wealstun prison visit booking

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• Inside Time Reports
• 13th December 2014
• Male Cat. C , Prison Visit , Yorkshire & Humberside

Prison information

Address:   HM Prison Wealstun, Thorp Arch, Wetherby, UK

Switchboard: 01937 444599 Managed by: HMPPS Region: Yorkshire Category:  Men Link to: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wealstun-prison

Description

Wealstun is a prison for adult men near Wetherby, Yorkshire.

Visit Booking: On-line Use this online service to book a social visit to a prisoner in England or Wales you need the:

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You’ll get an email confirming your visit. It takes 1 to 3 days.

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HMYOI WARREN HILL

• 4th January 2015

2 thoughts on “ HMP WEALSTUN ”

Please can you tell me the dates of the family visits to wealston prison in Wetherby.for 2019/20 .thankyou.

Trying to book a visit at Wealstun to see someone before and just after Christmas. No response, its a nightmare.

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Wealstun Prison Information

• Accommodation: The prison provides multiple residential units with individual cells or shared accommodation for inmates. The cells are equipped with basic amenities, including beds, personal storage, and sanitation facilities.
• Education and Vocational Training: Wealstun Prison places a strong emphasis on education and vocational training. Inmates have access to a range of educational programs, including basic education, literacy, numeracy, and accredited courses. Vocational training opportunities are also available to develop employable skills and enhance prospects for successful reintegration into society.
• Work Opportunities: Inmates at Wealstun Prison have access to various work activities within the prison, such as maintenance, cleaning, kitchen, and other designated roles. These work activities aim to develop skills, instill discipline, and promote a sense of responsibility.
• Healthcare: Wealstun Prison has an on-site healthcare unit staffed with medical professionals who provide primary healthcare services to prisoners. Mental health support, substance abuse programs, and specialized medical care are also available.
• Family Contact: The prison recognizes the importance of maintaining family relationships and facilitates visits and contact with family members, subject to specific guidelines and regulations.
• Resettlement Support: Wealstun Prison offers pre-release planning and support to help inmates prepare for their eventual release. This may include assistance with accommodation, employment, and access to community-based support services.

Contact Information

Booking a visit to wealstun prison.

• Monday: 2:15pm to 4pm
• Tuesday: 9:30am to 11am and 2:15pm to 4pm
• Wednesday: 2:15pm to 4pm
• Thursday: 9:30am to 11am and 2:15pm to 4pm
• Friday: no visits
• Saturday: 9:30am to 11:30am and 1:45pm to 3:45pm
• Sunday: 9:30am to 11:30am and 1:45pm to 3:45pm

Unlimited Prison Phone Calls Package

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• Valid Photographic
• Driving Licence (full or provisional)
• Citizen Card
• Senior Citizens Bus Pass Travel Card (issued by Scottish Government)
• Utility bill
• Council tax bill
• Benefit book
• Bank statement
• other letter from official source

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The Good Book of Prisons

What's good in prisons across England & Wales

The managers described relationships between prisoners and staff as ‘very good’ and praised the ‘highly committed’ staff, who had a ‘can do’ attitude, and said there were ‘excellent’ and ‘friendly’ relationships among staff at all levels. Wealstun was one of the pilot sites for PAVA (synthetic pepper spray), and the managers said it had had a ‘major’ and ‘positive’ impact on staff safety. They also highlighted the value of having two full time mentors for POELTS, which they thought had contributed to ‘very low’ levels of attrition. They praised the gym and its staff more generally (‘excellent all round’), which was also available to, and well used by, staff, and noted the links made with local sports teams, including Leeds Rhinos Rugby League team. They rated vocational training and work opportunities for prisoners as another positive, along with ‘strong’ community links ‘in general’, including with local employers. The managers also felt Wealstun to be a ‘nice environment’ in which to live and work, with ‘plenty of green space’ – while the ‘popular’ mess was also a positive for staff.

The prisoners described Wealstun’s staff as ‘excellent’ and said they had ‘very good’ relationships with them. They added particular praise for, and appreciation of, the ‘very good’ all day family visits. Like the managers, they also gave a positive rating to the gym and gym staff, including the links with local sports teams.

The Officers also praised staff-prisoner relationships. They said the staff were ‘very friendly’ and ‘supportive to one another’ across disciplines, and cited the value of a ‘strong camaraderie’ and regular ‘staff nights out’. They agreed with managers about the mess, which was ‘well used by staff of all grades and disciplines’, and helped with mixing among staff across disciplines. They called PAVA spray ‘awesome’ in making ‘a real difference’ to staff confidence and safety. The grounds were seen as another positive too.

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Butler Trust

www.butlertrust.org.uk

[email protected]

020 8688 6062

Wealstun Prison

Tel: 01937 444 400  –  Church causeway, Thopr arch Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7AZ

On 1 April 1995, HM Prisons Thorp Arch and Rudgate amalgamated to form HMP Wealstun. This was an historic development for the Prison Service, and had the effect of creating a Category C (closed) and Category D (open) prison as one establishment on a single site.

In 2008 the open prison closed and the prison underwent a conversion to provide additional category C places, the full prison commenced operation in May 2010 and can now accommodate 832 prisoners.

Tel: 01937 444 400

Operational capacity: 832

Church causeway, Thopr arch Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7AZ

Prison Phone have been saving inmates at HMP Wealstun money on their calls from the prison to any UK mobile phone since 2013.

We do this by allocating a dedicated and secure local number to your mobile phone, this means when the inmate at Wealstunprison calls the new local number we have provided they will be charged at just the local landline rate (around 10p per minute) rather than the standard mobile rate (which is around 40p per minute).

This in turn helps to stretch the inmates PINS phone credit further and reduces the amount you need to send in for them to top up!

