tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post778547558880060824..comments2024-03-19T08:48:37.047+00:00Comments on Prison UK: An Insider's View: Prison Letters: a Spark in the DarknessPrisonUKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-57282710542835539292018-02-18T02:15:58.715+00:002018-02-18T02:15:58.715+00:00I'm am thinking of writing to an A class priso...I'm am thinking of writing to an A class prisoner, who is well known in the pubic eye as s drug dealer . I just wanted to write as a pen friend,as I read a lot about him and he didn't sound as bad as the paper make out. nothing else. I'm worried incase I will be investigated as to why I'm writing to him. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16810608706104425814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-65767625949913856202016-03-14T21:11:08.256+00:002016-03-14T21:11:08.256+00:00Hi Alex, I'd just like to say, thank you for w...Hi Alex, I'd just like to say, thank you for writing this blog. I have a strong academic interest in the relationship between adult literacy and criminal recidivism in particular, so this is all of interest to me. <br /><br />For what it's worth, I recently took the time to write to a political prisoner in Saudi Arabia, who is currently doing 15 years for trumped up charges mostly related to being an atheist. I'm hoping it will be a small comfort.Gideon Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02726167799706318937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-85064711853250213692015-12-15T20:04:47.637+00:002015-12-15T20:04:47.637+00:00I know I'm really late on this...but if I said...I know I'm really late on this...but if I said something wrong, would the prison immediately stop communications or would it take time? My boyfriend said he didn't receive my letter and it's cause I mentioned seeing a girl with her pants round her ankles and I said it was really strange cause no one said anything. Now I know it was a dumb thing to write but I'm worried they might have sent it to someone higher up to have me blocked from contacting him. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01242398649425109633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-69591879854087210922015-12-15T20:03:58.256+00:002015-12-15T20:03:58.256+00:00I know I'm really late on this...but if I said...I know I'm really late on this...but if I said something wrong, would the prison immediately stop communications or would it take time? My boyfriend said he didn't receive my letter and it's cause I mentioned seeing a girl with her pants round her ankles and I said it was really strange cause no one said anything. Now I know it was a dumb thing to write but I'm worried they might have sent it to someone higher up to have me blocked from contacting him. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01242398649425109633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-37625391633859478602014-10-24T01:44:06.827+01:002014-10-24T01:44:06.827+01:00Thanks. I think that having kids makes going to pr...Thanks. I think that having kids makes going to prison worrse. I really feel like I've let my 5 year old son down amd feel bad that I will be missing out on him growing up for a while. Sitting down with him and explaining what was happening was one of the hardest things I've had to do. Just seemed so strange that I was trying to explain to him about me doing something wrong instead of it being the other way around. Seeing him crying over something I had done was hard.<br /><br />I never expected to be able to get out for the birth - just thought I'd ask. I have spoken to my solicitor about it and he had said the same so I'm not surprised. But it would be really good if it was possible to be at the birth or just after even with a guard and being handcuffed or whatever they do.<br /><br />Funny thing is that I was a young lad in the Army when my 5 year old was born and was in Afghanistan when he was born so it's like history repeating itself and it was 2 months before I saw him - hopefully it won't be as long this time. I suppose it is worse if you are in the Army and serving overseas and you miss a birth as you haven't done anything wrong to miss out on a birth.<br /><br />Paul Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-40073453675809552032014-10-23T21:54:52.597+01:002014-10-23T21:54:52.597+01:00Congratulations on your new baby-to-be, Paul! I ho...Congratulations on your new baby-to-be, Paul! I hope you are able to see your children regularly while inside, and that you can get yourself back on track afterwards and spend a long and fruitful life with your family. You sound like a lovely and loving Dad. Keep your spirits up and look after yourself, and remember how important you are to your kids. Sirikithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13188194741226037319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-90858056326599930392014-10-23T13:07:13.991+01:002014-10-23T13:07:13.991+01:00YehYehAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-3497896379686937892014-10-23T12:57:39.488+01:002014-10-23T12:57:39.488+01:00Yep. I was kicked out of a Cat-B jail after I had ...Yep. I was kicked out of a Cat-B jail after I had been threatened by a wing officer for acting as a MacKenzie Friend to another con in an adjudication and, possibly, also for writing to HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman about a suicide when I realised that the true circumstances of the death were being covered up to protect specific staff. There was no notice and it was actually done expressly against the orders of a new governor whom I'd had a face to face meeting with about 24 hours before I was ghosted. I tried to contact the governor concerned but this was blocked by the wing staff who wanted rid of me.