Prison (part one)

People often ask me, “What was prison like? It must have been awful.” The truth is, prison isn’t just filled with drug users/ex users, returning offenders and the underprivileged as people like to stereotype. Many of the people I met were individuals who made one bad decision. Among my fellow inmates were solicitors, lecturers, bank managers, women involved in honour killings due to family pressures, ect. People from all walks of life end up there and truth be told I had some really fun days in there.

I wasn’t frightened because I always knew I might end up in prison; you could say I even manifested it. As I sat in the holding cell, heavily pregnant, I made a decision. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I would talk to as many people as possible and gather stories for a book.

I was sent to HMP Peterborough on a Friday night and spent the first few nights in healthcare until they could place me on a wing. By Sunday night, they found me a spot on A wing, and I settled into my cell. On Monday morning, I noticed my cell door hadn’t been opened. In healthcare, the door had been open during certain times on the weekend, but now it was Monday, and the routine had changed. When I buzzed the guard to ask why my door was still closed, I learned that without a prison job, I would be locked up 23 hours a day. So, I prepared myself for endless hours of daytime TV.

I heard a woman crying in the cell next to mine all day. Concerned, I waited until dinner time to check on her. She told me she was in for sham marriage charges, having married a man she met online who then disappeared. I thought she had made a foolish mistake but still listened sympathetically. She screamed all night and was released without charge on Tuesday morning. All that screaming for nothing, while I was there, heavily pregnant, facing up to eight years. It was clear that some people handle things differently.

The next few days were long, but I eventually got some recreation time in the evenings. I walked to a girl’s cell; she was a traveller. She was happy to talk and showed me photos of her family and things she had made. When I asked about her charges, she told me she was in for GBH with intent, having stabbed a girl who flirted with her boyfriend. She received a four-year sentence. Hearing her story, I started to think that four years might not be so bad for me.

Back in my cell, I reflected on my situation. I kept reminding myself to learn everything I could from everyone I met, for the sake of my book.