Part 1 (1/2)
A PRISON DIARY
by Jeffrey Archer
THE THOUSANDTH MAN
One man in a thousand, Solomon says, Will stickhim half your days If you find him before the other
Nine hundred and ninety-nine depend On what the world sees in you, But the Thousandth Man will stand your friend With the whole round world agin you
Tis neither pro for 'ee Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 'elory
But if he finds you and you find him, The rest of the world don't matter; For the Thousandth Man will sink or swim With you in any water
You can use his purse with no h and s
Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 'es; But the Thousandth Man he's worth 'e's your wrong, and his right's your right, In season or out of season
Stand up and back it in all ht - With that for your only reason!
Nine hundred and ninety-nine can't bide The shahter, But the Thousandth Man will stand by your side To the gallows-foot - and after!
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
DAY 22
THURSDAY 9 AUGUST 2001
1021a cricket, for drinking Pi the lawn Not a day to be travelling in a sweatbox for 120served twenty-one days and fourteen hours in Bel-ory C prison in Norfolk A Group 4 van is my chauffeur-driven transport, with two cubicles for two prisoners I re the arrival of a second prisoner I hear hi to Wayland?
At last the great electric gates of Belin our journey east My te residence is a compartment four feet by three with a plastic seat I feel nauseous within ten minutes, and am covered in sithin fifteen
The journey to Wayland prison in Norfolk takes just over three hours As I peer through nize the occasional fa of the trip Once the university city is behind us, I have to satisfy nposts whenever we slon at roundabouts to pinpoint where we are: Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds, Thetford So for this particular period of my life that very special lady, Gillian Shephard, will be my Member of Parliament
The roads become narrower and the trees taller the further east we travel When we finally arrive at Wayland it couldn't be in starker contrast to the entrance of Belates And - ht We drive into the yard and come to a halt outside the reception area I sense immediately a different atmosphere and a more casual approach by prison officers But then their daily tariff is not ganglandbarons
The first officer I meet as I walk into reception is Mr Knowles Once he has cons istered parcel Once again, I am strip-searched before the officer ees through e blue towels Williahtfully supplied and a blue tracksuit He informs me that they will be returned towill that take?' I ask
'Usually about three rains of sand passing through an hourglass I don't think I'llto be moved within a few days, once the police enquiry into Baroness Nicholson's co the Simple Truth appeal has been seen for what it is
Mr Brown then placesthat I won't get those back until I've been released or transferred He replaces them with a striped blue prison shi+rt and a pair of jeans After signing overup a little blackboard with the chalk letters FF8282 under my chin, just as you've seen in films
I am escorted by another officer to what I would describe as the quarterreen), one toothbrush (red), one tube of toothpaste, one comb, two Bic razors and one plastic plate, plastic bowl and plastic cutlery
Having placedwith the few possessions I a Mr Thompson, the induction officer, invitesme that he has been in the Prison Service for ten years, and therefore hopes he will be able to answer any questions I ,' he explains, 'where you'll share a cell with another prisoner' My heart sinks as I recall my experience at Belmarsh I warn him that whoever I share a cell ill sell his story to the tabloids Mr Thohs How quickly will he find out? Prison would be so much more bearable if you could share a cell with someone you know I can think of a dozen people I'd be happy to share a cell with, and ht to be in one
When Mr Thooes on to assure le cell on another block once I've co will that take?' I ask
'We're so overcrowded at theup to a month' He pauses ”But in your case I hope it will be only a few days'
Mr Thompson then describes a typical day in the life ofWayland,it clear that prisoners spend considerably less time locked in their cells than they do at Belht relief He then lists the work choices: education, gardening, kitchen, workshop or wing cleaner But he warns me that it will take a few days before this can be sorted out Nothing is ever done today in the Prison Service, and rarely even tomorrow He describes how the canteen works, and confirms that I will be allowed to spend 1250 per week there I pray that the food will be an improvement on Belmarsh Surely it can't be worse
Mr Tho me that he's selected a quiet room-mate, who shouldn't cause me any trouble Finally, as I have no more questions, he accompanies me out of his little office down a crowded corridor packed with young hteen to twenty-five, who just stand around and stare at me
My heart sinks when he unlocks the door The cell is filthy and would have been the subject of a court order by the RSPCA if any animal had been discovered locked inside
Theandsill are caked in thick dirt - not dust, months of accumulated dirt - the lavatory and the wash basin are covered not with dirt, but shi+t I need to get out of here as quickly as possible It is clear that Mr Thompson doesn't see the dirt and is oblivious to the cell's filthy condition He leaves me alone only for a few moments before my cell-mate strolls in He tells me his name, but his Yorkshi+re accent is so broad that I can'ton the cell card attached to the door
Chris is aboutat me, but I can understand only about one word in three When he finally stops talking he settles down on the top bunk to read a letter froin to make up my bed on the bunk below He chuckles and reads out a sentence froet this letter, let me know and I'll send you another one' By the time we are let out to collect our supper I have discovered that he is serving a five-year sentence for GBH (grievous bodily har stabbed his victim with a Stanley knife This is Mr Tho to cause me any trouble
600 pm All meals are served at a hotplate, situated on the floor beloait patiently in a long queue only to discover that the food is every bit as bad as Belrateful that canteen orders at Wayland are on a Friday (to and fill the bowl, adding long-life milk I munch a Belmarsh apple and silently thank Del Boy
630 pm Exercise: there are several differences between Belmarsh and Wayland that are immediately apparent when you walk out into the exercise yard First, you are not searched, second, the distance you can cover without retracing your steps can be multiplied by five - about a quarter of a mile - third, the ratio of black to white prisoners is now 30/70 - compared to 70/30 at Belmarsh - and fourth, , sniggering and loutish remarks, which only force me to curtail my walk fifteen minutes early I wish Mr Justice Potts could experience this for just one day
On the first long circuit, the saless, tobacco, phonecards?'
They're all quite happy to receive payment on the outside by cheque or casht I explain to the to take a few days before they realize I mean it