Send me Wealstun prison details via FREE SMS

Mobile number:

Here’s some facts about Wealstun Prison

HMP Wealstun is a category C prison in Thorp Arch, West Yorkshire. Opened in 1995, as an amalgamation between HMP Thorp Arch and HMP Rudgate, the prison has capacity to hold 832 male inmates.

There are 10 residential units: A-J. A and B wings are the original 196- remand buildings, housing 230 prisoners in both single and double cells. C wing holds 180 prisoners all in single cells, including two safer cells, holding the majority of prisoners on the integrated drug treatment system (IDTS) programme. D wing is a single cell accommodation unit. E, F, G, H, I & J wings were converted from a category D establishment in 2008, and hold a total of 300 inmates. H wing is mainly for prison kitchen workers.

Owen Oyston , former owner of Blackpool FC, was sentenced to 6 years in prison for the rape of a 16-year-old girl in 1996. In 1999, he was denied parole, with at least 12 months until a further application could be made (after his automatic release date).

To view the latest HMIP inspection report, click here .

Visiting hours are 09:30 – 11:30 & 13:30 – 15:30 Monday-Thursday, and 09.30 – 11.30 & 13.45 – 16.00 Saturday-Sunday.

A 2004 inspection found that the building was mouldy and infested with rats.

An investigation was launched in July 2015 after the death of Stephen Davidson, pronounced dead at the scene he was found unresponsive.

In 2003, inmates were involved in a rooftop protest. Some inmates managed to stay on the roof for 30 hours.

Prison Phone offers phone tariffs that reduce the costs of calls from this prison by up to 75%! This enables prisoners to get the support and love that they are missing from home, while reducing costs for the inmate. Find out more below.

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Prisons · West Yorkshire

Overcrowding.

Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA): 849

Population: 886

Wealstun is a category C training prison for men. It was formed from the merger of two prisons, Rudgate and Thorp Arch in 1995.

Read Wealstun’s latest inspection report here. 

About this information

Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA) is the prison service’s own measure of how many prisoners can be held in decent and safe accommodation. Any occupancy above CNA means that the prison in question is overcrowded.

Prisons in England and Wales fall into four separate security categories. Some prisons can operate under more than one category.

Category A : Category A prisons are high security prisons, holding those individuals considered the most threatening to the public should they escape. Category A prisons should not be overcrowded, given the high levels of security required.

Category B: Category B prisons, or local prisons, are the largest category of prison. They tend to hold un-sentenced prisoners, prisoners on remand awaiting trial, short-sentenced prisoners or those newly sentenced and awaiting transfer to another prison category. Category B prisons tend to be the most overcrowded, with a constantly churning population.

Category C: Category C prisons are sometimes called ‘training prisons’. They are meant to offer education and training to prisoners and the vast majority of prisoners on longer sentences will spend time in Category C accommodation. Historically not overcrowded, we now see more and more Category C prisons running overcrowded regimes.

Category D: Category D prisons offer open conditions and house those who can be reasonably trusted not to try to escape. Prisoners in Category D prisons will be given Release On Temporary Licence (ROTL) to work in the community or go on home leave, usually returning to the prison in the early evening. The majority of Category D prisoners will be towards the end of their sentence, and their period in open conditions is preparing them for their eventual release. Category D prisons tend not to be overcrowded.

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Increasing prisoner numbers creating pressure at HMP Wealstun

• #HMP Wealstun

The prison population across England and Wales is nearly at capacity, and whilst new prison places are being added, the growth in capacity is not yet sufficient to deal with the number of prisoners in the system. At HMP Wealstun this has resulted in the doubling up of cells. The shortage of officers is also impacting Wealstun’s ability to function as a resettlement prison, with men locked up for long periods of time and limited workshop and educational opportunities.  

In its 2022-23 annual report, the Wealstun IMB notes that:

• There has been a significant increase in the number of cells designed for one person now housing two, which has a severe impact on decency and privacy for prisoners.
• Prison Officers from HMP Wealstun are being sent on ‘detached duty’ to assist other prisons with staff shortages. This results in prisoners spending up to 22 hours a day in their cell and a large proportion of men having no contact with their key worker.
• There have been difficulties recruiting workshop tutors, limiting opportunities for prisoners to undertake purposeful activity. This is impacting prisoners’ ability to earn money during their sentence and their opportunities of finding work on release.

However, the Board were pleased to report that:

• Wealstun has been selected as a ‘super site’ by Clinks Kitchen Scheme and from July 2023 a full time Clinks trainer will be based on site to support training initiatives.  
• There has been positive feedback on family days, and the ‘Storybook Dads’ scheme continues to be popular.

IMB Wealstun Chair, Rebecca Major, said: “Whilst the staff at HMP Wealstun are working hard to ensure that prisoners are treated fairly and humanely, kept safe and helped with resettlement, the continuing increases to capacity and staffing challenges mean that prisoners are locked in their cells for longer than should be the case. Staffing shortages have also impacted the running of workshops so the majority of prisoners can only work part time with the resultant reduced pay. Furthermore, prison wages have not risen in line with inflation so many struggle to afford essential items from the canteen.”

Emma Goldman My Disillusionment in Russia

Meeting People

AT a conference of the Moscow Anarchists in March I first learned of the part some Anarchists had played in the Russian Revolution. In the July uprising of 1917 the Kronstadt sailors were led by the Anarchist Yarchuck; the Constituent Assembly was dispersed by Zhelezniakov; the Anarchists had participated on every front and helped to drive back the Allied attacks. It was the consensus of opinion that the Anarchists were always among the first to face fire, as they were also the most active in the reconstructive work. One of the biggest factories near Moscow, which did not stop work during the entire period of the Revolution, was managed by an Anarchist. Anarchists were doing important work in the Foreign Office and in all other departments. I learned that the Anarchists had virtually helped the Bolsheviki into power. Five months later, in April, 1918, machine guns were used to destroy the Moscow Anarchist Club and to suppress their Press. That was before Mirbach arrived in Moscow. The field had to be "cleared of disturbing elements," and the Anarchists were the first to suffer. Since then the persecution of the Anarchists has never ceased.

