My life as a prison officer: ‘It wasn’t just the smell that hit you. It was the noise’
I saw first hand how prisons are having to use segregation units for acutely mentally ill inmates who should not be in prison at all
As a former prison officer, I have opened thousands of cell doors. For almost a decade, I unlocked cells in residential blocks, healthcare units, first night centres, close supervision centres and segregation units. The twist and click of a key in the lock came to feel like background noise to me. But there are some occasions I remember more vividly than others. Sometimes the person inside wasn’t so keen on coming out.
One of those challenging incidents took place a few years ago, while I was on shift in a segregation unit in a busy London jail. Prisoners are sent to the seg for a variety of reasons – fights, assaults on staff, possession of contraband – but normally for no longer than a week or two. The seg was made up of 18 single cells spread over two storeys. I was in a team of six, all of us in full riot gear. We were moving a mentally ill prisoner who had destroyed his cell and then flooded it with sewage because he believed we were planning to implant a chip in his brain. His story is not an isolated one. In 2024, the chief inspector of prisons published a report showing that prisons are having to wait an average of 85 days to send acutely mentally unwell prisoners to secure hospitals.
Continue reading...
Read more at The Guardian
Topics
-
Murder charges announced in death of Robert Brooks, man beaten by New York prison officers
Murder charges have been announced in the death of Robert Brooks, a 43-year-old inmate who was beaten by guards at an upstate New York prison in December.NBC News - 16h -
I love my kids but I regret having them. How can I accept my life as a parent? | Leading questions
It may help to view parenthood as a rapidly changing condition, advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith says. It’s also important not to struggle with these feelings alone. Read more Leading ...The Guardian - 23h -
Tony Hawk on turning down $500,000 for Pro Skater: 'The best financial decision of my life'
Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk once turned down half a million dollars for Pro Skater. He says it was the "best financial decision" of his life.CNBC - 7h -
You be the judge: should my boyfriend invite our cheating friend to his birthday?
Rhea wants to support the girl who was cheated on but Brody is reluctant to take sides. You decide who needs to get their affairs in order?. Find out how to get a disagreement settled or become ...The Guardian - 5h -
Rob Gronkowski’s Home Was Once Robbed. It Wasn’t a Sophisticated Operation.
The burglary at Gronkowski’s house during Super Bowl LII was nothing like the ones of recent high-profile athletes.The New York Times - 9h -
‘Is this ethical?’ I want to leave my home to my children from my first marriage — and not to my second husband.
“My husband has two children, who also have a mother and grandparents who have an inheritance to leave them.”MarketWatch - 2h -
Six New York prison workers indicted for murder in beating death of inmate
Assault on Robert Brooks in December caught on body cameras, triggering widespread outrage and calls for justice. Six New York prison workers have been indicted for second-degree murder in the ...The Guardian - 15h -
10 former prison guards charged in death of inmate Robert Brooks
Ten former prison guards have been indicted in the killing of Robert Brooks, a prisoner who was incarcerated at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Marcy, New York.ABC News - 15h -
My Struggle to Stop Loving Him
On a post-divorce bicycle ride through Paris with her ex-husband, a woman weighs the costs of divorce.The New York Times - 8h -
This country was just named the most relaxing destination on Earth
Yahoo News - 1h
More from The Guardian
-
Middle East crisis live: Shiri Bibas remains mixed with others after airstrike, Hamas claims after Israel says wrong body returned
Israel has demanded the return of Shiri Bibas after it said testing showed that one of the four bodies released by Hamas did not belong to any other hostage. Full report: Israeli military accuses ...The Guardian - 29m -
EU planning to send Ukraine ‘very strong message’ with new aid package – Europe live
Defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius says the EU’s position is ‘very clear’ as the bloc is committed to peace through strength’. A 51-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years in jail in ...The Guardian - 50m -
Taiwan holds its breath as Trump turns on Ukraine and upends US foreign policy
The mood in Taipei is one of wariness as the new US president takes a blowtorch to diplomatic norms and assurances. It’s a bustling morning at the Dongmen wet market, in inner-city Taipei. Mr Yu is ...The Guardian - 11h -
Woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann charged with stalking
Julia Wandel allegedly sent letters, calls, WhatsApps and visited family of missing girl . A woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has been charged with stalking the parents and siblings of the ...The Guardian - 1h -
‘What a lie’: Danish astronaut responds to Musk claim that Biden abandoned ISS pair on purpose
Musk claimed without evidence that Nasa’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were left stranded on the orbital outpost for ‘political reasons’. Elon Musk has got into a heated row with a Danish ...The Guardian - 11h
More in World
-
Keir Starmer urged to ramp up defence spending – UK politics live
This is ‘probably one of the most alarming times for Britain’s defence since the second world war’, says Lib Dem leader Ed Davey as he calls for more spending. In case you missed it, Nigel Farage ...The Guardian - 18m -
Chelsea play Copenhagen in Conference League; Man Utd face Real Sociedad in Europa – live
UCL last 16: PSG-Liverpool, PSV-Arsenal, Real-Atlético Europa League: Spurs face AZ, Rangers draw Fenerbahce Get in touch with ">David | Sign up to Football Daily here A video explains ...The Guardian - 19m -
Federal workers brace for more firings after judge lifts block on Trump administration job cuts – US politics live
Trump administration expected to continue its mass downsizing of the federal workforce amid warnings of unlawful terminations and a ‘monumental’ bill. Mass firings could cause ‘monumental’ bill, ...The Guardian - 27m -
Middle East crisis live: Shiri Bibas remains mixed with others after airstrike, Hamas claims after Israel says wrong body returned
Israel has demanded the return of Shiri Bibas after it said testing showed that one of the four bodies released by Hamas did not belong to any other hostage. Full report: Israeli military accuses ...The Guardian - 29m -
Hamas Failed to Return the Body of a Hostage. What Now?
The Palestinian armed group said it had handed over the remains of Shiri Bibas along with her two young children and another man. Israel said forensic testing found that it wasn’t her.The New York Times - 31m