Page 32 - NewsandViews 2023 whole publication

It was sad that this was the very last production of not only this play but of the Journeyman Theatre as
Lyn and Dave Morris, recognising the march of 'old father time' ,felt it appropriate to lay down this
ministry. Bournemouth Quaker Meeting felt privileged, honoured and blessed to have experienced this
very last performance and are grateful to Lyn and Dave for what they have contributed through the
years.

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3. Back Door Parole Robin Thomas

Ten friends from St. John’s Church, Locks Heath, Southampton, attended a most thought provoking
performance of “Back Door Parole”, written and performed by the Journeyman Theatre. The
performance was organised by Pat and Stuart Yates, who used to attend St. John's Church, but who now
attend the Friends Meeting House, Bournemouth, where the performance took place.

Ron (played by Dave Morris) and Kathy (played by Lynne Morris) both gave truly haunting performances.
The play examined in detail the injustices, ineffectiveness, frustrations and overall failure of our penal
system, with particular emphasis on the issue of parole. The play focussed on older prisoners, the
numbers of whom, we were told, have trebled in the past 20 years. A number of other genuinely
shameful statistics were also provided as background information:

81 out of 120 of the UK’s prisons are overcrowded
There were 140,000 prison admissions in 2017 (highest in Europe)
There have been £410m in prison budget cuts since 2011
Staffing levels are down 25%
1 in 8 prison officers was referred with mental health issues in 2019
A third of prison officers leave within a year of being in post.

At the end of the play donations were requested for RECOOP, a charity promoting the care, resettlement
and rehabilitation of older prisoners. As the title of the play, “Back Door Parole”, suggests, many elderly
prisoners only ever leave prison by dying, because the pressures within the prison service mean they
never actually achieve parole.

Was it an excellent afternoon? Yes, it was indeed!
Were we made to feel extremely welcome? Definitely!
Was the tea and cake provided afterwards superb, in both quality and quantity? You bet it was!

Did we enjoy the play? Now that’s a more difficult question to answer! Enjoy? Hmmm! If feeling angry,
frustrated, disturbed, ashamed, guilty, and frequently profoundly moved constitutes enjoyment, then I
guess we did; we certainly felt privileged to have attended such a forceful and memorable occasion. Our
grateful thanks to all concerned.

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