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.

Someone mentioned serial killers never likely to reach ability to get anywhere other than a Cat A - yes she deserves prison but surely someone like Lucy Letby for example won't be a risk to other female prisoners?

It's just not her motive. But I'm pretty sure she shouldn't be allowed none the less!

Don't they get attacked? I thought everyone in prison hated them and they were at risk of attack.

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

😅 so much misinformation out there. Why wouldn't the female estate cope? It's what prisons do, cope with prisoners.

"Don't they get attacked? I thought everyone in prison hated them and they were at risk of attack."

All sorts of people get assaulted. If you think the prisoners you've heard of are cowering behind their doors and being battered every time they come out then you're deluded. Most of the women you'll have heard of have girlfriends, for example.

Most of the men aren't overly bothered what someone has done, especially when the press interest has died down. More interested in what they can get for themselves and therefore a drug addict will garner much more unwanted attention than a rapist will inside. Just the way it is.

"Someone mentioned serial killers never likely to reach ability to get anywhere other than a Cat A - yes she deserves prison but surely someone like Lucy Letby for example won't be a risk to other female prisoners?

It's just not her motive. But I'm pretty sure she shouldn't be allowed none the less!"

She isn't in a Cat A and never will be because females aren't categorised in that way. As mentioned earlier.

I meant equivalent

"I meant equivalent"

There isn't one. It's open or closed. That's it.