What's life really like in prison?
Discussion
about 20 years ago i did some time in Brixton.
If it wasn't for being denied the people i loved on the outside it wouldn't have bothered me going back, tbh.
It wasn't particularly cushy by todays standards so i can only assume it would be easier to do time now if you had no one you cared about on the outside.
Longest, lasting memory of being inside was when it was announced we would be watching Lawnmower Man the following week.
The rush of people making phone calls to friends to get drugs in for the the next visiting time was astonishing
If it wasn't for being denied the people i loved on the outside it wouldn't have bothered me going back, tbh.
It wasn't particularly cushy by todays standards so i can only assume it would be easier to do time now if you had no one you cared about on the outside.
Longest, lasting memory of being inside was when it was announced we would be watching Lawnmower Man the following week.
The rush of people making phone calls to friends to get drugs in for the the next visiting time was astonishing
Ari 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. 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.
xuy said:
I know a few people who have spent time behind bars, mainly for relatively petty crime (theft etc)
All of them think of it as a holiday and quite good. I was talking to one last week after being released on tag for hitting a Police Officer (5 months into a 18 month sentence) He is 19. I asked if it has out him off being a criminal. his reply :- "No it was a doss, quite enjoyed it etc.."
I also know a prison officer. That is a job I would not want to do. His opinion is that prisons are now more life holiday camps than places of correction. He recently had to change his boots as they were too offensive for the inmates.
Our liberal approach has changed prisons to the huge benefit of the guest.
When I asked the officer what he would do to toughen things up and stop the decline his reply was simple, bring back slop buckets.
And you believe them..? All of them think of it as a holiday and quite good. I was talking to one last week after being released on tag for hitting a Police Officer (5 months into a 18 month sentence) He is 19. I asked if it has out him off being a criminal. his reply :- "No it was a doss, quite enjoyed it etc.."
I also know a prison officer. That is a job I would not want to do. His opinion is that prisons are now more life holiday camps than places of correction. He recently had to change his boots as they were too offensive for the inmates.
Our liberal approach has changed prisons to the huge benefit of the guest.
When I asked the officer what he would do to toughen things up and stop the decline his reply was simple, bring back slop buckets.
Ari said:
Again, not difficult. Collect thrown fruit - check for drugs.
Correct, but not as easy to spot all the time and if the guards happen to be dealing with a disturbance at the time...There is no 100% sure way to smuggle in drugs, just many different ways to try, some of which are no hopers and some which might get through.
Never underestimate the ingenuity of someone with not much else to do with their time than think of solutions to such problems. Not all criminals come from the 'thick as s
t' camp.Ari said:
xuy said:
I know a few people who have spent time behind bars, mainly for relatively petty crime (theft etc)
All of them think of it as a holiday and quite good. I was talking to one last week after being released on tag for hitting a Police Officer (5 months into a 18 month sentence) He is 19. I asked if it has out him off being a criminal. his reply :- "No it was a doss, quite enjoyed it etc.."
I also know a prison officer. That is a job I would not want to do. His opinion is that prisons are now more life holiday camps than places of correction. He recently had to change his boots as they were too offensive for the inmates.
Our liberal approach has changed prisons to the huge benefit of the guest.
When I asked the officer what he would do to toughen things up and stop the decline his reply was simple, bring back slop buckets.
And you believe them..? All of them think of it as a holiday and quite good. I was talking to one last week after being released on tag for hitting a Police Officer (5 months into a 18 month sentence) He is 19. I asked if it has out him off being a criminal. his reply :- "No it was a doss, quite enjoyed it etc.."
I also know a prison officer. That is a job I would not want to do. His opinion is that prisons are now more life holiday camps than places of correction. He recently had to change his boots as they were too offensive for the inmates.
Our liberal approach has changed prisons to the huge benefit of the guest.
When I asked the officer what he would do to toughen things up and stop the decline his reply was simple, bring back slop buckets.
My Brother in-law is a Prison officer/Screw, has been for nearly 20 years. He loves it, but I suspect he just likes the power he has over the 'cons'.
My wife also used to work in the 'offender health' part of the NHS and had to visit prisons often, she found the whole thing fascinating had to dress as plainly as possible and was escorted everywhere, any con that was there had to stand (IIRC) 6 meters away and to not make eye contact, ever.
I also had a colleague who got banged up for a short period of time for fighting in town, he was absolutely petrified about being raped. Apparently though there are so many people that want to have sex in prison that there's no real need for rape and as such it rarely happens.
My wife also used to work in the 'offender health' part of the NHS and had to visit prisons often, she found the whole thing fascinating had to dress as plainly as possible and was escorted everywhere, any con that was there had to stand (IIRC) 6 meters away and to not make eye contact, ever.
I also had a colleague who got banged up for a short period of time for fighting in town, he was absolutely petrified about being raped. Apparently though there are so many people that want to have sex in prison that there's no real need for rape and as such it rarely happens.
