite the process, however, with it being a Nicaraguan thing it is likley that we will just have to wait until they issue the paperwork.
Friday, 11 September 2009
Rambling through an update.
Throughout the discussion with the FCO it has come to my attention that the PTA (prison Transfer Agreement) was actually set in place a couple of years ago specifically because of Steven. The Foreign Office knew that Steven had been imprisoned there and then set up an agreement between the UK and Nicaragua for prisoner transfers. How good is that!
Now that all appeals and court cases have been settled, we can now apply for Steven to be transferred back to the UK under this agreement. So, Steven will be the First person ever to be transferred from Nicaragua to the UK. Not entirely sure that’s a great achievement, but hey, I am not concerned.
Thing is, since it's the first time this agreement is going to be used, we have no idea how long the process will take. The FCO say it could be as little at 3 months or it may not happen until Steven is official released as a free man in April 2011. No-body knows. But what I have been assured is that if there are any hold ups it will not be on the UK side. The FCO confirm they have good procedures in place and it will be the Ministry of Justice (Jack Straws back Yard) here in the UK and in Nicaragua that will carry out the process. If the Nicaraguan Ministry of Justice drag their feet (lets face it all our experience to date has been of nothing but people dragging their feet, in fact, dragging the feet would suggest that they have gotten up off their backsides :-0 tut tut!) then there is not too much the British Government can do except keep pressure on.
I guess one of our prayers now should be that this process is a speedy one, not with delays and not with apathy, but that Nicaraguan authorities would want Steven out of their system just as much as we want him back and in ours.
The benefit of having Steven back here is that any remaining days left on his sentence will probably be reduced by 50%. Also, he will then be entitled to all the services that any other prisoner in the UK system is afforded. he will have a probation officer and receive help with resettlement, housing, clothes, welfare and education. He will not get any of this help if he is returned to the UK as a free man. SO thins is why we have started this process and because the conditions in UK prisons are probably a billion times better than in Nicaragua, plus he will get all the dental and medical care he needs.
All prisoners returned to the UK under such an agreement will be sent directly to Wandsworth Prison in London (picture above). An assessment of where he should be sent will be made at that time, however, since he will only have a few months left to serve it is quite likely that he will serve it out in Wandsworth, rather than be transferred to Winson Green. We will have to see what the options are; however, it will mean that we will be able to take his mother to London to meet her son who she has not seen for over 6 years. That will be an amazing moment.
In addition we will be celebrating his return as the prodigal son was received by the father in the famous biblical story. I am so looking forward to that.
All in all we could not have hoped for such progress. Even against the rickety grinding and aching pains of the Nicaraguan system we have come so very far. When we first met Steven he still had 19 of his 24 to serve, now he has 18 months maximum and maybe even less. God is such a gracious and merciful God!
Please do continue to pray for this man; it seems to me that this is a two part journey based in two different countries. It maybe that the Nicaraguan leg of this journey is coming to an end, or at least we can see the end of it, but the English journey has not even begun and that is one that could well hold just as many joys and disappointments as the first part. Its a story indeed, but its also a mans life and so as Jesus taught we must love all, regardless, indiscriminately, passionately and in the manner in which we love ourselves. The challenge is not actually to know and realise this, its not even to notice when its needed or preach about the merits of such a way of life, no, the challenge is quite simply having the guts to love others in such a way.
A famous Indian Spiritual Teacher once said 'We naturally love those who are dear to us, we must learn to give that kind of love to the whole world'. I claim these words in the name of Jesus Christ and I claim then as my ongoing challenge to the manner in which I live and the manner in which I love others around me, even those whom the world does not want to love.
Amen!
Now that all appeals and court cases have been settled, we can now apply for Steven to be transferred back to the UK under this agreement. So, Steven will be the First person ever to be transferred from Nicaragua to the UK. Not entirely sure that’s a great achievement, but hey, I am not concerned.
Thing is, since it's the first time this agreement is going to be used, we have no idea how long the process will take. The FCO say it could be as little at 3 months or it may not happen until Steven is official released as a free man in April 2011. No-body knows. But what I have been assured is that if there are any hold ups it will not be on the UK side. The FCO confirm they have good procedures in place and it will be the Ministry of Justice (Jack Straws back Yard) here in the UK and in Nicaragua that will carry out the process. If the Nicaraguan Ministry of Justice drag their feet (lets face it all our experience to date has been of nothing but people dragging their feet, in fact, dragging the feet would suggest that they have gotten up off their backsides :-0 tut tut!) then there is not too much the British Government can do except keep pressure on.
I guess one of our prayers now should be that this process is a speedy one, not with delays and not with apathy, but that Nicaraguan authorities would want Steven out of their system just as much as we want him back and in ours.
The benefit of having Steven back here is that any remaining days left on his sentence will probably be reduced by 50%. Also, he will then be entitled to all the services that any other prisoner in the UK system is afforded. he will have a probation officer and receive help with resettlement, housing, clothes, welfare and education. He will not get any of this help if he is returned to the UK as a free man. SO thins is why we have started this process and because the conditions in UK prisons are probably a billion times better than in Nicaragua, plus he will get all the dental and medical care he needs.
All prisoners returned to the UK under such an agreement will be sent directly to Wandsworth Prison in London (picture above). An assessment of where he should be sent will be made at that time, however, since he will only have a few months left to serve it is quite likely that he will serve it out in Wandsworth, rather than be transferred to Winson Green. We will have to see what the options are; however, it will mean that we will be able to take his mother to London to meet her son who she has not seen for over 6 years. That will be an amazing moment.
In addition we will be celebrating his return as the prodigal son was received by the father in the famous biblical story. I am so looking forward to that.
All in all we could not have hoped for such progress. Even against the rickety grinding and aching pains of the Nicaraguan system we have come so very far. When we first met Steven he still had 19 of his 24 to serve, now he has 18 months maximum and maybe even less. God is such a gracious and merciful God!
Please do continue to pray for this man; it seems to me that this is a two part journey based in two different countries. It maybe that the Nicaraguan leg of this journey is coming to an end, or at least we can see the end of it, but the English journey has not even begun and that is one that could well hold just as many joys and disappointments as the first part. Its a story indeed, but its also a mans life and so as Jesus taught we must love all, regardless, indiscriminately, passionately and in the manner in which we love ourselves. The challenge is not actually to know and realise this, its not even to notice when its needed or preach about the merits of such a way of life, no, the challenge is quite simply having the guts to love others in such a way.
A famous Indian Spiritual Teacher once said 'We naturally love those who are dear to us, we must learn to give that kind of love to the whole world'. I claim these words in the name of Jesus Christ and I claim then as my ongoing challenge to the manner in which I live and the manner in which I love others around me, even those whom the world does not want to love.
Amen!
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