John Kendall

When suspects are arrested, they spend their time in police custody largely in isolation and out of public view. These custody blocks are police territory, and public controversies about what happens there often only arise when a detainee dies. Custody visitors are volunteers who make what are supposed to be random and unannounced visits to police custody blocks to check on the welfare of detainees. However, there is a fundamental power imbalance between the police and these visitors, which calls the independence and effectiveness of custody visiting into question. Investigating this largely unexplored part of the criminal justice system, this timely book includes the voices of the detainees who have a unique insight into the scheme. It offers detailed proposals for radically reforming custody visiting to make it an effective regulator of police behaviour, with an explanation of the political context that could make that a reality.

It is 1956, and although Jonathon Statler is barely fifteen, he is already a proven survivor. Locked in a world of loneliness and abuse, Jonathon has nonetheless managed to learn golf and tennis, and embrace a levelheaded approach to life. He has paid a price, however. He is grossly overweight and short on self confidence. His eyes are more often on the tops of his sneakers than level with the world around him. Until one magical summer when Jonathon meets Malcolm Platt, the Director of Robert Morris Camp for Boys, and Angus McClatchy, a former teacher who now considers himself nothing more than an old man and, finally, a sensitive young woman named Becky Wilson. "The Echoes of Summer" is set against a background of racial and religious tension so prevalent during the 1950s. Author John Kendall captures the interaction of youth and age that provides the catalyst for a story that lifts the spirit and makes it soar.