Anyone here ever done time?

boo3000

I don't know if this has been covered here before and I better set out that im not planning on committing a crime but im just wondering what it's like to be in prison in Ireland?

There's seems to be two schools of opinion on the matter which go along with traditional political divides; that it is either a holiday camp, or a filthy and overcrowded mess with little to do but rot away taking heroin.

But what's it really like? I mean day to day what do you do? Can you follow a hobby or read or exercise or are you stuck in a cell staring at the walls. How cut off are you from the outside world, i know mobiles aren't allowed but would you get some time on the internet?

How much TV can you watch, what's the food like? Prison wardens? Is there camaraderie between prisoners? Is there much violence?

Do you think people treat you differently if you've been to prison, even for a minor offense?

Rasheed

Good thread but I'm no good to ya, I've never been locked up, only got a tour of castlerea prison when I was in school. Seemed strict enough, didn't see much of a holiday camp, wouldn't entice me to break the law anyway!

Where To

I got detention once but I was an innocent man.

OMARS_COMING_

Yes,but not in Ireland.

fryup

just, don't drop the soap

Conall Cernach

I've never been in prison but several of people I know, including family members, have been so I've learned a few things about it.

Other prisoners are scary guys who are more than likely on something. Drugs and mobile phones are easily accessible. Many prisoners are in and out so often that they know all the screws and their families by first name and vice versa. Over crowding and slopping out are degrading and the authorities probably keep it that way on purpose. Mountjoy and Limerick are some of the worst places on Earth.

If you're in another prison you may not be so overcrowded so you may actually be able to take up education or something like that. A bloke I know got a BA from the Open University while in Portlaoise and produced some great looking craft works to boot.

Kylo Ren

I've seen Shawshank Redemption countless times if that counts.

ResearchWill

Did a tour of the joy once, as part of the course I was doing at the time, not a nice place, the women's prison is lovely but still scary.

boo3000

Yes,but not in Ireland.

I'd be very interested to hear about it anyway?

mikom

boo3000 wrote: »

Do you think people treat you differently if you've been to prison, even for a minor offense?

Ah now, nobody has respect for peados...

fasttalkerchat

Visited people in prisons up North during the troubles (Maghaberry and Long Kesh). When I was a kid I didn't even know it was a prison, thought it was strange that a university had such high security! I remember all the other prisoners being really friendly and there was lots of sweets and chocolate for the kids visiting.

I imagine criminal prisons are totally different though so probably not the answer you want.

edgecutter

Keno 92 wrote: »

I've seen Shawshank Redemption countless times if that counts.

I could be a friend to you

boo3000

I imagine criminal prisons are totally different though so probably not the answer you want.

It's all interesting and makes a good comparison aswell, cheers.

Odysseus

Well it is nothing like the media would have you believe. I had a client killed whilst on protection.

On protection is 23 hour lock up in a cell with up to five others. Mountjoy is a kip, Wheatfeild/Cloverhill is better. At the end of the you are still without your freedom.

In some you can study in others not, they are far from holiday camps.

SafeSurfer

The way prisoners are treated in Ireland is shocking. Overcrowding, huge levels of violence and intimidation, inadequate supervision and lack of education and training oppourtunities. The state has a duty of care to prison inmates. A duty that it fails abysmally everyday.

In the not too distant future there will be a redress board for ex prisoners similar to those that suffered in Industrial schools and Magdalene laundries in the past.

boo3000

SafeSurfer wrote: »

In the not too distant future there will be a redress board for ex prisoners similar to those that suffered in Industrial schools and Magdalene laundries in the past.

I can't see that ever having the public support to happen, i don't know nearly enough to say whether is deserving or not, but i just can't see the public ever getting behind it

SafeSurfer

boo3000 wrote: »

I can't see that ever having the public support to happen, i don't know nearly enough to say whether is deserving or not, but i just can't see the public ever getting behind it

Well not that long ago people believed unmarried mothers should go to the laundries, truants to industrial schools etc etc.

Society's perception of what is criminal and what justifies punishment changes over time. I think that the justice and penal system of our time will come to be viewed as just as shameful to future generations as that of 1950's Ireland is to us in the present day.

That in the depths of a depression, not a recession, we are still jailing people for non payment of fines is Dickensian.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Like somebody has already mentioned your prison experience all depends on where you serve your time. I read former Mountjoy Governor John Lonergan's book recently and the conditions he describes within Mountjoy are appalling. Overcrowding in cells, slopping out every morning, being locked down for large parts of the day, doesn't sound too easy at all tbf.

Nothingbetter2d

i know a few apples that did time.... they are now a can of cider :P

El Weirdo

Odysseus wrote: »

I had a client killed whilst on protection.

Was he not paying you?


:pac:

boo3000

SafeSurfer wrote: »

That in the depths of a depression, not a recession, we are still jailing people for non payment of fines is Dickensian.

