HMP Edinburgh

I went to a prison today. I was there with the first group of teachers to attend a training course to enable us to support pupils who have parents in jail. It was a very moving experience - to try to view the prison through the eyes of a child as we were taken through security, watching people being searched, and then standing in line while a sniffer dog examined us, before entering the very grim visiting area. (There is a separate building for visitors which was very impressive, with lots of areas and activities for children.) The Family Contact Officers were fantastic, and spoke about respecting the rights of the people in their care, while the staff from Families Outside gave us lots of food for thought.
And there I was planning a pretty snowy scene for today's blip!