The right to a fair trial is the cornerstone of justice, but what happens when the systems designed to facilitate that right undermine it instead? This powerful episode of Rebel Justice takes listeners behind the scenes of Britain's prisoner transport system through the unflinching testimony of Constance Martin, a defendant currently facing retrial at the Old Bailey.
Constance's first-person account reveals the exhausting reality of being transported between prison and court by private contractor Serco, where profit optimisation appears to take precedence over human dignity. Woken at 5:15am, subjected to hours in metal cage compartments within prison vans, denied adequate food and rest, and crucially, prevented from meaningful access to her legal team, Constance describes days stretching to 19 hours that leave her struggling to stay awake during her own trial. "My life depends on the outcome of this trial," she writes, yet the system seems designed to prevent her full participation.
The episode examines how Serco, paid per prisoner rather than per journey, creates transport schedules that maximise efficiency at the cost of defendants' rights. Meanwhile, the company reports billions in revenue and substantial profits, raising serious questions about privatising critical justice functions. The judges admit they're powerless to hold contractors accountable, and when Serco was asked to comment, they said that Ministry of Justice is wholly accountable. We must ask ourselves, who is accountable and who does this system truly serve?
This isn't just about comfort. It's about fundamental justice. When defendants are too exhausted to engage with their own defence, when they're denied proper legal consultation during active trials, and when their treatment diminishes them in the eyes of juries, can we honestly claim our system provides fair trials?

Listen now to this eye-opening examination of how corporate interests and systemic failures are compromising justice for vulnerable people, particularly women in the system who bear the brunt of these dehumanising practices.

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