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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment

‘The prison system is insanely broken’: a climate activist on his experience in jail

Closeup of George Simonson, 24: he has short, spiky brown hair and is standing in a street
George Simonson, 24, from London, was given a 24-month custodial sentence for climbing a gantry over the M25 in 2022 Photograph: supplied

George Simonson, 24, from London, had recently graduated in mechanical engineering from the University of Edinburgh when he was given a 24-month custodial sentence for climbing a gantry over the M25 in 2022. He was also found guilty of criminal damage and sentenced to a further six-week custodial sentence for spraying paint on a wall of Exeter University in 2023. He sent this letter from prison before he was released in January.

I remember the day I was sentenced like it was yesterday. I was filled with anxiety the entire time. It’s a strange situation to be in, not knowing whether or not you’d have your liberty at the end of the day, or for how long it might be taken away. My mind was racing and I had no idea how to operate.

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