Page 81 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

signed, the offender would be escorted to a cell by lock up staff and we
would be back out in the fresh air.

The first early shift started with a tour that would have seemed like a tourist
experience, had it not been for the incessant zoo-like cacophony from over a
hundred restless inmates and a foul stench of combined human odours. I was
handed a set of cell-door keys on a chain that had to be signed out and in
at the beginning and end of every shift. For the next three months, I would be
immersed in a world of human filth and desperation. It would take some
adapting and I confess I had to ‘fake’ it until I adjusted to the scene.

The movements of remand prisoners, to and from court had to be properly
documented and daily reports prepared for the Home Office. Under the
supervision of a Sergeant, completing these forms was one of my
responsibilities.

A couple of prisoners, on remand for lesser offences, acted as ‘trustees. These
chaps trod a thin line between remaining one of the detained and a
privileged inmate working alongside the ‘screws’ (us). It is not difficult to
imagine the problems with trust in that environment.

Walking the landings, I would hear
prisoners shouting out “Boss”, the
common term prison inmates use
to address a screw (Prison Officer).

It might be a request for a cup of
tea or someone complaining they
hadn’t been fed their evening
meal. I was warned against
getting too immersed in Figure 38 Prisoners clothes and footwear were left outside the cell
conversation with any prisoner
through the metal hatch in their cell door. This was so that we would be alert
to ‘distraction’ tactics employed by prisoners. It was not unheard of for an
untrustworthy trustee to pass objects or contraband to other criminals if we
‘screws’ allowed ourselves to be distracted. Pre-warned, I was determined
this wouldn’t happen on my watch.
Prison Life Social Hierarchy

It was during my time at Lock-Up that I learned about the Social Hierarchy
among the prisoners.

In every prison across the world, there is a certain hierarchy system whereby
the highest social class is considered the most dangerous and is highly feared
within the prison walls. As class decreases, so does the social status of the
prisoner. The treatment given to prisoners by other prison mates also Page81