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Original poster

What do people on remand in prison do?

139 replies

girlfriend44 · 17/04/2024 13:27

Just wondered as its says they don't have to work, what else would there be to do then?
Also says they can wear their own clothes?
How would that work then?

OP posts:
StarlightLime · 17/04/2024 19:29

Spangletwat · 17/04/2024 19:28

Did you have an acceptable number in mind?

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Excuse me??

Spangletwat · 17/04/2024 19:28

StarlightLime · 17/04/2024 19:23

10,000 completely innocent people are randomly arrested and charged each year? Really?
It seems hard to believe.

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Did you have an acceptable number in mind?

StarlightLime · 17/04/2024 19:23

CranfordScones · 17/04/2024 14:13

What happens is: you lose your connection to the world outside. Often you lose your job, your home, your social network, contact with your children, your friends and your pets.

Crown Court bail applications are usually held in private (without the defendant), so you don't even get to see the legal arguments that result in you being locked up. Which is just as well because most of them last for a only a couple of minutes.

If you're convicted, time on remand counts towards your time served. But what happens when the charges against you are discontinued or you're acquitted? Obviously you're released. But you don't get compensation. You don't even get an apology. Your life falling apart is just collateral damage - a price worth paying but not worth compensating. Surely that affects only a tiny number of people. Except, it doesn't - that scenario is exactly what happens to almost 10,000 people a year.

Why isn't there more public outcry about this? Because they're not seen as 'deserving' and the implied assumption on the part of most voters is 'it won't be me' stuck in a remand prison for months (or years) while my life on the outside slowly crumbles and people forget who I am, and I can do nothing about it.

That's what happens.

10,000 completely innocent people are randomly arrested and charged each year? Really?
It seems hard to believe.

Spangletwat · 17/04/2024 19:19

Workhardcryharder · 17/04/2024 19:16

Ah so every single person involved was lying apart from your friend? The police, victim, barrister! Was the judge involved too?

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If you’ve not seen it in action you cannot comprehend.

The complainant is believed by the police who pay lip service to “all lines of enquiry”.

The CPS believe the police as it’s too much effort to dig into the detail. They are overworked. Insert other excuses here.

Counsel believes the CPS instruction and until the rubber hits the road in a live court interaction and where the prosecution counsel finally realises their case is built on cobwebs, you are strung up. Wilful lying? Maybe not. The consequences are the same.

Youzaname · 17/04/2024 19:17

ImVanillaBaby · 17/04/2024 14:07

Have you got someone who has just gone in op?

You can always spot the nosey buggers just like me

Spangletwat · 17/04/2024 19:17

Batmanandbobbin · 17/04/2024 19:14

@Spangletwat thank you for responding on this thread. I’m really interested in your responses. Bet it was an awful experience.

thank you. You are kind.

I might get a bit ranty! As I said I’m still dealing with this. Starting CBT on Friday.

One point to note is that some prisons are privately run and some are run by UK public services. This makes a difference in the regime as there’s a bottom line.

LakeTiticaca · 17/04/2024 19:17

@Workhardcryharder I was there. I sat through the trial

Workhardcryharder · 17/04/2024 19:16

LakeTiticaca · 17/04/2024 19:06

My friend was remanded in custody because the police lied in the magistrates court.
Said he was a danger to the public. My friend was assaulted by the police and accused of resising arrest, which he didn't.
While on remand he became a "listener" and helped illiterate prisoners write home and helped them to write statements.
The whole trial was a farce with the alleged victim lying under oath. He had a very good barrister who just destroyed the "evidence" That wasn't difficult because there was no evidence whatsoever.
He ended up being convicted of one minor offence (damaging property) which he admitted to. Just one guilty verdict out of the 8 charges he was standing trial for. Served 3 months as a convicted prisoner

Edited

Ah so every single person involved was lying apart from your friend? The police, victim, barrister! Was the judge involved too?

Spangletwat · 17/04/2024 19:15

LakeTiticaca · 17/04/2024 19:06

My friend was remanded in custody because the police lied in the magistrates court.
Said he was a danger to the public. My friend was assaulted by the police and accused of resising arrest, which he didn't.
While on remand he became a "listener" and helped illiterate prisoners write home and helped them to write statements.
The whole trial was a farce with the alleged victim lying under oath. He had a very good barrister who just destroyed the "evidence" That wasn't difficult because there was no evidence whatsoever.
He ended up being convicted of one minor offence (damaging property) which he admitted to. Just one guilty verdict out of the 8 charges he was standing trial for. Served 3 months as a convicted prisoner

Edited

In my experience, the police can say whatever they like in the mags and it will be repeated by a CPS solicitor who hasn’t got time to do any due diligence.

some of the police statements, whilst being barely comprehensible, make the most outlandish claims.

And then of course there’s the threshold test “no, after a year investigating, we don’t actually have evidence but we just know we will
get some soon, in the meantime, this person once saw a gun on TV so they pose a threat to the complainant”. Shambolic.

Batmanandbobbin · 17/04/2024 19:14

@Spangletwat thank you for responding on this thread. I’m really interested in your responses. Bet it was an awful experience.

LakeTiticaca · 17/04/2024 19:06

My friend was remanded in custody because the police lied in the magistrates court.
Said he was a danger to the public. My friend was assaulted by the police and accused of resising arrest, which he didn't.
While on remand he became a "listener" and helped illiterate prisoners write home and helped them to write statements.
The whole trial was a farce with the alleged victim lying under oath. He had a very good barrister who just destroyed the "evidence" That wasn't difficult because there was no evidence whatsoever.
He ended up being convicted of one minor offence (damaging property) which he admitted to. Just one guilty verdict out of the 8 charges he was standing trial for. Served 3 months as a convicted prisoner

PonyPatter44 · 17/04/2024 18:46

The majority of the people I see on remand have been charged with fairly serious offences, or are repeat offenders whose lifestyles are such that they would just vanish if bailed. They arent random "made a mistake" types. I would say that less than 10% of remanded prisoners at my prison (so not a national picture by any means, tbf) are acquitted. Many of them will walk from court, though, due to time served on remand.

Trulyme · 17/04/2024 18:30

Flandango · 17/04/2024 15:46

I was intrigued by your 1% number as I had no idea, so went and looked it up. This is from the Prison Reform Trust........

  • In 2009, 55,207 people were remanded into custody to await trial.
  • In 2009, an estimated 39% of people remanded into custody did not go on to receive a custodial sentence.
  • Just under two-thirds of people received into prison on remand awaiting trial are accused of non-violent offences. In 2009, 12% were remanded into custody for theft and handling stolen goods.
  • Last year, three-quarters of children remanded by the magistrates’ court, and one-third by the Crown court, were subsequently acquitted or given a community sentence.
  • Children were remanded for a week or less on more than 1,100 occasions.
  • In the year up to March 2011, 4,421 women were remanded in custody to await trial.
  • Women on remand make up 18% of the female prison population.
  • Remand prisoners, 15% of the prison population, accounted for 50% of self-inflicted deaths in 2010.
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Shocking statistics.

Beargrumps22 · 17/04/2024 18:27

Remand can be long periods of time these days as courts are so backed up. on remand, you have the same restrictions such as being locked up for long periods and also restricted exercise times.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 17/04/2024 17:53

The closest women's prison to me is in Bristol, a 2 hour drive away on a good day. And you could live further from Bristol than I do and it still be your closest women's prison as it's the only one in the south west.

People around here definitely wouldn't view Bristol as "local".

OhHelloMiss · 17/04/2024 17:52

Some prisoners also become 'listeners' trained by the Samaritans

HotChocolateNotCocoa · 17/04/2024 17:51

EmmaGrundyForPM · 17/04/2024 13:30

I presume the OP is asking about laundry arrangements.

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Well if you’re on remand, you’re definitely not allowed to work the steam press, I know that much.

OhHelloMiss · 17/04/2024 17:51

Well it's not a perfect system but what is these days?

AnnaMagnani · 17/04/2024 17:41

The 'local' male prison to me is 45 minutes drive away. Same for female.

Both hopeless if your relative doesn't drive or doesn't live near you. Those would be 3hrs away from our families.

Local isn't really local for a lot of people.

Practically every prison now has in cell phones. However you can only call people on your limited approved list. And you need the funds.

dimllaishebiaith · 17/04/2024 17:41

girlfriend44 · 17/04/2024 17:32

Remand prisoners are supposed to be kept in prison close to where they live.

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There are no womens prisons in Wales and before 2017 no mens prisons in north Wales so close is relative unfortunately

Spangletwat · 17/04/2024 17:36

FunLurker · 17/04/2024 17:33

Also alot of cells have phones in them now. And you can use them between 8 and 10 I think

This depends, we could use phones 24/7 in our cells. As long as you had the funds. No incoming obvs.

FunLurker · 17/04/2024 17:33

Also alot of cells have phones in them now. And you can use them between 8 and 10 I think

Original poster
girlfriend44 · 17/04/2024 17:32

60andsomething · 17/04/2024 16:37

well one reason is often the distance they are away from family and friends who often cant afford the time or money for round trips of many hours to visit

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Remand prisoners are supposed to be kept in prison close to where they live.

OP posts:
FunLurker · 17/04/2024 17:32

If on remand you get more visits, think 2 a week, once sentenced it 2 a month. Your allowed more money to be sent in, but once sentenced it drops to £20 a week, for a few months. You can save up and buy a duvet or xbox. You have a list of clothes you can take in like 6 pairs of joggers, your often not allowed hoodies, no football shirts. They have tvs in their cells and get a allowance for going to church. Some prisons have learning centers where you can go. Most have pin pong tables and other games.

effoffwind · 17/04/2024 17:23

OhHelloMiss · 17/04/2024 16:44

If they are on remand it will be a local jail

This is not true
We have remand out of areas every single day on remand
It is more likely they will return to a local jail after sentencing
Operation Safeguard has increased the amount of out of area we have
It's a huge issue to learn about the gang power struggles of the south and north west and keep all safe