Part 4 (1/2)

815 ao down to the hotplate to collect ives me a nod to indicate that the money has arrived

830 ara ests that the third place is taken by Jonathan Lloyd He wants to discuss ress of the diary As I aht, this seeh I willJa Volume One - Belmarsh: hellby Wednesday (70,000 words) and will post it to me immediately She reminds me that from Monday she will be on holiday for teeks I need reo on holiday

When I return tothe corridor I tell hie bottle of diet lee for a 2 phonecard, which will give hio off to his cell to complete the transaction There is only one proble, because itdealer Each card has the prisoner's signature on the back of it, not unlike a credit card (see plate section)

”No problem,' says David (he never swears) 'I can remove your name with Fairy Liquid and then replace it with et hold of a bottle of Fairy Liquid?'

'I' cleaner'

Silly question

1000 aun his education course today (life and social skills) so I have the cell tofor only about thirty minutes when my door is unlocked and I'm told the prison probation officer wants to seefrom Ford Open Prison) words when I was at Bel- side of your probation officer, because they have considerable shen it co your parole date'

I'm escorted to a private room, just a couple of doors away fro I shake hands with a young lady who introduces herself as Lisa Dada She is a blonde of about thirty and wearing a V-neck sweater that reveals she has just returned fro in the sun Like everyone else, she asksin I tell her that I have no complaints other than the state of my cell, my rude introduction to rapthat she has to see every prisoner, but there isn't much point in my case because her role doesn't kick in until sixto Surrey in about two months' time,' she continues, 'to be nearer my husband who is a prison officer, youbefore then, so I can't do ht have'

'How did you meet your husband?' I ask

That's not the sort of question I erian'

”What bo tribe name, the tribe of the leaders and warriors'

She nods, and says, We ht have coes of one of your novels' I don't interrupt 'I had a prisoner as due to be released in the e what time she should pick hi because of the noise co from a TV in a nearby cell He popped his head round the door and asked if the inmate could turn the voluer he dropped the phone, walked into the cell and took a swing at the man The inmate fell backwards onto the stone floor, cracked open his head and was dead before they could get him to a hospital

The first prison officer on the scene called for the assailant's probation officer, who happened to be me We were married a year later'

”What happened to the prisoner?' I ask

”He was charged with uilty and was sentenced to three years He served eighteen months There was clearly no intent to murder I know it sounds silly,' she adds, ”but until that moment, his record was unblemished'

'So your husband is black That can't have been easy for you, especially in prison'

”No, it hasn't, but it helps me find a common thread with the dreadlocks'

'So what's it like being a thirty-so blonde probation officer?' I ask It's not always easy,' she admits 'Sixty per cent of the prisoners shout at me and tell me that I'm useless, while the other forty per cent burst into tears'

”Burst into tears? That lot?' I say, thu towards the door'Oh, yes I realize if s not a proble to prove how macho they are, so when they come to see s Once they begin to talk about their families, their partners, children and friends, they often break down, suddenly aware that others h an even more difficult time outside than they are locked up in here'

'And the shouters, what do they ie out of their systei end I've experienced everything, including obscene language and explicit descriptions of what they'd like to do toat my breasts One prisoner even unzipped his jeans and startedAll that for twenty-one thousand a year'

'So why do you do it?'

'I have the occasional success, perhaps one in ten, which ht'

”What's the worst part of your job?'

She pauses and thinks for ato tell a prisoner that his wife or partner doesn't want him back just before they're due to be released'

'I'-term prisoners phone their wives twice a week, and are even visited by theht But it's only when their sentence is drawing to a close and a probation officer has to visit the matrimonial home that the wife confesses she doesn't want her husband back Usually because by then they are living with another man - sometimes their husband's best friend'

'And they expect you to break the news?'

'Yes,' she replies 'Because they can't face doing it them--selves, even on the phone'

'And is there any particular set of prisoners you don't like dealing with? The paedophiles,dealers, for example?'

'No, I can handle all of thelars'

'Burglars?'

They show neither remorse nor conscience Even when they've stolen personal faht because the victilances at her watch I' you some questions,' she pauses, 'not that the usual ones apply'

'Try est Lisa removes a sheet of paper from a file and reads out the listed questions

'Are youwith your wife?, Have you any children?, Do you have any other children?, Are any of them in need of assistance or financial help?, Will you be returning to your family when you are released?, When you are released, do you have any income other than the ninety pounds the State provides for you?, Do you have soht out of prison?, Do you have a job to go to, with a guaranteed source of income?' She looks up ”The purpose of the last question is to find out if you're likely to co prison'

”Why would anyone do that?' I ask

”Because, for souarantees three ot a good exa Out lastand then i around until the police arrived to make sure he was arrested'

I think I know the prisoner she's referring to, and make ato a close, so I ask if she will stick with it

”Yes I've been in the service for ten years and, despite everything, it has its rewards Mind you, it's changed a lot during the last decade When I first joined, the motto emblazoned on our notepaper used to read, Advise, assist and Befriend Now it's Enforcement, Rehabilitation and Public Protection; the result of a e in society, its new-found freedoin to understand that at least thirty per cent of people in prison shouldn't be locked up at all, while seventy per cent, the professional criminals, will be in and out for the rest of their lives'

There's a knock on the door My hour's up, and we haven't even touched on the proble two bundles of letters Lisa looks surprised