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

We’re you scared in prison when you first arrived, of the other women?

Probably drug addicts and the people who love them.

Yes but mostly the ones who shouldn't be in a "normal" prison because they are mentally ill or impaired.

are there any ways the record still affects your day to day life? Getting credit, taking roles (you say you volunteer?) etc?

That must’ve been incredibly scary. Were you ever attacked by another inmate?

“Continued”??

Yeah. That's the thing. What occurred to me is that this is totally unfair to many women who are completely hoodwinked by a guy through their own naivety.

The young woman I subletted to had no idea this guy was in a gang and a high level drug dealer with firearms because he didnt have his jeans sagging and was generally polite and well socialised.

Did you share a cell? And were there many relationships going on in there?

They were referring to what I said about only changing my criminal behaviour when I had children opposed to when I went to jail. That was probably because I never got caught for what I actually did.

Were you aware he was keeping guns and drugs at the flat?
What was the offence you were convicted of and how long was your sentence /did you serve in prison?
Was this your first offence?
what was the worst thing about being imprisone and what surprised you?

Yes, most of the time I shared.

Lots of relationships. Lots of unethical relationships. Lots of sexual exploitation, too.

While you were in there did you do much reflection, and did they offer anything to help with that or education opportunities etc?

Are you OK? I can’t imagine the trauma

So are you saying you got three years wrongly, because the CPS didn’t believe you didn’t know the male tenant was a criminal stashing weapons and drugs at your illegal sublet, but that you were also knowingly committing criminal acts that could, if you’d been caught, got you a similar sentence?

I’m confused by this- you said you went to prison for indirectly subletting to a gang member- but then after you came out you continued some criminal behaviour up until you had children?

thats not really come across in your posts

I didnt even know he was staying there. I thought she bought weed off of him and his friends and that was it. Had no idea she would start sleeping with him. Didnt think he would be her type TBH but I didnt get that she didnt see exactly what he was.

Just under 5 years was the sentence. I did 3.5. Yes first offence. I think i had a caution as s youth for a school fight but it wasnt on my record.

Worst thing is not being with family. I was surprised at how many women with cognitive impairment, severe mental illness and a very low IQ are in jail. It's the same in men's prisons.

Well she won’t be allowed in lots of countries with a gun charge. Can never emigrate etc.

I find that hard to believe. She was clearly similarly overlooking the presence of guns and drugs, presumably in amounts designed for more than personal use, in a flat that can’t have been the size of Chatsworth.

I was already doing criminal stuff like selling drugs and other stuff associated with that lifestyle. I just never got caught for any of that. I didn't stop when I came out of prison initially, either.

So where you actually dealing yourself?

obviously I can google the actual implications. I wanted to know from the poster what affects her.

I can totally understand thinking you’ll never get caught. I’ve experienced that before too.

He kept some bags of what she thought were clothes. This girl really had no idea at all. She romanticised the whole thing. I assumed that everyone close to my age had the same "Street smarts" as me. Especially if they took drugs themselves and bought them off people like him.

They couldn't prove she did know and it wasnt her flat, it was mine. Easier to make it stick against me, especially when it appears as if I won't help them get him. I didnt have the info to help them get him even if I would have done that.

It wasnt that I thought I'd never get caught, I had never been caught. Before kids, the risk of being caught seemed worthwhile. That changed after kids.

So you got 5yrs for something you didnt actually do /have knowledge of - apart from subletting illegally

yet was doing other illegal stuff you didn’t get caught for

and once out , you still carried on misbehaving but didn’t get caught again

did the friend get a sentence and do you tell people in real life you have been to prison but ‘wrongly’