<br /><br />Funnily enough, I did subsequently meet the Senior Officer responsible for arranging to have me shipped when she visited the Cat-D nick I was then at. I just bumped into her walking around the grounds. She was horrified, but then I went up to her, smiled, said hello, shook her hand and we started chatting. In fact, I told her that the unexpected move was one of the best things that happened to me in prison, as without it I don't believe I'd ever have got my D-cat status. We parted on good terms, with no animosity. Life's just too short to bear grudges!PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-42969511383731015412014-10-23T12:44:28.438+01:002014-10-23T12:44:28.438+01:00You were "ghosted", right?You were "ghosted", right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-34078213773417526142014-10-23T12:30:54.910+01:002014-10-23T12:30:54.910+01:00Thanks for your question. I've not been an A-c...Thanks for your question. I've not been an A-cat myself, although I was a B-cat and I did get moved between prisons - mainly, I believe, because I was giving 'too much' support to fellow cons during governor's adjudications.<br /><br />Having shared cells with former A-cats, my understanding is that everything depends on specific risk assessment. Obviously, someone who has 'previous' for trying to escape raises their own risk substantially (and under the recently rule changes may not even be eligible for open conditions in a Cat-D jail). <br /><br />Terrorists and notorious murderers usually come in the very high risk categories (AA and AAA), but I think whether they are moved around between prisons depends on a number of issues, including behaviour, availability of courses they may be required to take etc. Most lifers serve their sentences in 'stages' as part of a longer-term sentence plan, so they do seem to have more stability these days. Some lifers seem to spend years at one specific prison where they get settled, have a single cell and often don't move for a long time.<br /><br />I have heard of the so-called 'ghost-train' where difficult or violent cons get 'ghosted' (shipped out with no notice to other establishments) on a regular basis. This is regarded by cons as a punishment since it means they can't make friends among fellow inmates, hold down prison jobs, do education courses etc and they have to endure the constant disruption of their lives, as well as making it very difficult to maintain family ties through visits etc. However, in practice, I've rarely come across examples. I can, maybe, think of two specific cases of prisoners known to me, but maybe it does still go on for some cons.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-90861388969769459782014-10-23T11:49:00.143+01:002014-10-23T11:49:00.143+01:00I read Cat A/B cons moved between different prison...I read Cat A/B cons moved between different prisons to reduce their risk of escape, is that correct?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-33461990394368820102014-10-23T10:50:59.756+01:002014-10-23T10:50:59.756+01:00Thanks for your question. If you know the prison a...Thanks for your question. If you know the prison and he has a distinctive name (ie not 'John Smith') then the answer is probably yes, although it might take a bit longer to get to them. If he writes back, then his letter will have his number on it as this is required.<br /><br />Tommy is also right about the prisoner locator system, although in practice I found that this was a very slow process and can fail if the prisoner is moved prison while the request is being processed. Essentially, the inmate receives a written request from the prison to consent to you being given their number and location. He then ticks the box and signs it if he agrees to contact. It then gets returned to the system and processed before you receive the response with the relevant information. Very bureaucratic!PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-21097478959996822322014-10-23T10:45:49.407+01:002014-10-23T10:45:49.407+01:00Thanks to both of you for your comments. I think t...Thanks to both of you for your comments. I think the idea of sending some amusing or entertaining material into prisoners in letters is great. Photocopied crosswords from the papers are another idea. I even know one mum who sends her lad print-outs of posts from this blog that she thinks he'd find interesting!<br /><br />Postcards with interesting or attractive scenes are another idea. When I was inside I had friends who sent me picture postcards from the US, Czech Republic, Australia etc. I used to stick these on my noticeboard above my bed and it gave me something to look at. Prison cells can be very dreary, so a bit of colour from a nice postcard or photograph really helps to break up the institutional monotony.