It’s not always easy getting into the minds and psyche of historic prisoners. Prison records, whilst informative around the convictions, descriptions and treatment of prisoners, seldom dwell on their wellbeing, their personalities or personal experiences. Whilst there are a handful of extant accounts, these are often coloured by the fact that they are written by literate ex-criminals and therefore an inherent bent is evident in their work, reflecting a slice of society.
To get a true, or as near as true, perspective of the experiences of people undergoing a prison sentence, we have engaged Richard Woods, who has undergone the rigour and confinement of the modern British penal system, to share his experiences below.
Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, what are your hobbies and interests?
In prison, my hobbies were fine cell work, playing on the PS2, watching motor racing and playing on the golf course. Outside of prison, my hobbies are watching motor racing and the F1. I am still interested in golf but not often as it is quite expensive. I also like walking and hiking and getting involved with community projects. I like to socialise with other people.
What was life like for you before prison?
Before prison, I had a good job and was earning lots of money. I had my own place and car. I also had good friends and my family. I occasionally saw my family as they lived a distance away and I sometimes went for a drink with my friends. I had freedom. When my charge came up, I lost everything. No family, friends, job, car, or flat. I lost everything.
How has your life changed since being in prison?
My life has completely changed. I was put into a hostel where I had to sign in every four hours. There wasn’t much I could do about a job and finding somewhere else to live. Because I had no family in my local area, the council wouldn’t help me. With probation’s help, and the council eventually, I got somewhere to live. Also, I now have support from different charities which have given me mentors. However, I’ve not met face-to-face with most of my mentors because of the lockdown. Due to my conviction, I am finding it harder to find work as when I disclose my conviction, a lot of places are not interested and reject my applications.
Please tell us about your routine in prison. Were there set hours for things such as waking up, lunch, work and sleep? How did you find this?
When I was first in prison, I was locked away 24/7 for four days with no access to entertainment such as the library or kettle for a cup of tea. After this, I was put in a cell with two others and I was locked away for 23 hours a day. I couldn’t make tea as I didn’t have a flask or kettle. The only time we could get tea is if a cell mate came and made tea before being locked up. Over time, I could go to the library once a week so I had something to read. There was a TV in there but it only had four channels on it.
It was difficult to get appointments and get reports done from professionals, and when I got support it sometimes went against me. There were occasions where I was accused of missing appointments that I hadn’t been informed of as I wasn’t allowed out of my cell. Unless someone came to my door, I didn’t know whether someone had come to see me.
I eventually got used to the routine in prison. I went to work, came back, had tea and then got locked up. You got used it. Though, every time you moved prisons, the routine changed. Usually, I only had access to post once a week and had access to the gym three times a week. There were also occasional competitions on such as indoor bowling, football or table tennis. These were on some weekends or key events like Christmas. There were lots of sports available to play. This did vary depending on the prison, though.
Some prisons I had a little more freedom and wasn’t locked away all the time but others I couldn’t leave my cell. In some prisons I had more flexibility because there was no sinks or toilets in the cells. Otherwise, I was locked up all the time. It entirely depended on how that prison ran, the category of the prison and also the flexibility (and often mood) of the staff.
The times for lunch and dinner were the same in every prison I went to. There was no breakfast when I was in B and C category prisons unless it was a key date like Christmas or New Year’s Day. Meal times were between 12 and 12.30pm. Tea time was about 5 o’clock. After, you were usually locked up till 6pm when you could then have some time out of your cell until 8pm. The only time that changed was when I went to D cat. We were given breakfast there and this was between 7.30-8.30am. Otherwise, everything else was the same.
When I was working in my D-cat, meal times were affected. Depending on what time I got back from work depended on if whether I got dinner or not. If there was hold ups on the motorways or something, I missed dinner. Sometimes you could ask the reception for a frozen meal and then you could microwave that or use the toaster on the wing, other times you just missed dinner. The kitchen was shut from 11pm to 6am and sometimes I would be back after 11pm. If the staff allowed it, they would let me use the kitchen after it had shut. This meant that I could have some dinner and a cup of tea before going to sleep and working the next day. However, this was dependant on staff being in a good mood.
