12:44pm Thursday 2nd September 2010
By Reader's letter
YOUR headlines about the day release of Tia Carter from Askham prison are to be regretted (Killer in shop jaunt ‘treat’, August 24).
In fact, Tia and two of her friends from the prison, all three of them members of our church, helped a group of us at a recent local fair to raise funds for a local charity.
At that point, I had no knowledge of Tia’s identity, or her past life, and had no wish to know. All three worked tremendously hard and responsibly and gave us no cause for concern. We were extremely grateful.
I know that prisoners from Askham, several of them serving sentences for serious crimes, have in the past worked at Terry’s, St. Leonard’s Hospice, Oxfam, and many other local companies and organisations.
Prison is for punishment but also hopefully for rehabilitation. The nature of HMP Askham is that it prepares prisoners for release in the hope that they can move on to productive lives and make amends for past deeds.
Janet Kay, Askham Grove, Acomb, York.
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