PRISONERS ABROAD
Caring for Britons
held overseas &
their families
news
Football fever
Since the day I was caught
I promised myself that I would try to
take anything positive from my time
inside. I decided to try to learn
Portuguese to occupy my time. I
went to an English class five times a
week to help teach, and in return
learn Portuguese. This was helping
me a lot but then I made the best
decision yet in my prison life –
play football!
I was only six years old when I started
playing Sunday League schoolboy
football. I’m a born and bred Arsenal fan,
and football has played a big part in my
life since as far back as I can remember.
I was being held in one of the largest
prisons in South America, and one of the
most dangerous. The prison football was
of a decent standard, with each block
having their own team. The rivalry was
frightening at first, and when there were
tournaments
and
championships
basically the whole prison would be
watching. The atmosphere was
unspeakable and not for the fainthearted! Brazil are known worldwide for
their football and Brazilians like to boast
about it. I persuaded my block’s team to
give me a chance – and then there was
no turning back! I play in central defence
– I’m 6’6”, but the kit they gave me was
skin tight and must have looked stupid to
all the prisoners watching from the
sidelines. I came on as a substitute with
20 minutes to go, and the prison erupted
in laughter. I was called “Gringo this” and
“Gringo that”, but I held my head high
and just tried to enjoy myself, as I always
Vol 17 Issue 3
Winter 2006
To contact us
Tel: 020 7561 6820
Fax: 020 7561 6821
[email protected]
www.prisonersabroad.org.uk
89-93 Fonthill Road
London N4 3JH
Charity No. 1093710
Can you spot the English defender?
had when playing football. I shut up the
crowd as I flew into tackles one after
another, winning every high ball which
came my way. Then, with about five
minutes left, and with the score at 2-2, I
went up for a corner and scored a
cracking header to make the score 3-2 to
us! The whole prison was in silence
when the ball hit the back of the net. I’ll
never forget that moment for as long as
I live.
That same day I was asked to move from
block ‘G’ to block ‘L’. As block ‘L’ was by
far the most civilised block in the prison,
I readily agreed. After some intense
discussion between the influential
prisoners from the two blocks involved it
was agreed and the move was
completed. Only then did I realise that
football has a massive influence
throughout the prison. I was moved so
quickly because the prison league was
starting in two days’ time and so it was
a bit like the last day of the transfer
window back home.
Time passed and I soon learnt that my
new block was the richest in the prison,
had a nice team kit and was well
>>continued on page 3
Our Family Freephone
0808 172 0098
for use by members
of a prisoner’s family.
All other callers please call our
main telephone 020 7561 6820
Contents
2-3
4
5
6
7
8-9
10
11
12-13
14-15
16
Your letters
Individuality: A view of
the trees
Individuality: An artisitic
nature
A day in the life
Individuality: The
changing man
2007 calendar
Individuality: From here
to freedom
Prison riots: The view
from a pen-pal
Poetry corner
Games and puzzles
Backpage bulletin
Your letters
October in the UK means nights drawing in and thoughts turning to Christmas and the New Year celebrations, but
I wonder what it means where you are right now? For those of you in the southern hemisphere it will mean that
summer is on its way, whilst for those in Islamic countries October this year means Ramadan and the festival of
Eid. I’m sure there are lots of other differences that you notice throughout the year – why don’t you write to tell
us which ones have caught your eye?
We asked for articles on the subject of what it means to be an individual in prison, and we have been overwhelmed
by the response. I’m pleased to say that this, the final issue of 2006, is packed full of great articles, so I won’t take
up any more valuable space, except to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and best wishes for 2007!
Your letters
Being gay in prison isn’t all that exciting, or
necessarily dangerous. I had a pretty hard time of it
myself until I ‘fessed up and admitted I was gay. Since
then I’ve found in every jail I’ve been in (they do move
you around a bit, and it’s always a brand new start
when you arrive) I’ve found a lot of respect for the fact
that I don’t hide my sexuality. In fact I’ve used it to
promote a little more gentleness around the jail, and
Your contributions please
Future editions of Prisoners Abroad News will
feature the discussion points listed below. Please
send any comments you have to the editor at the
address below. If you have any ideas for future
discussion points, please also feel free to write in
with your suggestions.
Spring 2007 – “Being a parent in prison”
them guffaw. But the presence of someone who is not
How do you try to be a good parent/carer whilst
you are in prison overseas? How often are you in
contact with your children? Can you be honest
about the reasons for being away from home?
necessarily hard and macho, someone who sticks pot
Summer 2007 – “Food, glorious food”
plants in the windows to brighten the place up and
camper’ brings a new perspective to what is often a
Tell us all about the food you eat in prison – good
or bad. Whether you cook for yourself or have
meals provided, we’re interested in all your
culinary tales.
rather cold experience. I know for a fact that a lot of
Winter 2007 – “Festivals”
guys secretly feel a lot more comfortable knowing that
Festivals are often a vivid illustration of the
differences between countries. Are there are
unusual festivals or customs celebrated where you
are? We’re interested in all sorts of festivals,
whether they are traditional or modern, local or
national.
it’s been a good thing. I get a lot of ribbing about it,
and I play up sometimes, trizzing a bit and making
doesn’t mind when people call me ‘petal’ or ‘little
a gay guy can be accepted openly around the place.
Every day is an opportunity to brighten up someone’s
life. If you can find some little way to make someone
else feel good about themselves, you’ve earned some
big karma. And you’ll feel better about yourself too.
