To wonder What's it like in prison as a category A prisoner child sex offender

[toothfairy73]

The man that abused me and at least 5 others (there will be many more) was convicted as a category A prisoner last year. He got 16 years but can apply for parole after 8. The Judge described him as a serial predatory paedophile (he was convicted of crimes over a 30 year period).

I got an update from the victim liaison officer today (just an annual one) which doesn't tell me much (I'm not allowed to know much). I did wonder (before I opened it) if he had died of coronavirus. He is in his 70's and has cancer. It's left me wondering what life is like for a category A convicted child rapist. I have read that prisoners can have jobs, but wonder if the restrictions are greater for category A. Does anyone know?

Hi op I meant it's not working for me!

@bobstersmum if you google warrior women or enter warrior women blog it should come up. Click on the news page

crustcrab

Yes, some idiots on this site at times.

The Prison Officers are required to be multi skilled - Security experts, guidance councillors, therapists, advisors, stress managers to name a few things. They need to have combat and defence training, expertise in searching for weapons and in drug use. They have to be on suicide watch and protect prisoners convicted of odious crimes from other prisoners guilty of just as odious offences. They have to be tough enough to defend themselves from vicious attacks and even train in riot control. They don't get to pick and choose between 'nicer criminals' and 'evil criminals'.

Officers have to be non judgemental - that task falls to judges and juries, not to prison officers.

They work day and night and hours can be extended at short notice if the prison goes into lockdown.

The judgement and sentencing has already been done. The Prison Officers are simply enforcing the sentence - not adding to it.

How Prison Officers who put their OWN lives at risk to enable us to live in greater safety do not command greater salaries and greater respect is beyond me.

I have heard rumours that guards can be a bit 'oops' with hiding what they're in for from other prisoners and also that they may turn a blind eye to witnessing an attack on them. Please nobody burst my bubble

What?
They are not vigilantes
They are not criminals
They are not thugs
They are not employed for their talent at mugging and pub brawls.

They are professionally trained officers - enforcing a judgement and sentence made by others.
They are protecting you and the rest of the general public

I am sure most people realise that prisoner officers do an incredibly tough job with no recognition, but let's not derail or detract from what the OP has coped with.

We don’t have prison guards. We have Prison officers and they are civil servants. They don’t protect paedophiles- they keep prisoners safe and secure. I hate to say this but prisoners previous offences are not always that relevant to prison staff. Prisoners are risk assessed for the safety of staff and other prisoners. Some of the most polite and friendly prisoners can be sex offenders. Some prisons are specifically for sex offenders.
Prison officers don’t judge prisoners and can’t turn a blind eye to a sex offender ‘being beaten up’, no matter what their personal views.That would be negligence and there are cctv cameras
anyway.
I’d rather a paedophile was safe and secure in prison then be free to commit crimes.

Think you’ve been given some excellent insight & information by Prison Officers (& [possibly] people who work with/alongside them).

Also think you’re absolutely right there will be lots of other victims. Just given how long he was offending for; but also New Cross is near me & it’s in a Borough where he could realistically target a LOT of vulnerable children & young people, including people [traditionally] less likely to report sex offences for cultural reasons.

You can perhaps only go by these prison documentaries on TV. Ross KEMP has done a few programmes, being able to go inside some prisons. The child molesters and serial killers are usually isolated from others, and would have a very bad time from other prisoners. Most people would wan't all the very worst of men, to suffer, and even die in prison.

I dare say that a lot of prisoners suffer badly with mental problems being locked up for years, but of course, nobody on the outside really cares about this or them, well maybe their families care, but that's another matter.

But being prison, they get fed, have some laundry done, have a little exercise, and some have little jobs to do, and plenty of drugs so it seems.

Maybe some people would like the prisons to be like the one in The Green Mile film. !!

