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…

One of the key things that separates humans from animals is the ability to take responsibility. Of course, if David Attenborough was reading this he’d rightly point out countless examples of animals “taking responsibility” by incubating eggs or searching for food but what I’m writing about here is the way human beings can choose, to…

There is a rumour flooding through our hall at the moment. In itself, that isn’t unusual because there are always rumours and stories but this one is quite serious and I fear that it may be true: one of the very few decent guards is leaving. I think I’ve written before about the way we’re…

I don’t know how many rooms there are in this prison, thousands I imagine, each one with a different function from safely housing suicidal inmates (although they are full right now) to rooms that hold large conferences and events. However, I’m pretty sure which of them is the happiest of all of them – the…

Oh my word, I have to hand it to them. Prisoners have an exquisitely well balanced mix of delusions and creativity that results in the most amazingly implausible stories. I’d like to share one or two with you today. First,, though, a disclaimer: no actual facts were harmed in the creation of these stories. Their…

A few people have asked me what the food is like in a Scottish prison. It can be summarised in a single word: sufficient. I’m sure you can imagine that many prisoners complain about the food on offer but I do not share my fellow convicted and unconvicted people’s view. There is “enough” vaguely edible…

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…

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…

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…

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…