When I got my D-cat I was open all the time. I could walk around the grounds. I could go to the gym every day if I wanted to. There was education there I could take part in such as Maths, English, and Computer work. You could also work outside the prison, which I did. However, we couldn’t go into anyone else’s room after 11pm, though, and as I mentioned, the kitchen shut then too. Once the night staff had done their checks, we couldn’t leave your room to go to someone else. I could only leave to use the toilet or have a shower.
In the D-cat, I was called by my first name instead of a number and the routine seemed to be a lot milder and friendlier and you could talk to the officers any time you wanted. It was a good way to ease back into being released.
When you were charged, what was the process like and how did you feel?
I thought ‘what a load of rubbish’ when they interviewed me as nothing made sense. I was a bit conflicted because I know the offence didn’t happen but they were trying to manipulate that it did happen. However, I ended up getting charged. My solicitor told me to say nothing because there was no evidence and things didn’t add up. I was told to just say ‘no comment’ which I think went against me. The prosecution statement changed a few times on some small details. I wasn’t expecting to be charged because I thought they had nothing on me and it was their word against mine and I was charged anyway. I had to try to fight it when I was in court. Everything I said to them went in one ear and out the other. I was treated like I was already guilty. Now I just have to live with it.
What was the sentencing process like? Do you think you think the court was unbiased and gave you a fair hearing?
I felt at the hearing that it was a kangaroo court. I felt that I was treated as though I was guilty before I had even been on trial.
My barrister and I disliked the judge due to their treatment of me and the case. For example, the judge said that I had no rights as I wished for the prosecution to give their statement first. I felt that all the evidence I had to prove my innocence, such as pictures, were disregarded and didn’t mean anything. It felt like anything I did just went against me and it was hopeless. The people making the allegations were doing nothing but laugh and giggle all through the court case. I thought that if I was supposed to have done this offence, the last thing you would think they would do is laugh and joke about it. It was very frustrating.
It wasn’t just the judge or prosecution that went against me either. The other professionals and prison staff made the situation more difficult. One example was that I needed to have psychological report done for court but no one came to do it. When I went to court, the judge called me a liar and said I refused to see anyone. However, I was locked away 23 or 24 hours a day and was never informed that someone told me they wished to see me. However, the judge told me it was my fault and I should have got to the appointment. I didn’t know how to do this and I was locked up all the time so it was really difficult. I felt that the judge was not fair or rehabilitative at all. It was a challenging process.
How did you feel about being in prison?
I was angry about being in prison. I was especially angry as I was given a life sentence for something I hadn’t done. I just tried to do everything I possibly could to get out through the court of law. I was trying to go for a re-trial or get it cut or disallowed but nothing worked. I found out afterwards that the original judge’s husband was the head judge to the appeal court so it didn’t get to go through. I thought that was why it didn’t go any further. Then, when my solicitor found out, he said they would put in for it again and try it again and because it was a Christmas period, he got a knock back period of 10 days to get the paperwork in. Then they disallowed the appeal because the paperwork was apparently late. Everything went against me no matter how hard I tried to fight for my innocence and freedom. Eventually I just had to get on with it and carry on with my life the best I could. I was just locked up for 23 hours a day not being about to do anything. I was just angry. I wasn’t trying to make acquaintance with anyone. I was just keeping myself to myself and winding myself up about my situation. I was getting more and more frustrated at not being believed or given a voice in the system.
What was your first day of prison like? And how did it compare to what you thought it would be like?
My first day in prison was nothing like I thought it would be. When I first went in, I was locked up for four days 24/7 with no one to talk to. I was just chucked in a room and left to think about the fact that I was given a life sentence for something I hadn’t done. I didn’t see anybody. No one spoke to me. I couldn’t get a drink if I wanted to. I had to ask for a cup to get a drink from the sink. The staff put the food through the door. That went on for 4 days until I saw a doctor who said I could go onto a wing. I saw no one until then.
I don’t know how I felt about going into the prison because I was just angry and frustrated. I think I was a bit scared and paranoid when I was locked for 4 days with nothing. I was shouting out the door that ‘how could they call themselves officers if they won’t even talk to me’. I was scared that the officers would come and do something to me or the other prisoners were going to come after me for making so much noise. I was getting really scared then.
