“I wish I could knock down this building and build something more imaginative; a place that aimed to heal rather than merely contain people; where trusting and trustworthiness were nurtured; where the deprivation was not so extreme that people had to become ‘manipulative’ to meet their basic needs; where security were able to discriminate between people who are and aren’t genuinely dangerous, instead of jadedly assuming that everyone is a scorpion in waiting. But the building still stands.”
The Life inside – A Memoir of Prison, Family and Learning to be Free by Andy West
All through the prison, depending on where you find yourself (the recovery wing, the chapel, the yards, security, the gym medical or education), sayings and warnings are painted and pinned up on the walls:
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- ‘Lock it, Prove it!’
- ‘If it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen.’
- ‘One drink is too many, a thousand’s not enough.’
- ‘Hand sanitiser is dangerous, do not drink.’
- ‘The chapel is closed for refurbishments, but God is available 24-7 to hear your prayers.’
- ‘Feral cats, do not feed!’
- ‘✋🏻 STOP, THINK, don’t blur the lines!’
- ‘Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired?’
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But the most important one is … ‘Nothing in, Nothing out, No Favours’!
On 14/08/23 I committed my first prison violation … Continue reading Nothing in, Nothing out, No favours
Well, hello, dear ones – good morning, good afternoon or good evening!*
Listen…
“For some time no one had heard our clock, any more than if it had not existed. But for these last few days the living-room was quiet, and then I heard that it was still ticking away. It never let itself get flurried. Slowly, slowly went the seconds in my grandfather’s timepiece, and said as of old: et-ERN-it-Y, et-ERN-it-Y. And if you listened hard enough you could make out the sort of singing note in its workings; and the clear silver bell struck. How good it was to hear once again the note of this clock in which there lived a strange creature! And to have been allowed to stay here in Brekkukot, in this little cottage which was the justification of all other houses on earth, in the house that gave other houses purpose.”
If you’re considering a trip to Iceland, get yourself fully vaccinated, let 15 days pass, book your tickets, pack your cozzie and some wind/rain proof outer layers, grab your passport and go!
Nyamazela 