The Moscow Anarchist Conference was critical not only toward the existing régime, but toward its own comrades as well. It spoke frankly of the negative sides of the movement, and of its lack of unity and coöperation during the revolutionary period. Later I was to learn more of the internal dissensions in the Anarchist movement. Before closing, the Conference decided to call on the Soviet Government to release the imprisoned Anarchists and to legalize Anarchist educational work. The Conference asked Alexander Berkman and myself to sign the resolution to that effect. It was a shock to me that Anarchists should ask any government to legalize their efforts, but I still believed the Soviet Government to be at least to some extent expressive of the Revolution. I signed the resolution, and as I was to see Lenin in a few days I promised to take the matter up with him.

The interview with Lenin was arranged by Balabanova. "You must see Ilitch, talk to him about the things that are disturbing you and the work you would like to do," she had said. But some time passed before the opportunity came. At last one day Balabanova called up to ask whether I could go at once. Lenin had sent his car and we were quickly driven over to the Kremlin, passed without question by the guards, and at last ushered into the workroom of the all-powerful president of the People's Commissars.

When we entered Lenin held a copy of the brochure Trial and Speeches in his hands. I had given my only copy to Balabanova, who had evidently sent the booklet on ahead of us to Lenin. One of his first questions was, "When could the Social Revolution be expected in America?" I had been asked the question repeatedly before, but I was astounded to hear it from Lenin. It seemed incredible that a man of his information should know so little about conditions in America.

My Russian at this time was halting, but Lenin declared that though he had lived in Europe for many years he had not learned to speak foreign languages: the conversation would therefore have to be carried on in Russian. At once he launched into a eulogy of our speeches in court. "What a splendid opportunity for propaganda," he said; "it is worth going to prison, if the courts can so successfully be turned into a forum." I felt his steady cold gaze upon me, penetrating my very being, as if he were reflecting upon the use I might be put to. Presently he asked what I would want to do. I told him I would like to repay America what it had done for Russia. I spoke of the Society of the Friends of Russian Freedom, organized thirty years ago by George Kennan and later reorganized by Alice Stone Blackwell and other liberal Americans. I briefly sketched the splendid work they had done to arouse interest in the struggle for Russian freedom, and the great moral and financial aid the Society had given through all those years. To organize a Russian society for American freedom was my plan. Lenin appeared enthusiastic. "That is a great idea, and you shall have all the help you want. But, of course, it will be under the auspices of the Third International. Prepare your plan in writing and send it to me."

I broached the subject of the Anarchists in Russia. I showed him a letter I had received from Martens, the Soviet representative in America, shortly before my deportation. Martens asserted that the Anarchists in Russia enjoyed full freedom of speech and Press. Since my arrival I found scores of Anarchists in prison and their Press suppressed. I explained that I could not think of working with the Soviet Government so long as my comrades were in prison for opinion's sake. I also told him of the resolutions of the Moscow Anarchist Conference. He listened patiently and promised to bring the matter to the attention of his party. "But as to free speech," he remarked, "that is, of course, a bourgeois notion. There can be no free speech in a revolutionary period. We have the peasantry against us because we can give them nothing in return for their bread. We will have them on our side when we have something to exchange. Then you can have all the free speech you want--but not now. Recently we needed peasants to cart some wood into the city. They demanded salt. We thought we had no salt, but then we discovered seventy poods in Moscow in one of our warehouses. At once the peasants were willing to cart the wood. Your comrades must wait until we can meet the needs of the peasants. Meanwhile, they should work with us. Look at William Shatov, for instance, who has helped save Petrograd from Yudenitch. He works with us and we appreciate his services. Shatov was among the first to receive the order of the Red Banner."

Free speech, free Press, the spiritual achievements of centuries, what were they to this man? A Puritan, he was sure his scheme alone could redeem Russia. Those who served his plans were right, the others could not be tolerated.

A shrewd Asiatic, this Lenin. He knows how to play on the weak sides of men by flattery, rewards, medals. I left convinced that his approach to people was purely utilitarian, for the use he could get out of them for his scheme. And his scheme--was it the Revolution?

I prepared the plan for the Society of the Russian Friends of American Freedom and elaborated the details of the work I had in mind, but refused to place myself under the protecting wing of the Third International. I explained to Lenin that the American people had little faith in politics, and would certainly consider it an imposition to be directed and guided by a political machine from Moscow. I could not consistently align myself with the Third International.

Some time later I saw Tchicherin. I believe it was 4 A.M. when our interview took place. He also asked about the possibilities of a revolution in America, and seemed to doubt my judgment when I informed him that there was no hope of it in the near future. We spoke of the I.W.W., which had evidently been misrepresented to him. I assured Tchicherin that while I am not an I.W.W. I must state that they represented the only conscious and effective revolutionary proletarian organization in the United States, and were sure to play an important rôle in the future labour history of the country.

Next to Balabanova, Tchicherin impressed me as the most simple and unassuming of the leading Communists in Moscow. But all were equally naïve in their estimate of the world outside of Russia. Was their judgment so faulty because they had been cut off from Europe and America so long? Or was their great need of European help father to their wish? At any rate, they all clung to the idea of approaching revolutions in the western countries, forgetful that revolutions are not made to order, and apparently unconscious that their own revolution had been twisted out of shape and semblance and was gradually being done to death.

The editor of the London Daily Herald , accompanied by one of his reporters, had preceded me to Moscow. They wanted to visit Kropotkin, and they had been given a special car. Together with Alexander Berkman and A. Shapiro, I was able to join Mr. Lansbury.

