As overwhelming as the problems
facing this demographic undoubtedly
are, there are some signs of hope.
“There’s some good work being
done in [HMP] Northumberland,”
says Peter Clarke. “There’s an entire
block there that’s given up for older
men. Last time I was there, one man
was having a problem standing in
the lunch queue, and his colleagues
got him a wheelchair, and it was all
very supportive. The men I spoke to
said they really liked being away from
the drugs, violence and loud musicfrom young prisoners on the other
wings. So, there are some examples of
good practice, but then I go around
jails and ask, ‘Do you know what’s
happening in Northumberland?’ and
they look at me blankly and say no.”
“At [HMP] Stafford, rather than
trying to rehabilitate prisoners by
getting them ready for work, which
is rather pointless [as they’re post-
retirement age], they have a facility
that works like a drop-in centre. The
older men meet their peers and
have a cup of tea and that’s realistic
rehabilitation in terms of what the
future might hold for them. So, there
are good examples, but it feels patchy.”80 • AUGUST 2019
DOING TIME
In women’s prisons there are some
even more complex issues at play.
Many incarcerated women have
found themselves in prison as part of
a chain of domestic violence that can
span their entire lives.
A GP at Europe’s largest women-
only facility, HMP Bronzefield, Dr
Amanda Brown has worked in prisons
for 15 years. Now the author of The
Prison Doctor, a no-holds-barred
account of her eventful career, she
recalls female prisoners who have
told her that their first night in prison
was their first experience of sleeping
with a sense of safety.
“Some of these poor women
have had pretty horrible lives, being
controlled by men for many years.
One woman in her fifties and new in
prison said she felt freer than she had
for the past 12 years, so actually, she
was quite happy to be inside. There’s
a lady in Bronzefield who's been
inside for 40 years and it’s her home.
Her parole's coming up and she’s
trying to avoid getting out. Once she
pretended she was going to strangle
an officer with a shoestring, just so
that it would look like she wasn’t safe
to be taken out.”
“ONE WOMAN IN HER FIFTIES AND NEW
IN PRISON SAID SHE FELT FREER THAN
SHE HAD FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS”