tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post2469655466496939455..comments2024-03-19T08:48:37.047+00:00Comments on Prison UK: An Insider's View: One of the Two Tribes: the ScrewsPrisonUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-19488279871841044472014-09-26T17:15:54.927+01:002014-09-26T17:15:54.927+01:00Thanks for the link! That YouTube vid was a blast ...Thanks for the link! That YouTube vid was a blast from the very recent past! I think I actually recognised a couple of the screws...<br /><br />It was a useful, quick introduction to some the typical dramas you get on the wing of any closed nick... self-harming, 'twist ups' (restraint), Tornado Team (cell extractions), attacks on screws... what a place prison is! On the other hand, the video doesn't show any of the positive things that do go on inside, including good relationships between the decent screws and many cons.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-89927899964050120892014-09-26T16:59:56.084+01:002014-09-26T16:59:56.084+01:00Take a look at this:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v...Take a look at this:<br /><br />http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H3-J12sYwUA&sns=fbAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-24581538749901480202014-09-16T13:05:15.152+01:002014-09-16T13:05:15.152+01:00Thanks for your comments. Interesting suggestions....Thanks for your comments. Interesting suggestions. Most prisons do have wing reps, but they are almost always appointed by wing governors and aren't respected by a majority of the cons. They are generally perceived to be 'screw-boys' and tend to be despised.<br /><br />The problem isn't really with the Prison Rules - which aren't very detailed at all - it's more the Prison Service Instructions (PSIs) that determine every tiny detail. When the latest revision of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) system was implemented on 1 November 2013, it was purely ideological. <br /><br />Previously, governors had extensive discretion over what they could allow prisoners to have in possession. 'Exceptional' circumstances clauses provided individual governors with the power to make sensible decisions and to defuse situations. For example, the whole ridiculous row over steel-stringed guitars would never have happened prior to PSI 30/2013 coming into effect.<br /><br />Governors - who are best placed to know their individual establishments and to check on security issues - could allow specific prisoners to have education course books posted in, for example. The new PSI removed almost all discretion from governors - effectively disempowering them - through the new National Facilities List which details every tiny issue. It was a key part of Chris Grayling's political posturing for the tabloids to prove he was being 'tough' on cons. Ironically, the people most affected are those prisoners who actually want to gain new educational and vocational qualifications so they have a chance of getting work on release. Utterly counter-productive.<br /><br />I think the tobacco ban will involve two issues: the commercial relationship with DHL, which has the contract to supply canteen items, and the potential impact on prison staff (including a potential rise in violence, as well as opportunities for wing barons to profit from contraband supplies). Generally speaking whenever anything that is in widespread demand - and 80 percent of adult male cons smoke - is banned, it just creates a massive illicit market inside jails.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-66713412637561826452014-09-16T12:29:23.786+01:002014-09-16T12:29:23.786+01:00There should be a Prison rep to negotiate the exte...There should be a Prison rep to negotiate the extent of the Draconian Prison Rules. Maybe lifting the book ban and library closures could be traded with a smoking ban, books or cigs?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-67974722431695034502014-09-16T00:06:45.818+01:002014-09-16T00:06:45.818+01:00Thanks for your questions. On the issue of a '...Thanks for your questions. On the issue of a 'prisoners union' or association, it has been tried before. Some years ago - long before I ended up in prison - I actually signed up as an associate member (since I wasn't then either a con or an ex-con) of the Association of Prisoners launched by John Hirst. I was interested in general prison issues at the time. <br /><br />To be honest, nothing really came of it. I think I may have received one letter about it, then nothing. I think the practical difficulties involved in trying to set up such an organisation, especially by serving prisoners, would be too complicated and I'm not sure really what it would achieve. So my own view is that it wouldn't fly anyway, not least because the MOJ would never recognise it. Of course, some cons remain members of their own trades unions when inside - I did myself - and there is nothing stopping us doing so, but those are external organisations.