Paul Tidball, FRSA, was President of the Prison Governors Association (PGA) 2006-2010, following Governorship of two prisons. Under his leadership, the PGA invoked its sole official dispute with employer HM Prison Service.

Early life

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He was born in Cardiff, Wales, attending Cardiff High School from 1961 to 1968.[1]

Career

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Following commercial management appointments, Tidball joined HM Prison Service as a Direct Entrant Assistant Governor in 1976.[2] He served as an Assistant Governor at two establishments and then as Deputy Governor at HM Prison Featherstone.

He was Governor of HM Prison Drake Hall and finally Governor of HM Prison Cardiff,[3] until elected President of the Prison Governors Association in 2006. He was re-elected (unopposed) in 2009. Upon his retirement, his successor said, "I want to thank Paul Tidball for his immense contribution, the magnitude of which I am only really beginning to see, as I grapple with all of the facets of the role of president." [4]

In June 2009, Tidball notably took the Prison Governors Association to its first official dispute with HM Prison Service, over the requirement to be responsible for prisoners housed in squalid and potentially dangerous Court cells because prisons were full. He described this requirement a "desperate, bottom-of-the-barrel option".[5] The Prison Governors Association met with the then Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, who relieved them of the responsibility and shortly afterwards introduced End of Custody Licences to relieve pressure on prisoner numbers.[2]

Tidball retired in 2010. Later that year, he accepted an invitation to join the Liberal Democratic Parliamentary Home Affairs Justice and Equalities Committee.[6] He withdrew from that committee in 2013, in disquiet over privatisation of most of the Probation Service.

He is now a Distinguished Life Member of the Prison Governors Association and has Life Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts.

Campaigning

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During his leadership of the Prison Governors Association (and since), Tidball campaigned:

  • for bolstering treatment and support services in the community to reduce default prison sentences for minor offenders:[2]
Investment in communities is the way forward.
— Towards Effective Sentencing
We have had so many of these [short-tariff IPP prisoners] coming through the gates that the resources are not there to actually provide the sort of interventions that the Parole Board would expect to be able to give the thumbs up in terms of release.
— Select Committee on Justice
  • for voting rights for prisoners:[8]
The blanket ban on sentenced prisoners’ voting is out of step in a modern prison service and runs counter to resettlement work which aims to ensure that prisoners lead a responsible, law-abiding life on release.
— Prisoners should get the vote
  • against privatisation of Justice:[9]
And all should be concerned about the civil liberties implications of a potential scenario in which a multinational could operate CCTV surveillance of a demonstration, contribute to its policing and arrest of demonstrators, take them to police cells managed by the company, transport them to and from court, house them in court cells run by the company, have them remanded to cells in prisons run by the company, write reports to court recommending disposal, provide the prison (or community disposal) place for the sentence, and recommend on parole, discharge and recall. The potential for conflicts of interest is huge.
— Justice for sale
  • against Titan prisons:[2]
... when I saw that the Chief Inspector said: “All our evidence is that smaller prisons perform best”, that is game, set and match to me because there cannot be more of an expert than the Chief Inspector.
— Towards Effective Sentencing

Personal life

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Tidball is married, with two children.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "We're a four-star prison, and it's all thanks to my staff". Western Mail (Wales). 26 July 2006.
  2. ^ a b c d "Towards Effective Sentencing" (PDF). Parliament of the United Kingdom. 22 July 2008.
  3. ^ "Memorandum submitted by The Prison Governors Association". Parliament of the United Kingdom. November 2006.
  4. ^ "Conference" (PDF). The Key. June 2011.
  5. ^ Leapman, Ben (17 June 2007). "Prison chiefs rebel over court cells". The Daily Telegraph.
  6. ^ "Youth Justice: the prison governor's view". Liberal Democrat Voice. 8 March 2011.
  7. ^ "Select Committee on Justice". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 3 July 2007.
  8. ^ Lyon, Juliet (15 February 2011). "Prisoners should get the vote". Prison Reform Trust.
  9. ^ "Justice for sale" (PDF). Independent Monitor. August 2012.