WHEN Kim Lennon came to The Argus to tell us there were problems at Lewes prison she did it for the right reasons.

She felt that standards were not good enough.

She felt they were not good enough for the prisoners, and they were not good enough for her and her colleagues.

People working in the public sector, and anywhere else for that matter, must be free to raise their concerns. If hospital workers feel patients are being put at risk they must shout it from the rooftops. If school workers feel children are at risk of harm they must be able to tell everyone about it and be free from repercussions.

If police officers or council workers were ever to witness corruption, they must be able to blow the whistle on it.

This helps separate us from less progressive societies, helps us develop towards a better society in fact.

Whistleblowers exposed the horrible conditions at Orchid View care home. They exposed the Mid Staffordshire Trust hospital scandal. Then there was Watergate too.

If people fear some sort of retribution for speaking up, and they do, that holds us all back and lets problems continue.

Thankfully people do still come to The Argus and other media. In this country we are fortunate to have a free press that provides a platform for this.

And without people like Kim Lennon good changes will not be made.

An official report into conditions at Lewes prison from the Independent Monitoring Board will have rightfully left her feeling justified about what she told The Argus. And others must be confident that they can speak out.