Ben Gunn is "one of Britain's best known prisoners...he constantly questions authority and exposes the futility of the system" The Times. Pleading guilty to the murder of a friend when he was 14 years old, Ben has since renounced violence and consistently fought for the recognition of the inherent dignity of all human beings. As a result of speaking truth to power, Ben has served far longer than the recommended 10 years, leading Education Secretary Michael Gove to argue that Ben "has been punished excessively for a crime committed as a child", and Lord Ramsbotham to state that "It is expensive and unnecessary to keep Ben Gunn in prison". One of the more intellectual of prisoner-campaigners, Ben chose to educate himself from a schoolboy level to having both undergraduate and post graduate degrees. He is currently one of very few prisoners in Britain ever to attempt a Doctorate. Ben's speciality is non-violent action and the Human Needs Theory. Despite all provocations and the difficulties of existence in prison, Ben has never committed an act of violence since the age of 14.