tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post6959970706413775639..comments2024-03-19T08:48:37.047+00:00Comments on Prison UK: An Insider's View: Dead Souls and Burned-Out CasesPrisonUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-75588675340564642402014-11-13T14:56:25.327+00:002014-11-13T14:56:25.327+00:00Hi Charlotte, you've not caused any offence at...Hi Charlotte, you've not caused any offence at all. The only reason for my tardy response to your comment - for which I apologise - was that we don't have any internet access at my parents' home out in the country. I've only just found a wireless hotspot in the nearby town to check e-mails. Regards, AlexPrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-26631975577173044762014-11-09T11:37:21.176+00:002014-11-09T11:37:21.176+00:00I get the impression I have perhaps offended you s...I get the impression I have perhaps offended you somehow. I notice while my above condolence hasn’t been acknowledged, many others have. <br />It was an error on my part to have bothered you. Obviously, given the circumstances, I shall take my research into another direction. <br /><br />I apologise for any offence you feel I may have caused.<br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />Charlotte<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-17866060758133839052014-11-07T09:47:16.431+00:002014-11-07T09:47:16.431+00:00Thank you Alex,
I understand you’re going through...Thank you Alex,<br /><br />I understand you’re going through a difficult time right now; therefore it would be rather inconsiderate to bombard you with questions. I haven’t formulated them all yet, but when I email them, please do take all the time you need. There is no urgency for a reply. As I stated previously I’m still in the very early stages of research.<br /><br />My condolences,<br /><br />Charlotte<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-54955468128942104412014-11-06T17:25:01.905+00:002014-11-06T17:25:01.905+00:00Hi Charlotte, sure. Happy to help. Please e-mail d...Hi Charlotte, sure. Happy to help. Please e-mail directly on aleckocavendish@gmail.com and we can arrange to chat. <br /><br />I have just had a bereavement in the family this afternoon, so I may take a few days to respond as I am involved in making various arrangements. AlexPrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-9497138400278281432014-11-06T17:01:43.406+00:002014-11-06T17:01:43.406+00:00A well written and informed piece of writing.
Hi ...A well written and informed piece of writing.<br /><br />Hi Alex, my name is Charlotte and I’m a writer. At the moment I am in the early stages of research for my new novel. One of the characters is serving a custodial sentence.<br /><br />I have no experience of prison, and I don’t know anyone who has been to prison or knows anyone who has, therefore my knowledge is limited. <br />This presents a problem, as I don’t want to base my characters experiences on media reports of prison. Rather than perpetuated myths I would like factual information, so I can do my character justice (excuse the pun). <br /><br />I would be grateful for any help, either from yourself or from any of your followers, if I could email you some questions to further my own knowledge and build a believable fictional character. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-60841528472347178672014-10-15T10:24:23.093+01:002014-10-15T10:24:23.093+01:00Thanks for your kind comment. I do find the whole ...Thanks for your kind comment. I do find the whole situation tragic. One of the problems with prison is that you meet so many of these folk that you risk getting 'compassion fatigue'. As a fellow con you can only help a tiny minority and you have no resources to really assist them beyond being willing to listen if they want to talk.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-19870765090172356802014-10-15T07:09:08.132+01:002014-10-15T07:09:08.132+01:00Wow. Very well written, and very sad too.Wow. Very well written, and very sad too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-10702675486864796772014-10-03T22:19:58.429+01:002014-10-03T22:19:58.429+01:00I like this one:
When lads have done with labour
...I like this one:<br /><br />When lads have done with labour<br />in Shropshire, one will cry<br />"Let's go and kill a neighbour,"<br />And t'other answers "Aye!"<br />So this one kills his cousins,<br />And that one kills his dad;<br />And, as they hang by dozens<br />at Ludlow, lad by lad,<br />Each one of them one-and-twenty,<br />All of them murderers,<br />The hangman mutters: "Plenty,<br />Even for Housman's verse".<br /><br />I hasten to add, I'm very much opposed to the idea of corporal or capital punishment! <br /><br />Sirikithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13188194741226037319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-61415778428262979202014-10-01T23:46:19.045+01:002014-10-01T23:46:19.045+01:00Thanks for your comments. I think that you are rig...Thanks for your comments. I think that you are right. Until someone really experiences the loss of their liberty, then imprisonment is a very abstract concept. Most people (including many of the 98 percent of the UK population that have never been a prisoner) base their opinions on what they have read or seen in the media, or else in fiction (which is sometimes the same thing!) I was in the same position myself until I found myself on the wrong side of a cell door for a few years.