A letter from a ‘lifer’ in prison
Each and every week we meet up with a select few inmates at a local Prison to run a creative writing workshop. Those we meet each week gathered there vary in age, race and background; yet they all have one thing in common: they have screwed up, and they want to better themselves.
After all, isn’t that what prison is about? Rehabilitation. Criminals in one end and reformed characters out the other end of the machine. Well, these are the ones that are choosing to educate themselves with this opportunity of education that they wouldn’t get in the outside world.
It’s easy to judge the system as well as the inmates without having been there. We know we did before we went. However, what we have found there is a group of humans whose misdemeanors were part of a bigger and unjust picture. In many cases the criminals were already let down by an almost criminally unfair system.
We thought we would ask one of the inmates to give us an idea as to what it is like behind locked doors:
“Six years I’ve endured living in a 12 by 8 room. Or so most officers call it; ‘your box.’ I’m only allowed a small amount of possessions. Not that much fits in here anyway.
The luxuries though are pretty cool. A flat screen TV with very limited channels. No, we don’t get Sky or FreeView as popular belief would have you think. I have a phone in my cell. Better for privacy when needing to make legal calls! As long as we have credit and the phone number on our pi, we can call any time of day. It’s good for me because my folks live in New Zealand, so time zones make our phone contact difficult, plus it costs a bloody fortune.
My only vice… smoking. But I’ve even had to give that up due to a hike in price but not wages. Yes, I get paid for going to work. Around £20 a week.
On the officers; here most of the ‘newbies’ are very young. 18–30 age range. Some look and act like they just left nursery. Tantrums galore and negative behaviour slips given out like sweets. Some screws won’t even carry green positive behaviour slips as they don’t feel we ‘really need to be praised!’ But they are quick to shout, yell, swear and drop you for being a dickhead.
The plus side of the younger screws is the eye candy, oh hell yeah. So many of the female officers look hot and even though there is a line I will never cross — screw ’n’ me — this is the perfect place for a lesbian to window shop.
The thing I hate most about being in prison though is having to live with 35 women on my wing, day in and day out. They shout instead of talk, the bitchiness that goes on between groups or individuals is pathetic and most of the wing are so bloody needy. All you hear is “Alan… Alan… Alan… ALAN…” every 5 seconds. (Alan is the officer in charge of my wing.)
Honestly, it’s like people have lost the ability to be independent. Obviously there are things we can’t do, like phone different departments and open gates to get outside; but most other problems we can probably solve ourselves.
What I love about being in prison though is that I have a better quality of life in here than in the real world. Sounds sad doesn’t it, but it’s a good thing for me. I’m serving a life sentence for being very naughty with a knife, but if I had not been given life when I was sentenced; then by this point, I or somebody else would be dead. I’m no murderer, but it came close. I have issues but prison 6 years later has made me a better person. I have responsibilities in here. I’m actually classed by some staff as important to them and others.
So hell yes, I may have no freedom, but in here I have never felt so free!”
As each week goes by, we see our regulars growing in strength, confidence and writing prowess. They have a purpose and look forward to both the activities, as well as the feedback that their writing gleans from kind Prosers. Please, get involved and help in the rebuilding of their lives. If you aren’t on Prose, then join for free; then subscribe to the Letters From Prison Portal and comment as much as you can. We need you. They need you.
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Originally published at blog.theprose.com on June 20, 2016.
