Josh Smith, a 29-year-old stonecutter from Manchester, has been held in custody at HMP Peterborough for more than two months. His court date has not been set until February 1, meaning he will have been jailed for half a year before any sentence is imposed. Smith, who is one of at least seven people in long-term prison terms awaiting trial, says the upside to his position is that people seem more receptive to his message about the climate crisis. Speaking from prison, he said: “The only good thing about my situation is that it seems to give me an extra platform for my views. I spend most afternoons writing speeches and they have been read all over the world – Italy, Sweden, Canada.” Rebels in Prison Support, a group that helps imprisoned activists, says any sentences given to non-violent and direct action protesters are likely to be less than the time they spend in custody. “It’s a complete shame what’s happening. “Many of these protesters are young and have had no involvement with the police, never mind the justice system, before they became environmental activists,” said Alice Reed, a spokeswoman for the group. Another 50 protesters were arrested and jailed last Friday, but many have been undergoing court hearings in recent days and some have been released on bail. Reid says the protesters are “lost in the prison system” as they move from one facility to another, ostensibly because of overcrowding. Detainees can struggle to make contact with the outside world for days at a time, and Reid says it can take a long time to try to figure out where they’ve been taken. Louise Lancaster, a 56-year-old former teacher from Grantchester in Cambridgeshire, was arrested on the M25 and taken to a police station in Grays, Essex. Her husband had to call a missing person to find her. He said: “I was held for two days in Essex and then moved to Peterborough Prison. I am meant by law to be allowed a phone call [to alert friends or family] and the police said they would do that, but they didn’t.” Essex Police said this was due to human error. Lancaster was quickly released from Peterborough on the condition that she take no further “action”, but her court hearing is not scheduled until October 2023. “Had I been remanded in prison I would have faced over a year before the trial,” he said. The delays are due in part to a prison system struggling to cope with high numbers and a court system under severe funding and other constraints, as well as a huge backlog of cases arising from Covid lockdowns. There are 59,000 pending court cases and the ongoing lawyers’ strike threatens to make it worse in the short term. A Justice Department spokesman insisted that environmental activists are treated equally under the law. “Decisions on bail applications are made by independent judges who ensure the public is protected. They have prioritized detention cases following the unprecedented impact of the pandemic,” they said. Those arrested have mainly been arrested for road blockades organized by Insulate Britain or Just Stop Oil. The most important stories on the planet. Get all the week’s environmental news – the good, the bad and the must-haves Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. There is a good chance that more protesters will soon join their ranks. A coalition of groups including JSO, Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace & Justice Project, Fuel Poverty Action and others are planning a major protest in Westminster on October 1. Record summer temperatures in the UK and severe flooding in Pakistan have increased the urgency in the eyes of climate campaigners. Smith admits he’s not a completely innocent victim. He has been arrested 24 times in protests in less than a year and has refused to commit to giving up the protests. But he is also determined to do the right thing. “A decade from now, when droughts are rampant, crops are failing and the UK is facing food shortages, I will regret trying to do everything possible – even if it meant spending time in prison and getting a criminal register; No,” he said. “My dad is supportive and my mom is understanding. But she’s like any other mum – she’d rather someone else’s son did it.” Lancaster has also been arrested more than 20 times and faces charges she knows could lead to her losing her freedom. “I have tried every other method to get my local MP and government to go along [the] The climate crisis is serious and I have failed, so immediate action is left to me,” he said. “I’m lucky to be able to do this as I have a supportive partner who can look after my 17-year-old to do his A-levels next year. If going to jail is what I can do to bring social change to a tipping point, then I should do it. This system is designed to intimidate us and we will not be intimidated or stopped.” A JSO spokesman confirmed that a large number of climate protesters were willing to break the law. “How many doctors, scientists, plumbers and grandfathers is the government willing to put in jail before they face the truth that we just need to stop oil and gas?” he said.