I’ve only ever had one wish I use when I see a
shooting star, or throw a coin down a well, or find a
four-leafed clover: I wish for happiness. Gay or straight,
in or out of prison, rich or poor, or even if you’re just
about to drop dead – if you’re happy, who cares?
JS , Australia
2
Send your letters to:
The Editor
Prisoners Abroad News
89 – 93 Fonthill Road
London N4 3JH, UK
We will usually only print your initials and the
country you are in. However, we will not print
these if you ask us not to. We’re sorry that we
cannot reply to every letter personally, but we do
read them all and take all your views into account.
PRISONERS ABROAD NEWS
Your letters
Individuality in federal institutions tends to be
expressed more in your actions than your appearance.
Rules governing dress are tight. Greens (the prison
uniform of shirt and trousers) have to be worn to work,
breakfast and lunch. We can wear our own clothes to
dinner and outside work. However, as we must buy our
clothes from the canteen, and the only clothes for sale
are grey T-shirts, grey jogging bottoms, grey
sweatshirts and white sneakers, we tend to look all the
same. Food is bought from the canteen (no food
parcels allowed) so we all eat the same too.
Individuality can come from taking up (or not taking
up) activities such as reading or playing sport, but
many people find it a struggle here and they just sit in
front of the TV every night.
I think the real struggle to maintain individuality comes
from within, and if you are able to look into yourself,
and find the good person that you really are, and be
proud of that person, you’re going to remain a distinct
individual. That’s my take anyway.
GK, USA
You asked if we can be individual in prison. Well,
where I’m held everyone has to wear the same
clothes: white trousers with a blue stripe down the
sides of the legs, white short sleeved shirt with “DEPT
OF CORRECTIONS” on the back and, everyone has to
have their hair cut short so the only way to be
individual is to be yourself. I’m individual because of
my accent.
Govinda is a national festival celebrated all over India
in August each year. The tradition goes back to ancient
times when the youthful Hindu God Lord Krishna was
in the habit of mischievously amusing himself by
stealing other people’s milk and curds. To prevent the
naughty Lord from getting his way people used to
suspend their milk and curd in pots, out of arms reach.
In more modern times, to commemorate this act
people form teams of human pyramids to reach a clay
pot of milk and curd which is suspended across a
street approximately 30 feet above the ground. Each
pyramid consists of 5 to 7 tiers, with the objective of
the person at the top (who is normally a youngish
boy) breaking the clay pot with a coconut suspended
nearby (or sometimes with his head!). The team are
showered with the contents and to the delight of the
audience they crash to the ground. In very modern
times this event has been turned into a competition to
see which team can make the tallest pyramid – some
big cash prizes are on offer.
A & D, India
If your prison celebrates an unusual festival, why
not write in and tell us all about it. We’ll be
printing a selection of letters and articles in the
newsletter next year.
SJ, USA
>>continued from page 1
organised. In football terms it was like moving from
Leyton Orient to Real Madrid! Match after match I
made friends in the prison, but more importantly I was
earning respect because of the way I played football.
Some time later I was transferred to another prison.
When I arrived there I found that I already had a
reputation and believe it or not a bit of fame too! By
this time my Portuguese was much better, so I started
to work, and of course play football. After working in
various sections of the prison there was a vacancy on
the sport section, and I was happy to take the job. Since
then I have been organising the football league and
tournaments. Twice a week we work on the prison
pitch which is a mixture of sand, stone, grass and mud.
It’s nothing special, but we make the most of it. One
PRISONERS ABROAD NEWS
time, I even managed to get a team from outside
authorised to come in on visiting day and play against
a prison XI made up of players from each block. It was
an eventful 3-3 draw, and the whole prison was in
party mood because we were 3-0 down at one point
in the game!
My first friendship in prison was made on the football
pitch (and also my first fight was too!). In the last three
years in prison I have used football to make life in
prison a little bit easier. Wherever you are and
whatever situation you find yourself in there is always
a way to help yourself, because, if you don’t help
yourself how will other people be able to help you?
Remember to always be yourself and always stand
up tall!
GK, Brazil
3
Individuality: A view of the trees
I read with interest all the letters and stories in the Spring 2006 issue of the newsletter, and boy!, how
prison life, for each separate person in each particular prison, varies greatly. Some people, I suppose,
have much better mental and spiritual stability. Their resilience and lightness of spirit is impressive,
commendable and heart-warming, uplifting – they show that the human spirit can not only endure and
survive, but also soar. Others, one notices without judgement, practically disintegrate, so frail is their
psyche, that to be parted from their home and loved ones is just so devastating.
I’m fortunate in having discovered in myself the ability
to be at peace with the way things have turned out
here in the US, and somehow have maintained my
lightness of spirit despite having received a 15-year
sentence for my five convictions (of which only one
was I guilty).
The prison where I now reside is flanked on three
sides by mountains and hills, and hundreds of trees
and plant-life grace us with their beauty and presence
on two sides of our unbelievably enormous exercise
yard. The closest plants form a long, tall windbreak of
eucalyptus trees only about 100ft from our perimeter
fence. On windy days I sometimes lie on my back on
the grass, facing them, raise my knees to block out the
other prisoners passing my line of vision as they walk
or run around our track and put my hands behind my
head to lift it and support it, with my forearms pulled
in tight against my ears, squeezing my jacket collar up
tight against them too, cutting out 90% of the noise of
the 1,000 or so other prisoners out and about on the
yard.