<br /><br />On the other hand, it is perhaps equally as frightening just how quickly many people can get institutionalised. For many, 'switching off' their minds or suppressing their emotions is the only way to get through a prison sentence, particularly a lengthy stretch. <br /><br />For me, the most tragic cases are those who have come into the system as kids - 15, 16, 17 years old and are still doing time as older men in their 30s or even older. They really don't know much about life in the real world and they have grown up inside the walls and fences. This, in itself, can cause massive emotional damage and - in some cases - make the person even more dangerous and unstable than when they were sent down. Without any serious work on rehabilitation and preparation for resettlement, they may be released as disasters just waiting to happen and that doesn't protect society one iota.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-22755845001683404412014-10-01T20:29:55.759+01:002014-10-01T20:29:55.759+01:00So interesting hearing it from someone who has liv...So interesting hearing it from someone who has lived it. I've never been to prison, but I must say I get frustrated when I hear people (friends, colleagues, taxi drivers) casually argue that prison must be an easy ride, 'they all get Playstations you know' etc, having never really considered what the loss of liberty would mean. The thought of not being able to make simple, dull choice such as what to cook for tea, buy a dvd online, whether to go for a drink after work, take dog for a walk, text your friends, family meal. To me, that's what makes prison a scary prospect, losing your ability to make those every day choices. And as for a Playstation...it wouldn't interest me in the least! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-13645605709412234762014-09-29T15:23:19.945+01:002014-09-29T15:23:19.945+01:00Thanks for your comment. Interestingly, I've h...Thanks for your comment. Interestingly, I've heard very similar comments from some of the wiser screws inside prisons. <br /><br />There are quite a few professionals who get banged up for serious motoring offences, particularly causing death by dangerous driving, drink driving or having been responsible for accidents on the road. Their whole lives - and that of the victim - as well as both families can change forever in an instant and then they end up in slammer. <br /><br />Every nick I've been in has a few of these blokes: businessmen, footballers, solicitors, a magistrate, a doctor... it's one area of crime that can affect almost anyone who drives, including people who'd never dream of being violent or nicking as much as paperclip from work. A sobering thought! <br /><br />PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-9675286094566464192014-09-29T15:01:27.230+01:002014-09-29T15:01:27.230+01:00As what would be described as a respectable middle...As what would be described as a respectable middle class professional I do sometimes read your blog and think but for a small number of pivotal moments in my life it could be very much be me bagged up inside. As you mentioned I am/ was lucky enough to have a support system to pull me back from the brink. I’m sure so many people could have benefited from something similar in their life’s. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-20390278451182802342014-09-29T11:47:20.264+01:002014-09-29T11:47:20.264+01:00Thanks for your comment. In my experience there is...Thanks for your comment. In my experience there is a lot of anger inside prisons. Some of this is to do with terrible abuse in childhood, in other cases it's because many prisoners do have poor coping mechanisms, including strategies to manage anger. Prisons do offer anger management courses, but sometimes these can be more to do with 'ticking' boxes for parole, than really addressing the root causes of anger.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-34385051139373878632014-09-29T11:17:39.787+01:002014-09-29T11:17:39.787+01:00I've read an article which links anger with an...I've read an article which links anger with anxiety. If a con is anxious about prison life or his sentence, he is more likely to kick off.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-28182048253486711922014-09-29T11:17:11.068+01:002014-09-29T11:17:11.068+01:00Thanks for your question. There are two different ...Thanks for your question. There are two different issues involved with the Parole Board when they consider the cases of lifers and IPPs. The first is a recommendation for re-categorisation of security level and the second is a recommendation for release on licence (either life licence or for a minimum of 10 years for an IPP). The final decisions are made by the Ministry of Justice.<br /><br />As with all those serving indeterminate sentences, the Parole Board cannot recommend release of anyone who has not yet reached the minimum tariff handed down in court. So an IPP with a tariff of five years will only be considered for possible release on licence once the five-year point has been reached.