What's life really like in prison?

What's life really like in prison?

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Discussion

HairyMaclary

3,649 posts

194 months

Friday 5th September 2014
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The_Burg said:
Who cares? F@ck them.
You break the law you suffer.

Should be beaten daily fed on dog food and sleep on concrete slabs, with pointy nails.
What about state sanctioned killing? Yup that works as a deterrent?!?!

You do realise that prison is as much about removing liberty and rehabilitation don't you?

BoRED S2upid

19,644 posts

239 months

Friday 5th September 2014
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Pretty boring I'd imagine but then again if you like the gym and reading it could be easy. I heard you can do a degree inside? Be a lot cheaper than going to uni. Not great for your cv though.

jimreed

119 posts

122 months

Friday 5th September 2014
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I've never been into a prison as a convict, only as a visitor, when both my younger brother and my elder brother served a long sentence each. They were in partnership in a company that was making very good money in the early nineties, and the place began to go to the wall. An acquaintance offered them a quick and very illegal way out of the mess they were in and, both mortgaged to the hilt as they were, they agreed.

The deal went sour and very unpleasant folk felt that they were owed money, police, arrests, etc.

My older brother was absolutely broken when he got out, he seems prematurely aged and sad, his health is very poor.
Our brother killed himself in the sixth year of his sentence.

It seems that certain people can thrive in jail, I don't know if you need a particular type of attitude or life experience. People my brother knew who found life easy in prison had been brought up with the outlook that it was 'easy' and a normal experience, rather than a punishment.
I realise I'm not expressing myself well, but whatever the outcome for my brothers - they deserved that sentence and both of them felt ashamed and utterly humiliated, some people don't seem to find prison to be a punishment or a deterrent.
That's my take in the subject, which has bothered me for a long time and I have stopped myself from writing more, because I have no answers really.

One last thing. I found visiting prison to be awful and frightening and shameful, yet I saw others entirely blase and unconcerned about the whole thing - some of these people seemed to treat the prison staff with contempt.


Justayellowbadge

37,057 posts

241 months

Friday 5th September 2014
quotequote all
jimreed said:
I've never been into a prison as a convict, only as a visitor, when both my younger brother and my elder brother served a long sentence each. They were in partnership in a company that was making very good money in the early nineties, and the place began to go to the wall. An acquaintance offered them a quick and very illegal way out of the mess they were in and, both mortgaged to the hilt as they were, they agreed.

The deal went sour and very unpleasant folk felt that they were owed money, police, arrests, etc.

My older brother was absolutely broken when he got out, he seems prematurely aged and sad, his health is very poor.
Our brother killed himself in the sixth year of his sentence.

It seems that certain people can thrive in jail, I don't know if you need a particular type of attitude or life experience. People my brother knew who found life easy in prison had been brought up with the outlook that it was 'easy' and a normal experience, rather than a punishment.
I realise I'm not expressing myself well, but whatever the outcome for my brothers - they deserved that sentence and both of them felt ashamed and utterly humiliated, some people don't seem to find prison to be a punishment or a deterrent.
That's my take in the subject, which has bothered me for a long time and I have stopped myself from writing more, because I have no answers really.

One last thing. I found visiting prison to be awful and frightening and shameful, yet I saw others entirely blase and unconcerned about the whole thing - some of these people seemed to treat the prison staff with contempt.
My sympathies, that's just awful.

Ray Luxury-Yacht

8,910 posts

215 months

Friday 5th September 2014
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One of my ex girlfriends used to work in a prison, on the re-hab and re integration into the community side.

I asked her if she got much stick / sexual harrassment etc. from the prisoners, and she said that although it did happen from time to time, she was a big girl and able to laugh it off. Plus that it was generally done with a bit of good humour - she said she'd never felt genuinely insulted or frightened by any of them.

However, what did make me laugh was that she told me she used a perfect rebuttal if it did get a bit too much. She would smile, and say to them 'anyway, what are you up to next weekend, anything exciting?'

biggrin


Pickled

2,051 posts

142 months

Friday 5th September 2014
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An old school friend of mine got 22 months for fraud (reduced to 15 on appeal) back in the early 90s did 6 weeks in Wormwood Scrubs, I believe everyone regardless of crime starts in a category B prison, got assessed as being a category D prisoner and spent the remainder of his sentence in an open prison on the Isle of Sheppey, reckons it was a piece of piss once out of Wormwood scrubs, own room with his own key only time they had to be in their rooms was at night time, they could work on the prison farm (and get paid!) or do education courses, he got given the job of being in charge of the recycling claimed he spent most of the time sun bathing by the recycling skips. Full size snooker tables, pool tables, table tennis, fully equipped gym.

The experience hadn't seemed to have effect him at all (early 20's no family and living in rented accommodation) he did got to the same boarding school as me which was always nicknamed the gulag so maybe prison seemed relatively easy hehe

JimmyConwayNW

3,056 posts

124 months

Friday 5th September 2014
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If you can look after yourself it's ok. If you are weak you will be picked on. If you are vulnerable or a bit special you will be manipulated/bullied.