Eventually I was put on a wing in a three-man cell with two other people. I was expecting a cell with nothing because of my four-day experience. I was expecting no toilet, TV, sink but it was all there when I got in. So in that respect it was a bit better than expected. I could finally get a drink and talk to people when I needed to. My cell mates also had a TV which helped and I got to know people in there. No one really talked about their offence or anything like that. I was expecting to have my own room at first, though. When I went to prison, TV’s were a standard in a room, and games consoles were an earned privilege. Now, TV’s are an earned privilege, too.
Once I was on the wing, I got a couple of good acquaintances. They weren’t friends. We were like friends in prison but there was no intention to stay in contact after prison. I just played cards and talked to them. Most of the time I was on my own.
How did you find the food in prison? Please tell us some of the typical items on the menu.
Some prisons’ food was better than others. Though, you couldn’t really call it a healthy diet. You got what they served and if you didn’t like it, you went without. It might have been food when it was delivered to the prison but it wasn’t after they had dished it up. Most of it was curries, stews, chips, or rice. There was never a roast dinner on a Sunday. We had chicken most of the time; near enough every main meal was chicken of some sort. Some of the food was alright. The puddings were mostly homemade so they weren’t really appetising. We never had any breakfast. Lunch was usually a sandwich and then dinner was a warm meal at tea time. We had pudding every day.
You could buy shop food from the canteen such as beans and tins and pies but not all foods. You couldn’t get chicken or eggs or pastry for example. Most people made stew with the tins they could buy. We never got sweets/chocolate/crisps/biscuits as part of what the prison provided so that had to be bought from the canteen. The canteen was a lot dearer than outside. For example, sugar was £1 a packet which is 69p outside, eggs were £1 for 6 where I can get 15 for £1 now. There were never deals like 2 for 1 or promotions like you get in normal shops. That made it difficult, especially if you didn’t have family financially supporting you.
Was there education/schooling in any of the prisons? Did you use this? If so, did you find it useful?
There was education in every prison. Some of it was really useful. I have lots of certificates as I used this a lot and in most prisons. There were courses such as computer basics, painting and decorating, brick laying, agriculture, cooking, woodwork, carpentry, literacy, numeracy, and other different NVQs. There was a lot of education there if you wanted to do it. A lot of the things that they had wasn’t useful for me because I didn’t fit the criteria when they were doing it. I wasn’t low enough to be helped when I did the eligibly tests which you had to do before any education. People who were worse off were prioritised. Some of the courses they did, I wasn’t really interested in. There were lots of course offered but this differed in each prison. You had to prove you had done courses with the certificates you collected if you wanted to progress or when you went to a new prison.
Did you have access to books in every prison? If so, how did you find this?
There was a library in every prison. Some libraries were better than others usually because they had a better selection of books. Some prisons let you visit the library more often than others; some were weekly and some daily. The variety of books was good but the number of books on a certain topic were limited. They only had certain authors of certain books, too. If you wanted another author of a type of book, you had to order it from the library to be brought in from the local library. They had a lot of reference books as well. Reference books couldn’t be taken to your cell, you had to read them in the library but reading books you could take out and read in your cell.
Did you have access to a chapel? Did you ever use this? If so, how did you find it?
There was a chapel in every prison. I didn’t use it in every prison personally. I used it in the last prison I was in. I didn’t go in for religious services but they used to show films every week over the weekend usually. They also had band practice in there and concerts. I used to watch my acquaintances when they performed in their band. The chapel helped me get in touch with volunteers to give me some personal visits. Because I never had any visitors of my own, the volunteers would come to see me so that I had someone to talk to.
I knew there were vicars in the chapel that could be accessed. As the chapel was multi-religion, there was lots of vicars and all were always there to help no matter the religion. They were always there to help you. If you had bad news for family or anything, they were there. They would come round once a week to see certain people and if you needed to talk to any of them you could. You couldn’t obviously talk to them after lock up but there was always someone there during the day.
How did you find making friends within prison?
