Prison life

[Ravenstown]

That's the thing. Broad spectrum skills. I'm good at finding out stuff. I've got a wiley mind in that regard but I;m a natural born hot head so it would take a lot of self containment to ask the right questions and remain pokerfaced.

 

[Lucyxxxx]

I've never been to a prison so not really qualified to say anything on it but just feel the need to the ask first come first served doesn't sound right to me? so prisoners are expecting visitors but then get told they won't have one because their visitor wasn't one of the first? I get if they were late and get turned away as they have to be there before certain but not because they weren't first

No. Its first who arrives gets in first. Abit confused by this comment tbh.

 

[rivermonster]

There is a really interesting podcast all about the prison system featuring lots of ex-prisoners called A Bit of a Stretch.

There is one guy on there who talks about his experiences in UK prison vs. America and says that the UK is so, so dysfunctional in comparison which I found surprising.

Thank you for this - I started to listen to them in bed and couldn't remember anything about them in the morning so now listening to them in the kitchen.
I found the book on Amazon for 78p plus £2.80 postage and it arrived about an hour ago but have to make lunch before I dare open it.
Thanks again.

 

[Zulkraa]

There is a really interesting podcast all about the prison system featuring lots of ex-prisoners called A Bit of a Stretch.

There is one guy on there who talks about his experiences in UK prison vs. America and says that the UK is so, so dysfunctional in comparison which I found surprising.

His books look good this was on YouTube recently:

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

Not caught up yet but on tiktok I’ve seen someone make an extension cord out of match sticks which is amazing. The kettle cooking is impressive too.

 

[bamboo98]

As @eggfriedrice will attest, if there's a way they will find it very quickly.

Look at the Mamba epidemic from some years ago. Turned out the letters that were coming in were sprayed with the synthetic chemical. So they smoked the letters.

Now there is a machine to test for it and the dogs are trained. But over here it was like the night of the living dead with people off their faces and nobody could work out how........

Yep this is why they banned mail for a while in my husbands prison, they photocopied EVERYTHING and binned the original copies. Thankfully it’s back to real mail now, the copies were so bad especially for photos

 

[RaveChampion]

Thanks for the reply.
It's really interesting reading about peoples experiences and knowledge within the system from different perspectives,
Great topic IMO.

 

[veevee04]

In 2005 a really mentally unwell woman had a psychotic break down in her cell & set fire to it, the fire brigade turned up & we were put behind our doors! Smoke was filling the wing & we had to suffer! We weren't taken outside to the exercise yard. I dread to think what would have happened if it spread!? X.
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8am- ish unlock, call for meds etc, deal with apps, any problems etc,
9am-ish education or work,
12- lunch,
2ish- education or work,
5.30ish - dinner, call for meds, association.
Around 7.30 bang up .
during the day you can get called for visits, gym, etc.
Each prison is different , & has different rules, times, etc.

Can you say I'm not coming out? Hahhaa

 

[Leo100]

Cat A is the most secure category of prisons, cat d is the least secure & is called an open prison.
so most dangerous peopleare in cat a prisons.
YOI= young offender institution. Prison for people under 18

I follow someone on tik tok who said they've changed it so you can apply for cat D after 4 years now instead of 5? (I think) She was really excited about it but I'm sure her husband has only been in 2 years so still awhile to go. I don't have a clue about these things but was just curious

 

[Zulkraa]

Ahh I think I must of missed it. I clearly wasn’t paying attention. So are the prisoners not actually in prison now? This is all just for the show?
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I definitely wasn’t paying attention and thought it was real and they were just moved to Shrewsbury for the show it’s been a long day

“instructed to behave exactly as they would have done while serving their sentences”

https://amp.archive.is/oldest/https...rison-documentaries-look-like-pale-imitations

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I’m sure even if you’re reformed those experiences don’t leave you. I can imagine just being back in a prison, even if you’re not actually locked up and it’s all for show, would take you back there pretty quickly. I know it’s not real but it’s still pretty uncomfortable to watch!

I can imagine even for the most strongest of them it will be triggering.

 

[Danglyweed]

Has their ever been a programme that seems to show what a prison is actually like?

BBC did Girls being bars. Filmed over a year at Cornton Vale, absolutely representative of not only a women's jail but sadly also women's hostels.

