Lord Black seems to be that rare inmate whose character has actually improved behind bars. Prison has made him kinder, humbler and more agreeable, and has vastly expanded his sympathies to those less privileged than himself. He has discovered a gift for teaching (he teaches English and U.S. history to the inmates) and takes great satisfaction in his students’ progress. They, in turn, have taught him how to read music, play the piano and keep fit. (Some people used to call him Lord Tubby.) He’s popular with both the inmates and the wardens, and has borne his incarceration with self-deprecating humour. (He refers to his jailers as “my gracious hosts in the U.S. government.”) Even his writing has improved. It’s much less pompous.
Lord Black’s contact with the underclass has made a strong impression on him, just as it did on Martha Stewart. The fat cat in pinstripes has become an ardent advocate for prison reform. He believes that many inmates are as much the victims of misfortune and bad luck as of their own misdeeds. He heaps scorn all over the Harper government’s tough-on crime legislation, which he calls perverse. Prison has broadened his social conscience, and as Martha Stewart used to say, that’s a good thing.
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