Open Prisons

Available for over a year

Following a spate of high profile escapes, Law in Action asks does the open prison system need reforming? This week, Joshua Rozenberg visits Kirkham Prison - an open prison in Lancashire - to find out what open prisons are really like. In the studio, Joshua speaks to Conservative MP Philip Davies - who has been highly critical of the system - and journalist Noel 'Razor' Smith, who was given a 26-year sentence for bank robbery. It's 50 years since Nelson Mandela and seven other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia trial. Joshua Rozenberg meets George Bizos, an advocate working on the defence team at the time, to reflect on Mr Mandela's life as a lawyer. Doctors now have a legal duty to consult with and inform patients if they want to place a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order on medical notes, the Court of Appeal in England has ruled. Law in Action speaks to lawyer who represented the family which brought the case. CONTRIBUTORS Philip Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley Noel Smith, journalist George Bizos, defence lawyer for Nelson Mandela Merry Varney, Leigh Day solicitors Producer: Keith Moore Series Producer: Richard Fenton Smith.