<br /><br />Most IPPs (or lifers) won't really stand a realistic chance of being recommended for release unless they can show that they have reduced their risk to a level that the Board consider can be managed in the community during the licence period. The ways they can do this include completing offending behaviour programmes and by successful 'testing' in open conditions. <br /><br />I have known lifers and IPPs to get to a Cat-D (open prison) before their minimum tariff, but it is rare. Almost everyone I know in that position is already years over tariff before they even make it to Cat-D and a fair number 'fail' in open conditions (some more than once) which usually results in them being returned to closed prisons. A negative transfer back can easily add extra years to a sentence - often around 2 to 4 years for each Cat-D failure. PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-40371624642498734702014-09-29T11:06:29.606+01:002014-09-29T11:06:29.606+01:00Thanks for your comment. I'm convinced that im...Thanks for your comment. I'm convinced that immaturity and an inability to make sensible choices lies at the root of much offending. Peer pressure can be a powerful force and too many cons are susceptible to it, both outside prison and inside. <br /><br />Having worked as a peer mentor in various prison education departments, I've seen that some of the 'lads' (even some who are 50 years old) still thrive on playing the 'class clown', which many will admit privately is the main reason their levels of general education - including literacy and numeracy - are often so poor. I've spoken to many prisoners who were excluded from school as young as 12 or 13 for disruptive behaviour and a significant proportion still haven't moved on or grown up.<br /><br />Of course, the prison environment also reinforces infantilism. Grown men are called 'lads' or 'boys' by members of staff and since most meaningful choices have been removed by the fact of imprisonment, a fair number of cons revert to childlike behaviours. In the worst case scenarios, this can involve smearing excrement on themselves and their cells, having temper tantrums you might expect from a three-year old and lashing out at anyone who tries to help them. <br /><br />One of the expressions you regularly hear in the slammer is: "He's thrown his toys out of the pram again!" To be honest, at times it really can be a bit like working in a nursery for massively outsized babies.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-46599127909066424602014-09-29T10:54:02.433+01:002014-09-29T10:54:02.433+01:00Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately that's ...Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately that's exactly what's happening in many prisons at the moment. The suicide rate is up 64 percent year-on- year since Mr Grayling introduced his 'crackdown' on cons, so maybe that is his strategy to reduce prison numbers and save money. I would put nothing past the man... PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-23523686630002492912014-09-29T08:22:08.573+01:002014-09-29T08:22:08.573+01:00How many years does an IPP con need to serve befor...How many years does an IPP con need to serve before he can request a meeting with the Parole Board?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-721421566277167672014-09-29T00:18:20.085+01:002014-09-29T00:18:20.085+01:00I cannot agree more with your 'man-boy' co...I cannot agree more with your 'man-boy' comment. I've met with so many cons in their 40's, 50's etc who act like teenagers. You've hit the nail on the head.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-13473741022341872772014-09-29T00:05:17.833+01:002014-09-29T00:05:17.833+01:00Maybe follow Grayling's ideology, put these gu...Maybe follow Grayling's ideology, put these guys in solitary, remove all privileges and wait until they kill themselves. That's one way to stop reoffending without having to bother rehabilitating. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-71672722827270860162014-09-29T00:02:39.824+01:002014-09-29T00:02:39.824+01:00Thanks for your observations. I think that there i...Thanks for your observations. I think that there is a general correlation between disfunctional family background and disruptive behaviour by children. Of course, it's not inevitable and plenty of kids from difficult family backgrounds don't become criminals, but perhaps in those cases there has been some other positive role model in their lives, a teacher or social worker, maybe.<br /><br />As a social anthropologist I've studied the way in which different societies mark the transition from childhood to adulthood and there are various 'markers', particularly in traditional tribal cultures, that guide that process. In the post-industrial West we seem to have blurred boundaries between the two and maybe that's led to the rise of the so-called 'man-boy' - a man who is still emotionally a child and deals with issues in a childish or selfish way. <br /><br />That is certainly the case with a fair number of cons. Although they have the bodies of men, they still react like small kids and demonstrate some very immature attitudes. A lot have major problems accepting responsibility for their own actions. <br /><br />That's why I believe that mentoring - if done properly - can help them start the process of maturing into functioning adults. The lack of positive adult role models for young males in particular is having a devastating impact on our society. Even when young men are already in prison, I still think it's not always too late to start mentoring them. It just needs to be done by the right peer mentors.