OP I've been reading your blog and I just wanted to say again how strong and courageous you (and the other women) are. I am so pleased that you did get justice and he was imprisoned despite the initial verdict. It should not be this difficult to get someone convicted- you told so many people over such a long period of time and had so much counselling- who would do that without a serious reason?! I would not be shocked if there were more victims and I hope that they come forward so this man receives more years to his sentence and they can get justice too
I knew about police taking phones and going through all of your private life from when I made a complaint and I don't like the way victims are treated with such intrusive suspicion.
I think you're amazing and I hope that it provides some comfort that he will be having an unbelievably miserable time. On the other hand (I think this way) if you're having a bad day you know however bad it is, his will be shittier.
Thank you for sharing your story on your blog OP, I hope a lot of other people read it too.

OP he probably won't always be in the same prison. I was quite shocked at the number of prisons just for sex offenders, I imagined that they went on rule 43 with vulnerable people. Prisons don't always have a hospital so if he's ill & needs to go to hospital then they will send him there, he won't always go back to the same prison. They don't have facilities for old people so many prisons won't want the extra responsibility, another reason for their moving around so much.

I did some work in a prison many years ago & interviewed a lifer, he wasn't a nonce but he was on that wing. In my experience it was much quieter than any other wings, they were sorting spectacles frames out to send abroad, that was their job. No one looked up or said a word to me, it was almost like they never expected me to acknowledge them so they didn't acknowledge me. Other wings were a bit more lively, & I must admit that everyone treated me with the greatest respect.

DS9 goes to school with a couple of children whose parents are both prison officers. Neither opens up much about their work, unsurprisingly, but both are open about the fact that prison sentences aren't some kind of holiday.

Oddly, they're both the driest, most salty-humoured people I've ever met. I've always wondered if the job has made them that way or if you need to be quite stoic and dry to do the job in the first place.

OP. I'm so glad that you were courageous enough to push for that conviction. I hope your pain and hurt eventually heal.

OP I just want to say how brave I think you are. Here's hoping hes a covid 19 statistic soon.

Jesus OP, I just read that Guardian article.. such horrific crimes, I am awed that you have come through this.. and going to court twice.. you are amazing!

I have no in depth knowledge of prisons I'm afraid, but yes, I hope he's miserable and never comes out.

And thank you to all the prison officers - tough job!

Working in a prison changes people undoubtedly. I don’t think it’s possible not to. I suppose it takes a certain type of person to make a career of it. Although many probably feel a bit stuck and are in it for the pension.
Family member of mine retired 2 years ago and did 28 years and ‘worked’ with some well known prisoners over the years.

@DKanin thank you 🙏

@KnobwithaK thank you 🙏

@Iwantacookie I'm kind of hoping that too if it means he won't come out. Must be terrifying being locked up in a pandemic when you have underlying health conditions. But I do want others to get the chance to get justice for themselves too if they are able to.

When we were asked if we wanted to go through a retrial I didn't miss a heartbeat and said yes. I had to try and I had to do it for all the others that didn't get justice or couldn't face reporting.

When I found out what his character witness said (about being good with his girls and taking them to the theatre aged 72) I was terrified that if he was found not guilty he would carry on - I only found this out whilst waiting for the verdict for the second time; this is because whatever the outcome there would not be a third trial. I was terrified for those girls. If he hadn't already abused them it was a matter of time as he was definitely grooming them. When we got the guilty verdicts I was so relieved for them.

@toothfairy73 it may be wise to remove the link. Ive dealt with rso's who have gone to the police for victims publicising their offence. The victims have ended up being reprimanded/ recieved police caution. Please keep yourself safe

Which link? On this post? How do I do that? The articles are all in the public domain

It also feels so wrong, I've been made to keep his secret all my life I'm not keeping it anymore

We don't name him on the website we put links to news reports that is all

Parole after 8 years that's a piss take. They should be in there for life with the equipment cut off with out anaesthetic.

Theyre housed in their wing though unfortunately with the rest of the scumbag paedos and rapists. It's known as protection, because if they put them on the general wing. They'd be ripped apart. Id feed them to lions personally.

They're there to be forgotten about

My brother's girlfriend is a Prison officer and she says she was interested in who had done what crime for the first week or so but now she just forgets and has totally lost any fascination.

And talked to a few ex prisoner friends, they've all said (this may sound a bit abstract) that the worst bit was just not having freedom, every single second of the day. Waking up everyday and realising you're still in there stuck in at the bottom rung of society.