I agree fully there, i can just never the public getting behind a general prison population, if that general population includes rapists, pedophiles etc.

pickarooney

Odysseus wrote: »

I had a client killed whilst on protection.

You might want to rephrase that...

fran17

never been near a prison myself but hear that lots of men turn sissy and put on a dress and lipstick:pac:

Jester252

All I know is prison guards make a lot of money

daltonmd

SafeSurfer wrote: »

The way prisoners are treated in Ireland is shocking. Overcrowding, huge levels of violence and intimidation, inadequate supervision and lack of education and training oppourtunities. The state has a duty of care to prison inmates. A duty that it fails abysmally everyday.

The overcrowding and physical layout of some our prisons are beyond the control of the staff.
The violence and intimidation is between the prisoners themselves and the supervision is as adeqaute as the staffing levels allow it to be. If staff didn't do their jobs, you can guarentee that prison issues would be front page news 7 days a week.

In every prison there is an education unit, run by the department of education, there is a very small take up from inmates, they cannot be forced to go.

There is a range of courses available. There is also access to a doctor each day, prisoners in need of other help are assessed and referred by the medical teams accordingly.

The state has indeed a duty of care to prisoners, but they won't give the budget that it would take to fulfill that obligation, again staff cannot be blamed for this.

SafeSurfer wrote: »

In the not too distant future there will be a redress board for ex prisoners similar to those that suffered in Industrial schools and Magdalene laundries in the past.

I think that may be the case many years ago, but in recent years prisoners rights have been top of the agenda.

Prison is not a nice place (I have, in my career, reason to visit prisons regulary and know a great many staff and prisoners).

Prisons run on two things - Goodwill of prisoners and goodwill of staff.

Rasheed

SafeSurfer wrote: »

The way prisoners are treated in Ireland is shocking. Overcrowding, huge levels of violence and intimidation, inadequate supervision and lack of education and training oppourtunities. The state has a duty of care to prison inmates. A duty that it fails abysmally everyday.

In the not too distant future there will be a redress board for ex prisoners similar to those that suffered in Industrial schools and Magdalene laundries in the past.

Am I the only one that thinks most of these people should have a bit of hardship for their crimes? People do complain about lenient judges, short sentences so why should we make their stay pleasent? Spending tax payers money on improving jails while hospital wards and schools are closing?

Daisy03

Conall Cernach wrote: »

I've never been in prison but several of people I know, including family members, have been so I've learned a few things about it.

Other prisoners are scary guys who are more than likely on something. Drugs and mobile phones are easily accessible. Many prisoners are in and out so often that they know all the screws and their families by first name and vice versa. Over crowding and slopping out are degrading and the authorities probably keep it that way on purpose. Mountjoy and Limerick are some of the worst places on Earth.

If you're in another prison you may not be so overcrowded so you may actually be able to take up education or something like that. A bloke I know got a BA from the Open University while in Portlaoise and produced some great looking craft works to boot.

Any prison officer that tells prisoners the name of members of his family is very foolish. My dad is in the army and occasionally he is on duty for a few weeks at a time in one of the prisons. As far as I remember he has to remove any identifying badges from his uniform. One has his name on it and he can't wear it while there. That being said as he isnt a prison officer he wouldnt have any interaction with prisoners.

El Weirdo

Jester252 wrote: »

All I know is prison guards make a lot of money

True. I'd say Gordon is on a serious wedge.

Shryke

Rasheed wrote: »

Am I the only one that thinks most of these people should have a bit of hardship for their crimes? People do complain about lenient judges, short sentences so why should we make their stay pleasent? Spending tax payers money on improving jails while hospital wards and schools are closing?

When they come out the other side you want them to be somewhat reformed and to function as a part of society. Unless you would rather see people come out worse than they came in. More violent, more damaged and abused, more well versed in criminal means, better connected.
Conditions and sentence length are two different things.

Odysseus

boo3000 wrote: »

I can't see that ever having the public support to happen, i don't know nearly enough to say whether is deserving or not, but i just can't see the public ever getting behind it

Yes but when you are locked up the State is responsible for your care, and sadly that care is p!ss poor currently. I could see this happening at some stage.

Odysseus

El Weirdo wrote: »

Was he not paying you?


:pac:

Not at all, I';m appalled at your suggestion. Miss my bill and I make such you stay alive to feel the pain:p

Odysseus

pickarooney wrote: »

You might want to rephrase that...

Sh!t it's been a long day, I'm only seeing that now:o

skinny90

My friend is in mount joy he's a gard,there does be fights but its a prison what else would you expect.
the prisoners are exercised quite well giving enough activities/extra curriculums to do if they choose .everything is on a time table so if you have to go outside you go outside when you've to be in your cell your in your cell, He's only 23 so they do throw abuse at him but all he can do is fire it back at them,the others have a good laugh and majority of the them will just take it on the chin

Odysseus

daltonmd wrote: »

There is a range of courses available. There is also access to a doctor each day, prisoners in need of other help are assessed and referred by the medical teams accordingly.