The Kropotkin cottage stood back in the garden away from the street. Only a faint ray from a kerosene lamp lit up the path to the house. Kropotkin received us with his characteristic graciousness, evidently glad at our visit. But I was shocked at his altered appearance. The last time I had seen him was in 1907, in Paris, which I visited after the Anarchist Congress in Amsterdam. Kropotkin, barred from France for many years, had just been given the right to return. He was then sixty-five years of age, but still so full of life and energy that he seemed much younger. Now he looked old and worn.

I was eager to get some light from Kropotkin on the problems that were troubling me, particularly on the relation of the Bolsheviki to the Revolution. What was his opinion? Why had he been silent so long?

I took no notes and therefore I can give only the gist of what Kropotkin said. He stated that the Revolution had carried the people to great spiritual heights and had paved the way for profound social changes. If the people had been permitted to apply their released energies, Russia would not be in her present condition of ruin. The Bolsheviki, who had been carried to the top by the revolutionary wave, first caught the popular ear by extreme revolutionary slogans, thereby gaining the confidence of the masses and the support of militant revolutionists.

He continued to narrate that early in the October period the Bolsheviki began to subordinate the interests of the Revolution to the establishment of their dictatorship, which coerced and paralysed every social activity. He stated that the coöperatives were the main medium that could have bridged the interests of the peasants and the workers. The coöperatives were among the first to be crushed. He spoke with much feeling of the oppression, the persecution, the hounding of every shade of opinion, and cited numerous instances of the misery and distress of the people. He emphasized that the Bolsheviki had discredited Socialism and Communism in the eyes of the Russian people.

"Why haven't you raised your voice against these evils, against this machine that is sapping the life blood of the Revolution?" I asked. He gave two reasons. As long as Russia was being attacked by the combined Imperialists, and Russian women and children were dying from the effects of the blockade, he could not join the shrieking chorus of the ex-revolutionists in the cry of "Crucify!" He preferred silence. Secondly, there was no medium of expression in Russia itself. To protest to the Government was useless. Its concern was to maintain itself in power. It could not stop at such "trifles" as human rights or human lives. Then he added: "We have always pointed out the effects of Marxism in action. Why be surprised now?"

I asked Kropotkin whether he was noting down his impressions and observations. Surely he must see the importance of such a record to his comrades and to the workers; in fact, to the whole world. "No," he said; "it is impossible to write when one is in the midst of great human suffering, when every hour brings new tragedies. Then there may be a raid at any moment. The Tcheka comes swooping inside out, and marches off with every scrap of paper. Under such constant stress it is impossible to keep records. But besides these considerations there is my book on Ethics. I can only work a few hours a day, and I must concentrate on that to the exclusion of everything else."

After a tender embrace which Peter never failed to give those he loved, we returned to our car. My heart was heavy, my spirit confused and troubled by what I had heard. I was also distressed by the poor state of health of our comrade: I feared he could not survive till spring. The thought that Peter Kropotkin might go to his grave and that the world might never know what he thought of the Russian Revolution was appalling.

Chapter 6: Preparing for American Deportees

Table of Contents: My Disillusionment in Russia

HMIP Inspection of Wealstun

The prison was given a full inspection in October 2022. In his report the inspector said:

Wealstun is a category C training and resettlement prison in West Yorkshire. Holding more than 800 convicted adult men, the establishment was founded 27 years ago following the amalgamation of two former prisons. Developments since then have resulted in an extensive, mixed campus of 10 accommodation units, ranging from those built in the 1960s to more modern blocks, set within clean and well-maintained grounds.

At this inspection, we found that outcomes in our healthy prison tests of safety, respect, and rehabilitation and release planning were all reasonably good and that only in purposeful activity were they not sufficiently good. This marked an improvement to the safety of the institution since our last visit to Wealstun in 2019, but a marginal deterioration to outcomes in respect.

The improved safety of the prison was evidenced by falling levels of violence and self-harm as well as improvements to several other indicators. That said, self-harm was still too high and the deployment of batons and PAVA incapacitant sprays was more frequent than we would have expected. The prison had also gripped its drugs issue, a source of considerable criticism at previous inspections.

Staff shortages and the inexperience of many staff were impacting the quality of staff-prisoner relationships and while leaders were working hard to improve this situation, staff would have benefitted from supervisors and middle managers spending more time and being more visible on the wings. More work was needed to promote equality in the prison and more investment was needed in the built environment, particularly in the older units.

The key priority for the prison, however, was the delivery of more time out of cell and a more consistent and active regime for this training and resettlement prison. Regime development and staff-prisoner relationships required greater priority in the prison’s plans.

Overall, the prison was benefiting from the energy and stability brought by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable governor who had commendably committed seven years to the establishment, creating a calm and competent environment. Leaders were focused on maintaining the gains they had made to the safety of the prison and were doing good work to fulfil a key element of the prison’s mandate: to manage risk and resettle offenders. We highlight in our report several priorities which we hope will encourage further improvement.

Charlie Taylor HM Chief Inspector of Prisons November 2022

The inspectors also provided a short list of their key concerns

What needs to improve at HMP Wealstun

During this inspection we identified 15 key concerns, of which six should be treated as priorities. Priority concerns are those that are most important to improving outcomes for prisoners. They require immediate attention by leaders and managers.

Leaders should make sure that all concerns identified here are addressed and that progress is tracked through a plan which sets out how and when the concerns will be resolved. The plan should be provided to HMI Prisons.

Priority concerns

• The use of PAVA was high. Opportunities to de-escalate incidents of force were often not taken and too many staff were not up to date with their refresher training.
• Levels of self-harm were high and there was still no strategy or action plan to reduce it.
• Inexperienced officers were not given sufficient support or encouragement to develop meaningful relationships with prisoners.
• The promotion of equality and inclusion were not given sufficient priority. Monitoring was insufficient, there were not enough diversity representatives and the quality of responses to discrimination incident report forms was poor.
• Time out of cell was poor. This was worst at weekends, when most prisoners were locked up for almost 23 hours a day.
• There were not enough activity places for the population. Too many prisoners were unable to participate in full-time education, skills and work, and too many activities were cancelled because of staff absences.

