How violent is prison?

[yello]

I was just reading an article on prison violence and how it is increasing. I'd always thought (naively perhaps) that for most inmates that prison was nearer boring than dangerous, but I honestly have no idea. Clearly it depends on the prison.

...not that I'm planning to find out personally!

 

[fossyant]

Ah, read the last statement - thought for a minute you WERE planning a visit.

 

[Archie_tect]

Dangerous places... full of people you'd never want to meet even on a good day.

 

[numbnuts]

prison violence - it's also very violence on our streets today

 

[Globalti]

Read Mr Nice by Howard Marks, a fascinating book and he writes a lot about his time in Terre Haute penitentiary, which houses some of the most dangerous nutters in the USA. He conveys very well the tension and the constant knife-edge threat of gang violence but I can't actually remember any description of anything nasty really happening.

 

[YahudaMoon]

Lovely places. Full of horrible bastards. People get smashed up sliced open on a weekly or even a daily basis. Some will suck your dick just for a cigarette

Its frightening to think that most of em will be released at some point


You have sex with him ? I hev sex with hem WHAT THE !!!!!!!!

 

[yello]

Some will suck your dick just for a cigarette

Every cloud....

 

[yello]

How's about a low security prison? You know, the sort of place you might end up in for some kind of white collar crime? Or does such a place not exist until you've been inside for a while already and proven yourself to be of no risk.

 

[iLB]

check out the summary stats on page 2, 15,000 + cases of assault in 2009

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/safety-in-custody-2009-0710.pdf

 

[Chris S]

Somebody I went to school with spent some time in prison for an immigration scam before his conviction was quashed. He said it was a bit like our old (boarding) school but with fewer nutters.

 

[yello]

He said it was a bit like our old (boarding) school but with fewer nutters.

I like that!

But I bet what costs a cigarette in prison is free at boarding schools

 

[YahudaMoon]

How's about a low security prison? You know, the sort of place you might end up in for some kind of white collar crime? Or does such a place not exist until you've been inside for a while already and proven yourself to be of no risk.

I think you would be locked up for 24 hours a day to begin with in high security whether it's shop theft or murder. You dont get to choose who you get locked up with so you could be locked up with a child murderer.

I you feel your life is in danger then you can go on numbers. 'Section 18' I think is the correct term ?
Going on numbers is where the paedophiles go and people that have gone the Queens evidence or have problems with other inmates and go there for there own safety

Going in low security prison is something you would experience if doing a long term sentence and only go there aftrer years inside a high security. Low security prisons can be more dangerous though as the inmates have more freedom to run it as they want

 

[colly]

Just boring for the most part....................so I am led to believe. Not personal experience you understand.

I was a volunteer on a medical study once and the guy in the same group as me had spent time in nick. 18 months or so. He said it was kind of like being on the study we were doing, just laid about on the beds talking and reading and maybe the odd game of pool thrown in.

I don't remember what he did time for but when we were watching a footie match on television one night he did say casually................''see that refeshments stand? I smashed that up a couple of years ago with my mates''
Quite proud of it in fact.
You might imagine he was a knuckle dragging, tattooed hard case, but in fact he was well dressed, articulate, polite kind of bloke, married with 3 kids and a good job.

He did say he thought nothing of breaking into a house if the chance arose justifying it by saying, ...................'well, any stuff will be insured''

His words didn't fit the bloke, it seemed odd.

 

[Mr Phoebus]

But I bet what costs a cigarette in prison is free at boarding schools

Hence the term "Head Boy".

 

[threebikesmcginty]

But I bet what costs a cigarette in prison is free at boarding schools

I'd heard it was part of the curriculum.