Tales From The Jails

By seven o'clock this morning the BBC was reporting a man knifed and dead in Pentonville, two seriously injured and two arrested. By the time I'd put the phone down on T, a guy had been slashed in the showers on the fives. A normal day in HMP. I am so familiar with the mayhem and violence that my biggest concern is being out of coffee.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. ...

The constant level of juvenile behaviour is beyond what you can imagine, but at the same time it has to be taken seriously because of the ever present violent undertones that lurk. You may be surprised to hear that vanity plays a significant role in HMP from personal male grooming to touching another man's muscles, or at least admiring them up close and personal. My funniest moment has to be with Big J, who's been shaving...

Any one of us can be attacked or caught up in a violent episode, and potentially or probably be knifed, slashed, coshed, swilled, strangled or battered brutally and viciously. Who do you become as a result of any of this, when on the receiving end and scarred for life?

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to ...

Self-harming is as common as the cockroaches that appear each evening. The place is infested with self-harming severe mental health issues and men attempting suicide daily, to the entertainment of far too many lads on the wing.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst ...

Four lads went in on another inmate. Brutal attack apparently. They tried to cut his ears off because he's supposedly a nonce, aka a paedophile. Worse than the attack itself was the screaming from the lad.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst incarcerated.

Crime is bigger than both the Beatles and Liverpool Football Club in this city, and I am nestled in the epicentre of one of the most criminally minded group of men in Europe, and it's chaos of a different kind.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst incarcerated...

What was it like being GW? It was all crazy as fuck. I used to drink a lot, champagne back in those days. Vodka too...

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst incarcerated.

Most names have been changed. The events have not.

This is a Jekyll & Pr...

Can you imagine being cooped up in a prison cell without any power? No lights, no TV, no hot water and no radio.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst incarcerated.

Most names have been changed. The events have not.

This is a Jekyll & Pride pr...

Nothing prepared me for this day. I'm not angry, bitter or resentful, but it hurts. It seems so unfair...

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst incarcerated.

Most names have been changed. The events have not.

This is a Jekyll & Pride prod...

It's surreal how the X-rated antics in the outside world still manage to seep into prison.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst incarcerated.

Most names have been changed. The events have not.

This is a Jekyll & Pride production.

It's the Wild West of mayhem, crammed in cells are lunatics and psychos, paedophiles and rapists, murderers, drug addicts and violent men.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst incarcerated.

Most names have been changed. The events have not.

...

My closest friend thus far is in for manslaughter. He killed his wife in what he describes as two minutes of madness when he just flipped.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst incarcerated.

Most names have been changed. The events have not.

This ...

How to make friends and influence people? Cut hair.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst incarcerated.

Most names have been changed. The events have not.

This is a Jekyll & Pride production.

Producer: Trevessa Newton

Title M...

Unexpected often equates to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and a poor guy in his sixties who was new on the wing was caught up in the crossfire and his face slashed. He was only going for his morning shower.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst incarce...

So many lives shattered. One man's over, a prisoner for life with the M badge, his child only born a week ago, and here I am giving out Coco Pops. If it wasn't all so serious, then you could be forgiven for laughing.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst i...

None of us can guarantee we'll make it to the next morning. It's like Russian roulette. In one breath, one is pleased to wake up alive and unscathed, and on the other, there is only another day ahead of running the gauntlet, surrounded by prisoners who will be happy just to fill you in for entertainment.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contem...

One learns in prison to be grateful for very small things, most of which we take for granted in the real world.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst incarcerated.

Most names have been changed. The events have not.

This is a Jekyll & Pride pro...

There are two topics that carry their own stigma, both beginning with M. One is murder, criminal in the extreme, socially and legally unacceptable. The other is masturbation, and carries its own uncomfortable unease, but perfectly normal, and a human condition of the unspoken kind in the real world. Whilst in here, it is a creepy, seedy, unpalatable act that seems to be completely acceptable.

During the three and a half years I was ...

What an almost comical scenario, four or five Samaritans in a chapel in a prison, with hardened criminals who are auditioning to be Listeners. And the main topic is suicide.

During the three and a half years I was in prison I wrote over a million words by hand. Tales From The Jails is a contemporaneous account of my life, and attempts to thrive rather than merely survive, whilst incarcerated.

Most names have been changed. T...