This creates a little window/tunnel (along with my
baseball cap peak) through which I can see nothing
but the top branches and tips of the eucalyptus trees
in almost silence, blissful silence, as they dip and sway,
gracefully, majestically in the turbulence and
meditative peacefulness, calmness, acceptance,
appreciation, joy and love... (I wish I could find that
state of equilibrium more easily, then maybe I could
avoid my negative feelings about particular aspects of
my captors’ behaviour!)
On the subject of “individuality” in prison, it always
makes me shake my head in frustration and irritation
when I read someone ranting over “I’m no longer a
person, I’m now just a number..”. No-one has ever
used simply the ID number assigned to me to address
me. I’m addressed as either “sir” or “M-----“.
Sometimes I’ll be asked for the last two numbers of
my ID, but that’s just to check that I am in fact myself!
And while I’m on the subject, I have to point out the
huge difference in attitudes here in the US to being
addressed by one’s surname. It doesn’t have the same
disrespectful connotations here as it does in the UK.
Here in prison I address the staff as either “CO”
(Corrections Officer) or by their surname; they address
me the same: “Sir”, or “M------“ or if talking to a group
of us, “Gentlemen”.
It’s no big deal to use someone’s surname here;
people aren’t offended. A lot of prisoners address
other prisoners by their surname. It’s not regarded as
an insult.
It’s ludicrous to imagine that we’d ever be happy to be
addressed by our first name by a Corrections Officer.
Our first name is for our FRIENDS, and people we trust
who have our best interests at heart. No matter how
civil, or respectful, or reasonable, or caring these staff
members are, they are not, and cannot be, and do not
wish to be, our FRIENDS. A level of repartee and
interaction between us naturally occurs, but everyone
is aware of certain boundaries, which protect us, which
stops anyone getting too familiar.
SM, USA
“I can see nothing but
the top branches and
tips of the eucalyptus
trees in almost silence”
4
PRISONERS ABROAD NEWS
Individuality: An artistic nature
I’ve served about ten years of a life sentence. There’s very little opportunity to get out of the cell, so I
spend a lot of time studying the law, playing chess, and painting. Some prisons have facilities to teach
art (mine doesn’t), so I work alone in my cell and have the freedom to paint whatever I want. I like to
do portraits, and have painted some of the British troops lost in Iraq for their families. I mainly work
with acrylic paints on canvas, but also work on illustration board, which is compressed paper, about
2mm thick with one smooth white surface. I have to pay for the materials myself, but this prison allows
me to sell the artwork, so I can paint without burdening my family too much.
A few years ago I started a collection of surreal
landscapes. Most of these started out as strange
doodles on paper which I transferred onto boards. After
a light wash of paint, I detailed them in black ink using
a pointillism technique. The average picture took a
couple of weeks, as each picture contains thousands of
dots. The finished works are sort of mesmerising.
They’ve been described as “mysterious”, “intriguing”,
and “way out, dude!”.
Recently, I’ve painted a collection of angels, which has
been fun to do. These can take me from a few days to
a few weeks. Because I miss the English countryside,
and was a keen fisher, I also paint a lot of landscapes,
and most of these have lakes or rivers in them. I would
like to put them up in my cell and decorate the walls,
but for security reasons I’m not allowed. So after
painting them I send them home and have quite a
collection now.
Amongst the people I have painted are my local MP,
who has been a great help to me and my family, and
also his boss, Tony Blair. A few days ago I received a
letter from my local British Consulate. They’ve been
trying to arrange for me to paint the new Consul
General. The photo’s on the way, so that will be one of
my next projects. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll paint
myself. We’re not allowed to buy mirrors at this prison,
but we have CDs and I can see myself in those. I have
an appeal pending – if I can get out I’ll certainly be
painting more of the English countryside, but not from
memory or photographs.
PD, USA
Since this article was written, P’s mother has written to
tell us that two of the portraits that P drew of British
soldiers have been passed on to their family members.
Two other paintings have been accepted by the Royal
Military Police museum. You can find another of his
paintings decorating the calendar on pages 8-9.
A section of one of PD's paintings
PRISONERS ABROAD NEWS
5
A day in the life….
Last year we ran a series of articles entitled ‘A day in the life...’. As a follow-up, in this issue we have
asked Isabel and Stephen from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to describe a typical day at
their office in London.
It’s 9 o’clock on Monday morning and I’ve just sat
down at my desk gearing up for the week ahead. My
name is Isabel and I work as a Desk Officer within the
Consular Country Casework Team at the FCO. Our role
is to help British nationals in difficulties overseas. The
team is made up of approximately 50 staff, most of
whom work in pairs, with each pair taking
responsibility for several countries. Daily we deal with
a wide range of cases including arrests, deaths, rapes
and lost passports. Along with a colleague I have
responsibility for France, Belgium, The Netherlands
and Luxembourg, and work closely with colleagues at
British embassies and consulates in these countries.
The first thing I do each day is check my emails and
our computer database. The most important email I
have today is from our consulate in Marseille about a
British man who has been killed in an accident whilst
he was on holiday there on his own. I need to make
sure his family in the UK have been notified, and so
contact the nearest UK police station and ask an officer
to visit the next of kin. The police are able to do this
fairly quickly as the man’s wife is at home. They have
given her my number and asked her to call me when
she can. Many people have cut links with their families
and we can sometimes spend days trying to track
down next of kin.
