Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and of all of the difficult days inside, it must be one of the most difficult. I want to invite you, if you don’t have a loved one in prison, to think how you would feel if you did. How would you feel if you couldn’t hold their hand when tings are tough? Or couldn’t run something tricky by them? How would you feel if their name had been blackened, particularly if they were wrongfully convicted and how would you feel if you were forced to question your belief in them and loyalty to them?

All too often, couples are being broken up by the failures in criminal “justice” because, pragmatically, all too often the legal system is stronger than love. We are brainwashed from an early age into believing without question the findings of a court, trumping everything else.

Nobody really talked about Valentine’s Day yesterday and who knows how the sadness in peoples’ eyes was deeper because of the focus on love but I certainly felt even more sad yesterday because I’m separated from those I love. I can’t just look at them, I can’t cook them a nice meal or buy them a bunch of roses and all of that is so very, very difficult.

The obvious truth is that emotional stability is vital to ensure people act in a pro-social manner and loving relationships with others must surely be a key part of that emotional stability. The SPS says they want to support close family ties but are they really doing all they can?

What about the wider system – does it not do more harm than good to families? To separate mothers and fathers from their children is amoral in the extreme and yet the policy makers in Scotland insist on continuing this barbaric practice.

I want to end with a few more questions. How would you feel if you were in the same position as I am? Could you handle the loneliness, the separation, the detachment, the injustice? Could you handle living in a place so totally devoid of love and care, especially on Valentine’s Day?

Finally, a personal message to those who love me: Thank you for your love and support. I love you all very much.

NaN.