Sport is amazing, isn’t it? The world of “sport” has something for everyone. If you like grunt and power, there is rugby, if you like your endurance and athleticism, there is the Tour de France and if you like technology and strategy, there is Formula One. It’s all exciting, vibrant and dynamic.
Dynamic bursts of energy.
Dynamic tactics and responses.
Dynamic soles in running shoes.
The word “dynamic” applies to businesses, too. Suermarkets have dynamic pricing, failing corporations recruit dynamic managers and new motorbikes come with a dynamic new design.
According to my Oxford dictionary, it means “full of energy, enthusiasm and new ideas” or “(of a process or system), constantly changing and developing”. Remember those last two words. There is one antonym – “lackadaisical”. That word might become useful later, too.
So the crucial element of “dynamic” is forward motion, improvement, energy and development.
Why the devil am I writing about that word in today’s piece? Allow me to introduce you to a common feature of the management of prisons in Scotland – Dynamic Lists.
There are lists for everything in here; lists for programmes, lists for transfers, lists for Generic Programme Assessments, lists to see agencies, lists to see a dentist. They are all called Dynamic Lists but I have come to realise that description is totally and utterly wrong.
When I was on the dynamic list for my Generic Programme Assessment, I had a date by which it is supposed to be completed – my first critical date which is half-way minus two years. I’ll let you guess if it was completed by then.
When I am on the dynamic list for a work party and I’m apparently next in line, if another prisoner who is better liked by the guards comes along, mysteriously, I move down the list.
The transfer list may be the worse one. I’ve seen guys who are desperate to move for family contact reasons who are told they’re on the transfer list and then, strangely, they fall off it.
The reality is that these are not “dynamic”. “Lackadaisical” is maybe a little too strong; “unstable” is a better term. However, what I implore you to consider is the effect this has on prisoners – the human beings who are in the care (stop sniggering) of the SPS. People who have not seen their families who are led to believe that they will and then they don’t. People who believe that they will complete a programme prior to a parole hearing but then don’t so they don’t get parole because they haven’t completed a programmed. People who believe they’re going to get the urgent healthcare they need but then don’t so they have to endure severe pain.
Whatever your thoughts on prisoners, please remember that not everyone in here is a convicted criminal and those who are aren’t necessarily guilty. But, in any case, we are all human beings, the vast majority of whom, at some point, will be out in our communities.
I believe that instability in lives is a major driver of crime. Surely, it should be eradicated from our prisons.
NaN.