In between speaking to the police and updating
Marseille I receive a call from the mother of a British
prisoner in Belgium. She wants to know how to send
him money, has various complaints about the legal
system and asks me what I can do to get her son out
of jail. I give her the details for how to send funds and
explain that we cannot give legal advice, but that we
can put people in touch with English speaking lawyers
in the relevant country. I then arrange to send her
some information about the prison system in Belgium.
I have some letters to write this afternoon: one is to
an MP about a British woman who experienced
difficulties when hospitalised in The Netherlands and
the other is to a British man about how he can make
a complaint to the French police. Before I do this I
need to deal with a coach which has just been
impounded in Paris and is supposed to be taking 50
school children back to Kent tonight! In the last hour
I’ve had calls from the driver, the teachers and worried
parents in the UK.
6
Hi, my name is Stephen and I am one of four officers
who cover Spain. Over 16 million British nationals visit
each year and about one million live there
permanently, so there are always incidents to keep us
busy.
Over 250 British nationals are in prison in Spain. We
are in regular contact with relatives in the UK, whether
forwarding prison comfort money, answering
questions and helping with visits. While my colleagues
are busy dealing with a difficult case involving rape on
one of the Spanish islands, I return a telephone call to
the mother of a prisoner in Spain. She contacted me a
few days ago expressing concern about the
medication the prison is giving to her son. I asked my
colleague at the consulate to contact the prison doctor,
which she has done. We can ensure that any medical
or dental problems prisoners may have are brought to
the attention of the authorities, but only once we have
the prisoner’s permission.
My phone rings. A concerned father informs me that
his son has travelled to Spain after losing his job in the
UK and has lost his wallet. He has not heard from his
son for the past two days and is worried about his
welfare. He says that his son suffers from mild
depression. I promise to ask our nearest consulate to
check their records to see if he has come to our
attention. In the meantime, I suggest that he contact
his local police station to report him missing. I will
remain in regular contact with the father until his son
is found.
The next call I need to make is to Heathrow Travel
Care, a small team of qualified social workers based at
>>continued on page 7
PRISONERS ABROAD NEWS
Individuality: The Changing Man
Individuality is a must in a foreign prison, and the lucky thing is that the chances are you are the only
Brit in the prison and therefore you’re already halfway to achieving your goal in individualism.
of problems, especially if you’ve got three people
who think of themselves as leaders or tough men,
each trying to be the one to initiate the turn and show
their authority; they end up just walking up and down
covering a few metres in the centre! There’s also the
problem of when they walk with their heads down
and don’t realise that the person
“Being an individual in
walking with them has turned and is
prison is one way of not walking away, leaving them standing
getting caught up in the at the end with no mates.
A white skinned Brit stands out just as much in prison
as they do on a beach, kicking a football at the locals
whilst singing a drunk version of Rule Britannia.
There’s no avoiding it and there’s no shame in it,
although it’s not a good idea to kick footballs at the
local prisoners, at least not in your first week.
I myself find different things now
count for individuality that didn’t
before. For a start, I’ve always
liked to dress in name brand
rut that is
clothes and have a nice haircut,
but after being here a while
there’s just no point walking around in the latest
clobber with a Beckham crop. For one, I’m not going
out anywhere soon, and two, in some places I’m sure
that you’ll get robbed. So that piece of my
individuality I swapped for practicality, cheap clothes
that can get worn and a skinhead.
What you do need to keep individual is you, your
personality. I stick out like a sore thumb on the patio
and I am proud of the fact. We are outside most of
the day, between 8am and 1pm and again between
4:30pm and 7pm. The patio isn’t that big but most
will at some point exercise. Just on basic instinct
when I first started walking, I walked around the edge
of the patio. I soon noticed that I was the only one.
Everybody else did this crazy up and down thing
which, when walking in groups is actually funny to
watch as one will decide to turn first so the others
quickly have to change direction. It leads to all sorts
>>continued from page 6
Heathrow Airport, to alert them to the impending
arrival of a man who is being repatriated to the UK
after living in Spain for many years. As the man is a
wheelchair user I am working closely with them to
ensure that adequate arrangements with local
authorities are in place for his return. I will also inform
his family of any developments.
My next call is from a man who wants to go to Spain
for a honeymoon. He tells me that he has recently
been released from a Spanish prison and wants to
know if he will be able to enter the country without
any difficulties. I advise him that he should contact
the Spanish Embassy in London or seek the advice of
his Spanish lawyer.
PRISONERS ABROAD NEWS
prison life”
Many people question me why I go
around the outside. When I explain
that surely it’s normal to walk without obstruction and
allow yourself to find your stride, they tend to give
you a funny look, shake their head and then go back
to the intersecting crazy lanes. What makes it all the
better for me is that if I’m bored of the scenery, I can
just change direction and there’s a whole new world
the other way round! Being an individual in prison is
one way of not getting caught up in the rut that is
prison life.
My advice is to change what time you get up, eat
something you don’t normally eat, go to the gym,
read a book, don’t read a book, and if you feel like it
walk in a straight line and see what it’s like to be one
of the crazys, although round is better.
Be individual to help maintain your identity as we will
all (most of us will) be free one day. The world can be
a boring place as it is!
MB, Spain
Out-of-hours emergencies are dealt with by our
Response Centre. When the working day ends, I will
pass on all my continuing cases to them, to ensure
that they are aware of all ongoing situations.
