Preservation of the Rights of Prisoners

Preservation of the Rights of Prisoners (PROP) was a prisoners' rights organisation set up in the early 1970s in the United Kingdom, which organised more than one hundred prison demonstrations, strikes and protests.

Formation

In the first five months of 1972 there were across the United Kingdom over fifty peaceful protests by prisoners.[1]: 176  PROP was launched on 11 May 1972 in a public house named the Prince Arthur opposite Pentonville Prison, formed to "preserve, protect and to extend the rights of prisoners and ex-prisoners and to assist in their rehabilitation and re-integration into society, so as to bring about a reduction in crime."[2]

PROP's foundation meeting was held in Hull and was attended by 60 people. Speakers included Norwegian sociologist Thomas Mathiesen, Jack Ashwell local branch secretary of the TGWU and Ros Kane from Radical Alternatives to Prison.[3] The sociologist Mike Fitzgerald took on the role of Press Officer.

Prison Strike

Later, on 4 August 1972, PROP organise a 24-hour general strike involving 10,000 prisoners in 33 prisons in favour of the demands in the PROP charter.[4] The prisons involved included:[1]

References
  1. Fitzgerald, Mike (1976). Prisoners in revolt: the origin and development of Preservation of the Rights of Prisoners (PROP), the British Prisoners Union. Leicester: University of Leicester.
  2. Fitzgerald, M. (1977) Prisoners in Revolt, Harmondsworth: Penguin pg.136-137
  3. Fitzgerald, M. (1977) Prisoners in Revolt, Harmondsworth: Penguin pg.142-143
  4. Taylor, I. (1981) Law and Order: Arguments for Socialism, London: Macmillan pg.128
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