Time - Prison drama on BBC

[Fireangels]

Last night I was watching the new prison drama about three new inmates at a women’s prison. It left me wondering whether or not it was realistic regarding the single mother of three who was jailed for defrauding her electricity supplier.

Genuine questions:

She claimed she had done this as she was unable to afford to keep her children warm. Would she have qualified for help from her electric supplier with her bills? Would she be entitled to claim Universal Credit?

Would she even have been sent to prison? This seems to be an offence caused by poverty. Apart from the devastating effects on this woman, losing her job, home and having her children taken into care, surely it’s not cost effective to have three children fostered, and then have to pay benefits to the mother on her release- especially where she will struggle to find employment having served a custodial sentence.

Sorry if these questions appear insensitive, but I am genuinely curious about this.

There’s not strictly categories for women. At the female prison I’ve been to for work there is the main prison where you go initially, and then houses you go in once good behaviour been established. Women who have committed murder often in with those with lesser offences. Quite often they form romantic relationships and have a nice sense of community in the houses.

I assume we may find out more in episode 2.

Jimmy McGovern and his co writer will gave conducted extensive research.

And, yes, it's very well documented that many women in prison are in for what society might regard as low level crimes, born of poverty and/ or abuse and/ or addiction.

Thanks everyone. Your replies and insights are fascinating. Looking forward to the next episodes.

"There are only 3 female prisons in England currently housing restricted status prisoners."

I don't know where you're getting that info but it's incorrect. We also temporarily transfer those on restricted status fairly often for accumulated visits, court/police visits, medical reasons fairly often.

Of course there are many, many less Cat A equivalent prisoners than men. But restricted status simply translates as high risk and therefore they can only be held in closed conditions. Of which there are a few more than 3 female closed jails.

Even in the male estate you have murderers alongside shoplifters and the like. They might start off in Cat A jails but the aim is to move them to a lower category as soon as we safely can. It's called rehabilitation.

So if they have a phone in their cells does that mean their family etc can call whenever they like? This doesn't happen in the drama, does it?

No, they call out to an approved list of numbers, as long as they have credit. It's fairly new, particularly in the male estate.

No family or friends cannot call. only the inmates can ring a list of preapproved numbers, if they have enough money in their accounts.

x posted!
also in certain female estates

There's been a lot of change over the last decade or so.

The first series of Time was pretty much bang on which is unusual!

Thanks for the clarification about the calls. I can see how that would be abused.

Financial crimes like fraud often seem to attract more severe sentences than violence - it’s odd.

We care more about big businesses than human beings. During the London riots in Tottenham and surrounding areas, the police were out protecting business premises while many burglaries and break ins happened that night and the lack of police response to 999 calls was shocking.

Given that you can be sent to prison for up to 3 months for your child's truancy I can well believe she could be sentenced for stealing electricity !

'They might start off in Cat A jails but the aim is to move them to a lower category as soon as we safely can. It's called rehabilitation.'

What even terrorists, paedophiles and those guilty of sex offences and extreme violence get moved to a lower cat as soon as is safe? Safe for whom? Surely not fellow inmates. I'd have thought serious criminals stayed in secure and strict places, and those guilty of lesser crimes like fraud, burglaries etc got the phones and common rooms. Is everyone really treated pretty equally so long as they appear to behave themselves whilst inside?

https://www.russellwebster.com/restricted-status-for-women-and-children-in-prison-is-counter-productive/

"What even terrorists, paedophiles and those guilty of sex offences and extreme violence get moved to a lower cat as soon as is safe? Safe for whom? Surely not fellow inmates."

Yes of course. Safe for everyone, including other prisoners. It's just an ongoing assessment of risk really, so with certain prisoners it's unlikely that they'll ever be deemed safe enough to move to anything below a Cat A. They're the ones you read about in the papers. Literally a tiny handful of men and women. But for the rest, they are given a sentence plan specific to their offending behaviour and monitored and risk assessed throughout their sentence.

If you're a murderer who gets life with a minimum 15 years then ideally you'll reach Cat D (open conditions) prior to that 15 years tariff being met.

Ah right @ilovesooty. Yeah, you'll generally find them in those establishments but not always, for reasons outlined above.

"those guilty of lesser crimes like fraud, burglaries etc got the phones and common rooms."

Everyone gets the opportunity for association (pool, socialising, phone calls, showers, tv, phone calls, bit of ping pong 🏓, whatever) unless they are unsafe to be let out or currently being punished for poor behaviour.

This is why I can't watch dramas about the UK justice system. Mostly nonsense.

Agreed @UndercoverCop the first series of Time was accurate though.

@BoothsChristmasBook I might give it a go, I've got surgery coming up and need something to binge watch.
It's funny how people think the things like common rooms and phones in cells/pins etc are the unrealistic bits rather than no probation/psr/social care involvement for a first time female offender with children, and that the reasons folk give for their offences in custody are always truthful.

Can't imagine all the high profile baby and child killers socialising and playing pool. They are likely to be attacked. What do they do instead?

Yep all socialise together. A new high profile prisoner who is likely to attract 'attention' will be a held in a separate wing when they first arrive. When all the hype surrounding them has died down they will be moved to one of the houseblocs.

Fair point - thanks.

I thought if women were really really dangerous they went into isolation in men's prison because the female estate cannot cope.