Many people need our support at a time of great
personal distress or anxiety, and so we always try to
imagine what it is like to be in the other person’s
shoes, and are always sensitive and as helpful as
possible. However, although we do our best, we
cannot replace specialists such as counsellors or
lawyers, though we can put people in touch with
them.
7
Calendar 2007
January
M
1
8
15
22
29
T
2
9
16
23
30
W
3
10
17
24
31
T
4
11
18
25
F
5
12
19
26
S
6
13
20
27
S
7
14
21
28
T
1
8
15
22
F
2
9
16
23
S
3
10
17
24
S
4
11
18
25
F
2
9
16
23
30
S
3
10
17
24
31
S
4
11
18
25
February
M
T
W
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
7
14
21
28
March
M
T
W
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
7
14
21
28
T
1
8
15
22
29
April
M
T
W
T
F
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2
9
16
23
30
3
10
17
24
4
11
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25
5
12
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26
6
13
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27
7
14
21
28
S
1
8
15
22
29
W
2
9
16
23
30
T
3
10
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31
F
4
11
18
25
S
5
12
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26
S
6
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27
F
1
8
15
22
29
S
2
9
16
23
30
S
3
10
17
24
May
M
7
14
21
28
T
1
8
15
22
29
June
M
T
W
T
4
11
18
25
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
7
14
21
28
July
M
T
W
T
F
S
2
9
16
23
30
3
10
17
24
31
4
11
18
25
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
7
14
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S
1
8
15
22
29
T
2
9
16
23
30
F
3
10
17
24
31
S
4
11
18
25
S
5
12
19
26
S
2
9
16
23
30
August
M
T
6
13
20
27
7
14
21
28
W
1
8
15
22
29
September
M
T
W
T
F
3
10
17
24
4
11
18
25
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
7
14
21
28
S
1
8
15
22
29
F
5
12
19
26
S
6
13
20
27
S
7
14
21
28
S
3
10
17
24
S
4
11
18
25
S
1
8
15
22
29
S
2
9
16
23
30
October
M
1
8
15
22
29
T
2
9
16
23
30
W
3
10
17
24
31
T
4
11
18
25
November
M
T
W
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
7
14
21
28
T
1
8
15
22
29
F
2
9
16
23
30
December
M
T
W
T
F
3
10
17
24
31
4
11
18
25
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
7
14
21
28
Individuality: From here to freedom
“
Having been remanded in custody now for
almost nine months, seeking activities to fulfil
daily prison life, I decided to attempt something
completely different, of which I had no previous
experience.
Boredom is a problem for all inmates, but more so for
foreigners. However, I have been one of the more
fortunate, not only writing the occasional articles for
the Portugal News, but also participating with the
prison band, playing guitar. In this prison we have a
small band consisting of drums, bass, keyboards, guitar
and one accompanying vocalist, calling ourselves
“Band Alheira”.
Rehearsal time has been restricted due to various
educational activities which clashed with band
practice. However, limited as our experience was, we
entered the twelfth annual inter-prison band
competition held in a prison in Lisbon. Prepared as
well as possible we set out on our quest for fame
travelling early in the morning via the prison’s security
van. The journey was extremely uncomfortable, to say
the least, resembling a mobile sauna with
temperatures topping the mid 40s. The five of us were
packed into the sardine tin on wheels, but after a
three hour journey arrived at the prison. Disorientated,
dehydrated and par boiled we entered the most
modern high security prison in Portugal.
The vast rectangular campus had buildings resembling
air traffic control towers, strategically positioned on
each corner, providing surveillance over the large
acreage, with the main central block surrounded by
triple fencing. Both internally and externally the main
block was immaculate, spacious as a sports stadium
with the disinfected hygiene of a hospital, a massive
contrast with the abundant pre-historic prisons which
are scattered around Portugal. Barred gates, brightly
painted in yellow and white, led to the warren of
maze-like corridors. After passing through various
security measures lunch was served to us in a
refectory, segregated from the resident inmates,
followed by coffee. And then it was time to face the
music!
On entry we were overwhelmed by the size of the
auditorium, stage area and seating, which gave a
theatrical appearance. Various musical instruments
were displayed, hanging on structural pillars at
10
random, intensifying the effect of the powerful stage
lights. High ceilings and large bay windows added to
the enormity, emphasising the blue skies and piercing
sunlight that shone through the blinds to the back of
the room.
The competition was professionally organised,
supported by a panel of four judges and an audience
comprising of officials, inmates and guards. Fifteen
prisons were represented, with location, band name
and song title listed in programmes placed on each
seat.
Our stage fright and nervousness became a sudden
reality on the discovery that we, Band Alheira, were
first on.
Entry requirements stipulated original material, with
the lyrics obviously in the Portuguese language. Our
song title was “Daqui pra fora”, which means “From
here to freedom”, describing the daily routine and
suffering endured by inmates deprived of liberty.
Trembling and anxious with excitement, we
performed well, earning applause and a well-needed
rest to enjoy the other bands. Unfortunately, due to
the distance between Lisbon and our prison it was not
possible to listen to all the other contenders, or even
the results of the competition as our return seemed
imperative to our escorts.
Re-entering our vehicular oven, parked all day in direct
sunlight, we were over-whelmed by the radiated heat
from the tin interior. However, sticky and airless as it
was, our return trip passed quickly with postcompetition adrenaline boosting chit-chat, consuming
the time and the journey. As I write this we are still
unaware of the results, but we have now achieved the
experience and are looking forward to playing in other
prisons and for other prisoners soon.
