Three Prisons, Three Levels of Pain! - Part 2

As I was led from the van, we were met by a female Prison Officer, blocking the doorway into what I later discovered was called the reception area.1

"Name", She demanded.2

I opened my mouth, but as I realised the words were not going to come out, I closed it.3

"Come on, Name" She demanded, obviously a bit pissed off.4

I shook my head at her, trying to say I couldn't, But she took it as defiance.5

"Last Chance, I want your name, or you are on report even before you get through this fucking door" She snarled at me, her face took on the image of a pit-bull terrier, and I was later to find out, that other prisoners did indeed refer to her as Pit-Bull.6

"Ok, Your nicked for refusing a direct order." I was led through the door, to a counter, where the accompanying Group 4 officer, placed a file, which was soon to become much, much larger.7

A male officer was stood behind the desk, he looked at me, and said "Who have we got here then?", Pit-Bull turned to him and said "Whoever she is, she's already been nicked once, looks like we have another little fucker, here."8

The male officer looked at my file, "Nikki*, is that your name?" I nodded, and he asked "Whats wrong, cat got your tounge?", I looked at him trying to explain with my eyes, but too no avail, he was flicking through my file. "Say's here, that you spoke to Custody Officer Benn*, at the court cells, So its clear you can talk"9

The next 2 hours was spent, being searched, and asked questions repeatedly, each question that was left unanswered met a wall of anger from Officers, they clearly thought I was taking the piss.10

They then took me into a side room where I was to be examined by the doctor. This must have been the only doctors examination I have ever known where the doctor fails to even look at his patient, let alone check them over.11

He sat, umming and ahhing, While reading paperwork, then while still looking down said "Don't think your silence will be met with any sympathy, you have committed a crime and you will not recieve any attention for attention seeking behaviour" Then I was dismissed.12

I couldn't believe this place, inside my stomach was in knots, I had feared the prisoners, yet I had not seen any yet, if the staff were like this, I dreaded meeting any cons.13

My final interview was with the Governor, a hard nosed cow, who clearly got where she was by being tough and cold hearted. After I again 'refused' to answer her questions she stated. "Well seeing as you can obviously not associate with the normal population of the prison, I will not place you in normal population, you are being placed on GOAD, That's Good Order and Discipline. You will be segregated from other prisoners, only allowed basic privelages and will be let out of your cell for an hour a day. This will be reviewed when we start to get some co-operation.14

If I had known then that I had rights, there would probably still have been nothing I could do about it.15

I was led out of the room, and to another counter, where I was issued a grey tracksuit, as my only other change of clothes, two pairs of prison knickers and a basic hygeine pack, consisting of a tube of toothpaste, a towel (No bigger than a tea-towel) and a satchet of shampoo, which I was told would have to last me a week till I could order my own on canteen.16

I then followed a male officer out of the reception and into the main prison and its maze of corridors.17

As we walked I strained to listen to what the officer was whisteling and realised it was the theme tune to 'Jaws', I was later told he did this every time he escorted new prisoners too thier wings.18

I was taken onto what was called the Hospital Wing, to an isolated set of cells, As we entered a male nurse was waiting, and I was handed a tub with two tablets in, I shook my head, they were not anything I was on, and I ddin't want to take them.19

"If you wont take them oraly, I can inject", He told me, simply and plainly like this was an every day occurance. I tipped them into my mouth and swallowed, then out of nowhere he grabbed my chin, and with rubber gloved hands, forced my mouth open and probed inside to check I had swallowed. Not fully contemplating what was going on, I reacted with instinct and clamped my teeth down on his hand.20

Things seem to happen so fast, I heard a bell ringing and was dragged to the ground, I had my face pushed into the floor and my arms where twisted up my back, as thier hands grabbed my thumbs, locking my wrists so hard the pain was unbelieveable. That was the first time I heard an officer use the words I can to hate "Tell me if, I'm hurting you." 21

I struggled, I couldn't help it, the pain was too much, I was dragged down the corridor, to a cell, my head was held downwards, so I couldn't see where I was going, bent almost double, I struggled to walk, yet kicks to the back of my legs made me move on.22

I was pushed onto the floor of the cell, where someone had put a cushion, my face was shoved into this, until I thought I was going to suffercate. Then one officer crossed one of my legs over the other, and pushed them against my body, putting his whole body weight on that I nearly passed out with the pain. Then on the count of three, they all jumped and rushed out of the cell, leaving me sobbing on the floor a emotional wreck.23

This I found was actually normal procedure, the real abuse was to come much, much later.24