Last week Lamar told me he was losing hope that he’d be able to influence the culture… I told Lamar that Oscar Wilde said that the most frightening thing about prison ‘is not that it breaks one’s heart – hearts are made to be broken – but that it turns one’s heart to stone.’ ‘I worry that if I stay in the job I’ll get used to prison and I’ll go numb,’ Lamar said.
The Life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Learning to be Free by Andy West
On 6th September, 21-year-old Daniel Khalife, a resident on remand in HMP Wandsworth, while working in the prison kitchen, managed to strap himself onto the underside of a delivery van and escape custody. During the 4 day man-hunt for Khalfe the British press drip-fed us with intel and details including footage of said van pulling over at Wandsworth Roundabout (less than 100m from our flat in London), where an eye-witness had seen the prisoner disembark from the van.
I suppose this news may be unremarkable to some. Prison breaks happen. And there’s an American TV series to prove it, right?
But they are infrequent in the UK and only this one happened on my doorstep. It was also the week I escaped.
Correction, on that day, I completed my year working for the NHS on the drug and alcohol team.
I hugged my colleagues goodbye. I shook some hands on the G-wing. Then walked out freely using my own set of keys to unlock and re-lock the 7 heavy doors between my office and the exit.
My year I spent in prison was one of the most eye-opening, humbling experiences of my life.
If I have one piece of advice for my readers it’s this: at least for a short stint in your life volunteer or work in a place where you are forced to be upfront and personal with people who do not have the privileges you do – people who’ve been forgotten or tucked away from public view because they make us feel uncomfortable. It’s good to feel uncomfortable occasionally. It opens our eyes. It helps us to be grateful. It exercises your heart muscle. It leads to action and/or prayer. Those uncomfortable places are understaffed, under-resourced and desperate for your time and energy.
You will come away changed … and with stories to tell. Good ones.
Following my release from prison, Hubby and I escaped to South Africa where we spent time with my Mamma, celebrated my little sister’s 40th birthday, learned how to manage our new solar/battery set-up, drank too much wine, ate too much delicious food, picked up Hubby’s newly-awarded Permanent Residency certificate, applied for his very first SA ID book and planted plenty of aloes. It was a short, busy, and fruitful time-out for which I’m super grateful.
In other news, there’s no new news on our house purchase. But I may have something exciting to tell you in a week or two.
SMALL PRINT:
P.s. I mentioned before my sister started a true crime podcast a while ago. She got great reviews. And, although she’s taking a bit of a break at the moment, you can listen to back issues here.
P.p.s. I miss the morning incident report we got in the prison. Hollywood would love them. Whilst the situations and issues you come across in prison are dire, you’ve got to keep a sense of humour! Therefore, I couldn’t resist some Gary Larson humour in the image above.
P.p.p.s. I’m still working as a volunteer on the restorative justice course in the same prison so I retain my belt, key pouch, radio pouch and HMPS ID. Hubby also now volunteers in the prison once a month.
Nyamazela 