<br /><br />I'd agree with Tommy that even a small 'sub' in the form of an occasional postal order is a massive boost for morale, particularly for prisoners who struggle on a couple of pounds a week if they can't get a job or education course. Postal orders are the safest way to send money. Of course, if he has a job or his own cash from home, then this might not be needed, but even so a small cash gift at Christmas or birthdays is always much appreciated by most cons.<br /><br />To be honest, just knowing that someone outside cares enough to stay in touch and take the time to write can be priceless. PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-75990133582274954192014-10-23T09:24:14.709+01:002014-10-23T09:24:14.709+01:00If you want to be safe, you can always try to cont...If you want to be safe, you can always try to contact via the prison location service who can then inform the prisoner you are trying to contact them.<br /><br />https://www.gov.uk/find-prisonerTommynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-88990763604762581212014-10-23T09:18:45.577+01:002014-10-23T09:18:45.577+01:00A Good Friend! Yes 2 things would probably help.
...A Good Friend! Yes 2 things would probably help.<br /><br />If you can afford it, even a small postal order £5 or £10 will be enormously uplifting and would make a prisoner feel like he is still being thought of outside. From my reading, although postal orders are more expensive than cheques, they seem to clear faster. Apparently you must make the postal order payable to "The Governor" and make sure you keep your receipt in case of loss or theft. But check with the prison first, they should be able to advise you how to do it.<br /><br />Secondly, although there is a ban on sending in books and magazines, perhaps you can make a quick summary of the main week's news stories or sports results (whatever his interests are) as he may not have regular access to a newspaper. You might even be able to get away with sending photocopies of articles attached to your letter.<br /><br />Am glad you have not forgotten your friend. Tommynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-64155668629353443712014-10-23T07:36:13.748+01:002014-10-23T07:36:13.748+01:00Will a Cat A/B con receive my letter if I don'...Will a Cat A/B con receive my letter if I don't have his prison number?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-56147593499219226312014-10-23T01:31:17.388+01:002014-10-23T01:31:17.388+01:00Getting back to the subject of letters - a friend ...Getting back to the subject of letters - a friend of mine is expecting a custodial sentence soon, so I've started to put together a collection of jokes, cartoons and quotes, which I plan to include a few at a time in each of my letters to him.<br /><br />As it's unlikely I'll be unable to visit him inside (due to distance, costs and logistics), do you have any suggestions for anything else I could do to help keep his spirits up? I'm Every Womannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-23620074651966950752014-10-23T00:18:36.136+01:002014-10-23T00:18:36.136+01:00Hi Paul, I would definitely recommend getting invo...Hi Paul, I would definitely recommend getting involved with the Storybook Dads project, especially when your son is that age. It is a great initiative.<br /><br />It is always difficult when a partner is expecting or a family member is in hospital. Unfortunately, our prison system isn't very flexible when it comes to this sort of situation. <br /><br />The bizarre thing is that one moment you walk into the dock having been on bail, representing no threat to anyone, and within a short space of time you go out of the back of the dock and become a Cat-B convict wearing handcuffs, being treated as if you are going to try to escape at any opportunity, even when you've never been an escape risk! <br /><br />Once the judge utters the magic words "take him down", it doesn't matter what someone is being sent down for - driving offences, fraud or armed robbery - one size seems to fit all. Only very high riskers, such as terrorists and most murderers, get treated with greater security as they will be off to Cat-A jails. <br /><br />I'll be very honest and say that I really don't think you've any chance of getting Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) unless it is a genuine matter of life and death, and even then you'd be handcuffed to an escort officer throughout. I'll give you an example to show what I mean.<br /><br />I supported a lad in a Cat-D (open prison) who had transferred from another open nick where he had been having regular ROTL, including home leave without any incidents. However, he transferred to the same Cat-D as I was in to be closer to his wife who was pregnant and having a really difficult time. Even though he'd been a D-cat for nearly a year, he still had to have the compulsory three month 'lie down' until he was eligible for ROTL. He was a just a few days short on this three months when his wife went into early labour. <br /><br />He pleaded his case for ROTL to be with her in the hospital on compassionate grounds and even though he was not in for anything violent, the governor rejected his application. He was absolutely devastated. Thankfully his wife gave birth safely and all was OK, but I can only imagine how he would have taken it had there been any problems. <br /><br />That's why I think an application for ROTL just eight weeks into any sentence is highly unlikely. Sorry to have to say it like it is, but better to know the situation beforehand so as not to raise unrealistic expectations.