Key concerns

• The management and oversight of the safer custody phoneline was inadequate. Out-of-hours calls from those concerned about the well-being of a prisoner were unanswered.
• The older residential units (A and B) were in a very poor condition and in need of substantial refurbishment.
• Prisoners were not given the opportunity to have regular key worker sessions.
• Prisoners waited too long to see a dentist. Demand for dental services outstripped capacity, which was long-standing problem.
• Leaders had not developed a coherent reading strategy. Prisoners attending education classes did not develop their reading skills further.
• There was too little accredited learning to provide recognition for the knowledge and skills that prisoners gained. In too many workshops, prisoners were not encouraged to undertake accreditation, despite it being available.
• Too many prisoners did not have support to develop life and employability skills before release.
• Not enough was being done to support prisoners to progress in their sentence. Contact with offender managers was often infrequent, unplanned and usually reactive, and too little offender behaviour work was being delivered. There were also delays in progressive transfers.
• Monitoring arrangements for those with public protection concerns were not fully effective. Their telephone calls were not being listened to when they should have been, and reviews were not always based on up-to-date information, or timely. There were also gaps in procedures for preventing prisoners with child contact restrictions from corresponding with children by letter

Return to Wealstun 

The full reports can be read at the Ministry of Justice web site, just follow the links below:

• Inspection report (1 MB) , Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Wealstun by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (3 – 14 October 2022)
• HMP Wealstun ( 1.94 MB ) , Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Wealstun (15–25 October 2019)
• HMP Wealstun (PDF, 942.59 kB) , Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Wealstun (17 – 28 August 2015)
• HMP Wealstun ,Unannounced full follow-up inspection of HMP Wealstun (2 – 12 August 2011)
• HMP Wealstun ,Announced inspection of HMP Wealstun (1 – 5 December 2008)

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Macarius II (Nevsky) of Moscow

Our father among the saints Macarius II (Nevsky) of Moscow , also Makary II , was the Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna during the final years of the reign of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia . A missionary and enlightener of the people of the Altai region, he is remembered as the Apostle of the Altai .

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Michael Andreevich was the sixth child of a poor rural family of the sexton Andrew Parvitsky, later Nevsky. Michael was born in 1835 in the Shapkino Kovrov district in Vladimir Province. He was born a very weak child who was not expected to live. Thus, he was immediately baptized Michael and warped in his white baptismal clothes with his baptismal icon in anticipation of his death. But, the baby Michael survived, the first miracle of his life.

His family lived in severe hardship and at times without food. From his early childhood, Michael was associated with prayer and the church. He grew up a sickly and weak child. In 1843, his father, desiring to become a deacon , moved the family to Tobolsk in Siberia. While his father was unsuccessful in become a deacon, the move stirred in Michael a strong desire to become a missionary to the Altai.

Michael Andreevich Parvitsky entered the Tobolsk Theological Seminary. While attending the seminary, Michael developed a craving for solitude. In 1854, he graduated from the seminary. Although he had the opportunity to further his education at a theological academy, it was his attraction to emulate the missionary work of the missionaries to the American Aleuts by doing the same among the Altai. On February 22 , 1855, and with the blessing of his parents, Michael joined the Altai Mission as a teacher and member of the missionary staff working under the founder of the mission, Archimandrite Macarius (Glukhareva). Thus, he began what became three and half decades of dedicated and difficult work educating the Altai natives.

Michael Nevsky began first to learn the Altai language through the interpreter, Chevalkova. Chevalkova was surprised how quickly Michael learned the language. Soon, he began translating the sacred books into the Altai language and preaching the true faith. In 1857, Michael Nevsky became a novice before taking his monastic vows on March 16 , 1861, taking the name Macarius. The following day he was ordained a deacon by Bishop Porphyry (Sokolovsky) of Tomsk and Yenisei. On March 19 , Dn. Macarius was ordained a priest .

As a priest, his missionary opportunities increased. From teaching, preaching. and preparing people for communion, Fr. Macarius could now baptize and teach the Sacraments of Christ. The area was very poor, lacked medical care, and was the home of many diseases. The people, of superstitious minds, looked to religion in practical terms and expressed willingness to be baptized, if they would be healed of their ailments. The young Fr. Macarius often acted as a doctor. While his knowledge was very simple, the Lord often performed miracles through him. At times Fr. Macarius, in the face of great danger, brought calm among fighting factions through his fearless preaching, after which the formerly angry Altais asked for his forgiveness.

In addition to his activities among the people, Fr. Macarius continued his translation work. In 1864, he journeyed to St. Petersburg to use the church's printing capabilities to print his liturgical translations in the Altaic language. Living at the St. Petersburg Academy , he spent two years correction proofs and obtaining the approval of the church censors. During 1868-1869, Macarius lived in Kazan , worked on the grammar of the Altai language, and publishing a number of divine service books in this language. While in Kazan, he observed the organization and operation of the schools for the baptized Tatars and decided to initiate such schools among the Altai.

On July 29 , 1871, Fr. Macarius was elevated to the rank of abbot , and in 1875 he was named assistant chief of the Altai Mission . In 1880, the head of the Altai Mission, Archim. Vladimir (Petrov) was consecrated Bishop of Biysk, and Fr, Macarius was appointed his successor as head of the Altai Mission, During the winter of 1881, Fr. survived a severe form of typhoid fever.

In 1883, Fr, Macarius was raised to the dignity of archimandrite. On February 12 , 1884, Archim. Macarius was consecrated Bishop of Biysk and vicar of the Tomsk eparchy. With the rise of revolutionist activity, Bp. Macarius denounced their activities and corrupting influence on people. His outspoken denunciations brought retaliation. On the night of May 22 , 1886, his residence was set a fire with a clear intention to kill him.