MB, Spain
PRISONERS ABROAD NEWS
”
Prison riots: the view from a pen-pal
Earlier this year, a series of riots broke out in prisons across Brazil. This was obviously a distressing time
for all concerned, both the prisoners affected and their friends and family living outside the country,
who had to rely on the scraps of news which filtered out. For TL, a pen-pal to a Briton detained in Brazil,
the riots brought back memories from twenty years ago.
As a life sentence prisoner in the UK, now into my
28th year, I remember all too vividly the prison riots of
the 1980s, and how in March 1986 HMP Parkhurst
flared up after an inmate was killed in the kitchen. At
the time I was only in my 20s, but to experience a
prison disturbance is something never to be forgotten.
Prison riots within Europe are rare these days.
Conditions have improved, attitudes have changed and
I consider myself lucky to be in a European prison
instead of being incarcerated in such places as Asia or
South America.
comings and goings nobody managed to sleep much.
As a pen-pal to clients of Prisoners Abroad since 1994,
Then, on the 6th day, the tension grew and at 7am the
I am often reminded of how lucky I am not to be in a
riot squad entered. It was like
foreign prison. Some of the
letters I have received over the “To suffer the experience of one being in a war-zone as the
prison was finally returned to
years have been shocking,
leaving me in no doubt that prison riot is bad enough, but my the authorities. Everybody
was made to sit in the yard as
many of my pen-pals suffer a lot
current
pen-pal
has
now
the cells were searched,
more than I do.
leaving my pen-pal to think
To suffer the experience of one experienced his second”
“thank God it’s all over”.
prison riot is bad enough, but my
Blanket punishment followed:
current pen-pal has now experienced his second and
no
parole,
post
was
withheld,
and the next 15-30 days
this time it lasted for a full six days, as professional
there was a total lock-down. But as my pen-pal put it,
gangsters rebelled against the Brazilian authorities.
“I’m alive and unharmed, and here’s hoping this will
Sao Paolo erupted in the middle of May, and what
be my last riot, as I’m getting tired and worn out”.
began with the destruction of government buildings
Twice now my pen-pal has survived Brazilian chaos
and the random shootings of police officers soon
and like him, I too hope he will never have to suffer
spread to the prisons. It is estimated that 180 prisons
like that again. Hopefully, when I next hear from him
rioted, 45 of which were in the Sao Paolo region.
his situation will have improved, but until then, all I
My pen-pal tells me that it was utter chaos as 40% of
can do is hope and pray.
his prison rioted and two warders were taken hostage,
before the riot squad arrived, closing the prison off
from the outside world. They fired tear gas and real
bullets, shooting a warder in the back by mistake, as
the rioters smashed gates, doors, tables and chairs,
sharpening the metal into weapons, forcing back the
authorities as the internal parts of the prison were
over-run by the rioters. For the next five days the
prison remained under siege as a gang worked in
relays tunnelling.
Regular meals were still being served, cooked by the
prisoners, although breakfast was later and there was
an extra coffee session at 10pm – no doubt to keep the
miners awake –although with all the noise and
PRISONERS ABROAD NEWS
11
Poetry corner
State of mind in incarceration
Butterfly Wings
Mountjoy is a school of hardknocks
Full of criminals that are hardcore
As a result of family hardship.
My heart and soul soared to you again
My hands ached to hold you again, enfolding you in
my wings
You rematerialized before me, confirming my reality
My reality that has been tested through our
separation
The woman of my dreams is not simply a dream. She
is real.
Prison brings out creativity
Which comes through credibility
And such achievement is creditable.
My emotions through writing, keeps my sanity
But my surroundings need sanitation
To communicate with the almighty in sanctity.
Mountjoy without doubt is a dungeon
With prisoners painting in dungarees
And surroundings littered like a dump.
All I want is to return to my place of comfort
Where I can reason deep, for my creative composition
And freestyle my gangster lyrics, which I find compelling
The prison service treats me like an outcast
Despite my persistent and long outcry.
Their trick to delay my transfer has been outstanding
I am still putting up a relentless battle
So that I can return to settle
And get on with my job and sentence.
AB, Ireland
The wind is up, the skies are grey
Winter is here and the sun’s gone away.
The cold has set in, hard to get warm
My whole life has taken a different form.
Far from home, few months to go
My hopes and dreams swaying to and fro
Where will I start, how do I begin
I’m cutting my losses and tying new strings
Soon to be out alone and not so brave
Bad memories and feelings to bury in a grave
It’s time to stand up and free nightmares of the past
I know somewhere is happiness that must finally last.
A second chance for me, I’m sure all will go well
I’m just waiting to get out of this place they call hell
No hang ups or attachment to pull me down
My eyes will be shining, no more tears to drown.
I want to show my family I’m a brand new me
Back to society and out to be free.
MW, France
12
How much can two hearts endure?
How strong must two people be?
We belong together, yet must now
live apart
Two fragile souls bound in love, yet
separated by walls,
Wire and inches on a map.
We came together on butterfly
wings
Our love fragile yet freely given
Healing, Restoring, Renewing, Transforming
We grew together through life’s peaks and valleys
Our love is vital and strong
We will be together forever, wherever the winds will
carry our wings
Did someone say that life is fair?
