The Green 26.2 mile is a multi (78!) lap marathon in and around HMP Shepton Mallet. This is a video of a previous event:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31F6ySiapnY&t=7s

Running a marathon within a prison and ending up exactly where you started will not sound like much fun but it is an excellent analogy for how hard it can be to navigate the prison system at the best of times. If you are also autistic it can be close to impossible. 

On the face of it, you might think that autistic people would survive well within the prison system. It's very structured and rules-based. You get up at this time, you eat at that time, you exercise at this time, lights out at this time, and so on.

However prison rules are also often a byzantine mess, inconsistently applied, poorly related and understood. Within the prison community itself, there can be an especially complicated social dynamic which autistic prisoners are more likely to fail to understand and therefore they can find themselves more likely to be targeted and/or in trouble. 

Then there are sensory processing difficulties. Harsh lighting, loud noises, raised voices and slamming doors. 

I am acutely aware of all of these difficulties through my work with autistic prisoners and through my experience of being autistic myself. The National Autistic Society have developed an accreditation scheme for prisons and other resources to make navigating the prison system more manageable. I am keen to try and assist with this work.

Please donate what you can to help NAS's work as I take on this repetitive busman's holiday of a challenge!