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"Empower prisoners to use the law" sounds and looks like a good idea if put into practice. However when put into practice and without judicial reform it will just be another headline grabbing exercise that will eventually lead to the said prisoners being frustrated by the criminal Justice system (CJS). The more your awareness of the law as a prisoner the better you are at understanding the case against you as a prisoner (adding that you can also have other prisoners empowered that will assist in your case) and this practice of empowering prisoners to use the law will more than likely lead to an increase in Litigants in Persons (Lip) at the courts. From experience as an Lip there are so many laws and procedure rules that a judge can use to stop an arguable case from progressing the Administrative Court and Court of Appeal Criminal Division (CACD). If your case will lead to floodgates of other cases or an embarrassment to the CJS and the media is not present then Judges at these courts above will use judicial discretion to frustrate an Lip and if you push to much you get a General Civil Restraint Order at the Administrative Court even without a hearing. In the CACD if you manage to slip through section 20 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 and progress to a single judge: An arguable case can also be refused not on merit but on other issues which will not be put on the single Judges SJ Form. The single judge can refuse a permission to appeal application and give reasons which he/she sees fit (Judicial discretion) and at the renewed application of this said case the presiding judge can use his or her judicial discretion not to allow you to present your case in person at the oral hearing (This Judicial discretion is contrary to Article 6 (3) (c) of the European Convention on Human Rights which is the right to defend your self in person) and sadly there is nothing you can do. I you tell your problems to most people on the outside you get the response: "get a lawyer"
So empowering prisoners to use the law without judicial reform in the manner in which judges use Judicial discretion: sounds and looks like a good idea if put into practice that can lead to more frustrations of prisoners. Even defence lawyers complain on the manner in which judges strenuously apply the Criminal Procedure Rules to defence lawyers but appear to be light touched on the CPS