to
this due to the harmless pleasure he gave to them, and to himself,
and it was widely spoken about among the inmates, often asking each
other if they had received a late night visit from the ‘Phantom
Gobbler’ as he had come to be known.
Bell had
experienced this many times and on hearing the cell door open, he
would place his hands behind the back of his head, kick the blanket
off his naked body and pretend to sleep, yet in the dim light he
could see the officer quickly remove his false teeth to offer a
more satisfying feeling. Once Bell had ejaculated, the officer
would perform the same act on the inmate in the lower bunk who had
been patiently waiting.
The few prison
officers who took their sexual satisfaction out on the inmates were
blameless of any inside crime, no matter how serious it was.
Although all
people are the same, the officers were the first and most constant
contact the prisoners had, both prisoners and officers are working
class, where both have probably experienced poverty and have
limited education, But one is criminal and the other law abiding
and the prison officers often used aggression to remind the inmates
of this fact. Officers see inmates realistically; nevertheless
their very proximity reinforces the unconscious need to stress
difference. They need to feel superior to someone and the groups
whose inferiority is obvious, and underlined is that of the
prisoners.
Over his years
inside, Bell had seen many changes to the prison system since he
arrived ten years earlier. He was marched to the workshop and
marched back to his cell, where now he freely walks to other cells
and spends more time out of his own.
He had seen
dogs introduced on the wing along with their handlers, when they
would set the dogs upon those who might try a quick get away or
cause violence on the wing.
Bell had not
gained the title of a model prisoner, but he did get the job in the
library after a short stint in the kitchen, which he disliked. He
became studious and interested in the prison service and was on
friendly terms with most of the screws.
In his
solitary cell he often became depressed due to his sense of failure
and worthlessness on the outside. Social and psychological
deprivation combined added to his condition. He had found it
difficult to find self-confidence amongst the other inmates who
were mainly from the bottom of the social heap and from poor and
deprived neighbourhoods.
Bell and his
friends would often sit in the television room talking about
society on the outside and he would listen to the unfortunate tales
of their childhood, usually from the poorer areas and amongst the
least well-educated sections of the community.
On the other
wings, grasses, homosexuals and sex offenders are normally avoided.
If they cause problems they are beaten or cut, but on the category
‘A’ wing you have to accept it no matter how bad an inmate may be,
and no matter how horrendous the crime they have committed. If they
are here it is because they suffer from some sort of psychological
disorder and what they have done is beyond their control, like
Bell.
Bell was up
for his tribunal which was made-up of a doctor, the governor and a
social worker, but he had learnt earlier with other tribunals that
very few people are discharged and the only way this could happen
was if your psychiatrist convinced the panel he was fit for
discharge, and if they were to agree, they had to persuade the Home
Office that they did not pose a risk to the general public. Only
then would an inmate like Bell be released, so he considered this a
waste of time. And like the others, he was still considered a
danger to the public.
The next day,
while exercising in the prison yard, he looked at the surrounding
wall thinking, how do you scale such an enormous obstacle, thirty
feet high at its lowest point when a prison officer behind him
said, ‘Forget it Bell, the thickness of the structure is designed
to make the prisoners feel comfortable and
this due to the harmless pleasure he gave to them, and to himself,
and it was widely spoken about among the inmates, often asking each
other if they had received a late night visit from the ‘Phantom
Gobbler’ as he had come to be known.
Bell had
experienced this many times and on hearing the cell door open, he
would place his hands behind the back of his head, kick the blanket
off his naked body and pretend to sleep, yet in the dim light he
could see the officer quickly remove his false teeth to offer a
more satisfying feeling. Once Bell had ejaculated, the officer
would perform the same act on the inmate in the lower bunk who had
been patiently waiting.
The few prison
officers who took their sexual satisfaction out on the inmates were
blameless of any inside crime, no matter how serious it was.
Although all
people are the same, the officers were the first and most constant
contact the prisoners had, both prisoners and officers are working
class, where both have probably experienced poverty and have
limited education, But one is criminal and the other law abiding
and the prison officers often used aggression to remind the inmates
of this fact. Officers see inmates realistically; nevertheless
their very proximity reinforces the unconscious need to stress
difference. They need to feel superior to someone and the groups
whose inferiority is obvious, and underlined is that of the
prisoners.
Over his years
inside, Bell had seen many changes to the prison system since he
arrived ten years earlier. He was marched to the workshop and
marched back to his cell, where now he freely walks to other cells
and spends more time out of his own.
He had seen
dogs introduced on the wing along with their handlers, when they
would set the dogs upon those who might try a quick get away or
cause violence on the wing.
Bell had not
gained the title of a model prisoner, but he did get the job in the
library after a short stint in the kitchen, which he disliked. He
became studious and interested in the prison service and was on
friendly terms with most of the screws.
In his
solitary cell he often became depressed due to his sense of failure
and worthlessness on the outside. Social and psychological
deprivation combined added to his condition. He had found it
difficult to find self-confidence amongst the other inmates who
were mainly from the bottom of the social heap and from poor and
deprived neighbourhoods.
Bell and his
friends would often sit in the television room talking about
society on the outside and he would listen to the unfortunate tales
of their childhood, usually from the poorer areas and amongst the
least well-educated sections of the community.
On the other
wings, grasses, homosexuals and sex offenders are normally avoided.
If they cause problems they are beaten or cut, but on the category
‘A’ wing you have to accept it no matter how bad an inmate may be,
and no matter how horrendous the crime they have committed. If they
are here it is because they suffer from some sort of psychological
disorder and what they have done is beyond their control, like
Bell.
Bell was up
for his tribunal which was made-up of a doctor, the governor and a
social worker, but he had learnt earlier with other tribunals that
very few people are discharged and the only way this could happen
was if your psychiatrist convinced the panel he was fit for
discharge, and if they were to agree, they had to persuade the Home
Office that they did not pose a risk to the general public. Only
then would an inmate like Bell be released, so he considered this a
waste of time. And like the others, he was still considered a
danger to the public.
The next day,
while exercising in the prison yard, he looked at the surrounding
wall thinking, how do you scale such an enormous obstacle, thirty
feet high at its lowest point when a prison officer behind him
said, ‘Forget it Bell, the thickness of the structure is designed
to make the prisoners feel comfortable and
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