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Just a number?
I want to write today about one of the most difficult aspects of prison life I’m experiencing – the systemic and intentional removal of our humanity by the State. What is the difference between a human and an ape? I’m sure you can think of many but major ones might be about communication,, responsibility, working…
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What do prisoners do all day?
Have you ever wondered what prisoners get up to all day? I thought I’d put pen to paper today to let you know how we “serve our time”. I’d love to be able to tell you that there is loads of offender behaviour work happening. I’d genuinely love to describe lots of rooms with small…
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Self, delusion and desire.
Today I wish to write about my observations of my fellow prisoners. I’m surrounded by inmates from so many different backgrounds from doctors to career beggars but I do see some common threads. The three that I see are an odd sense of self, delusion and an inability to resist desire. When a child grows…
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[Poem] The Damage Has Been Done
What is this feeling that’s destroying my me?The grinding that’s eating away constantly?The bones of my soul consumed by a gnawinglike a parasitic being, my happiness collapsing. The catastrophic effect of a catalogue of effortsripping me apart like a circus of terrors.It’s now out of control and my strength is in bitswhen emotions cross the…
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Falsely accused day.
Today is Falsely Accused Day. Not sure if it’s a “World” or “International” day or not but it is certainly a focus for people who have been wrongly accused. The issue of being innocent in prison is interesting and worthy of discussion because many prisoners claim to be innocent. Even The Simpsons commented on it…
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What is this place for?
Hello again from my prison cell. I’ve been reading quite a lot this week about prisons and have seen a couple of programmes on the subject on TV. The glaring thought that I had was that veryt few people actually know what happens behind the high walls of a prison and that, of course, is…
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Punishment or Rehabilitation?
26/8/23. Hello again and than you for coming back. Last week, I tried to paint a bit of a picture about what day to day life was like. A lot of it is boring, quite frankly. Many of the guys just lie in their beds all day and watch TV. “Canteen day” is once a…
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Not A Holiday Camp
19/8/23. Hello again. That’s another week done in what some people wrongly believe is like a holiday camp. I can tell you for certain that I know of no holiday camp like this. What I will do, though, is tell you what is in here. In each cell, we have a TV and a kettle…
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[Poem] The Big Man
The Big Man stands at my open cell door“Whit de ye wAnt?” he demands with a roar.I ask for something I know I’m allowed“No ye cannae” he growls with a voice, way too loud. Mr Prison Officer, please tell me why you’re like this.Why do you provoke? Why abuse us?You must realise that what you’re…
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[Poem] Stillness Shattered
Behind closed eyes, peace and calm is real.A gentle breeze is both heard and feltlike a feather gently stroking my arm.Tranquility so tangible that it must never end.But like yesterday and every other day so farthe beginning of the end is announcedwith a rumble like distant thunder. As regular as a clockmetronomically knocking away my…