Should a family have to be torn apart in this way?
Cannot time be accelerated to bring us out of this
darkness, to restore?
What is faith? What is hope?
Both familiar, yet more often strangers at this point.
The scales fall from the butterfly’s wings.
They lose their brilliance as the butterfly lives through
life’s trials
The cycle continues and life goes on.
Nature, red in tooth and claw.
Like a butterfly, I long to fly
to you
On brilliant blue wings,
reflecting my love for you
I am bound in this place,
trapped for a time
Waiting for that day when
we shall dance together in the sunlight
Flying on wings of freedom.
AS, USA
PRISONERS ABROAD NEWS
Poetry corner
The Analytical-Eye
Words
The great tacticians turn all
Deficits into gains
How often we abuse our words
Our very speech is marred
Can we not be aware of how
Human feelings we discard.
What is frustration but the
Inability to carry through a
Creative plan of action
Frustration is a calling of
The soul which must be fed
In everyday conversing
We show such disrespect
With words that fall from our lips
Let’s be more circumspect.
Thus if one line of creativity
Becomes unobtainable then one
Must turn to another in order
To feed
The very words we chose to use
Are what our lives became
Some words are just so damaging
When all is said and done.
However time will be of the essence
Since anything which starves will
Soon lose strength and ultimately
Devour it-self
Our words are often hurtful
To someone who might be
A little tender hearted
Look beyond what you see.
When frustration strikes deep
Remember to be thankful
Since it delivers one to the seat of
Necessity which is where all
Innovation is given cause and vision
Without even thinking
We’ll use a word profane
We’ll cause tremendous hurt
And damage someone’s name.
AW, Canada
Are we void of compassion
Our minds so misconstrued
That we can’t stop to think
Of the words we so misuse.
JH, France
Please send your poem to
the Editor, at the address
on the front page.
PRISONERS ABROAD NEWS
Air and angels
Twice or thrice had I loved thee,
Before I knew thy face or name;
So in a voice, so in a shapeless flame
Angels affect us oft, and worshipp'd be.
Still when, to where thou wert, I
came,
Some lovely glorious nothing did I see.
But since my soul, whose child love is,
Takes limbs of flesh, and else could
nothing do,
More subtle than the parent is
Love must not be, but take a body too;
And therefore what thou wert, and
who,
I bid Love ask, and now
That it assume thy body, I allow,
And fix itself in thy lip, eye, and brow.
Speak words of truth and words of
hope
Garnish your words with love
And in the end you’ll come to see
You’re pleasing yourself but most
of all your Father above.
Whilst thus to ballast love I thought,
And so more steadily to have gone,
With wares which would sink
admiration,
I saw I had love's pinnace overfraught;
Thy every hair for love to work upon
Is much too much ; some fitter must be
sought ;
For, nor in nothing, nor in things
Extreme, and scattering bright, can love
inhere;
Then as an angel face and wings
Of air, not pure as it, yet pure doth wear,
So thy love may be my love's sphere;
Just such disparity
As is 'twixt air's and angels' purity,
'Twixt women's love, and men's, will
ever be.
JS, Brazil
John Donne
A short poem about being an Let’s have a little empathy
individual, and not just a number. Let’s use a little grace
Forty days and forty nights
Liberty is now in sight
Will things be as before
I’ll not just be number 7374
Back to being a husband, father and
son again
Only fifteen months but it hurt just
the same.
For the final edition of 2006, we bring
you a classic poem by John Donne,
first published in 1633.
Let’s yearn to see the words we
use
Just to light up someone’s face.
You need not be articulate
Quaint words won’t help that
much
Just use your words more carefully
Nice words can mean so much.
13
Games and puzzles
With England seeking to defend the Ashes in the next few months, there’s Across
1 Tailender's middle stump is knocked out,
a cricket theme to the crossword. Good luck!
causing division (6)
5 Leaves legendary Aussie fast bowler, we hear,
with protective gear (4,4)
9 Ball to bring regular partygoer from the
closet? (10)
10 Cricket side, 1 for 0 declared - why, that's
dubious (4)
11 Compounded lead before tea perhaps like
some 5 dn's (8)
12 Easy catch can be a poser (6)
13 An afterthought: Stewart's boundaries can
be said to attract attention (4)
15 Tubes from Kennington ground reduced by
half - I'd cut off strikers' capital (8)
18 Resembling former England spinner or
something similar (8)
19 Throw from Boycott's a corker, on reflection
(4)
21 Streamer starts to fly as Lara gets one 50
after another (6)
23 Puts in man at slip, not having a spinner?
(8)
25 It supports the late bowlers chiefly, and
that's right (4)
26 No bowler here in Yorkshire? (6,4)
27 View boundaries from Emburey, Edmonds
and four from Knight (8)
28 Paradoxically they've been asociated with
22 for a long time, but only recently! (6)
Down
2 Warne, quality bowler, keeps fit (5)
3 A trial game? No, the real thing (4,5)
4 In six dot balls we see Ambrose's first becoming his last. Is
that plain? Yes (6)
5 Leggate? (3,6,6)
6 Securing runs, oldish Pakistan opener bats with authority (8)
7 Needle a fielder (5)
8 Former England bowler is fed up with misdirected satire (9)
14 How bat sounds when single is captured by Sky 2 broadcast
(9)
16 Describing a wicket for which there is no 20: "South African
leaves bouncer directed round top of leg" (9)
17 Writer who was never on the batting side? (8)
20 SA's no. 2 is to question the umpire (6)
22 Home ground of 1200 members? (5)
24 NZ international who gets pairs, we're told
Crossword set by Alberich and provided by www.freecrosswords.net.