On May 26 , 1891, Macarius was named Bishop of Tomsk and Semipalatinsk. Even with the duties of managing such a vast diocese , Bp. Macarius continued his missionary activities. On October 27 , 1895, Bp. Macarius was made an honorary member of the Kazan Theological Academy. On May 6 , 1903, he was awarded a diamond cross for his klobuk . In 1905, his title became Bishop of Tomsk and Barnaul as the eparchy was re-titled, and on May 6, 1906, he was elevated to archbishop . In 1908, his title was changed to Archbishop of Tomsk and Altai.

On November 25 ,1912, Abp. Macarius was named through an imperial rescript of Tsar Nicholas II as Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, noting his long and dedicated educational and missionary ministry of fifty year in the Diocese of Tomsk. With his new position, Metr. Macarius also became a member of the Holy Governing Synod . A missionary in experience and spirit, Metr. Makarios, immediately upon arriving in the diocese, began to set a personal example. People in large numbers gathered in churches where he served the Lord.

After suffering for some six years of a debilitating skin disease, Metr. Macarius found he was miraculously cured when he was invited to serve a liturgy at the tomb of the hallowed St. John of Kronstadt at the Ivanono Monastery on December 29 , 1913. He found that after the service in which he asked for healing, he began to be released that day from the painful affliction.

In 1913, Macarius became an honorable member of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy .

After the abdication of Tsar Nicholas on March 15 , 1917, control of the government fell to the Provisional Government, in which Vladimir Lvov was named the Ober-Procurator . One of Lvov's first actions on March 17 was to dismiss, unlawfully, the sitting members, except one, of the Apostolic Governing Synod. As one of the "conservatives" and "Monarchists", Metr. Macarius was a prime candidate for Lvov's action, who rationalized his action on Metr. Macarius' through alleged associations with Rasputin .

On March 20 , 1917, he was retired by the Synod, together with Metr. Pitirim, Abp. Barnabas of Tobolsk and Abp. Ambrose of Sarapul. After his retirement Metr. Macarius was sent to Nicholas Ugresh Monastery where he remained for eight years in a "prison" as he himself called it. He was deprived of the ability to preach the gospel of Christ. After the Bolshevik revolution, Metr. Macarius was harassed by searches and confrontations with armed agitators looking for valuables. Metr. Macarius never reconciled with his forced and uncanonical retirement.

In a letter of August 19 , 1920, Patr. Tikhon stated, "the Holy Synod, in consideration of your 50 years of work in the Altai, offer that you keep for life the title of Metropolitan of the Altai." During August 1920, Metr. Macarius suffered a partial paralysis that remain with him for the rest of his life.

During the last years of his life, Metr. Macarius was visited by a number of the faithful, who during those hard times wanted to, as one commented, "visit a living Russian saint". In February 1926, Metr. Macarius developed pneumonia. A few days before his death, he stopped eating and talking. On March 2 , after the Sacrament of Holy Unction, the Apostle of the Altai fell asleep in the Lord. At his funeral on March 5 , 1926, his funeral liturgy and burial was concelebrated by Abp. Innocent with six bishops and seventy-nine priests.

Metr. Macarius was buried in the wall, near the altar, of the local church in the village Kotelniki, where he had lived since 1925 after the closure of Nicholas Ugresh monastery. In April 1957, Patriarch Alexei I established a commission, which uncovered Macarius' tomb. The coffin was almost in totals ruin (there was only the bottom board). However, his body and clothing were uncorrupted. Later his relics were transferred to Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra and placed under the Dormition Cathedral of the Lavra.

In 2000, the Synod of Bishops of the Church of Russia, glorified Metropolitan Macarius.

• Life of St Makarov (Nevsky), Pravoslavie.ru: Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna In Russian
• [1] ], Vladimir Moss, New Zion in Babylon , Part II, P16]

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• Wikipedia: Macarius_II
• Missionaries
• 19th-20th-century bishops
• Bishops of Moscow
• Patriarchs of Moscow
• Bishops of Tomsk
• Bishops of Biysk
• 20th-century saints

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Woman Sentenced to Month in Prison Over Theft of Ashley Biden’s Diary

Aimee Harris sold the diary to Project Veritas, a right-wing group, in what prosecutors said was a brazen plot to damage Joseph R. Biden Jr. in the 2020 election.

By Adam Goldman

A federal judge in Manhattan sentenced a Florida woman on Tuesday to one month behind bars for her role in a brazen scheme to steal the diary of President Biden’s daughter and sell it to a right-wing group in the hope of disrupting the 2020 election.

The conduct of the woman, Aimee Harris , “was despicable and consequently very serious,” Judge Laura Taylor Swain of Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York said before handing down a punishment.

Ms. Harris, 41, tested the patience of prosecutors and the judge overseeing the case, missing repeated sentencing dates and jeopardizing what otherwise appeared to be a likely path to probation. In August 2022, she pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport the stolen diary to New York, where she met with employees of the group, Project Veritas, and sold it for $40,000 just weeks before the election.

The judge also sentenced her to three years’ probation, along with three months of home confinement, and ordered her to pay back the money she earned from the sale.

The sentencing of Ms. Harris reflects the seriousness of the government’s efforts to deter people from interfering in elections. That includes former President Donald J. Trump, who is awaiting federal trial in Washington on charges of trying to subvert the outcome of the 2020 race.

In a statement provided to the court, Ms. Biden described what happened to her as “one of the most heinous forms of bullying.”

Initially federal prosecutors had recommended Ms. Harris face up to six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release, while her lawyers had requested probation. But her sentencing was pushed back repeatedly — a dozen times — in part because Ms. Harris claimed she had child care issues or was sick.

At a scheduled hearing in late January, Ms. Harris called the court from a hospital emergency room, prompting Judge Swain to describe the situation as “highly irregular.” At a hearing in February, the judge told Ms. Harris that the reasons she had cited in seeking a delay were “matters of great concern for the court.”

