On Saturday Anna and I visited an older lady we know who is in Holloway Prison, North London. She was remanded in custody until her trial and has spent over 6 months in the clink.
Now we're pretty straight people, I don't know anyone who has been to prison. Come to think of it, I don't even know anyone who has visited a prison!
After weeks of trying to book a visiting slot we rolled up on Saturday morning. I was stunned at the security involved - mainly because people try to smuggle drugs in, apparently with a fair degree of success. My mouth was searched. This seemed easy compared to the lady in front of me who had to go off into another room for a cavity search! There was even a nice looking black labrador which the handler kindly let me pat when it had finished sniffing me.
So after all this faffing about we're directed into this room, tables all around with about 20 prisoners being visited by friends and family all carefully watched by loads of prison guards. We sit down with the lady we’re visiting and start talking. I offer to get a coffee.
This is where it gets weird. I come back, sit down and look across the room and there is our neighbour! While we were in Bangladesh apparently she murdered a bloke. So you can imagine my shock, when suddenly little straight, clean old me realises that I know half the flaming inmates. The next 45 minutes Anna and I spent trying to hide from our neighbour whilst not letting onto this lady we were visiting!
On a more serious note, what a depressing place it was.
Speaking of prisons a few months back I heard Jonathan Aitkin speak about his conversion to Christianity and his time in prison. He spoke about a prison prayer group he formed with another chap, people became Christians and the group grew to around 20. Now I don't know much about recidivism but I was stunned to hear that 8 years later only 2 of the 20 had re-offended! Any justice system would kill (pun intended) for that kind of success. Now he travels around speaking with a guy he met in the clink who was a bank robber and now, for the past 5 years, has been a Christian bookseller!
Now we're pretty straight people, I don't know anyone who has been to prison. Come to think of it, I don't even know anyone who has visited a prison!
After weeks of trying to book a visiting slot we rolled up on Saturday morning. I was stunned at the security involved - mainly because people try to smuggle drugs in, apparently with a fair degree of success. My mouth was searched. This seemed easy compared to the lady in front of me who had to go off into another room for a cavity search! There was even a nice looking black labrador which the handler kindly let me pat when it had finished sniffing me.
So after all this faffing about we're directed into this room, tables all around with about 20 prisoners being visited by friends and family all carefully watched by loads of prison guards. We sit down with the lady we’re visiting and start talking. I offer to get a coffee.
This is where it gets weird. I come back, sit down and look across the room and there is our neighbour! While we were in Bangladesh apparently she murdered a bloke. So you can imagine my shock, when suddenly little straight, clean old me realises that I know half the flaming inmates. The next 45 minutes Anna and I spent trying to hide from our neighbour whilst not letting onto this lady we were visiting!
On a more serious note, what a depressing place it was.
Speaking of prisons a few months back I heard Jonathan Aitkin speak about his conversion to Christianity and his time in prison. He spoke about a prison prayer group he formed with another chap, people became Christians and the group grew to around 20. Now I don't know much about recidivism but I was stunned to hear that 8 years later only 2 of the 20 had re-offended! Any justice system would kill (pun intended) for that kind of success. Now he travels around speaking with a guy he met in the clink who was a bank robber and now, for the past 5 years, has been a Christian bookseller!
2 comments:
Yeah, I read an interesting biography about Charles Colson written by Jonathan Aitken. Sounds like good work... I haven't seen my neighbor for a while, I wonder why?
Its a small world, you never know who you will meet and where you will meet. in 1999 we met David McConchie from Upper Beaconsfield Victoria at a bus stop in Copenhagen only a month after talking to his mother in Australia. He was the only other Australia we would have known in Copenhagen. Tell the truth always as you do, if not it may catch you out. Did the neighbour in gaol see you?
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