Pretty true to life actually, speaking from experience that is.
Worth a watch anyway.
Great drama, superb acting, really enjoyed it. It paints a pretty damning picture of the prison system, but that is pretty much how I imagine it to be. I definitely get the impression there are a lot of people in there who would be better off in mental health care and who will come out more damaged than when they went in. Were/are you incarcerated or employed in the system?
Was hooked.
Two brilliant performances (at least).
Yeah great series, felt really nervy whilst watching it, been in plenty of prisons with work, always found them very oppressive even when only newly built and empty.
Interesting essel,I remember some of the stuff you used to post when you were in the thick of it. Always sounded like a tough gig.
There was a thread the other day and everyone was waiting for your opinion essel
Were/are you incarcerated or employed in the system?
Employed, thankfully!
There was a thread the other day and everyone was waiting for your opinion essel
I missed that!
Although I’m out of it now I I’m still in touch with guys still in the job.
I once asked the manager of the mental health care team what % of UK prisoners had MH problems. The answer was a staggering 85-90%.
Just about the only thing I picked up on in the 1st episode was how Mark was in a double cell with Bernard, seemed odd, where I worked there’d be a Cell Sharing Risk Assesment done on reception. Self harmers rarely, if ever, shared a cell.
Great acting by everyone in the (far too short) series!
Yeah great series, felt really nervy whilst watching it,
Agree- especially the second episode
Ooh, I remembered that it was Esselgruntfuttock who worked in the prison biz!
Here it wuz
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/psa-compo-fans
Best thing on TV so far this year?
I missed that!
As you can see, I proper nailed the thread title...
No bloody wonder I missed it!
Best thing on TV so far this year?
Got to be a contender? Acting was superb, from a brilliant cast.
Hi essel how's things...the podcast banged up was recommended on here and is brilliant. 26 episodes some are better than others, the presenters are really good. Won't give a spoiler alert but you can Google them, I still can't believe they got custodial sentences for their crimes, and neither can they.
Hi essel how’s things
Good thanks Neil, thanks for that, I’ll have a look.
I also thought it was excellent. Definitely highlighted some serious issues with incarceration as a form of punishment.
Genuine question for @esselgruntfuttock :
I once asked the manager of the mental health care team what % of UK prisoners had MH problems. The answer was a staggering 85-90%.
What's considered a MH problem? Obviously there are going to be some very ill people in prisons, that's clear, but does that MH figure include people getting depressed after getting locked up? (Which I'd assume is a fairly normal reaction!)
+1 for the Banged Up podcast. It’s really enjoyable.
Time was also excellent IMO, as mentioned by everyone.
brilliant mini-series and a bit of harrowing watch at times, especially the powelessness to be at the mercy of others it got across.
was filmed at the prison (Shrewsbury) where my grandad was a prison officer for 35 years, i used to sit on the car park wall with my gran waiting for him to finish work or take his lunch up as i was too scared to go in behind the big gates! after the prison closed they used to door tours there for a while, went on one and it's a grimly chilling place. i also went to the junior school that backed directly on to the prison with the cell windows looking over the playground, you could always hear if the the residents were getting a little fractious
As others have said, great mini series and acting, glad I didn't skip over it.
What’s considered a MH problem? Obviously there are going to be some very ill people in prisons, that’s clear, but does that MH figure include people getting depressed after getting locked up? (Which I’d assume is a fairly normal reaction!)
No idea, I didn’t ask that but I think she was saying that a big % came into prison with MH problems.
No idea, I didn’t ask that but I think she was saying that a big % came into prison with MH problems.
Yeah, I can certainly understand that. And clearly a prison is never going to be a place that favours mental health. Just that 90% struck me as a huge number, way higher than what I would have expected. Which led to my question as to what was considered a mental health problem.
I thought it was excellent. I was going to say enjoyed but then reconsidered as it was difficult viewing throughout.
