This year, Charles Salvador has been in prison fifty years.
A lot has happened to him over the last fifty years, and he has had to deal with several testing situations. In the past I think it is safe to say that he would most certainly have used violence, however because of his internal change, he has handled and resolved situations very differently. I have observed him to reflect on situations and accept them for what they are.
50 Years in Prison
- 600 Months,
- 2,607 Weeks,
- 18,262 Days,
- 438,300 Hours,
- 26, 280,000 Minutes,
- 1,576,800,000 Seconds.
Charlie is the first to admit he was a bad man and deserved to be punished.
But now, over 50 years later, he is still behind bars, locked away for 23 hours every day, with only 1 hour reprieve in the isolated exercise yard. A robbery for the sum of £26 back in 1972 and a jail sentence was the result. Charlie’s further crimes have all been as a result of his treatment on the inside. He has never killed anybody, just remember that. I am not condoning his past actions, but if you read about his time on the inside, the very harsh treatment and lack of rehabilitation or chance of progress, would you have done anything different?
Charlie has NEVER murdered anyone, nor have any of his crimes been against women or children.
He has faced many upheavals, angst, and decades of mind games by prison staff and officials. Wouldn’t that get to you? Wouldn’t you be angry and wonder how long you must spend behind bars?
I think it is an injustice that he's still in prison after fifty years, it’s just disgraceful. It is when you think of all the murderers and everybody else who have been in there for less time getting release quicker.
But enough is enough… Fifty years inside, with twenty-one of those years over tariff. It is time that Charlie should have the right to go home, and taste freedom.
We are hoping progression will happen within the next few months to stand us in good stead for the next parole hearing.
Mission: To provide a transparent process and platform for people to support and assist Charlie, so we can challenge in a court of law key issues that have hampered his fight for freedom, and injustices that have kept him locked up all this time.
The money will allow us to challenge some of the following:
• A Category A review challenge (which is long overdue)
• Challenges for not allowing art to be sent to our registered charity, to support those in need
• Denying Charlie progress for over ten years
• The move to a punishment block because of an incident which saw Charlie defending himself against a convicted murderer
• Denying his wedding photos
• Challenge his life sentence, which is now 21 years over tariff!
• To allow access to the best professionals to represent Charlie at his forthcoming March parole hearing
How you can help
If you feel that Charlie’s case is injustice and would like to support his bid for freedom to challenge key issues and shortcomings in his progress, you ask you to give whatever you can so we can assist Charlie in the best possible position to challenge and move forward with his progression and ultimately his bid for freedom
We will never stop fighting until the day he is finally released, and he can taste his freedom.
You can read Charlie's statement here.
Thank you,
Richard Booth.