Stephen Tumim
Encyclopedia
Sir Stephen Tumim was an English
judge
, and was Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
from 1987 to 1995.
Tumim was the son of a barrister
, and was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford
and Worcester College, Oxford
. In 1978 he became a County Court
Circuit Judge.
Appointed as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
by Douglas Hurd
, Tumim soon made a reputation as a critic of the existing system. He campaigned successfully for an end to slopping out
, and was also critical of the "enforced idleness" of prisoners, and poor mental health care. He served under successive Conservative
Home Secretaries
(not all of them sympathetic to his views), until Michael Howard
declined to renew his contract in 1995, and David Ramsbotham
was appointed. He was knighted soon afterwards, served on many charitable trusts, and continued to inspect prisons overseas. He was the founding President of UNLOCK, The National Association of Ex-Offenders
. Between 1996 and 1998 he was principal of St. Edmund Hall, leaving amidst some controversy (he was popular with students, less so with academic colleagues). He was High Steward for Wallingford from 1995 to 2001. Tumin was named "Oldie of the Year" in 1994 by The Oldie
magazine.
Tumim was on the committee and a buyer for the Contemporary Art Society.
He was married to Winifred Letitia Tumim CBE née Borthwick (1936–2009) and had three daughters.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, and was Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales...
from 1987 to 1995.
Tumim was the son of a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
, and was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford
St Edward's School (Oxford)
St. Edward's School is a co-educational independent boarding school located in Oxford, England. The school is located on the Woodstock Road in the north of the city close to the suburb of Summertown. In 2007 it was voted by the Country Life Magazine as number one in the top ten schools in the UK...
and Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
. In 1978 he became a County Court
County Court
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of county courts held by the High Sheriff of each county.-England and Wales:County Court matters can be lodged...
Circuit Judge.
Appointed as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales...
by Douglas Hurd
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC , is a British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995....
, Tumim soon made a reputation as a critic of the existing system. He campaigned successfully for an end to slopping out
Slopping out
Slopping out is the emptying of buckets of human waste when the cells are unlocked in prisons in the morning. Inmates without a toilet in the cell have to use a bucket or chamber pot while locked in during the night. The reason that some cells do not have toilets is that they date from the...
, and was also critical of the "enforced idleness" of prisoners, and poor mental health care. He served under successive Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Home Secretaries
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
(not all of them sympathetic to his views), until Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
declined to renew his contract in 1995, and David Ramsbotham
David Ramsbotham, Baron Ramsbotham
General David John Ramsbotham, Baron Ramsbotham GCB CBE is a retired British Army officer, who later served as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons...
was appointed. He was knighted soon afterwards, served on many charitable trusts, and continued to inspect prisons overseas. He was the founding President of UNLOCK, The National Association of Ex-Offenders
UNLOCK, The National Association of Ex-Offenders
UNLOCK, The National Association of Reformed Offenders is an independent United Kingdom-based charity, established in 2000 to campaign for the equality of reformed offenders....
. Between 1996 and 1998 he was principal of St. Edmund Hall, leaving amidst some controversy (he was popular with students, less so with academic colleagues). He was High Steward for Wallingford from 1995 to 2001. Tumin was named "Oldie of the Year" in 1994 by The Oldie
The Oldie
The Oldie is a monthly magazine launched in 1992 by Richard Ingrams, who for 23 years was the editor of Private Eye. It carries general interest articles, humour and cartoons, and has an eclectic list of contributors, including James Le Fanu, John Sweeney, Thomas Stuttaford, Virginia Ironside,...
magazine.
Tumim was on the committee and a buyer for the Contemporary Art Society.
He was married to Winifred Letitia Tumim CBE née Borthwick (1936–2009) and had three daughters.