<br /><br />The voting issue is interesting. For a start, all remand prisoners who are on the Electoral Register are legally entitled to vote (either by post or proxy) under the Prison Act. That accounts for around 10 percent of the current prison population, so thousands of prisoners CAN vote. The fact that most nicks make no arrangements for them to do so, is a serious failing of the system, in my opinion. <br /><br />One of the arguments that never seems to get aired is that prisoners who serve sentences in between general elections are unaffected by the present ban. This means that as long as they are back in the community (even if on licence) in time to re-register then they can vote like anyone else. Therefore, it seems that you only get disenfranchised if you happen to be inside jail around the time of an election. I'm not sure that this makes much sense.<br /><br />I could understand it if we had a system (as in some other countries) where convicts lose civil rights, including the vote for a set period of time after conviction, regardless of whether they are in prison or not. However, as things stand its the actual timing of a prison sentence that deprives a con of his or her vote, not the fact of a criminal conviction.<br /><br />Another anomaly is that if someone has been convicted, but is then granted bail ahead of sentencing he or she can still vote if there is an election before the sentencing hearing. Someone who is sent straight down loses the right to vote. It does seem to me that the present system is a bit of a 'lottery'.<br /><br />I can certainly see an argument for allowing prisoners to vote. However, in practice - as with remands - I very much doubt that even if cons were given the right they would find it an easy process to get registered and then to cast their votes. And would they vote for an MP or MEP in their home constituency or in the one where the prison is located? I remember similar issues with university students some years ago.<br /><br />My best guess is that nothing will change any time soon. PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-87265842539491189292014-09-15T22:17:02.810+01:002014-09-15T22:17:02.810+01:00Should cons be members of a Union and should they ...Should cons be members of a Union and should they be permitted to vote during Elections?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-30257139892360141442014-09-08T23:48:19.123+01:002014-09-08T23:48:19.123+01:00Glad to learn you found Jack's vlog interestin...Glad to learn you found Jack's vlog interesting. He's probably the only ex-con in the UK posting regular vlogs at the moment, although there are a few of us blogging. We're in regular touch and planning some joint online projects.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-18458153555259233322014-09-08T22:23:45.106+01:002014-09-08T22:23:45.106+01:00Good! I've seen one of his vlogs, he looks lik...Good! I've seen one of his vlogs, he looks like a happy chap.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-63722559198174509162014-09-08T10:56:08.696+01:002014-09-08T10:56:08.696+01:00Sure, that's a great suggestion. I'm happy...Sure, that's a great suggestion. I'm happy to take questions as this is one of the reasons I started the blog after I posted on The Guardian online comments section and had loads of questions in real time.<br /><br />I've also thought about doing a joint posting session with Jack Hill, another ex-con, who vlogs on YouTube. We're trying to work out how best to organise it, so watch this space!PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-70451210172373279672014-09-08T10:42:07.004+01:002014-09-08T10:42:07.004+01:00Organise an "Any questions" post please,...Organise an "Any questions" post please, I have plenty of questions >.<Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-2309225700613065292014-09-07T10:31:24.562+01:002014-09-07T10:31:24.562+01:00Thanks for your comment, John. It's interestin...Thanks for your comment, John. It's interesting to get the views of others who have experience of the prison system.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-22598644394841355702014-09-07T07:02:15.266+01:002014-09-07T07:02:15.266+01:00I'll go along with most of this......was highl...I'll go along with most of this......was highly interesting....and well put....mirrors many of my thoughts on screws......john macpheenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-81070329570524491312014-09-06T15:31:26.093+01:002014-09-06T15:31:26.093+01:00Sure. Happy to oblige. Keep the suggestions coming...Sure. Happy to oblige. Keep the suggestions coming.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-35639000260888584192014-09-06T13:30:57.462+01:002014-09-06T13:30:57.462+01:00Can u do post on regime inside n weekend what pris...Can u do post on regime inside n weekend what prisoners do plzAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-11338934423260518732014-09-06T10:44:48.161+01:002014-09-06T10:44:48.161+01:00Thanks for your comments. I wanted to try to give ...Thanks for your comments. I wanted to try to give as balanced a picture as possible - good and bad - based on personal experience and impressions, rather than just perpetuating stereotypes.