Answers on the back page
Sudoku
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every
3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. There’s no maths involved,
and there’s only one correct solution. The answer is on the
back page. Good luck!
© The Daily Sudoku 2005. All rights reserved. www.dailysudoku.co.uk
Send your jokes and puzzles to the editor
at the address on the front page
14
PRISONERS ABROAD NEWS
Games and puzzles
Humour
Why the English language is
so hard to learn
• The bandage was wound around the
wound
• The farm was used to produce produce
• We must polish the Polish furniture
• I did not object to the object
• They were too close to the door to close it
• The insurance was invalid for the invalid
• The wind was too strong to wind the sail
• I had to subject the subject to a series of
tests
• Since there was no time like the present,
he decided it was time to present the
present
• A bass was painted on the head of the
bass drum
• The dump was so full it had to refuse
more refuse
• Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed
a tear
• The buck does funny things when the
does are present
More random thoughts...
Copyright 2000 John R. Potter. John's wordsearch puzzle
www.thepotters.com/puzzles.html
Lateral thinking
1. You have a cup of tea and a cup of coffee. You
transfer a spoonful of tea into the coffee cup and
then stir the cup until they’re mixed. Now transfer a
spoonful from this cup back into the tea cup. If both
cups contained 100ml of liquid at the start, and the
spoon holds 5ml, which cup contains more of its
original contents?
2. You are rowing your boat down a stream, when the
wind blows your hat off. You don’t notice until 20
minutes later, when you decide to turn around and
row upstream to collect your hat. If you can row at
10 mph, and the stream is flowing at 2 mph, how
long will you have to row until you reach your hat?
PRISONERS ABROAD NEWS
• Why is there no egg in eggplant?
• And why is there no apple or pine in
pineapple?
• Why does quicksand work slowly?
• Why are boxing rings square?
• Why is a guinea pig neither from guinea,
nor a pig?
• Why is it that writers write but fingers
don’t fing and hammers don’t ham?
• If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the
plural of booth, beeth?
• One goose, two geese. So why not one
moose, two meese?
• Why do people recite at a play, but play at
a recital?
• And why do people have noses that run
and feet that smell?
• How can a thin chance and a fat chance be
the same thing?
Many thanks to SP in Canada for these.
15
Backpage bulletin
Art exhibtion
The Koestler Trust is a British charity aiming to
promote the arts in prisons and to encourage
creativity and the acquisition of new skills. They
organise an exhibition every year to showcase the
best prison art, ranging from poetry to paintings,
sculpture to short stories. Prize winners in each
category receive a small cash prize. If you would
like to submit an entry for the exhibition, simply
send your artwork to Prisoners Abroad along with
a short note telling us its title, explaining that it is
for the Koestler Award, and saying whether the
work is for sale. The deadline is the end of January
for non-visual work (eg poetry) and the end of
March for visual work (eg paintings).
Reminder
Please note that Prisoners
Abroad
can
only
offer
Resettlement services to
people who have registered
with us prior to their return to
the UK. If you wish to use our
services when you are
released, it is essential that
you complete an Authorisation
Form. If you have any doubts
about whether you, or a family
member, are registered, please
contact our Casework team.
Prisoners Abroad
Please note that it is the remit
of Prisoners Abroad to offer
help to British citizens detained
overseas. We regret that we
are unable to offer help to, or
correspond with, anyone who
is not a British citizen because
of a lack of resources, not a
lack of caring.
Daddy’s working away
There has been a strong interest in the book
‘“Daddy’s Working Away” - A Guide to Being a
Dad in Prison’, a new book published by British
charity Care for the Family. This book, written by
prisoners and their families, aims to support and
encourage fathers in prison to maintain and build
strong family relationships. However, some
people have written to us to say that due to
prison regulations they are not allowed to receive
books. We have therefore obtained a plain text
version of the book, printed on A4 paper. If you
would like to receive one of these, please write to
the Casework team.
Thanks
Our thanks go to Alberich, John R Potter and www.dailysudoku.co.uk
for allowing us to reprint their puzzle and the Noel Buxton Trust for
their ongoing support with the production of the newsletter. Thanks
also to all the artists who contributed their work for our 2007
calendar, which you can find on the centre pages of this newsletter.
Freepost envelopes
If you use freepost envelopes to have your mail forwarded, please
note that it is not necessary to use a separate envelope for each
letter. Several letters can be enclosed in a single envelope.
Remember to tell us the addresses to which you wish them to be
sent. This will help us to keep costs down.
Change of address
Mail is frequently returned to us at Prisoners Abroad because
people have moved on. If you and your family wish to continue
using our services, you need to inform us as soon as possible of your
new address. A lot of time is spent processing returned mail and
investigating where people have moved to. In future, if mail is
returned to us, there will be a temporary hold on further mail. If
there is no further contact, after 3-6 months the individual case will
be closed.
2. 20 minutes. As the hat will also float
downstream (at 2 mph), the effect of the
stream can be ignored.
Lateral thinking.
1. There is the same amount of tea in the tea
cup as coffee in the coffee cup.
Puzzle solutions
The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of Prisoners Abroad, Registered Charity No. 1093710 ©Prisoners Abroad 2006