Have you ever been to prison?

[AhhhhThatsBass]

As an inmate, that is. Just that really. I was inspired by another threat I’ve been reading this evening.
What was it like, was it hell or was it bearable? I once watched a programme about a women’s prison and I remember thinking that it didn’t seem that bad, there was a good deal of support and camaraderie there but maybe I’m being completely naive.

(Nosy Me would love to know what you did but that might be a step too far)

As a professional. When it’s good, it’s good. When it’s bad, it’s horrid.
A lot depends on staffing and what’s on offer.

I have colleagues who have worked in women’s prisons and said they were awful, much worse than men’s. I understand the suicide rate is higher in women’s prisons too? So not convinced by the descriptions above.

I've worked in 3 different prisons over 9 years. Only 1 of those female which tbh I found quite intimidating. I think being a female working in a male prison can ' calm ' situations. I had responsibility to small groups at a time including murderers who are usually the quieter ones as they have a longer sentences and just make it as easy for themselves as they can. The men who are on shorter sentences tend to be more bolshy.

Oh I forgot to mention, the hardest part was my family- them visiting was so hard especially for my Mum and Dad
@namechanged, I hope you dont mind me asking but would you have preferred it if they hadnt visited, but just kept in contact via letters and phone calls instead.

Did having them visit make it harder for you?

Ooh 99 Just wanted to say that I loved your Harry Potter novels

No, but I spent one night in a cell after being arrested. It's not really what you are asking about, but in the police station cell, there was a toilet which didn't flush, no toilet roll, the 'bed' was just a concrete block with a foam mat on the top, no pillow and no blanket. I requested both a blanket and some water to drink, which I got.

I’m always amazed by the fact that around 20% of men have criminal records.

Ex Solicitor. Been to many male and female prisons, including Rampton.

99 get in contact with Edwina Grosvenor

99balloons, my local prison has some sort of connection with a local artists group - I'm not sure on the details. Perhaps others do too? (Sorry, not very helpful...)

I volunteered as a counsellor in a women's prison for a while. I was a key holder somhad access to most areas and none of the offenders knew who I was so I think I got a fair idea of how things were. It was like a very big, dingy, old fashioned girls comprehensive school bit with cells and very attractive gardens (because gardening was a popular employment choice). It was normally very quiet although occasionally an argument would break out and the whole place would erupt. But 95% of the time it was a very subdued, downbeat atmosphere and I was always grateful when I knocked off for the week.

Most of my clients/patients were regular offenders from families of regular offenders who saw prison as an unavoidable, rather dull part of their lives. The only real hardship was separation from their children. Some women positively loved prison as they got a secure space of their own, regular food and were safe from their abusers. It was common for women on long sentences who had been exclusively heterosexual before to develop same sex relationships inside and I think that was more a longing for a loving, exclusive relationship in an otherwise cold environment than a sexual thing.

I only worked with two middle class women serving their first sentence and they both found adjusting hard, not so much because of the regime or the incarceration- the rules and routines are so clearly laid out that people seem to pick things up very quickly, but because of their shame at their new status.

Actually 99balloons you could say you wanted to teach creative writing classes and pitch an idea

I haven't but my boyfriend has. He got 4 months for a driving offence. A month was dropped immediately. He said it wasn't as bad as he expected. He ate well, had use of gym and access to education.

99baloons what do you want to know about prisons?

My dad was in prison for an unpaid debt years ago. Said it was like being back at school, except you couldn't leave. He was housed though with other men who had committed petty crimes.

A friend of mine went to prison for 8 months for something stupid that technically broke the law but didn't hurt anyone.

She said it wasn't too bad. She spent some time in Holloway and also Styal, but she said it really wasn't what she was expecting.

AcrossthePond55

"Had a coworker who was formerly a guard on Death Row at San Quentin. Contrary to what I would have thought, she said it was very quiet and the inmates were very polite to her. She said that that duty station was her favourite as far as things being uneventful."

Wow so interesting! I'm fascinated by the Scott Peterson case- did your friend see him at all whilst working there?

99balloons - you could apply to be a volunteer custody visitor in prisons. They are members of the public who prisons have a duty to allow in as people independent from the prison system, to chat with prisoners about what it’s like for them inside. Not sure what it is you need to know but I’m sure you’d be able to subtly find it out through doing this. My mum did it for a few years and says it was very interesting.

Unsure why 99 is having such problems. I visited a women’s prison about 10 years ago as partof a women’s group.
It was much quieter than I had anticipated, and the majority of the prisoners had a very sad story. Prison really didn’t seem appropriate for most of them, hardly any had committed a serious crime.

@99balloonsandproblems, I think I've read your first book. Well, if you are who I think you are anyway,

It's because I am published. Each prison doesn't want to sanction me going in and being shown around because they know my novel will be published and they think it will be about their prison directly. I've said I will invent one, but they still won't have it.

What I want to know is how life is for long term prisoners in a category A prison - the minutiae of day to day life

In total I've spent 4yrs 11 months in prison across 2 sentences.
Life isn't too bad; most of the time. You just get on with it. The first couple of weeks aren't particularly nice but you get used to it, it becomes routine and day to day it's alright.
I wouldn't say it's like a school (unless you mean with regards to cliqueyness) but it's not a constant war zone either. Fights happen. Two suicides happened. But it's not everyday. It's liveable. Some people even miss the routine of it and don't know how to readjust so purposely go back to prison. I've known some myself to do that. Not me though; but I'm not traumatised by it either.

Fascinating thread. I agree with a pp. ..the OITNB book by the actual Piper Kerman is a brilliant read

99ballons, I spent six years in prison - as an Education Officer. One of the things we were not allowed to do, in fact it came under the 'Official Secrets' regulations, was to write about the prison, its inmates or officers.

Once the authorities suspected that you would be writing about your experiences, there would have been an automatic refusal.

If you had applied to teach creative writing without mentioning your reasons, you would probably have been OK. They could not allow you to just wander around gathering info in the interests of your own safety.

I loved my time 'inside' . We were a 'local' prison, which means we took in everyone, regardless of their crime when they were first convicted by all courts in the surrounding counties and awaited allocation to their permanent abodes.

The men were consistantly polite and friendly. I saw a film where most of the action took place within a prison and the men were depicted continually swearing at each other and the staff. I remarked to my male boss how ridiculously unrealistic this was. He looked at me as if I were mad and said "I can assure you, Tricky, thst is exactly how they talk when you are not around., it just shows the civilising effect of women in the nick".