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Next 72 hours

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What you will find on this page

Your first morning in prison
Applications
Prison Induction
Life on the wing
Open up, Eat, lockup, Sleep, Repeat
Final note:

Your first morning in prison

Hopefully you have had a good rest before you're woken by the sound of keys, a radio, and the clunk of your cell door opening. You will instantly hear the wing come alive and prisoners shouting ‘Boss’ or ‘Guv’. 

 

As a first timer on your first morning, you may have plenty of questions that you are keen to have answered, about things such as:

 

  • Visits- When can My family friends come and see me?

  • phone credit, I need to phone my girlfriend, Parents 

  • money (spends), When can I buy proper Coffee or Tea Bags?

 

You may have been advised about these on your first night by the Insiders, but if you haven’t you will have to find an officer or look for a huddle shaped queue where prisoners are waiting to discuss applications,  and issues with the wing officers. Most of the time you will told to wait for your Induction but if you really need to phone someone calls and emergency credit are often something Prisons are used to issuing to First Timers or new prisoners.

Applications

Applications are how prisoners request things such as emergency phone credit. Applications are the primary way to communicate your needs with the prison. You may verbally request something with an officer and in response hear , “ put an app in “ Your induction will explain this in detail and in these first few days you will need to write out and put quite a few applications in so always grab a few to have spare in your cell. Once you have posted an Application, you will receive a response, and answer to your request, it's always a good idea to to keep a log of all responses. 

 

You can expect to find people pushing in before you when queuing to speak to officers as mornings are busy with those going to work, trying to use the phone, and showering - it's an art getting them all done in time. 

 

Like the first night, the first morning in prison can be overwhelming and you may not have been able to solve any of your immediate worries. Again, don’t panic. If this is the case you can return to your cell, or even stay in your cell until movement and roll call is done. An officer will open your door and direct you to Induction, where Induction staff and Insiders will be able to help resolve your worries.

 

Below is a typical guide as to what you might be able to expect your first few days to look like.

Prison Induction

Inductions provide you with information about the prison. They can be held over a few days or a couple of weeks, and are done in every prison establishment on the morning following your arrival. Inductions are not held on weekends, so if you arrive in prison on a Friday your induction will be on a Monday, which is unfortunate as you will have to navigate the wing for a weekend clueless. 

 

When your induction does start it may be with an initial chat from the insiders as a group or one to one, or a joint presentation with prison officers and Insiders. You will be asked if you need support with reading and writing, and will be informed about the prison regime, including the Incentive and Earned Privileges (IEP).

 

It’s important to feel fully informed about prison life, and if you have any questions then don’t be afraid to ask. 

As a first timer it's useful to ask for advice about:

 

  • prison visits

  • the application process

  • canteen

  • phone credit and PIN access

  • Incentive and Earned Privileges (IEP)

 

Remember: These are the most important things for you to know right now so make sure they are fully explained / shown to you.

 

During your induction you will have to attend various sessions within the different departments of the prison, including:

 

  • Gym - until you attend this induction and do your manual handling, access to the gym will be denied

 

  • Healthcare - this is a second-stage assessment and anything brought up in your first-stage assessment will be discussed and addressed

 

  • Education and work assessment - you may do initial maths and english tests to establish any educational needs you have. They will explain in detail what education opportunities are available, such as courses in bricklaying or IT, department schedules, and the eligibility criteria for accessing them. You will also see what work opportunities are offered. Once you have viewed all you will be given a choice to make -  education or work

 

  • Chaplaincy - you will be told what religious events and services the prison offers and other weekly events that the chaplaincy holds.

Life on the Wing

We have only chosen to provide information on the crucial first few days in prison mainly because they are the most important for a first timer to experience. There are many websites and information resources on all the prison processes available on the internet. 

For a first timer everything is brand new, your eyes are alert and open to everything going on, you're trying to work out all the activity around you, managing your own thoughts and feelings whilst soaking in all the need to know information and getting your affairs in order, It can be mentally draining. Life on the wing will look the most difficult in those first few days awaiting for your induction to finish, this means you will wait days to access work or employment and unfortunately this is spent in your cell. 

 

Life on the wing relates to all the experiences you may encounter in those first few days, it can feel the loneliest of times, you may still be struggling to accept what is happening or feel empty, unsure of how you will cope or adapt, measuring these very few days on the remainder of your sentence. The only thing to do is keep your mind active, through writing letters, reading, knowing that basically these are the toughest times for all when in prison, be patient enough to get through Induction, you will access more prison services and start to get involved with the prison regime.

 

What to expect 

 

  • The frequent noise of cell bells or banging on doors to get the attention of officers

  • Hearing lots of other prisoners going about their way from behind your cell door.

  • Have lots of random conversations with other prisoners face to face or through your prison door.

  • Witness arguments between staff and prisoners or prisoners arguing with each other.

  • Possibly see fights between others

  • Prisoners approach your cell to see what you have in possession or if you have any drugs to sell.

 

Association

 

Association is where you will get an opportunity to gain access outside your cell and be able to 

 

  • Make phone calls

  • Shower

  • Engage with wing games such as table tennis pool or playing cards.

  • Speak with others you may have got to know.

 

Association is a busy time on the wing, you may choose to shut your door and not leave your cell, many do but try to get out and make that call to someone you know, discuss how you are feeling or just talk about your day, it's important to communicate. A call for exercise will be announced, where you can walk outside in the prison yard and stretch your legs. Shortly after your exercise is done, you will hear a pre announcement via a tannoy or verbal scream from an officer that it's time to get behind your door for roll count- Again it's important you are in your cell when the officer attends to close the door, lateness can result in I.E.P warnings.

Open up, Eat, Exercise, lockup, Sleep, Repeat

The sooner you get used to the process of Open up, Eat, lockup, Sleep, Repeat, the easier things may become.

 

Here's some tips for you to manage those first few days in prison

 

Open Up

  • When you open up, try to keep yourself busy OUT of your cell

  • Shower regularly

  • Stay in close contact with family Loved ones and friends via posting letters, phone calls or visits

  • Practise your Billard skills or table tennis, engage with others

  • Visit those you know for a chat build conversations with those you trust

  • Make sure all your applications and requests are in 

  • Engage with the Insider team if you need practical support

 

Eat, Exercise

 

Keeping healthy is your responsibility and the ways you can do this is through the prison menu, and getting outside on exercise daily. Speak to the Insiders about healthy options on the menu if you're unsure, you can even put an application into the Kitchens to ask about their Healthy eating choices. As soon as Induction is complete you will be allowed access to the Gym and be able to access weights and sports.

 

Lock Up

 

Probably the hardest part of the day, try not to do not dwell on negativity, switch your attention by

 

  • Writing Letters or reading books from the Library

  • Keeping notes in  a Journal, track your thoughts and feelings.

  • Listen to the radio

  • Try exercising, Cell workouts or stretching.

 

Sleep, Repeat

 

Get a good night's sleep, you will feel better each and every day if you get enough rest, try to have a plan for the next day by setting goals, this small action can make a real difference to how you think and feel if you practise it regularly. Having a goal to work towards can build your resilience, your sense of self-worth, improve your confidence, and keep you focused on what's important to you. 

Final note: 

We hope this guide has helped you beter understand what's ahead, so many people faced with imprisonment fail to understand the impact this whole journey has. Taking time to accept what's happening and preparing for the likelihood of imprisonment will enable you to be in a much stronger position mentally and allow you to settle easier. To learn more about how Prison can affect our mental health please go to our Mental Health in Prison pages to learn about 

Remember we are always here to help, do contact us if you have any queries or existing fears of imprisonment. 

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