I liked that they also brought in to the storyline the challenges of literacy amongst prisoners. I did quite a bit of work with the Probation Service in my last job and it was a real challenge with probationers so no doubt the same with those serving custodial sentences.
According to this Guardian article, 50% of prisoners in the UK are functionally illiterate, so half of the 85,000 people currently incarcerated have a reading age of 11 or lower with 20% falling well short of that mark.
Like others I found it hard to watch. I didn't enjoy watching it but enjoyed having watched it, a rare great piece of TV.
yup, cracking couple of hours of TV. Love a bit of Sean Bean!
A good reminder of why you want to avoid prison at all costs. The snooker balls in a sock.... savage! And the home made napalm 🙁
Just watched all 3 parts this morning. Like others have said, it's not an easy watch, but it's insightful and thought provoking.
Anything on the telly associated with Jimmy McGovern is going to be good
Anything on the telly with Stephen Graham in it is going to be good
Anything with both of them involved is going to be outstanding!
Something I’ve wondered is why are prisoners allowed kettles in their cells when ‘jugging’ is a known and common practice? Sure people like tea but are the risks associated worth the risk?
Secondly, razors - often melted into an old toothbrush etc, is there again a need to be clean shaven that outweighs such an easily available weapon.
Human rights? Possibly? But a massive risk that is abused?
I understand that anything can be a weapon - phone cards were sharpened on walls and used to slash etc, pool balls / large batteries in a sock etc - but blades and scalding water is surely a risk too far?
I know blades and other things get brought in, but the kettle and razor seem to me to be simple things to eliminate?
This is not a criticism, just genuine questions - I certainly wouldn’t want to work in a prison that’s for sure.
The snooker balls in a sock…. savage!
As demonstrated by a very young Ray Winstone over 40 years ago
The 90% refers to all mental health issues, from mild anxiety up to schizophrenia. There is also a significant number of the prison population that has a dual diagnosis (mental health and substance misuse issues) or a personality disorder. There is a wealth of evidence that a prisoner’s health is significantly worse than those in the community (whether that’s physical, mental or even dental health), to the extent that you are classed as being an older person at 50 in the prison system, rather than 60 in the community. There are a number of national initiatives underway to try and reduce the number of people with mental health issues being given a custodial sentence (where this would be appropriate) diverting them into community treatment programmes; but the criminal justice system can be a slow ship to turn round. I thought the programme was excellent, although a prison officer wouldn’t have completed the healthcare screen, a nurse would and I’d like to think they would be much more caring in their approach than the programme showed!
Something I’ve wondered is why are prisoners allowed kettles in their cells when ‘jugging’ is a known and common practice? Sure people like tea but are the risks associated worth the risk?
Secondly, razors – often melted into an old toothbrush etc, is there again a need to be clean shaven that outweighs such an easily available weapon.
Human rights? Possibly? But a massive risk that is abused?
I understand that anything can be a weapon – phone cards were sharpened on walls and used to slash etc, pool balls / large batteries in a sock etc – but blades and scalding water is surely a risk too far?
I know blades and other things get brought in, but the kettle and razor seem to me to be simple things to eliminate?
The wings I was on used to have water boilers on each landing. Prisoners must have access to hot drinks yes? Bangup was a nightmare as you'd have 180 prisoners wanting to fill up their flasks with hot water to see them through till next morning. Plus the boilers would conk out & works were stretched to get them fixed quickly. So they were taken out & kettles issued. Doesn't matter whether the scalding water comes from a kettle or a recently filled flask & having kettles were easier to manage at lockup.
Razors. If prisoners weren't allowed razors they'd be all walking round looking like something out of ZZ Top. The actual rules are that when a prisoner wants a new razor he should hand in the old one. Never happens.
Tins of tuna in a sock make a good alternative weapon too.
It's a very very hard job when the staffing levels in UK prisons have been decimated by the tories (mainly Grayling cos he was justice secretary at the time when a new staff system was brought in) & even more difficult to explain to anyone who hasn't done the job.
I'm not great at explaining things anyway!