Prosecutors, exasperated, asked the judge this month to impose a sentence of four to 10 months in prison, saying Ms. Harris had “repeatedly and consistently engaged in tactics to improperly delay this proceeding.” They accused her of misrepresenting the nature of her child care, failing to get an identification card so she could travel to New York and flouting the court’s rules.

Judge Swain finally threatened to have her arrested and brought to New York by U.S. marshals if she did not comply with the court’s orders.

After her guilty plea in August 2022, prosecutors said that Ms. Harris was later arrested and charged with driving under the influence with property damage and had tested positive for marijuana. The judge ordered her to undergo treatment for alcohol abuse.

Ms. Harris claimed that the diary had been abandoned, discarded at a friend’s house where she had been staying. But prosecutors said that in August 2020, she stole the diary, which President Biden’s daughter Ashley Biden had left at the house to store along with other personal items.

Ms. Harris then enlisted the help of a friend, Robert Kurlander, to sell the diary. Eventually, the pair found a buyer in Project Veritas, with each making $20,000. The two later returned to the house, taking other items belonging to the president’s daughter to confirm she was in fact the diary’s author.

Mr. Kurlander, 60, who also pleaded guilty and has cooperated with the Justice Department’s investigation into the theft, is scheduled to be sentenced later this year. On Friday, prosecutors asked for a six-month delay. Mr. Kurlander was previously convicted of fraud in a federal court in Florida. He also faces prison time but unlike Ms. Harris decided to cooperate with prosecutors.

As part of its investigation, the F.B.I. searched the homes of three former employees of Project Veritas, including its founder, James O’Keefe, but so far none of them have been charged. All three have since left the group.

Mr. O’Keefe was pushed out of Project Veritas after employees denounced his management style and questionable spending. Hannah Giles, who succeeded him as chief executive, laid off employees.

But she abruptly quit in December. She wrote on social media that she had “stepped into an unsalvageable mess — one wrought with strong evidence of past illegality and past financial improprieties.”

In December, a federal judge ruled that prosecutors could review hundreds of documents related to the theft of the diary. Project Veritas had claimed that the materials were protected under the First Amendment and that “disclosure to the government would violate their constitutional rights, constituting irreparable harm.”

Lawyers for Mr. O’Keefe and the two other former operatives of Project Veritas — Spencer Meads and Eric Cochran — asked the judge to temporarily halt that order as an appeal moved forward. But the judge denied the motion in January, noting that additional delay could “frustrate the investigation and raise concerns about witness recollection, evidence availability and statutes of limitations.”

Mr. Meads has appealed the ruling. The status of the investigation remains unclear but Mr. Kurlander’s delayed sentencing until October most likely means prosecutors have not ended their pursuit of Mr. O’Keefe.

Over the course of the inquiry, investigators obtained evidence that indicated that Ms. Harris hoped not only to profit from selling the diary to the group but also to hurt Mr. Biden’s chances of defeating Mr. Trump.

“Stealing personal belongings of a candidate’s family member, and selling them to an organization to exploit them for political gain, was wrong and illegal no matter the political agenda,” prosecutors said in a sentencing memo. “Such criminal conduct does not merely harm the victim, but seeks to undermine the political process.”

The memo added, “The calculus must be clear that criminal conduct of this sort will not be tolerated regardless of one’s political affiliation, ideology or motivation.”

Text messages obtained by prosecutors showed that Ms. Harris and Mr. Kurlander knew that they were stealing Ms. Biden’s diary and her other belongings and that the group planned to publicize the contents of the diary, which she had kept while she was recovering from drug addiction.

Olivia Bensimon and Anusha Bayya contributed reporting.

Adam Goldman writes about the F.B.I. and national security. He has been a journalist for more than two decades. More about Adam Goldman

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Librarians fear new penalties, even prison, as activists challenge books

Tom Bober, librarian and President of the Missouri Association of School Librarians, poses for a photo Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in Clayton, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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When an illustrated edition of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” was released in 2019, educators in Clayton, Missouri needed little debate before deciding to keep copies in high school libraries. The book is widely regarded as a classic work of dystopian literature about the oppression of women, and a graphic novel would help it reach teens who struggle with words alone.

But after Missouri legislators passed a law in 2022 subjecting librarians to fines and possible imprisonment for allowing sexually explicit materials on bookshelves, the suburban St. Louis district reconsidered the new Atwood edition, and withdrew it.

“There’s a depiction of a rape scene, a handmaid being forced into a sexual act,” says Tom Bober, Clayton district’s library coordinator and president of the Missouri Association of School Librarians. “It’s literally one panel of the graphic novel, but we felt it was in violation of the law in Missouri.”

Across the country, book challenges and bans have soared to the highest levels in decades. Public and school-based libraries have been inundated with complaints from community members and conservative organizations such as as Moms for Liberty. Increasingly, lawmakers are considering new punishments — crippling lawsuits, hefty fines, and even imprisonment — for distributing books some regard as inappropriate.

The trend comes as officials seek to define terms such as “obscene” and “harmful.” Many of the conflicts involve materials featuring racial and/or LGBTQ+ themes, such as Toni Morrison’s novel, “The Bluest Eye,” and Maia Kobabe’s memoir, “Gender Queer.” And while no librarian or educator has been jailed, the threat alone has led to more self-censorship.

Already this year, lawmakers in more than 15 states have introduced bills to impose harsh penalties on libraries or librarians.

Utah enacted legislation in March that empowers the state’s Attorney General to enforce a new system of challenging and removing “sensitive” books from school settings. The law also creates a panel to monitor compliance and violations.

Awaiting Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s signature is a bill that empowers local prosecutors to bring charges against public and school libraries if they don’t move “harmful” materials away from children.

