Have you ever been in prison?

[mybigteninchrecord]

What was it like? Just that really, curious!

No, I haven't and it's not somewhere I'd like to go

🤔no

As an inmate or as a visitor?

No. I’ve sometimes thought what if I was mistakenly arrested and put in prison ( no idea what for I have the most boring life imaginable) Just the thought freaks me out.

Are you off to prison or something OP?

I haven’t but someone did a really good AMA on it last year

Only as a volunteer minding small children in the play area corner of the visiting hall whilst Mum chatted to Dad (prisoner) a short distance away, which I imagine is not what you wanted to know about. Even so it was interesting and a bit of an eye opener.

My DH has been in loads of them all over the county, I'm genuinely fascinated by what rhey are like but he's not so all he ever tells me is 'lots of doors and gates'

He's normally out in some shed fixing equipment so he doesn't see much of the jail itself tbf

I've been to slcatraz.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/AMA/4602504-ive-served-a-prison-sentence

There was a really great ama on this just a few months ago.

Never!
Can't you imagine what life would be like?? Bloody brutal I would think.

No, neither as a prisoner or visitor

For work yes.

I was a prison officer for several years so yes!

@CheeseCakeSunflowers how did you get involved with this? It sounds really interesting.

I was civilian staff (teacher) in a B cat mens prison for about 7 years.

I think the tv documentaries (there’s a series on at the moment) do a fairly good representation of what it’s like there.

For work, yes. Criminal law. Gates and doors sums it up.

Never felt scared, very safe really.

Police interview rooms on a Saturday night, or court custody cells, that's a different story, very scary places.

Yes as a visitor twice a month for two years. It’s very time consuming and stressful.

DH did a month then out on tag. He was totally fine as did 20 years in Army so knew how to cope and behave. Knew lots of the officers there from army as well.

Stephen Fry served time as well and having attended boarding school found it all familiar and comfortable, like DH did with Army experience.

Littlefish I saw an advert in my local church newsletter asking for volunteers. It made me think differently about the whole subject of prison. I came away thinking that the ones who are really being punished are the women on the outside who are trying to hold everything together with their children, finances and supporting their men inside. Some travelling very long distances by public transport each week.

I feel the opposite - Safer in police and court cells 😂. Ex police, now work in prisons. Find it hard to explain, but I still see several of the lads in jail who I've put away in the past and I feel deeply unsafe on the wing around the lm and others without my police body armour and belt of tools etc. That's a cultural shift and one I'm not sure will change. I'm only on the wings every few months in my role, so perhaps it will fade.

Yes, for work. Is there something specific you want to know OP? They aren't nice places although ime the staff try their best.

I have been in a few times for work. High security so Gates and doors with very high inner fences around each inner section of the prison, so you went through lots of 'airlocks 'all the time.. It felt safe though, as they very strict about safety and having an escort for visitors admitted to areas where prisoners were actually held and could mix.. One thing that I thought though was how much it reminded me of school.. it even smelt similar . Jeyes fluid I suppose .. The inmates I met even called me 'Miss' !

Yes, as a prison officer.