The College was delighted to welcome back Old Epsomian Nick Hardwick, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, 
last night as the guest speaker at the first of this term's Lord Rosebery lectures.
An old boy of Propert House from 1970-75, Nick was delighted to meet up again with his old master, Norman Rice, who was a tutor in Propert during that time. He was also one of the first cohort to study Economics under the College's former Deputy Head.
During supper before the lecture with 6th form students, who are looking to make a career in law, Nick spoke about his previous post as Head of the Independent Police Complaints Commission and his role in producing the report on the Stockwell shooting.
Addressing an audience of over 90 in Main Hall, including visiting students and staff from local schools Glyn, Rosebery and Bleinheim, he spoke first about his journey to becoming Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, a post to which he was appointed in July 2010.
Nick offered some very graphic details of life in prison, explaining the challenges prisoners might face with drug and alcohol addictions or mental health issues.
He also covered how many prisoners are themselves victims of crime, abuse or neglect. The audience listened in silence to the shocking statistics that one in three in care will end up in prison, with mental health problems being a huge issue.
Nick also mentioned his reaction to some recent visits he had made and how he felt when confronted by some prisoners, who are overwhelmed or unable to cope with the prison system.
But the picture was not unrelentingly grim. Nick detailed projects where prisoners were trained to produce food to a high standard, supplying nearby restaurants, or learnt such skills as bicycle repair.
Following the lecture, questions from the floor ranged from why women's prisons appear to be worse than male prisons to a discussion of current government strategies on prisons.
The talk was arranged by U6th former Ralph Haville, Vice President of the Lord Rosebery Society, who also chaired the session with aplomb and helped to make the event a huge success
At the end of the evening, U6th former George Hatfield, President of the Lord Rosebery Society, presented Nick with a pair of cufflinks bearing the College crest.