<br /><br />I've often wondered if it would be a job I'd have liked to do myself and I think it would be the sheer boredom of the wing routine that would be unbearable. It's not just cons who get bored, I've known quite a few screws who say they feel the same. Also, they are locked in the slammer while on shift and have a lot of their liberty taken away - mobile phones, internet access, now smoking - even if they do get paid for the job.<br /><br />Of course, as we all know, some screws do abuse their position, but then so do some police officers and politicians. And for every uniformed sadist or weirdo I've met during my sentence, I've probably met two decent, hard-working screws and two more bored time-servers who just want a quiet life and go through the motions. Those are the real 'key monkeys' who only lock and unlock doors and gates.<br /><br />The best screws are those who can maintain a sense of humour and lighten the atmosphere on the wing. I remember one Scottish officer - ex-army - who could have us all in stitches with his quick wit and turns of phrase. Yet he was also a tough disciplinarian - very old school - who took no crap from anyone, including governors. Most importantly, he never had favourites - those notorious 'screw-boys' that every nick seems cursed with! I'll be writing about those soon.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-52142376531483016182014-09-06T10:28:09.036+01:002014-09-06T10:28:09.036+01:00Thanks for your comment. Up to a point, although a...Thanks for your comment. Up to a point, although any serious incidents have to be referred to the local police because internal prison discipline procedures are limited in scope and the penalties that can be awarded.<br /><br />One of the oddities of the internal adjudication system is that in most circumstances the accused con has no right to legal representation and the Prison Service itself provides the charging officer, the judge (a governor), the prosecutor and the main prosecution witnesses, so the remit is much wider than the police on the street.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-44663279258187861382014-09-06T01:29:33.001+01:002014-09-06T01:29:33.001+01:00I guess a prison officer is a copper within a conf...I guess a prison officer is a copper within a confined space, both attempt to maintain law and order.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-23390920695620017252014-09-06T00:59:01.237+01:002014-09-06T00:59:01.237+01:00My time inside showed me both sides of the prison ...My time inside showed me both sides of the prison officer. There are some that really do care for your needs - they want to help and really do whatever then can to do whatever could help. Others are real sadistic or lazy bastards wanting to punish you. <br /><br />I've met officers who have personally offered me great acts of kindness, others, have absolutely shafted me for no apparent reason. I treated them all respectfully, their responses differed wildly.<br /><br />When I was inside I wondered whether being a prison officer would be a good career choice for me - probably not going to happen given my history. Would I want it? Probably not. As in Alex's post it's a fairly mundane job - opening and closing doors for a bunch of people that may at any moment try to take your life. It's not actually like that but you would have to assume that may happen. And for £20k ish a year would you do it? <br /><br />As an ex-con I think I'd make a fantastic screw - policies wouldn't let me, I really believe that every potential prison officer should spend a week or two "inside" to get a real idea of how it really is,<br /><br />The reduction in staff numbers is an absolute disgrace, they really do have a very difficult job to do anyway but with fewer numbers the contact with inmates and sometimes very humorous and calming banter would be lost. A good screw maintains calm with his personality. If it becomes physical the system has failed. There are idiot inmates in the prison system - they're by far the minority,<br /><br />Grayling - time to get you finger out! Maintain staffing, get rid of the freeloaders, do your job, make prisons safe, productive and rehabilitate some folk.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-38403981423213988282014-09-05T23:30:11.213+01:002014-09-05T23:30:11.213+01:00Thanks for your comment. I'm glad you found it...Thanks for your comment. I'm glad you found it interesting,PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-232877881028694762014-09-05T18:18:02.557+01:002014-09-05T18:18:02.557+01:00He did indeed. It's mentioned in a previous bl...He did indeed. It's mentioned in a previous blog post, so I didn't mention it again.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-75948864607130450142014-09-05T17:51:43.859+01:002014-09-05T17:51:43.859+01:00Very interesting read, many thanks Very interesting read, many thanks Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com