I Went to Prison

Okay so apart from the May daily blog challenge I reckon I'll interject with other topics and happenings of my life here and there. Bear with me and my disjointed continuity yes?

Yesterday I went to prison for the first time in my life. I've never been to a Malaysian prison before yet alone a British one, but here I was heading into the mouth of the damned as a volunteer to bring the law to their doorstep. Not martial law like Judge Dredd would but actual legal facts for educational purposes. This prison was located in the outskirts of London and I would have to take a train to get there. We were expected to be there by 9 am in the morning. Obviously I was starting to regret this as that would mean me getting up ridiculously early to get there punctually.

So I fumbled my way to the prison from central London after waking up late having failed to sleep properly the night before. I was tired and grouchy and about to give a lecture on knife crimes to inmates who would probably make a knife crime out of me. Arriving late (a terrible sin in Britain) I ran a mile from the station to the prison and met my co-volunteer there. Apparently she was another Chinese Malaysian but she had the thickest natural sounding British accent ever. Could have fooled me that's for sure. So we head down to the security reception.

So after stripping us of any electronic devices and liquids we might be carrying (not our clothes though thankfully, you sick bastards) they let us into the inner part of the prison escorted by a warden. Now I was a tad worried delivering a presentation to prisoners who might belittle my efforts but I reckoned it was time to grow a thick skin.

We then through multiple layers of security and high fenced gates before finally entering a workshop where multiple inmates were carving up wood blocks to make fuck knows what. I was hoping I wouldn't be next on the carving block. Everyone was staring at these two Asians prancing around the prison complex like a fancy tour. I wonder if some of the inmates imagined shagging me aggressively without consent. I think I should keep my weird mental notes to myself.

Thereafter we entered a small room with the words "CV workshop" plastered upon the doors. Apparently this was the reeducation room where prisoners were trained for release back into the working environment. We then introduced ourselves to the prisoners with the warden/educator beside us. I was a tad surprised because some of this men were actually pretty knowledgeable and decent to be honest. One of the inmates in particular, a Black British man sounded ridiculously intellectual, posh and articulate, so much so I began wondering if he was incarcerated here by accident.

As usual in a class room you have people that give a shit and people who don't but by far the most interactive inmate was the Black British man. Eventually he told us about how he'd originally been given bail for a speeding offence but had dodged bail and was eventually sentenced for 3 months in prison. That sounded rather harsh, but he was apparently a law abiding citizen and a responsible father before and was beyond pissed with his criminal record. It struck me then how blunt the criminal justice system could be and the repercussions it could cause to people's lives. It also changed my perception of prisoners in general, they weren't necessarily all the scum of the earth. Any one of us could have very accidentally ended up in a terrible situation like this man.

I'd say the over all session was a success and I was glad I had the opportunity and confidence to go through such a process. My co-volunteer turned out to be another politically connected individual and I proceeded to cement our relations in the event of it being useful in the future. UK just has way too many politically connected families and I consider myself lucky to have been at the heart of these networking opportunities. Some day, one day we'll all find our uses.