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-82378641789554328042014-09-28T23:48:21.499+01:002014-09-28T23:48:21.499+01:00Thanks for sharing your own experiences. I think e...Thanks for sharing your own experiences. I think everyone has preconceptions about what prison would be/will be like, often informed by the media. It's either going to be like Porridge or much more horrendous. In the end, while it isn't generally a barrel of laughs, neither is it the 'monster mansion' of popular legend either.<br /><br />Like you, I've got to know fellow inmates who have sometimes committed the most atrocious crimes - some of them household names. However, unlike Denis MacShane, I'm never going to refer to them by name in anything I write. I respect their privacy, as do you. Of course, once you know what they are in for, you look for signs of psychopathy or 'evil' in them, and to be honest, I've rarely found it. <br /><br />Perhaps it's what Hannah Arendt referred to as 'the banality of evil' in her book 'Eichmann in Jerusalem'. In other words, it can be ordinary people who commit the most terrible of crimes. That's why we feel the need to make them into 'monsters' because we can't comprehend such things.<br /><br />You do make an excellent point about the use of sedatives in prison. A fair number of cons are under the 'chemical cosh' to keep them quiet. It can be a very inadequate substitute for mental healthcare.<br /><br />You also refer to the fellow inmate who was "completely destroyed emotionally'. These people really are the 'dead souls' and 'burned-out cases' of my post title. It's difficult to tell whether they have undiagnosed mental health problems or, perhaps, because the enormity of their crimes have utterly crushed them as human beings, so they retreat into silence and a kind of living death. I've met similar men in each of the prisons I served time in. Nothing seems to be done for them and it's frightening to think that if they are released, they could have become far worse than when they were sent down.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-42033241727659904452014-09-28T23:25:22.280+01:002014-09-28T23:25:22.280+01:00Many young men in the penal system have gone throu...Many young men in the penal system have gone through the 'care' system. I can't provide a solution but it seems to me the lack of a father figure for these guys really impacts on their criminality.<br /><br />I've know a few from broken or dysfunctional families who didn't have that figure to have an influence on their lives. All too often it was left to Judges and prison staff to tell them the rights and wrongs. Well meaning staff members in care homes, coming and going on/off shift, are one thing but a single point of parental advice over many years (father or mother) cannot be replaced by those people <br /><br />It's clear to me that the 'care' system for teenagers who don't have access to their parents for whatever reason is simply a feeder to the prison system. I accept there's some generalisation in my comment - I'm sure some do succeed through care - it just seem disproportionately high numbers of those 'cared' for by the authorities find themselves in prison.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-16954997436960909552014-09-28T23:03:28.311+01:002014-09-28T23:03:28.311+01:00When I was facing being sent to prison I had a ver...When I was facing being sent to prison I had a very stereotypical idea of what prisoners were like. I was not one of those people and didn't want to become one.<br /><br />I was astounded at the vast array of the different folk I met inside. Teachers, police officers, prison officer, vicars, professional who knows whats and low life thugs. My outside view of an inmate was quickly changed. Even those convicted of the most horrendous crimes turned out to be, on a day to day basis, really friendly nice guys. My first pad mate had committed a well publicised awful murder but he was so helpful and kind to me in my first few days.<br /><br />There was one chap in particular who I will never forget. He got a lot of stick from the other inmates due to his demeanour. It was almost as though he had moved out of his own body. He had all of his faculties but he just didn't have any sense of a personality. His eyes were glazed and empty and there seemed to be nothing inside his head. I've seen this many times with inmates under heavy sedation but he wasn't, he was just completely destroyed emotionally but wasn't subject to mental health care. On rare occasions I did manage to get a brief comment or even a small grin from him. Maybe there is some hope.<br /><br />Such people have so complex issues lasting many, many years. The prison system as it stands just simply cannot deal with it. He was on a relatively short sentence and would, by now, have been released. It would not surprise me in the slightest if he's back inside already with worsening mental health issues still not being addressed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-77882565790236731732014-09-28T22:19:32.339+01:002014-09-28T22:19:32.339+01:00Thanks for your question. Yes, if I remember it...Thanks for your question. Yes, if I remember it's the Betjeman poem about Captain Webb the famous swimmer. I must admit that I prefer A. E. Housman's Shropshire Lad poems!PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.com