 

[ElectricDreams]

Vanessa Frake's book The Governor is brilliant

I've just finished reading it... What an amazing woman!

 

[Kit123]

I saw that when browsing , was it only American prisons? I would like to see a UK version

Yeah it's only in America. Don't know if they have that kind of facility over here.

 

[Terflife]

Or smokers, can you just smoke wherever you want in prison or just your cell?

up until 2017 you were allowed to smoke, then the ban came in & it became vaping only......... .. Which DHL are making a mint off As they only sell 3 packs of capsules with about 2ml of liquid in! & it's 3.99 a pack. It was the logicPro vapes. But I've been out since '19, so luckily missed the lockdown by a few months. . Kept in contact with a few women & was told its now
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@floggersunited (I took too long editing)
up until 2017 you were allowed to smoke, then the ban came in & it became vaping only......... .. Which DHL are making a mint off As they only sell 3 packs of capsules with about 2ml of liquid in! & it's 3.99 a pack. It was the logicPro vapes. But I've been out since '19, so luckily missed the lockdown by a few months. . Kept in contact with a few women & was told its now 88vape capsules.
DHL are robbing b*stards, as bad as aramark imo. ...
good thing about smoking inside was the money you could make fro m the Golden Virginia 5g "HMP ONLY" pouches! .
THEy were a popular item & in demand "on the out" . ... .

 

[Betina]

I know I've mentioned him a few times on the SB thread but I found some of Ricky Killeens videos really insightful. I first heard of him on Channel 5 documentary about HMP Frankland, which is a cat A prison.

https://youtube.com/@BehindTheBarsTv-RickyKilleen

 

[forgotmyacc]

I’ve known loads of people to have their hen do at centre parcs it’s a nice way of doing it for people who aren’t big drinkers, just have a weekend away with friends with loads of activities. Didn’t realise it was weird

Also just to clarify- my friend is not being abused. I am 100% sure of that. She’s just ensuring she’s available to speak to him as much as possible. When I say he calls one of us if he can’t get hold of her, it’s not after one missed call.. if there was any sign of abuse I’d be telling her to get out. It’s the way they’ve adapted their relationship to their situation, to remain in contact as much as possible. He has a phone in his cell so probably the easiest way to pass time when you’re locked in there and it’s not time to be out on the wing is to call your loved ones. He’s phoned me twice a day regularly too. I think people would be surprised at how often prisoners do call out to and have contact with friends and family. He’s on a remand wing so I think once he gets sentenced he won’t be allowed to call out as much and visits will get reduced too.

Thank you!
Ah I wasn't putting down having a hen do in Centreparcs, just curious! I've only been once to the one in Ireland and it was full of howling babies it was also fairly quiet but I imagine during the summer there's a good buzz about the place !

 

[veevee04]

. It's really not that bad, it's not like you see on the U.S. docs where there's 100's of men, or women to a wing.
it's (depending on what type of wing) normally (about/average) 60 women over 2 landings. But each prison, wing, & type of wing is different.
If you landed at a prison that was mostly double cells just tell them you're racist, violent or something bad.... You'll get your own cell then. .
only problem with purposely getting yourself put in seg is it goes on your files, IEP, etc.
inside they keep records of EVERYTHING you do, even down to telling a screw to f**k off after a row. .
If you're doing a long sentence it could affect your future regarding rotls, parole etc.
but you may decide you like living on a rowdy wing with 30+ crazy azz women!? . Xx.

I, I really don't think I could handle it at least the end of my shift I go home and have alone time. I had a night in the cells as a teen and it wasn't that bad I just slept and ate the food. It wasn't that bad , to not be able to withdraw from people would be my literal worst nightmare, I wouldn't be able to share the space so I guess I'd be going down for a long time.

 

[stunrw]

Always coming in with the info @stunrw, we appreciate you! Can’t wait to give this a read

Ah you made me blush

 

[Ravenstown]

Oh yuk, like skag then. I'll stick with vaping weed.

At least there is access to cleaning products.

 

[repairshoplover]

When Rosdeep Adekoya was arrested hers were all deactivated but her Facebook was randomly deactivated when she was in prison before being deactivated again. So I don’t know if the police got her to do it or she gave a family member the passwords to close them down.