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-38933842268182026492014-10-22T23:56:10.907+01:002014-10-22T23:56:10.907+01:00Thanks for your comments. The comment about tradin...Thanks for your comments. The comment about trading stamps for tobacco when a prisoner is on 'losses' as a punishment is absolutely true. I remember similar cases myself.<br /><br />As to the issue of a complete smoking ban in prisons in England and Wales (including staff while on the premises), I've previously posted on this blog about what may happen if such a ban is implemented: Burn: Going Up in Smoke? <br />http://prisonuk.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/burn-going-up-in-smoke.html.PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-12639116163766567422014-10-22T23:53:21.629+01:002014-10-22T23:53:21.629+01:00That Storybook Dads sounds like a great idea for s...That Storybook Dads sounds like a great idea for someone like me. I have a 5 year old and have already made a few DVDs of me for him but it would be nice to be able to do more when I am inside.<br /><br />My gf is expecting our second child in 2 months so it is tough on her that I won't be around for that and with her. I don't suppose that there is any chance of being allowed out for the birth or anything like that? I know I'm probably dreaming..<br /><br />Paul Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-63594755371575411632014-10-22T23:00:16.968+01:002014-10-22T23:00:16.968+01:00Thanks for your comments. I think that, like many ...Thanks for your comments. I think that, like many complete amateurs, Mr Grayling has a fear and a distrust of professionals who know their subject matter far better than he does. The fact that he has absolutely no expertise or practical experience of the criminal justice system - including prisons and probation - doesn't actually concern me in itself. That is fairly commonplace among politicians. <br /><br />What I do find unforgivable is his arrogance in simply ignoring what real experts, such as very experienced prison governors and people who have frontline roles in these public services, have been telling him, as if their long years of work count for nothing. Because he believes that his approach is right, they must be wrong. It seems that in Grayling World, evidence and experience must be ignored in favour of ideological flights of fantasy in which white is confidently asserted to be black and vice versa. I think Mr Grayling is one of those people who, in the words of Benjamin Disraeli "was distinguished for ignorance, for he had only one idea, and that was wrong."PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-15572758852819875642014-10-22T22:47:25.656+01:002014-10-22T22:47:25.656+01:00Thanks for your comments. Strangely enough even th...Thanks for your comments. Strangely enough even the Daily Telegraph seems to be turning against Mr Grayling. In the past few days there have been several very critical articles calling for radical prison reform, which to be honest has surprised me, and probably distressed the blue rinse brigade of Tunbridge Wells. I suspect that Mr G may soon switch his breakfast reading to the Daily Mail! <br /><br />Personally, I think everyone, particularly taxpayers, should take an interest in the current crisis in our prisons. Within any real pretence of achieving rehabilitation, custodial sentences are merely very costly human warehousing. As I've pointed out several times on blog posts, it would actually be cheaper to send cons to university paying full fees than to keep them in prison. <br /><br />As someone who has paid taxes since I had my first paid job at the age of 16 (during the school holidays) and who has never been unemployed - other than the period I spent as a guest of Her Majesty, of course - I really don't appreciate this wasteful misuse of public money, not to mention the lost opportunities to actually tackle the challenge of rehabilitation. PrisonUKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05060870139110580938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-80307556294248633292014-10-22T21:45:33.682+01:002014-10-22T21:45:33.682+01:00I guess there will be a major kickoff next year wh...I guess there will be a major kickoff next year when the tobacco ban is implemented - uh oh!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-89522506786113132492014-10-22T21:22:42.355+01:002014-10-22T21:22:42.355+01:00Burn (tobacco) is absolutely the most valuable cur...Burn (tobacco) is absolutely the most valuable currency inside. Stamps however do have a weird attraction as currency. My pad mate, after an adjudication, was not allowed to order from the canteen. All he was allowed was phone credit and stamps. Given that he had nobody to call or write to (and was illiterate) this was pretty much useless to him. Myself and a number of fellow cons agreed to buy burn for him if he ordered stamps. Those of us who wrote got our stamps and he got his tobacco. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8623255227619374869.post-64603052000686040092014-10-22T21:10:12.707+01:002014-10-22T21:10:12.707+01:00Given his ignorance of what experts have told him ...Given his ignorance of what experts have told him about his failing system being in crisis I suspect a punch in his face wouldn't register with him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com