Ari said:
xuy said:
I know a few people who have spent time behind bars, mainly for relatively petty crime (theft etc)
All of them think of it as a holiday and quite good. I was talking to one last week after being released on tag for hitting a Police Officer (5 months into a 18 month sentence) He is 19. I asked if it has out him off being a criminal. his reply :- "No it was a doss, quite enjoyed it etc.."
I also know a prison officer. That is a job I would not want to do. His opinion is that prisons are now more life holiday camps than places of correction. He recently had to change his boots as they were too offensive for the inmates.
Our liberal approach has changed prisons to the huge benefit of the guest.
When I asked the officer what he would do to toughen things up and stop the decline his reply was simple, bring back slop buckets.
And you believe them..? All of them think of it as a holiday and quite good. I was talking to one last week after being released on tag for hitting a Police Officer (5 months into a 18 month sentence) He is 19. I asked if it has out him off being a criminal. his reply :- "No it was a doss, quite enjoyed it etc.."
I also know a prison officer. That is a job I would not want to do. His opinion is that prisons are now more life holiday camps than places of correction. He recently had to change his boots as they were too offensive for the inmates.
Our liberal approach has changed prisons to the huge benefit of the guest.
When I asked the officer what he would do to toughen things up and stop the decline his reply was simple, bring back slop buckets.
I worked at at a couple of the IRC/IDC facilities, the pussy footing around that went on beggared belief, they had more rights than we did
Did a brief stint working at HMP also, some of them were Holiday Campesque
xuy said:
I know a few people who have spent time behind bars, mainly for relatively petty crime (theft etc)
All of them think of it as a holiday and quite good. I was talking to one last week after being released on tag for hitting a Police Officer (5 months into a 18 month sentence) He is 19. I asked if it has out him off being a criminal. his reply :- "No it was a doss, quite enjoyed it etc.."
I also know a prison officer. That is a job I would not want to do. His opinion is that prisons are now more life holiday camps than places of correction. He recently had to change his boots as they were too offensive for the inmates.
Our liberal approach has changed prisons to the huge benefit of the guest.
When I asked the officer what he would do to toughen things up and stop the decline his reply was simple, bring back slop buckets.
a somewhat less reactionary PO acquaintance of mine has suggested that part ofthe problem is the increase in governor grades and the loss of the senior uniformed prison officers , while there are some of the governors coming from PO backgrounds a lot of the junior governors are graduiate trainee types ... and the cons run rings round them ...All of them think of it as a holiday and quite good. I was talking to one last week after being released on tag for hitting a Police Officer (5 months into a 18 month sentence) He is 19. I asked if it has out him off being a criminal. his reply :- "No it was a doss, quite enjoyed it etc.."
I also know a prison officer. That is a job I would not want to do. His opinion is that prisons are now more life holiday camps than places of correction. He recently had to change his boots as they were too offensive for the inmates.
Our liberal approach has changed prisons to the huge benefit of the guest.
When I asked the officer what he would do to toughen things up and stop the decline his reply was simple, bring back slop buckets.
Edited by mph1977 on Tuesday 3rd February 23:31
qube_TA said:
My wife also used to work in the 'offender health' part of the NHS and had to visit prisons often, she found the whole thing fascinating had to dress as plainly as possible and was escorted everywhere, any con that was there had to stand (IIRC) 6 meters away and to not make eye contact, ever.
Why did they have to stand 6 meters away and avoid eye contact? Surely this is not helpful for building rapport or conducting any kind of health assessment?Rude-boy said:
Fruit also used to be a good one. Thrown over the wall, a hollowed out orange can hold an impressive quantity of drugs.
There was a drama on t'beeb a year or two back where a young chap is remanded in nick, and he witness' the drug delivery - via hollowed out dead birds thrown over the wall (this was apparently researched from actual UK prison activities).It also majored on the boredom leading to drug use just to pass the time.
qube_TA said:
<snip>
My wife also used to work in the 'offender health' part of the NHS and had to visit prisons often, she found the whole thing fascinating had to dress as plainly as possible and was escorted everywhere, any con that was there had to stand (IIRC) 6 meters away and to not make eye contact, ever.
<snip>
obviously not 'trained prison staff' then as i ave acvquaintances who are involved in NHS provision to the Prison service as Health professionals wokring inside ... and there's no such rules about distance and eye contact. but these staff do have specific training to work in the prison environment - i't s a condtyion of being unescorted and getting a set of keys ... My wife also used to work in the 'offender health' part of the NHS and had to visit prisons often, she found the whole thing fascinating had to dress as plainly as possible and was escorted everywhere, any con that was there had to stand (IIRC) 6 meters away and to not make eye contact, ever.
<snip>
ialso looked after NHS ospital inpatients who were currently 'service users' of HMPs and gain no such rules about distance or eye contact.
Don't know about the Prion side of things by the Mrs role in her Trust requires her to visit some locations where some 'interesting' characters are being treated (read kept well away from society). On the occasions she visits it's governor level approval and she is never left on her own.
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