The Lockup

I don’t really like my telly. The volume buttons on the TV itself don’t work which is ok because the remote works fine, but there’s never anything on. There aren’t any fishing programmes around at the moment and it’s even difficult to watch the mighty Arsenal defeat Barcelona because during the build-up, half time and the post match analysis I am told I need to buy a car, or a new razor, or some life enriching, soul satisfying, character enhancing, caffeine infused eye roll-on for men that will apparently transform me into a chisel-jawed, bestubbled, hunk of a man who is the envy of my peers and the thing of desire for leggy women the world over.  Maybe I have misread that advert!

I did watch a programme the other day called ‘the lockup’ on BBC3 and it really made me think. The programme is a documentary shot in a Humberside custody suite and charts the exploits of the visitors and staff. I didn’t catch the whole programme but the part I did see documented two stories in parallel. On the one hand we had an 11 year old boy who had been arrested (I’m not sure what for) and was in custody for the better part of two days. The custody sergeant had been unable to contact his father to collect him. On the other hand we had an 18 year old man who had been arrested fleeing from a burglary with two of his mates. The burglary was of an elderly woman and was caught on a street CCTV camera. To make matters worse, one of the three men used to walk the elderly woman’s dog so they knew her.

The staff had an amount of sympathy for the 11 year old and talked a lot about doing what they could to ensure he didn’t get a criminal record and I as a viewer shared this empathy for the lad. The same cannot be said for the 18 year old man who had no sympathy from either the staff or from me. One of the officers told the camera that he didn’t like burglars at the best of times but he especially disliked those who burgled the elderly. A sentiment most of us would share.

It occurred to me right then as I was feeling two conflicting emotions at once: sympathy for the 11 year old and anger and resentment for the 18 year old, that for all intents and purposes, these two lads were one in the same person. If the 11 year old lad is not handled properly and if social services, the courts, the family and the community don’t handle their part in the next few years of his life effectively, he might just turn up as an 18 year old burglar and we will duly despise him.

Where is the line in our lives where we stop being products of our upbringing and surroundings and become truly responsible?  And if our upbringing has been such that crime is felt to be an acceptable way of life, does that line even exist? These are questions I for one cannot answer and I would be surprised if anyone could do more than merely speculate. They are questions that help form the basis for my involvement in prison work.

My greatest hope is that some day there will be enough people who care about influencing peoples circumstances as to actually make a real difference on a large scale in our society. Until then Prison Fellowship will continue to influence small changes in individual lives. Here are some of the reasons I love what I do:

Writing about our Angel Tree programme, a Prisoner from HMP Wormwood Scrubs says;  

“Dear Angel Tree, I want to thank you for the presents sent on my behalf to my children this Christmas. It is a time of year I am struggling to cope with without being with my family and I must admit that it hurts a great deal. I want you to know that I really appreciate what you have done for my family and especially for me. I love my children very very much and this will be the first Christmas I have been apart from them.”

Talking about Sycamore Tree, a prisoner from HMP Bronzefield writes;

“It has made me think about how I made life unbearable for the victims. In future there’ll be no more committing of crime, I intend to have a bright future.”

You do realise that I am still itching to tell you all about my carp fishing exploits. If I can figure out how to get photos onto this blog you’ll be in for a real treat...