Partner Article

Prison poets in plagiarism row

A prisoners’ newspaper says it may have to axe its poetry page if inmates don’t stop plagiarising poems in a bid to win a £25 prize.

Inside Time has introduced strict checks on its poetry page after some contributors copied out well-known poems and submitted them under their own names.

The newspaper, which is published by a charity and distributed to jails across Britain, has warned its readers that each entry will now be vetted in a bid to flush out the cheats.

The newspaper’s editors said in a printed warning: “By cheating you are spoiling it for those that submit genuine pieces of poetry. Not only that, you are laying yourselves and Inside Time open to possible law suits.”

Lucy Forde, who compiles the page, said: “When people are making an effort it isn’t fair that others try to win £25 by winging one past us. I hope they adhere to what we have now said. It will save me an awful lot of Googling.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .