I was in prison in my early twenties, AMA

[Lexibletheflexible]

I was in prison about 18 years ago, between the ages of 19-22. I now volunteer with charities supporting female prisoners. AMA

Are you still in touch with any of the women you met in prison?

What could have stopped you going to prison

What stopped you reoffending afterwards?

Had you had any children before going to prison?

Did it damage you?

Yes. Some people want to move on totally and not associate with people they met inside. I don't feel that way but have had people I was close to who definitely are.

Obvious question, why did you go to prison?

In my specific case, not trusting someone that I trusted as I overestimated their judgement skills, basically.

What helped you turn your life around after release

Honestly? It didn't because I didnt get caught for the things that I actually did. I stopped taking risks with my liberty once I had kids.

No.

Going to prison gave me different charitable goals and ignited my interest in feminism and philosophy

Do you feel going to prison makes someone more or less likely to reoffend/turn to a life of crime?

How do you stop your DC ending up the same way?

Who did you damage or hurt by your continued actions?

Also, what do you do now?
I always think it must be so hard to try and turn your life around if say you apply for a job and you just get rejected for that. Is life then really hard when you get out or do you have this hanging over your head forever.

Did you do any work on the reasons for your offending in prison?

How often were you allowed visits?

I had a council properry in London which I illegally subletted to someone I didn't know that well but thought I could trust. It was a middle classed female uni student. I lived with my boyfriend elsewhere and would stay at at the flat occasionally. Store clothes there etc. Nothing illegal. The subletting was illegal.

She met someone local and he was keeping drugs and guns in the flat. She didn't know. The police were watching him and raided the house on a day where we were both there and he was not (they thought he was).

Long story short, it was at a time where they were making an example of women and girls who they felt were holding drugs and firearms for gang members. There were actual posters that highlighted this made by the Met. I was the tenant of the property and on paper, seemed more like I'd know the guy than she would. After the case against him didn't go very far, they came for me and her. And then just me. They had very little forensic evidence to say who had interacted with the things they found. Most of it got dropped, a firearms charge remained.

I don't want to make out there wasnt things I was doing where I could have got similar time but I wasnt caught for that.

Learned not to trust people have the same experience and knowledge as you. Other than that, not really.

I am a solo cleaner (I have a AMA about that!). I have always worked for myself or for a close friend or family member so I sought out something flexible which didn't involve working for a company

How was the food?

I'd have visits once a week usually. Sometimes twice.

Better than school dinners sadly.

God I did much worse than that. You didn’t deserve to go to prison for any of that