“The laws are designed to limit or remove legal protections that libraries have had for decades,” says Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Since the early 1960s, institutions including schools, libraries and museums — as well as educators, librarians and other staffers who distribute materials to children — have largely been exempt from expensive lawsuits or potential criminal charges.

These protections began showing up in states as America grappled with standards surrounding obscenity, which was defined by the Supreme Court in 1973.

Ruling 5-4 in Miller v. California, the justices said obscene materials are not automatically protected by the First Amendment, and offered three criteria that must be met for being labeled obscene: whether the work, taken as a whole, appeals to “prurient interest,” whether “the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law,” and whether the work lacks “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”

Eventually, almost every state adopted protections for educators, librarians and museum officials, among others who provide information to minors.

“Until recently, police and prosecutors were unable to pursue charges against public libraries over materials that make certain individuals uncomfortable. These exemptions have prevented spurious prosecutions of teachers over health and sexuality curriculum, art, theater, and difficult subjects in English classes,” stated a 2023 report from EveryLibrary, a national political action committee that opposes censorship.

Arkansas and Indiana targeted educators and librarians with criminalization laws last year. Tennessee criminalized publishers that provide “obscene” materials to public schools.

Some Republicans are seeking penalties and restrictions that would apply nationwide. Referring to “pornography” in the foreword to Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for a possible second Donald Trump administration, the right-wing group’s president, Kevin Roberts, wrote that the “people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders.”

Arkansas’ version was temporarily blocked by a federal judge after a coalition of librarians and publishers challenged the legality of subjecting librarians and booksellers to criminal charges if they provide “harmful” materials to minors.

Indiana lawmakers stripped away “educational purposes” as a defense for school librarians and educators charged with giving minors “obscene” or “harmful” material — felonies punishable by up to 2½ years in jail and $10,000 in fines. The law also requires public catalogs of what’s in each school library and systems for responding to complaints.

Indiana’s law took effect January 1. It’s likely a matter of when — not if — a lawsuit is filed, and the anxiety has created a chilling effect.

“It’s putting fear into some people. It’s very scary,” said Diane Rogers, a school librarian who serves as president of the Indiana Library Federation. “If you’re a licensed teacher just being charged with a felony potentially gets rid of your license even if you’re found innocent. That’s a very serious thing.”

Rogers said she’s confident Indiana’s school libraries don’t offer obscene materials, but she’s seen reports that some districts have moved certain titles to higher age groups or required parental approval to check them out.

A PEN America list shows 300 titles were removed from school libraries across 11 Missouri districts after lawmakers in 2022 banned “sexually explicit” material, punishable by up to a year in jail or a $2,000 fine. The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and library groups challenged the law last year, but it remains in effect pending a motion for the state to intervene.

“Gender Queer” is another title no longer available to high schoolers in Clayton, where district officials recently turned their attention to Mike Curato’s graphic novel, “Flamer,” about a teenager who struggles with his sexual identity and how to fit in at Boy Scout camp. The American Library Association included “Flamer” on its list of 2023’s most challenged and/or banned books .

“We had a lot of conversations about how to interpret the law and not be in violation,” Bober said. “But we also didn’t want to overreach and overcensor our collections. With ‘Flamer,’ we did not feel we were in violation of the law.”

Ex-Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg sentenced to 5 months for perjury in Trump civil fraud trial

Allen Weisselberg , the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, was sentenced Wednesday to five months in jail after pleading guilty to two counts of perjury last month in his testimony during former President Donald Trump’ s civil fraud trial.

The sentencing matched Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's recommendation.

After Weisselberg's sentence was agreed upon by prosecutors and the defense, Judge Laurie Peterson asked him whether there was anything he would like to say.

Weisselberg replied, "No, your honor," and the judge handed down the sentence.

The hearing lasted about two minutes.

Weisselberg, 76, is now an inmate at Rikers Island, according to the New York City Department of Correction’s database. It's his second stint at Rikers; the first began in January 2023 and ended three months later.

In a statement after the sentencing, Weisselberg's attorney, Seth L. Rosenberg, said his client "accepted responsibility for his conduct and now looks forward to the end of this life-altering experience and to returning to his family and his retirement."

Weisselberg was accused of committing perjury in a deposition and during testimony in Trump’s trial, including allegedly lying when he said in July 2020 that he learned Trump’s triplex apartment had been overvalued from a Forbes report, but really knew about it well beforehand, Bragg’s office said.

Weisselberg received a separate five-month sentence in a criminal case last year, serving only 100 days , after pleading guilty in 2022 to tax fraud charges in a 15-year scheme involving the Trump Organization’s business dealings. He agreed to pay nearly $2 million in taxes, interest and penalties for allegedly dodging tax payments on $1.7 million of his income with “off the books” benefits, including tuition for his grandkids, a luxury apartment and two Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

Weisselberg was a witness and a co-defendant in the civil trial, in which Judge Arthur Engoron ruled in February that Trump, his company and current and former top executives including Weisselberg had to  pay more than $350 million in damages  and forbade the former president from running businesses in the state for three years — which ultimately became  $464 million  when pre-judgement interest was included.

Engoron wrote that Weisselberg lacked credibility on the stand, finding his testimony “highly unreliable” and “intentionally evasive, with large gaps of ‘I don’t remember.’” His ruling ordered Weisselberg to pay the $1 million he’s already received from his $2 million separation agreement from the company as “ill-gotten gains.”

The damages judgment is on hold while Trump appeals it.

A state appeals court last month reduced the size of the bond Trump needed to freeze the judgment while he appeals, ruling that he and his co-defendants could post a $175 million bond instead of the full amount in damages. Trump posted that bond with the help of Don Hankey, the billionaire chairman of Knight Insurance Group , but the state attorney general's office has questioned whether the bond conforms to New York standards. A hearing on the issue has been scheduled for April 22.

Adam Reiss is a reporter and producer for NBC and MSNBC.

Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Summer Concepcion is a politics reporter for NBC News.