They were more acquaintances than friends. You classed them as friends in prison but when you come out, they were acquaintances as you knew you wouldn’t talk to them on the outside. It’s a different kind of friend making. I wouldn’t really call them friends in the normal sense. There were people I got on with more than others. There was a couple of people I used to walk with or talk to when I saw them.
When I first went in, I kept myself to myself. I didn’t want to see or talk to people. After a while, people wanted to know whether I was okay and wanted to talk to me and I started to open up a bit more. I found it difficult to start with but as I got to know people better and could trust them more, I started opening up a bit and they started opening up to me. I made some good acquaintances. We got on alright.
However, I only spoke and talked to people who I felt I could trust and get on with. Even though I would talk to other people, there were certain people I wouldn’t talk to or people I only told certain things. It was being careful about what was said and who to really. It was hard to navigate to start with but then you got to know them better and figured out who was in the bad crowd and who wasn’t. I just kept away from them.
Did you receive visitors or letters whilst in prison? If so, how did you find this? (Did it help you?)
I only ever got letters from probation and solicitors. I never got letters from family or friends. I did have phone calls with my friend but this was only occasional. The only visitors I had were volunteers that the chapel helped me to get into contact with. I got on well with the volunteer visitor. He wasn’t there all the way through, though. I didn’t get him until I got my D-cat in the last couple years of my sentence. However, I found it really useful. We talked about a lot. They spoke about what they were doing and what I was doing and how things were going. When I got a job outside the prison, visits stopped because I wasn’t in the prison to see anybody. It just fizzled out. The visitor helped me to get information on the outside world like how things had changed because I had been in a long time. They also helped to give me general information about life itself on the outside. I think that made it easier when I did come out because I knew what to expect. I knew I had to go to register with the doctor and do things for myself rather than the police telling me when I got out. It helped me settle into life again easier than what I thought I would have done.
What were the rewards for good behaviour? Did this differ by prison?
There was a system in prison like a tier system which gave you different privileges. When you were on the lowest rating, you didn’t have anything to do so no TV or reading material and you had minimal time outside of your cell. On the next rating, you could get a job and have exercise and more time outside of your cell. You could also have a TV in your cell. Then the highest tier meant that you could have DVDs and games consoles but you had to buy them yourself, if you had the money. You were also allowed to spend more money in the canteen on this tier.
What were the punishments for bad behaviour? Did this differ by prison?
Punishments depended on what you had done and also what tier you were in. You would go down in the tiers for bad behaviour and would lose the privilege from the higher tier. For example, if you went down from the middle to the lowest, your TV could be taken away. This would be the result of behaviour such as fighting or being rude to staff. Though, what behaviour counted as punishment was dependant on the officers and your relationship with them or even their mood but also what you did. For example, refusing an order from staff or not going to work. You could lose money to spend at the canteen or lose time out of your cell.
For worse behaviour, you could be put in the block (segregation) which is just like isolation. That would be for behaviour such as failing a drug test or trying to bring drugs or phones in on visits and you got caught. When this happened, the officers would ‘bend you up’ which meant that you put you in locks so that if you struggled they could use pain for compliance. I didn’t go there myself but in segregation you would have nothing. No radio or TV and you were locked up 24/7. You wouldn’t even have exercise. They could also put extra time on your sentence if you did something really bad as punishment. Being a life sentence, even though they did add time to your sentence, you weren’t really losing anything because of doing life anyway. So, in this way, this punishment was often ineffective.
What was the hardest thing about being in prison?
The hardest thing was being locked up and losing your freedom. However, I also lost everybody else. I lost my whole family. I lost my dignity. Friends. I had no one. I lost everyone on the outside. I lost my job and my money. I suppose I lost my wellbeing, too. You are used to doing everything for yourself but when you are inside you can’t do anything. You can only call people at a certain times and this had to be approved. You have to put applications in for everything. Applications for the doctor or help with finances for example. The hardest part is not being able to do anything for yourself.
What were the positive things about being in prison, if any?
Positive things from being in prison were that I got NVQs ready for working for when I come out. For example, NVQs for working in a warehouse and painting and decorating. I also got my English and Maths qualifications. I suppose that was a positive as I was able to work towards a job and get some skills.
