Safe.
The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC), in collaboration with National Prison Radio (NPR), undertook a project to gather views from people in prison on their feelings about – and concerns about – emerging from lockdown.
This follows on from two pieces of work carried out last year delivered through the same partnership. The first report, ‘Keep Talking, Stay Safe’ examined prisoner experiences during COVID-19 and was published in June 2020. This was followed by a second briefing ‘Just One Thing: Prison Safety and Covid-19’, which presented an analysis of how to make prison safer both during COVID-19 and long-term and was published in September 2020.
IAPDC chair, Juliet Lyon wrote an article about this initiative for the Inside Time newspaper, which can be read here.
In June 2021, three interviews were recorded with a Samaritan Listener an academic expert and IAPDC chair Juliet Lyon They were broadcast on National Prison Radio on Fridays across the month.
Below are the recordings of three of these interviews and their synopses:
Introduction - Juliet Lyon
Samaritan Listener experience - Lewis
Lewis admits he initially applied to be a Listener because he did not want to be transferred from the prison he was in. However, he says that it ended up being a rewarding experience, particularly as listening to each person’s problems helped him with his own. It felt good helping people, as he previously came from a selfish place. This job helped him to become more patient and learn a lot about himself.
He speaks about the process of joining the programme. It is a six to eight-week course, where you are taught how to listen, especially how to identify the key things being said, so that the receiver can signposted and assisted correctly. They are also taught how to respond to sensitive subject matters. He recalls that is was nerve-wracking at the beginning, but he got used to it and became more confident.
During the COVID-19 lockdown he was called regularly and was on call both day and night. He says that the prisoners felt isolated and became frustrated with the situation, often placing blame on officers and the prison. He would explain to them that they are not being singled out and the lockdown is in place for everyone’s safety.
He concludes by saying that there is no weakness in talking – it shows that you are strong – and encourages everyone to apply to be a Listener.
Expert experience – Jenny Shaw
Jenny comments that the pandemic has showed us what is important in our lives and raised the question about what prisoners would want to see changed in the future. She discusses how the prison service needs to create channels of communications to find out exactly is needed from prisoners, along with what further research is required.
Regarding the ability to cope with mental health issues after lockdown, she states that there is good work in prisons between peers, as fellow prisoners have a lot to offer each other, though emphasises that this need to be available in all establishments. Coming out of lockdown is difficult, as there is anxiety around establishing contact, but she urges prisoners to reach out to services for help. Any help that is given needs to be done holistically, taking all aspects of an individual’s life into consideration.
She concludes by saying that there is a long way to go with understanding what it is like in prison from those in the community organisations need to try harder to get the message out there.