Tomorrow is Hogmanay, traditionally a time for celebration of the ending year and hope for the following one. I have spent a few Hogmanays in prison and they have now become the most significant of all of the different anniversaries inside.

There are many anniversaries for prisoners – conviction date, sentencing date, date of arrest, date of transfer to current prison etc but the new year represents a shared achievement for all prisoners – another year of prison survived. It might be difficult for people on the outside to fully appreciate just how tough prison life is but it might be useful to remember what that Sunday Mail journalist said after he was on Channel 4’s “Banged up”. He called prisons “suicide factories” so to survive another year in prison is a real achievement.

When the clocks strike midnight tomorrow evening, this place will ignite. Doors will be banged, there will be a loud cheering and songs will be sung. First timers may well be a little scared but old hands can feel a true sense of achievement that will bring contentment or even happiness. Just for a few minutes we can feel that we’re doing well, that we are survivors and that we are strong.

Some guys won’t notice, though. Sadly there is a drug problem in prisons so a few prisoners self-medicate to cope and many people I live with are so mentally ill that they are unable to appreciate what’s happening around them. They really shouldn’t be in here, they should be in a health facility.

Some refuse (or are emotionally unable) to celebrate anything other than the rather tribal observance of their football team winning. They ignore Christmas, their own birthday and their family occasions. It seems that they have made a conscious decision to hide away from living. Maybe it’s a self-protection mechanism but as far as I am concerned, we are still alive so we have the opportunity to live, the chance to grow and develop every day.

Of course, the vast majority of prisoners have committed crimes so they gave a responsibility to their victims and wider society to work on their offending factors so if they simply hide away from living during their prison sentence, how could they possibly maximise their chances of leading a crime free life on their release?

For those like me who are victims of a state sponsored miscarriage of justice, it would be so easy to fall into a trap of spiralling depression and a life of anger and hatred. However, we can be stronger than that and we can survive and even, if we are resilient enough, thrive. Human beings have the ability to thrive in any environment, even the most extreme like deserts, outer space and prisons.

I believe we have certain responsibilities as human beings and survival is one of them so I, for one, am proud that I have survived 2023 and I know for certain that I will survive 2024, too. So when the bells ring at midnight, tomorrow evening, I will be singing and celebrating because I am not a number.

All the best to you in 2024.

NaN.