Last year I ran a marathon entirely within a prison. Running in circles for 6 hours in a mash-up of my hobby, fundraising and my job as a prison lawyer.

Not content with running in circles for 78 laps and before anyone tries to stage an intervention I am now attempting to combine even more bits of my life into one tortuous, (definitely fun) experience.

I am now roping in another big part of my life - QED and Skepticamp. These are both immense forces for good in terms of critical thinking and community building and definitely things worth running towards.

In an arguably masochistic attempt to demonstrate how difficult prison and escaping from it is, and the lengths I'd go to to attend QED, I will spend most of the 22nd September 2023 *literally* running there. This will be on the Friday during Skepticamp from a prison in Liverpool to the the Mercure Hotel in Manchester (34 miles) before delivering a talk in aid of The Prison Reform Trust that afternoon. Coherence not guaranteed. Any donations and/or enabling of this madness will be much appreciated.

Here is the talk:

On the Run – A Very Practical Guide to Prison Escape

Prison escapes are regularly the subject of TV shows and films and stories of ‘escaped’ prisoners often make national news.

The reality of the modern prison system means that such escapes almost never happen in practice, however fear of them and inflammatory reporting often leads to very damaging policy changes for those who remain in custody. In this talk Emma will be talking through the reality of prison escape in England and Wales with a combination of statistics and tales from her job representing those who have tried, failed, and succeeded at being unlawfully at large.

About the Prison Reform Trust

The Prison Reform Trust (PRT) is an independent UK charity working to create a just, humane and effective penal system.

PRT was founded in 1981 to inform and influence public debate on prison conditions and the treatment of prisoners, amidst concerns about a projected prison population of 48,000 by 1984. With the prison population in England and Wales now exceeding 82,000 and projected to rise to 86,400 by 2023, the charity remains as important to civic society today as it was then.

They are one of the few organisations willing and equipped to hold the state to account for its treatment of vulnerable people in prison. Their reputation, built on almost four decades of knowledgeable, reliable analysis and presentation of the facts, gives them influence behind the scenes that few organisations can match.

Skepticamp

SkeptiCamp is a free conference that celebrates the incredible work and enthusiasm of the grassroots skeptics and activists who attend, and it’s those very attendees who are responsible for creating and delivering the day’s content. Anyone is welcome to present a talk, with no requirement to be a published author, famous podcaster or professional communicator to get involved. SkeptiCamp is about providing an open and accessible platform for as many members of the Skeptic community as possible to share their ideas, collaborate, and discuss the topics they’re passionate about. For those not speaking at the event, you still get to have your say with time set aside for audience questions after each presentation. This year's event will take place on 22nd September at the Mercure Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester.

QED

QED is a two-day science and skepticism convention taking place at the Mercure Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester from the 23rd-24th September 2023.

Fantastic speakers from the worlds of science and entertainment will be joining us for a weekend celebration of science, reason and critical thinking.

We aim to be an inclusive event, welcoming attendees from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and genders.