What do people on remand in prison do?

[girlfriend44]

Just wondered as its says they don't have to work, what else would there be to do then?
Also says they can wear their own clothes?
How would that work then?

Bollocks. Only people that have committed a crime go to prison? Why do we bother with an appeals process then? Or have you never heard of a miscarriage of justice?

The courts are moving faster these days.

Prisons are full so it's also using the early release scheme to make space

Women's prisons are different too - there's a drama on bbc iPlayer called Time which my friend who is a prison officer says is fairly similar to what happens though it's obviously overdramatic but that's to be expected!

The other series of 'time' was better, set in a men's prison

Fairly realistic

Fewer people than usual are being remanded - there is no space in the prison estate.

Remand prisoners often do choose to work or go to education, because its more interesting than being locked up all day. A lot of remand prisons don't have loads of options for work, because remand populations are fluid by nature, and someone who is here today might be gone by next week, so the opportunities for skilled work are fewer.

As for laundry, most wings have a laundry man who will wash prisoners clothes for them. Prisoners get a mesh laundry bag to put all their stuff in, and it gets washed and dried for them.

Don't believe the hype about prison being like Butlins Pontins maybe. I've worked in prisons for twelve years now, they aren't cushy numbers. A lot of it is bravado, but anyone who genuinely thinks prison is a comfortable place to be, has a HORRIBLE life on the out.

I too am.really interested in this.

It seems you can be on remand for a long time ( eg Constance Marten and Mark Gordon for a year)

For most people wouldn't this mean you would lose your home as you wouldn't be paying rent/ mortgage? So if you are released you are homeless and your credit rating is shot to pieces.

I know of someone who was sent to prison for 15 months. I'm assuming he also lost his home as well as his job. But I guess that's part of the punishment. I think he would still argue that in his case the punishment didn't fit the crime, but then I expect most people who commit 'white collar' crime would too.

They lose contact with their family and friends. Lose their home as they can't pay the rent. Lose their jobs.

And then they get bullied by the other prisoners, get into debt and start taking Spice. If they weren't already addicted to drugs being on remand is a good place to start.

They absolutely CAN have contact with family and friends! Why wouldn't they?

Oh would those good reasons be similar to the "good reason" that a pregnant woman was sent to a prison for a crime she didn't commit? (Seema Misra)

Has the whole Post Office scandal of hundreds of wrongful convictions and innocent people being imprisoned and having their lives destroyed completely passed you by? How?

https://howardleague.org/

Because there's never ever been a miscarriage of justice, anywhere in the world....

Remand prisoners haven’t been convicted. Your presumption of guilt is the opposite of the way the system is meant to operate - namely “innocent unless proven guilty”.

I was on remand for 32 days, exactly a year ago.

Remand prisoners do work (some choose not to so are locked up all day). Work includes learning numeracy, IT, and literacy.

you get unlimited money on your account as a remand prisoner.

You keep the clothes you were detained in, unless they have hoods. Family etc can send in clothes but that takes ages so if you’re only in for a short time it’s not worth it.

It’s truly horrendous, life changing and traumatic. Especially when all charges are dropped once a grown up (not a police officer) has looked at the lack of evidence.

I genuinely don’t think I will recover fully. However, I met some remarkable women and I learnt a lot about myself.

This isn’t true. You get socialisation after work. If you don’t work, you’re locked up until work finishes. Gym counts as work and you get paid for it. There are very limited recreational gym sessions which rely on goodwill and staffing numbers.

well one reason is often the distance they are away from family and friends who often cant afford the time or money for round trips of many hours to visit

Interesting question op, and one I’d never really thought about before. To be honest, hadn’t really realised that ‘on remand’ meant they were innocent (or not proven guilty). I think I assumed it was a halfway state between court case and sentencing or between court and deciding where they’ll end up.

some prison wings have a laundry room.

Email a prisoner, phone calls, prisoner video.... letters.... plenty of ways to keep in contact

I read that alot of the time the officers don't know whose on remand and who isnt?

The laundry person gets paid for it, it’s a highly political issue though and caused as much beef on my wing as anything else. I ended up doing it by hand in my sink which was only possible as I was in my own room.

I am sorry you had a horrible experience. However, this is true. It might not be the case where you were but it is true of the prisons I work in

It makes no difference to day to day life, only administrative matters which are all put into the system when you arrive.

phone calls cost money. Email and video calls very rarely available. letters ok, but very slow due to waiting for censorship, and also entirely dependant on literally skills of both parties. And really - how close do you feel to somebody you have only had letter contact with for a couple of years?

If they are on remand it will be a local jail

This is worse by far for the vapers who are not on remand a vape pack is like £17 and they get a maximum of £25 on their canteen for phone calls and stamps etc along with any food or puzzle books etc.