I asked for therapy whilst I was in prison and I got that. During this, I had the time to think about writing a book. There was a lot of feelings and thoughts that went into that and a lot of things that had happened in the past. Writing my book helped me with processing therapy I did in prison. I had to deal with my past before I could move onto the future. Writing the book helped with that. The book brought back the feelings and thoughts that I was having at the time of the events which then helped with the therapy and the therapy allowed me to process that. Therapy really helped me to move on. You can’t deal with the future if you don’t deal with the past. Therapy helped me to bring back the feelings and thoughts that I went through so I could stop feeling like that in the present and stop me doing certain things. This was a positive to being in prison, too, I suppose.
Another positive was being able to work with the people I do now and getting to work with and meet new people.
What was the physical and mental impact on you in prison? Was there adequate healthcare?
I wouldn’t say that the healthcare in the prison was adequate. The healthcare was ‘cut the wrapping and get on with it’. If you wanted to see a doctor, they would ask what the matter was and you usually just got given aspirin and told to get on with it or anti-depressants if you felt depressed. They didn’t ask about what the problem was or how you were feeling. We were just given the tablets and told to get on with it. If you wanted a blood test or anything, that’s all they were there for – the basics. Even in the open prison, it was more or less just blood tests or pills. They weren’t really interested in anything. There was also a dentist and opticians that you could see but apart from that, that’s all healthcare was really.
My mental health was alright in prison. No real problems. When I first went in, I was angry and a little depressed but it wasn’t enough for anti-depressant tablets. I wasn’t suicidal. The people I spoke to in prison were often going through the same things and so we were all helping each other to manage and cope. There was also a Samaritans-like thing; prisoners were trained by Samaritans and were called Listeners. You could always go and talk to Listeners. They were there to help people day or night. I didn’t feel like I was able to listen to other people’s problems, though, as I found being in prison hard.
I am suffering a lot with my physical health now because I was always walking around inside. You never sat down unless you were in education. I walked on exercise and at work and when I was out of my cell. I’m suffering for it now more than I did when I was in.
Did you stay in any old prisons and if so, what were they like?
The only old prison I stayed in was HMP Wandsworth. When I first went in there, you had to stand against the wall until they told you that you could go in your cell. Even the lights were outside of the cell so lights were off at a certain time. There were also big bolts on the door so they bolted it and locked it. We had to stand in ours cell until they told us that we could come out. We weren’t allowed to talk to each other when waiting to go in or out of the cell.
In Wandsworth they had gallows and you could hear the gallows working. Every so often they would put a sack on a noose and make sure it was still working. You could hear it once every two months. Sometimes every month. They had to check them because at the time, it was the only place they had the gallows working and you could still be hung for offences against the royal family and treason. I am not sure if this is still the case now, though. I think Wandsworth was the only one at the time that still had them working. It seemed like the oldest prison at least and I know that families had been locked up there before.
We’ve heard about people experiencing paranormal things in prison. Whilst we don’t personally believe in it, did you at any time experience anything like it?
Whilst I didn’t experience anything personally, I know Wandsworth had a poltergeist. One of the cells on the same landing I was on was locked and couldn’t be used. The windows to the outside got blown out one night in the Summer even though there was no one in it. They put it down to a poltergeist so no one could use that cell. I didn’t believe it at first but there was no one able to do it. I’m still not sure whether it was just a prisoner that just got away with it but it got put down to a poltergeist. That was before I was in but it was something everybody knew about who was there. I never heard anything though personally. I never heard chains or saw anyone walking around the wings. Though, there probably is as there was people dying all over the place in there. In all the other prisons, I had never heard of anything unusual but they were new-ish anyway.
In some Victorian prisons, inmates were held in their cell for 23 hours a day with 1 hour for exercise. They were also unable to talk to each other. How do you think you would have felt if it happened during your time in prison?
It did! This happened when I first went into the prison at Wandsworth. We weren’t allowed to talk outside our cells unless we were working. You couldn’t even talk to the officers. This was only allowed if they came and asked you a question. This was the case if you were just out or on exercise. For 23 hours I just sat in my cell. I could get a radio but had to get batteries for it. I could get library books but would have to ask the librarian to get them for you. There was a library on the wing and officers could get you a book but only if they came to your room. They would go and get it for you and they would bring some old junk but at least it was something to read whilst you were locked up.