The state has indeed a duty of care to prisoners, but they won't give the budget that it would take to fulfill that obligation, again staff cannot be blamed for this.

Prisons run on two things - Goodwill of prisoners and goodwill of staff.

The psych care of inmates is bad, actually very bad. However, as you say the services can only be there if they are paid for.

Biggins

I've been behind bars.
I've been under bars *hic*
I've crawled thru bars! LOL

Odysseus

Rasheed wrote: »

Am I the only one that thinks most of these people should have a bit of hardship for their crimes? People do complain about lenient judges, short sentences so why should we make their stay pleasent? Spending tax payers money on improving jails while hospital wards and schools are closing?

I'm sure your not, but we need to focus on rehab as well as punishment. If you spent some time in Mountjoy I say you might reconsider your position. You can believe in human rights for inmates without losing your belief in punishment for breaking the laws of the land.

daltonmd

Odysseus wrote: »

The psych care of inmates is bad, actually very bad. However, as you say the services can only be there if they are paid for.

Part of the problem is that a growing amount of people in prison, should not be there in the first place - no budget will fix that - the psych care in general is piss poor.

Rasheed

Odysseus wrote: »

I'm sure your not, but we need to focus on rehab as well as punishment. If you spent some time in Mountjoy I say you might reconsider your position. You can believe in human rights for inmates without losing your belief in punishment for breaking the laws of the land.

Well ok, fair enough, slopping out in this day and age is degrading and dangerous but I do think that the bitbof government funds we have would be better spent on more pressing issues like hospital waiting lists that kind of thing. Perhaps if my loved one was in Mountjoy I'd feel differently though.

boo3000

Odysseus wrote: »

Yes but when you are locked up the State is responsible for your care, and sadly that care is p!ss poor currently. I could see this happening at some stage.

Again i'm not agreeing or disagreeing that services should be better or worse, i'm only trying to find out what they are like, but what i would say is that the state isn't always as responsible as you think for someone's care. I come from a background of working with adults with disabilities and some of the conditions are appalling, but there is little or nothing laid down in law as to what conditions should be.
Just because the state pays for these disability services doesn't make them responsible, in the situation im familiar with children have a legal right to a certain level of care, not so for adults. I don't know what the situation is regarding legal responsibility for prisons but again i think public opinion has a lot to do with it.
I think the public has a sliding scale when it comes to causes that need to be supported. I think prisoners are very much towards the bottom of that scale because of the association with serious criminals. For what it matters, i think adults with disability are also towards the bottom of the priority list because people tend to think happy, smiley special Olympics (which is great when it's true for a lot of people) and don't know about the appalling conditions for some people with disabilities whose families might not be able to look after them.
Sorry if that's a bit of a sidetrack!

Odysseus

Rasheed wrote: »

Well ok, fair enough, slopping out in this day and age is degrading and dangerous but I do think that the bitbof government funds we have would be better spent on more pressing issues like hospital waiting lists that kind of thing. Perhaps if my loved one was in Mountjoy I'd feel differently though.

I'm sure you would, I do a bit of work in the prisons, but generally in thread like this I'm called a bleeding heart liberal PC do gooder. Far from it, I believe in punishment, but also in rehab, for those who want it.

I work for the HSE so I know the effects on services the cut back have. Personally I injuried my hand about 5 months ago, I cannot write [which is a pain for a health care professional] I'm still waiting on my hospital appointment.

I seen people who had spent more time locked up than free, turn their lives around, but we need services to do that.

daltonmd

Odysseus wrote: »

I'm sure you would, I do a bit of work in the prisons, but generally in thread like this I'm called a bleeding heart liberal PC do gooder. Far from it, I believe in punishment, but also in rehab, for those who want it.

I work for the HSE so I know the effects on services the cut back have. Personally I injuried my hand about 5 months ago, I cannot write [which is a pain for a health care professional] I'm still waiting on my hospital appointment.

I seen people who had spent more time locked up than free, turn their lives around, but we need services to do that.

What has always amazed me is that a lot of prisoners have been:

Failed by their parents
Failed by the Education system
Failed by social services
Failed by mental health services

Yet as soon as they step into prison the general public (not directing this at anyone) absolutely believe that no money or as little money as possible should be allocated to them - yet expect results of some kind.....


@rasheed "Perhaps if my loved one was in Mountjoy I'd feel differently though."

If your loved one worked in Mountjoy you would think differently. Prisons are places of employment.

FloatingVoter

Yeah bud, currently indoors finishing the Phd. Not too bad if you get a good looking cellmate.

