I don’t know if you’ve noticed but it seems that there has been an increase in programmes on TV about prison. Sure, Porridge has ben around for decades and I remember Prisoner Cell Block H but now we are flooded with stuff. BBC2 had Inside Maghaberry, Channel 4 has 2 series of Screw as well as Banged Up, Channel 5 regularly has behind the scenes type programmes of prison and even Ross Kemp has done various programmes.

I’ve never fully understood why TV stations choose to make programmes about particular topics. Which comes first, a public desire to see that content or the TV station putting something out to try and create that desire? It seems very chicken and egg to me but, however it started, it is clear that there is now a bigger public interest in what goes on behind the walls of a prison and I think this is really an excellent thing.

The important question, though, is how realistic is it? Is the picture that’s being created in the viewers mind accurate, truthful and a good representation of how things really are in prison? Beyond the surface level accuracy of the cells and the showers, how well do they portray the psychological challenges of being a human in prison?

The short answer is that it is variable. There are some odd things which are very accurate – the font used for the cell numbers, for example, and the design of the mops both of which have been 100% accurate on everything I’ve seen; even Porridge managed to get the cups right.

Cell sizes is something that is rarely accurate although Banged Up on Channel 4 does show cells which are as tiny as ours. I do get irritated by the palatial cells on other programmes, though. Banged up also seems to portray well the impact of being locked in a cell for 23 hours a day but it’s worth remembering that they “celebrities” have only been in for 2 days. Maybe you can imagine the compounding effect over a much longer period of time.

Something I’ve never seen well portrayed is the cruelty and total lack of caring of prison officers. I gather that the guards in Prisoner Cell Block H were horrible and violent (although I’ve never seen it myself) but the staff in here are genuinely spiteful and maintain control by bullying and intimidation when there is no need for it at all. They provoke reactions and deny important things like prescribed medications and access to religious observance. They use tactics to belittle and humiliate like offering Jewish prisoners pork meals and making jokes about medical conditions like IBS.

I really would encourage more people to become curious about what happens behind prison walls so do continue to watch TV programmes but in addition to that, I’d like to encourage you to seek information yourself. Use the Freedom of Information Act to get accurate information from SPS headquarters, ask about suicide rates, ask how many education sessions are cancelled every month because of low staff numbers, ask how often staffing levels go beneath safe level or how many prisoners have diagnosed mental health problems.

As a starter, why not read through the inspections report for your local prison; I suspect you will be shocked. Then engage with your political representative and hold them, and the SPS, to account.

NaN.