On the exercise yard at Wandsworth, there was a metal grate in the middle of the floor that you weren’t allowed to walk on. Only the officers were allowed to walk on this and we had to walk around it. The officers said that grate was used many years ago as punishment for prisoners. They used to have to walk around and around the grate as they received their death sentence until they were hung. No prisoner is allowed to stand on it now, but the officers felt safe standing on it.
When I first arrived there, I was locked up for 23 hours. After a month, I could get a job. I was also allowed out of my cell more often on ‘association’ but this was irregular. Often, though, this was cancelled and you were just locked away with no exercise or time outside except for getting your food. It was probably cancelled 90% of the time and lights were just off and you had to go to bed. On the weekends, I was locked away for 24 hours a day.
It was hard because I couldn’t talk to anybody. I was just thinking about what I was doing there and winding myself up and getting depressed. I was put onto anti-depressant tablets there. I wasn’t seeing anybody, no visits, couldn’t talk to anybody, and had no letters. I was just getting depressed. At that time, I was working towards being suicidal. It didn’t last long as after that I got a job and that got me out for most of the day. This also meant that if association was cancelled, then it wasn’t such a big deal as you had already been out in the day at work. However, that was a really bad time for me then, when I was there. But I got through it.
What was the strangest thing that happened in prison?
I think the strangest thing in prison was doing training for work and education. I did these to better myself and I was surprised when I passed my NVQs. That made me feel happy and I was shocked, too. I never expected to pass because when I started taking them, it was early on in my sentence. I was still feeling worthless and useless and feeling like I couldn’t do anything. Of course, when I started it and I was passing them all, it was making me feel excited and happy and thinking of myself better which helped my mental health.
How do you think society treats individuals who have been to prison?
That is hard to answer because not many people know that I’ve been in prison. Apart from the people that were in the supported accommodation who were in a similar situation and the people working with me, I only have friend I talk to now and again. Otherwise, no one else knows now. In my personal situation, I’ve lost all my family and friends. Everyone who knew treated me a lot differently beforehand. I used to have good friends and a wife and children with good neighbours and I lost all of that because of going to prison. Also, when I was first arrested, my windows got smashed and the walls got painted after I went inside. Though, I wasn’t there when that happened. I’ve had to move to a new area and start all over again. Having convictions also hinders my chances getting a job. If I go to a normal firm, it goes against me. As soon as they find out you have an unspent conviction, their attitude changes and they don’t want to know me.
Overall, though, I think that depending on what the offence is, people on the outside tend to treat you a lot different. People who go to prison for offences like shoplifting are treated very differently to people in for murder or rape or mugging an old lady. Other people’s attitudes change drastically. This is with people you know but also the general population and even with prison officers. If you are in for something like robbery or shoplifting, their attitude is different than if you are in for a violent offence. As a result, you got treated very different inside, too. Sometimes you’d be told to get stuffed even though someone has already done it for someone else. There was a big hierarchy.
You couldn’t count on the officers or professionals in the prison to treat you the same as others. You knew which officers you could talk to and get a decent answer and get help. You also knew who you couldn’t ask because you knew you’d never get anywhere. Those officers were usually the ones who were attacked by other prisoners.
How have you found the support since leaving prison?
Since leaving prison, the only support I’ve got is from professionals and volunteers from the probation service and charities. Everyone I have worked with have been and still are really useful. Probation have helped me a lot especially when I was released and helping me find somewhere to live. They did a lot of things in the background that I didn’t see. They also got me in contact with the various charities. The charities are also very useful with lots of different things. I’ve had help with my CV and getting me onto courses to help get me work. One charity also helped me to get different bits and pieces for my house. I also get emotional support during difficult times from another charity. They also help with loneliness and general bits of help such as setting up my phone and engaging with other activities that I like. There are also lots of other charities that can help me too which is really good and I hope to engage with them in the future. I have a couple of nice neighbours, too.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us or to share with our readers?
No.
Keep on working, great job!