Bullying is common. It's mostly blokes who have fked up trying to get on with it.

Sharing a cell with someone coming off a smack habit and cold turkey is not pleasant.

Drugs are easy to come by. Especially in a cat d open. Open prison life is easy with a old routine food which is mostly decent and if willing to work time there flies.

Mobile phones help as pay phone contact is completely st.

I've been once. Had a couple of near misses since. Won't be going back. Grown up a lot since.

Worst thing was knowing the effect it had on my mother and sister. Felt terrible knowing how upset they were.

Without an element of streetwise knowledge I saw people struggle to adjust majorly.

markcoznottz

7,155 posts

223 months

Saturday 6th September 2014
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s p a c e m a n said:
GTIR said:
Ari said:
Thankyou4calling said:
Are drugs freely available?
This is the bit that gets me - drugs available in prison. It's a fecking prison for fecks sake! If you can't keep drugs out of (what should be) a completely secure building something somewhere is very wrong.
It's quite simple.
At visiting time the friend/family member brings in a package small enough to swallow and then later the inmate poos it out in his cell.

Or a dodgy screw brings it in. Possibly.
Years ago I was sitting in a pub in Barking and a mate of a mate went off to the toilet and stuck half an ounce of cannabis resin and a nokia 3220 up his arse. We left about half an hour later and drove to Sheerness, which took about an hour. How the fk do they manage to keep all of that up there for at least 2 hours, I'd be gagging for a poo.
Christ. You couldn't pay me enough.....

CharlieCrocodile

1,186 posts

152 months

Saturday 6th September 2014
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Engineer1

10,486 posts

208 months

Saturday 6th September 2014
quotequote all
Pickled said:
The experience hadn't seemed to have effect him at all (early 20's no family and living in rented accommodation) he did got to the same boarding school as me which was always nicknamed the gulag so maybe prison seemed relatively easy hehe
Public school sets you up for prison or the army after all the sixth form of a public school is probably as restrictive as an open prison.

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

260 months

Saturday 6th September 2014
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Engineer1 said:
Public school sets you up for prison or the army after all the sixth form of a public school is probably as restrictive as an open prison.
Someone told me open prison was a bit like being on a cruise, but without the seasickness.

GALLARDOGUY

8,160 posts

218 months

Saturday 6th September 2014
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I've got associates/acquaintances that are inside or have been.

Can't say it affected them greatly at all but a lot of that is down to their demeanour and background.

Edited by GALLARDOGUY on Saturday 6th September 16:55

HTP99

22,445 posts

139 months

Saturday 6th September 2014
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Gaz. said:
He got sentenced to 6 months again for GBH and was an absolute shred of a man between his trial and sentencing, not only because he was frightened to his core, but also because he'd lose his house & job and the respect/friendship of his friends & family.
Well more fool him, if it was going to affect him that badly then why did he get in a situation again which would involve him going back in.

2.5pi

1,066 posts

181 months

Saturday 6th September 2014
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GALLARDOGUY said:
I've got associates/ acquaintances that are inside or have been.

Can't say it affected them greatly at all but a lot of that is down to their demeanour and background.
Loving the use of the word "associates" ..sounds proper bandit

Hilts

4,383 posts

281 months

Saturday 6th September 2014
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I know a guy who's been in 13 different prisons in 3 different countries including 9 in the USA. All for the same case.

He served a total of 4 and a half years.

Some aspects are better in America ie weather and yard time but in the UK things like the food and the gyms were much better.

Thankyou4calling

Original Poster:

10,596 posts

172 months

Saturday 6th September 2014
quotequote all
Hilts said:
I know a guy who's been in 13 different prisons in 3 different countries including 9 in the USA. All for the same case.

He served a total of 4 and a half years.

Some aspects are better in America ie weather and yard time but in the UK things like the food and the gyms were much better.
You are Steve McQueen aren't you? In the cooler, that's how you know :-)

carreauchompeur

17,830 posts

203 months

Saturday 6th September 2014
quotequote all
I've visited one of the old wings in Bristol prison, and believe me, cushy is not the word I'd use. Horrible, tiny Victorian cell shared with another guy, in the cell for 23hrs a day?

No ta!

ooo000ooo

2,523 posts

193 months

Saturday 6th September 2014
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A mate was told by his solicitor to pack a bag to bring to court as he wasn't going to coming home for a while. He asked another mate who had just been released if there's anything special he should bring. Off he went with his swimming gear smile

jshell

11,006 posts

204 months

Saturday 6th September 2014
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Sounds like working offshore, but without the great money. At least you don't have to take a fking helicopter to prison!

Ari

19,328 posts

214 months

Monday 8th September 2014
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Dr Jekyll said:
Someone told me open prison was a bit like being on a cruise, but without the seasickness.
Seems legit. scratchchin