What’s it like in prison?

[Redhairgreeneyes]

I know lockdown is nothing like prison, but it has made me curious.

How long do prisoners typically spend in cells? What do they do in them? Do they have to share, or do they have their own space?

When they leave their cells, what for? Gym, work, church, food?

Just curious. No plans to go to jail.

When I was in the local cat B men’s resettlement prison, there was a high turnover of inmates. Around 40% had no home waiting for them on release, and hostel places were like hen’s teeth. So, unsurprisingly, recidivism was a problem.

Slightly off-topic, but the education manager told me that around 70% of the prison population had been excluded from school at some point. I know that doesn’t mean that 70% or excluded pupils will end up in prison, but there’s so much work to be done around exclusion to keep those kids included and involved somehow.

Someone mentioned arts and crafts materials, but the most wanted and items in the prison were dictionaries. Even guys who were functionally illiterate would treasure their dictionaries.

Having seen more prison toilets than I would ever wish to see, I would be very surprised if there was much booze made in them. Beside which, spice is the substance of choice; cheap, relatively easy to obtain, and very difficult to test for, because the composition is highly variable. The effect on takers range from zombiefied to violence and paranoia. It’s a scourge.

There are also mandatory drug testing in prisons. Sadly, cannabis shows up for longer in your system so heroin is often the drug of choice.

@FudgeBrownie2019 I think you have hit the nail on the head. And I am deeply sorry for the experiences you and your family have experienced.

@Rubychard that's kind of you. I feel like it's my 'normal' if you like - it wasn't until I had my own DC that it struck me just how non-normal my childhood was, and it's partly the reason I've fought for the stability and the boring life we now have. I don't hide my childhood but don't advertise it either, and people are often quite shocked when I do open up because I'm so far removed - my adoptive parents are incredible (albeit slightly eccentric) people and without a moment's doubt they're responsible for me not going down the drugs-prison-abuse route. Sheer dumb luck.

What is life like for paedophiles and rapists? I know they are separated from the general community but are things harder for them? I worry about them being amongst so many people who have made the same awful decisions.

You worry about them being amongst other criminals or you worry about them being amongst other paedophiles?

Bucket that was a really interesting interview, thanks for sharing

Paedophiles have their own wing . They can still go to work but it is a place where they will all work together, for example the laundry. When they are on movement ( going from A to B ) they go before or after mass movement. They are often the better behaved prisoners / wing . They are hated by other prisoners deeply.

I work with ex offenders in a mh unit . Paedophiles will always be ostracised there is a hierarchy those that come with a reputation and they are at the bottom and are terrified of returning to jail. Word gets around very quickly even if someone is coming from a different area what their background is

@OlaEliza I worry about them mixing and talking with people who think what they did is ok and then ending up out in the big world after their sentences with what they thought about and spoke with others about inside going round in their head.

I reckon they come out with more than that. They'll pick up contacts and ring details etc. Or internet passwords. God knows what else. They should be in solitary for the entirety of their sentence.

@OlaEliza

I have no sympathy for people locked up in prisons. Absolutely none. Prison is meant to be grim, it’s meant to be inhumane otherwise what’s the point? Why should it be nice, in fact why should it be anything but grim?

You don’t wanna go to prison? Don’t commit crime. We all have a choice. A family member has spent time in prison - no sympathy from me what so ever. He changed his life around and said he’d never step foot in a place like that again... that’s how it should be.

Why should it be nice, in fact why should it be anything but grim?

Because if you want people to stop offending, you treat them as humans. Your way just makes them worse.

I have no sympathy for people locked up in prisons. Absolutely none. Prison is meant to be grim, it’s meant to be inhumane otherwise what’s the point? Why should it be nice, in fact why should it be anything but grim?

It's not meant to be inhumane, though, is it? It's meant to be a deprivation of liberty and a punishment or rehab, depending on your view. Doesn't mean we can treat prisoners without basic dignity and human rights.

I quickly learnt two things when I volunteered in a prison:

1. most prisoners are 'normal', they are in prison because they made poor decisions
2. a lot of prisoners have been taught no life skills growing up. Sadly this covers not even been taught to brush your teeth and hair every day to more complex skills like managing money, emotions and people. Often it was incredibly sad.

Someone upthread asked about sending art materials to prisons. I know when I worked in a prison the library was desperately short of books and was always grateful when staff donated second hand reading material of any level. As someone said upthread, many offenders are functionally illiterate but many aren’t so books from teen reads upwards are a great escape when confined to a cell for hours at a time.

Loveablers

Maybe your relative had family support. Many do not. I am well aware from working with ex offenders that family support or close supportive friendships make a huge difference to how they move forward

Many in prisons haven’t had this. I know men in their 40’s who still struggle with what we would consider everyday adult tasks looking after yourself, paying bills simply because they had little care and guidance growing up and then have become institutionalised which happens incredibly quickly.

Then there are the many who have mh issues that are often not diagnosed until they are in prison and those while in prison the impact on their mh is hugely detrimental and ongoing

If we treat people in an inhumane way how can we expect them come out of prison and integrate into society. I think you underestimate the power of being institutionalised and how that effects the person.

Over the last few years there have been a couple of very short documentaries called Prison the last one was on in Feb/March in a woman’s prison.

The other two were in men’s prisons I thought the series were fantastic they definitely didn’t shy away from how it was and to me it looked bloody awful from the noise the aggression the anger the violence and lack of mental health provision 70 beds for 3 prisons 2100 inmates.

ihave no sympathy for people locked up in prisons. Absolutely none. Prison is meant to be grim, it’s meant to be inhumane otherwise what’s the point? Why should it be nice, in fact why should it be anything but grim?

That's truly a disgusting thing to say. Is that the kind of country you want to live in?

Thank god we live in a country where everyone has human rights

www.channel4.com/programmes/prison/episode-guide/series-1

This is the series that a PP mentioned. It is very eye opening and grim.

The worst part about prison is the dementors.

Those on the thread worrying about pedophiles getting internet tips from others, many many are subjects to SHPO (Sexual Harm Prevention Orders) and their internet usage is either banned completely or monitored very closely by probation and the police. So they may be told no smart phone, no internet access in the home and this is checked.

They are kept on VP (vunerable prisoner) wings, but to put them in mains, I'll be quite frank, they would get killed. Now I know the general public would love a pedophile stabbed to death in a prison, but you must then look at what would happen to the perpetrator, another crime, another sentence, many. Inmates hate pedophiles because they were victims of childhood sexual abuse, so to put one Infront of them would just be like a moth to a flame sadly.

If anyone is interested in the campaign to make prisons fit for purpose. Look up the charity Howard’s league.