Eric Allison, a former inmate at Strangeways, who became Prison Correspondent at the Guardian, has died, aged 79.
Based in Manchester, he spent his journalism career campaigning to expose the what was happening behind bars, with his mantra “we don’t know what goes on in our prisons.”
Allison was a former career criminal, who spent a total of 16 years in prison. His first conviction (for housebreaking) was at the age of 11 and 3 years later he received his first custodial sentence.
His longest time behind bars was when he was found guilty of conspiring to defraud Barclays. Sent to Strangeways, he said he was seen as a “difficult” prisoner and spoke out about the abuse suffered at the hands of the authorities.
He “lent his support” during the Strangeways Prison protest in 1990 – from the streets with a loudhailer – and later co-authored a book on the protest, A Serious Disturbance.
His move to the Guardian came in 2003, after he responded to an ad in the paper, which said a “criminal record was no bar to application.”
Its editor at the time, Alan Rusbridger, was impressed with his passion. During the interview he promised to steer clear of crime, if he got the job. He managed to do so, throughout his 19-year Guardian career.
Today Rusbridger wrote on Twitter:
“Eric was never a world class bank robber – witness 16+ year behind bars. But he was an unflinching chronicler of what goes on in our prisons. He always complained that journalism was worse paid – and with more stress – than crime. RIP Eric.”
His campaigning journalism looking at the abuse of children in the Medway secure training centre led to G4S losing its contract to run the prison.
Another investigation into sexual abuse at Medomsley detention centre led to the formation of Operation Seabrook, which became one of the biggest single abuse inquiries in the country.
For this he and Simon Hattenstone were given an Amnesty Media Award in 2013 in the Newspaper Supplements category.
He also became known as a passionate campaign against miscarriages of justice, taking up the case of Jeremy Bamber, who is serving a life sentence for killing 5 members of his adoptive family in the 1980s.
Bamber’s campaign team tweeted this morning:
“We and Jeremy Bamber are very sad to hear of the sad loss of @allison_eric Eric Allison who was one of our patrons and a kind, tenacious campaigner for justice throughout his journalist career. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.”
He had recently been diagnosed with secondary bone cancer.
Helen Kidd, The Guardian’s North of England editor wrote more about Allison’s colourful life here.