Sent from my screw's iPhone 4

crosstownk

FloatingVoter wrote: »

Sent from my screw's iPhone 4

Hey - look at me. My screw has an iPhone.

Fcuking iPhone brigade :rolleyes::D

Odysseus

daltonmd wrote: »

What has always amazed me is that a lot of prisoners have been:

Failed by their parents
Failed by the Education system
Failed by social services
Failed by mental health services

Yet as soon as they step into prison the general public (not directing this at anyone) absolutely believe that no money or as little money as possible should be allocated to them - yet expect results of some kind.....


@rasheed "Perhaps if my loved one was in Mountjoy I'd feel differently though."

If your loved one worked in Mountjoy you would think differently. Prisons are places of employment.

Yeah in one rehab programme I used to work I was responsible for intake and discharging people if the broke the rules. I would often think this pooe fcuker was kicked out school, and kicked out of most things including the family home at times; and here I am kicking him out of a rehab project.

daltonmd

Odysseus wrote: »

Yeah in one rehab programme I used to work I was responsible for intake and discharging people if the broke the rules. I would often think this pooe fcuker was kicked out school, and kicked out of most things including the family home at times; and here I am kicking him out of a rehab project.

I'm sure you've heard your fair share of stories as have I. One young lads in particular always stayed with me. Mother died when he was a kid, father a junkie, running wild from the age of 8, never in school, nothing done about it. Went through all the usual places and finally jailed at 16.

By 18 he had amassed 87 convictiions. He's in his 20's now. In prison, where he will stay with brief periods of freedom. Sad, sad life.

Rasheed

daltonmd wrote: »

What has always amazed me is that a lot of prisoners have been:

Failed by their parents
Failed by the Education system
Failed by social services
Failed by mental health services

Yet as soon as they step into prison the general public (not directing this at anyone) absolutely believe that no money or as little money as possible should be allocated to them - yet expect results of some kind.....


@rasheed "Perhaps if my loved one was in Mountjoy I'd feel differently though."

If your loved one worked in Mountjoy you would think differently. Prisons are places of employment.

Fair enough lads, I'm not rowing with ye here, I'd love to see criminals come out of these places having turned their life around, get jobs and all the rest. I'm just a bit dubious that a criminal that has been shat on all his life, gets some rehab, some training courses under his belt and forgets the life of crime.

Now I'm open for correction because I've never had anything to do with prisoners bar see them come into casualty!

daltonmd

Rasheed wrote: »

Fair enough lads, I'm not rowing with ye here, I'd love to see criminals come out of these places having turned their life around, get jobs and all the rest. I'm just a bit dubious that a criminal that has been shat on all his life, gets some rehab, some training courses under his belt and forgets the life of crime.

Now I'm open for correction because I've never had anything to do with prisoners bar see them come into casualty!

Ah I know you're not rowing. Unfortunately there aren't many criminals who do that, I'm talking about the habitual ones. You do get those who make one mistake, do their time and you never see them again, these are the ones who avail of everything prison has to offer.

For the others it's a way of life, they commit a crime, do the time and then go back out to the same place, same people, even if they wanted to change it's pretty much impossible for them.

Fromthetrees

Guess who never wants to go to jail?
Me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GosQNv5EUps

Really though, there's a ridiculous amount of people serving time here for silly offences.
Shouldn't crime be seen as black, grey and white. On one spectrum you have murderers, rapists, pedophiles and on the other hand you have law abiding citizens, the grey must be people paying for sex, possession of a bit of dope, not paying fines and that kind of thing, the grey area of the judicial system needs serious reform before we turn regular folk into criminals which is what happens in prison.

Odysseus

Rasheed wrote: »

Fair enough lads, I'm not rowing with ye here, I'd love to see criminals come out of these places having turned their life around, get jobs and all the rest. I'm just a bit dubious that a criminal that has been shat on all his life, gets some rehab, some training courses under his belt and forgets the life of crime.

Now I'm open for correction because I've never had anything to do with prisoners bar see them come into casualty!

It does happen, I am in the game a long time so I would have seen 100s make it. However, your right more don't than do

daltonmd

Fromthetrees wrote: »

Really though, there's a ridiculous amount of people serving time here for silly offences.
Shouldn't crime be seen as black, grey and white. On one spectrum you have murderers, rapists, pedophiles and on the other hand you have law abiding citizens, the grey must be people paying for sex, possession of a bit of dope, not paying fines and that kind of thing, the grey area of the judicial system needs serious reform before we turn regular folk into criminals which is what happens in prison.

Yep, we have a very antiquated judical system here but it is up for review and there are serious changes coming into the prison service/system in the coming years.

Rasheed

Odysseus wrote: »

It does happen, I am in the game a long time so I would have seen 100s make it. However, your right more don't than do

Well that is a pity. You have to try though don't ya? Don't think I'd have the patience for it so fair dues!