HMP Elmley
Yesterday
was different. I spent the day in Her Majesty's Prison Elmley and if I am to
tell this tale well it will take some time so please forgive the longer read. This
all came about after a FDPFAFDW gig at Ken and Gill's home in Sheerness. Ken is
Managing Chaplain at Elmley Prison and after a post gig discussion he arranged
a couple of workshops in the prison.
HM Prison Elmley is a local Category B/C men's prison, located close to the
village of Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. The term 'local' means
that this prison holds people on remand to the local courts. Elmley
forms part of the Sheppey prisons cluster, which also includes HMP Standford Hill and HMP Swaleside. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.
Ken had told me that
that it had been a difficult year in 2014 due to a voluntary redundancy scheme
which left the prison understaffed. In 2014 the Howard League for Penal Reform published research showing the number
of prison officers at Elmley and its neighbouring Isle of Sheppey prisons,
Standford Hill and Swaleside, had fallen by 300 in four years, from 740 to 340.
The figures - supplied by the Ministry of Justice - are mirrored across the
public sector prison estate.
For me it
was an early start with Ken needing to pick me up at 9am in Sheerness. I
decided to stay in a hotel and after a good night's sleep I climbed into Ken's
car, on time and ready for work. I confess to being a little nervous. As Ken noted,
it was a little outside my comfort zone. A challenge is always of interest to
me and the possibility of working with a diverse range of folk is exciting. The
opportunity to meet and work with men in prison in 2015 could not be missed.
Arriving
outside the prison I was immediately surprised by it's size. We entered and I
showed my photo ID and got a key for the mobile phone locker where my phone
would sleep for the rest of the day. So there I was entering the inner sanctum
of the prison Chaplaincy via multiple iron barred gates and the kind of
security protocols you would expect in a prison. The knowledge that I would be
released at the end of the day unless I behaved very badly allowed me to drink
in the visions of seemingly endless drafty corridors and the general atmosphere.
All along the way very busy people went about their work through the barred
gates and heavy doors as Ken lead the way to the Chapel. It is a well appointed
space with nice acoustics and has a very peaceful vibe. I felt very comfortable
in this space. It was like stepping out of a slightly disturbing environ into a
calm, safe place.
The morning
session was for guys who were already playing guitar or wanting to begin to
learn. The plan was to sing a song or two for them and to tell a story or two
and jam along with them sharing a few tips and lazy short cuts. Eventually the
guys begin to arrive for the session and I turned on my tiny little amplifier
and plugged in my guitar. We shook hands and sat in a semi circle ready to
start.
One of the guys told me that they hadn't got their guitars with them
because either they didn't have time to get them or they had not been told what
was going on and that they would be allowed to bring them. This was a bit
disappointing and required an immediate adaptation on my part. I told people a
little about myself, my career in music and community work and I told a story
to give a little flavour around the early history of the EBB and asked the guys
what they wanted from the session. It was clear that the lack of guitars at the
session was a problem.
I let a couple of the guys play my guitar and sang them
a couple of songs. It was interesting to see the faces of the guys playing when
they finished and we all applauded. It's something I expect and something they
don't get to enjoy while in prison unless there is some kind of performance by
them to an audience, however small. This group numbered a dozen but the
pleasure on the faces of the players and the sense of satisfaction when we all
applauded was a delight for me.
The
highlight of the session for me was still to come. The guys talked about the
need to come together for a session one day a week. They suggested a Friday or
at the weekend. It was clear that most of the group were very serious about
playing guitar. One guy had produced a beginners hand book to get fellow
inmates started. It is a very neat collection of all the basic chords and
scales and instructions around tuning etc.
In terms of
time available to the guys all activities are dependent on the availability of
a supervising officer and things get cancelled or postponed in seemingly random
way. The communication issues around bringing the guitars to the session seemed
to me to be symptomatic of this, But what do I know? I know that suicides among
young men in the UK is rising.
I know that whatever any one says, conditions
for these men are far from ideal and they clearly have less time and resources available
to them than is reasonable if rehabilitation through practical support towards
a better life is to be a serious objective. I know the
suicide rate in prison is rising and there is a high rate of mental ill health
among young men in prison This and self harming was highlighted by the
discussion that followed my suggestion that the group might work together on a
mixed media project focusing on their issues. Several guys mentioned self
harming and prisoner suicides. they spoke about writing some songs about this.
This was exciting. I was trying to assist them to find something that might
speak to a prison Governor about a possible route towards a meaningful activity that would have
meaningful results and would resonate with most if not all of a prison
population and The Home Office. I think the guys identified one very important
issue that must be addressed. see footnote*
Ken
suggested the group write to the appropriate officer to tell them how it had
gone, what they wanted next and to emphasise the positives of the session for
them. All too quickly it was over and the guys had to go back to their cells. We
shook hands and I was touched by the thanks expressed by the guys.
I had a
cheese roll and a tea for lunch from the Officers takeaway canteen and after an
attempted visit to the Music Technology facility only to find it was no longer
in use I spent the rest of the time before the next session with a head full of
ideas and the words of the guys running through my thoughts. The next group
arrived for the afternoon session in the Group work room next to the Chapel.
I
ran through an introduction and asked them what they would like to happen. I
was getting used to the reality that everyone seemed to have a slightly
different idea of why I was there and my idea of why I was there changed with
them, I hope. Anyway, I sang some songs which they very kindly applauded and
after a chat with several of the guys about their thoughts and ideas it was
once again clear that option to bring guitars to the session was not clearly
communicated or understood. One guy said that he had left an art session to come
to our session. He showed me the art work he was working on. It's theme was the
mini mission statement of the prison which is writ large every where.
Changing Elmley”
I thought back to the mornings
session. I am thinking MORE. Mixed media men's work and MORE!
I reported on the morning
session to the guys with regard to ideas around the self harm, suicide project
and we chatted about how design, music, poetry, rap and a bunch of other
goodies could be combined in some thing special. They all had ideas and the
session buzzed. I sang some songs and then one of the guys sang his song. It
was so nice to sit back with the guys and watch the young man play my guitar
and sing his own song. It was lovely and we were all moved. Shivers down the
spine. It was time to end the session. We shook hands and hoped to see each
other again. Of course some of the guys could be moved elsewhere at any time so
that might be difficult but never say never.
A short chat with a colleague
of Ken indicated that money for development of what had been suggested by the
two sessions might be a problem. However there are many paths to travel and I
think that it is work in progress. I had enjoyed my day inside immensely. I would love to work with these guys again. So much
learning for me and a bucketful of ideas. If I have seemed to be critical of
aspects of things so be it. But I would like to make it clear that there are
many good people working inside the prison who really want to make a difference
and deliver quality service however, they could do much better if they were
properly supported and resourced but they are not. You can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear.
This said I am ever hopeful that I will be writing about
HMP Elmey episode two at some stage.
* 82 prisoners took their own lives in prisons in England and Wales
during 2014, bringing suicide rates to their highest level in seven years,
according to the latest figures. Of the 82 suicides, 14 were young people
between 18 and 24. More inmates
have committed suicide at HMP Elmley than almost any other prison in England
and Wales, according to figures released on 23rd January 2015 .The Sheppey jail
comes joint top with Wandsworth, where four inmates took their own lives last
year.
peace
