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Out of Prison

dublinshane

I posted on here last year looking for advice about going to prison. Just to let you know I ended up getting a 10 month sentence with 6 months suspended. Being in prison was the worst time of my life but just wanted to let anybody who was interested know that it is all behind me now. I appreciate the advice from before and those of you that wanted to see me go to prison got your way.

I have every reason now not to get into trouble as I would have another six months to serve from the suspended sentence but I have no plans to end up in that situation.

I have to say that I wouldn’t be as scared as I was before about going to prison – once the first days are over you kind of settle into a routine that’s much different from every day life but it wasn’t as bad as I feared.

I’m doing my best to get my life back on track again but it isn’t easy with all the bad stuff that goes with being in prison.

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Gordon

crazydave wrote:

would you like to tell us what you went to prison for?You keep on avoiding the question.You cant expect good wishes and sympathy without telling us what landed you in jail in the first place

Oh stop asking for goodness sake, he's been asked umpteen times, it's obvious that your curiosity will not be sated.

He's done the time, surely that's what counts.

tbh

welcome back shane, been thinking of you from time to time, hoping you were ok - nice to see you got through it. Time flies! (tho probably not for you)

Blub2k4

Gordon wrote:

Oh stop asking for goodness sake, he's been asked umpteen times, it's obvious that your curiosity will not be sated.

He's done the time, surely that's what counts.

But, but it's less like an interactive soap opera then.......

By the way good luck Shane, whatever you did you served the time, you know what you did was wrong,

dublinshane

Not looking for any sympathy - I've said what I did on this thread and the other one - just don't want to keep going in to it.

A few of you asked me to answer my own questions from the last thread based on my own time in Mountjoy so here goes:

What is it like at first when you go in?

That’s probably the worst bit of all. After being sentenced I had to spend some time waiting around for the prison van. During the hours waiting to go to prison I just felt so sick inside and very nervous of what was going to happen. The walls just seemed so intimidating when you are going in and realising that this is your home for the next few months. The first impression I had was of the noise and the smell of the place. It was a completely strange environment and you feel really lost – not knowing what to do or what’s what. The first while there was a fair bit of waiting around. You have to get searched and then strip off for a shower – it’s not as bad as you see in some films but it still feels pretty rotten. They take anything you’re not allowed have – mobile phone, wallet keys etc and you don’t get these again until you are released. You get weighed, measured, photographed as well. You’re then asked loads of questions and forms are filled out and you get some prison clothes and other bits and pieces. You get to see the doctor and are asked loads more questions about yourself , how you feel (not great) and if you are on drugs and your history.

You then get taken to your cell. I really picked up on the noise around at that stage and all the gates that had to be unlocked and locked to let you go through. There are 4 wings with 3 landings on each although some are closed at the moment. Walking to the cell with all your stuff you just feel like everybody is watching you. I got some comments along the way but nothing too bad. In a way it was good to get into the cell as all I wanted to do was to get my head together. Hearing that cell door closing and being locked up brings you back to the reality of where you are although you get used to that sound after a while as it happens 4 or 5 times a day. The first few hours were just me thinking how I was going to get through this and reliving all the stuff I had heard about getting raped or beaten up but I got myself together before I was out and it wasn’t as bad as I had been imagining.

One of the things is that the other lads would want to know all about you – what you had done, where you were from, who you knew who had been there before. It’s probably better not to give too much away especially about your family or who you know as that can cause problems later if somebody wants to pressure you to do things.

Are all the scenes of getting shouted at and strip searched and hassled right?
No it’s not like the films or on TV. Yeah you do get searched and have to strip and that but it is more relaxed than on TV. The guards don’t be shouting at you – just telling you what you need to do and there are no cavity searches or anything like that. They don’t make you do it in front of anyone else either. Best thing is just to do what you’re told and get it over with. You realise though that you’re not your own person any more and you just have to follow somebody else’s rules.

Do you usually go to prison on your own or do they take you in in groups?I went in with two others both who had been there before. You get taken from the court in a prison van and you’re handcuffed to a guard.

How do the prison officers act towards you?

As I said before most of the guards were OK. Once you didn’t cause trouble or try to be a hard man they were normally OK. There were one or two who would pull you up for anything and everything and give you a bit of a hard time but mostly they were OK. There were a few you could have a bit of a chat with and would try to sort out if you were having any problems. I didn’t see them beating up anybody or anything like that although I heard stories about that but you’re not sure what to believe. Anyway, if anything kicked off they would be around and would do what they needed to do to break things up. I had this idea that most of them would treat you badly because they saw you as lowlife but as long as you gave them a bit of respect most of them were alright – a few miserable ones though. After all these are the people who control almost everything you do so it’s not in your interest to piss them off. I have to say that I found it easier to accept getting what to do by the older guards but resented it a bit more from the ones that were about my age or even younger.

Are they looking for you to slip up and break rules or are they reasonable?
What happens if you get into trouble in prison and what can they do to you?

As I said most of them were reasonable and once you weren’t causing troubles they were OK with you. Most of the problems are around people getting caught with drugs or getting into scraps or stuff going missing. If something like that happens you get reported to the governor, you get to tell your side of the story and then he makes his decision. You could just get a warning or lose some privileges like losing your TV, getting visits, make calls or get recreation time in the evening or aren’t allowed smoke. In other cases you can get locked up for 23 hours for a few days or can lose some of your remission. There are special cells too where they put people who are causing trouble or fighting or whatever – never got sent there.

When you go in you get told the day when you should be released. You get a quarter of your sentence off for good behaviour – so my 4 months became 3 months. If you get into something serious in prison the governor can add back on some of these days and you have to serve more of your sentence.

If prisoners feel like they are getting a raw deal they can speak to the governor. There is also a thing called the Visiting Committee that come from outside to make sure things are going OK. You get some lads trying it on with them all the time.

I only got into a bit of trouble once over something stupid so I had nothing really to complain about.

How do the other prisoners generally treat you – never been in prison before?
That was the thing I was most worried about. It was mixed – some of the others thought they ran the place, some were always looking for an excuse to have a go, some seemed to be spaced out and some were alright and decent enough. I met many interesting characters but I’ll keep all that to myself. A lot of people were in there due to drugs or some had just made a few mistakes. That was the way I saw myself.

Some of them just seemed to be out to cause trouble and would take on anybody who looked at them funny but you can more or less stay away from all that.

I’ll be honest I got hassled by some of the other prisoners – don’t want to go into it too much but at the start it was just general slagging and then a bit of pushing and shoving. Some are so into getting drugs they were checking out about visits and trying to get you to do things you shouldn’t. The best advice on the last topic I had was just to stay away from all that and I did. I think once you go down that road you’re in serious **** and it’s worth taking a bit of aggro and not getting involved.

As a first timer you are likely to get a bit of a slagging and people are looking to take advantage of you but if you handle yourself OK – don’t make out to be a hard man or make promises or accept favours you are generally OK. A lot of people talk crap and will try and convince you of anything but it’s best not to get too close.

There were definitely groups in there who were watching out for each other – some were involved in crimes together and others just seemed to know each other from living close enough. It was just best not to piss anybody else off and stay away from those who shouted loudest.

Most of the others I got on well enough with and were decent to me and that made the time easier. If you don’t want to get into trouble and just get through your sentence there are enough OK people in there to support you. Like me I’m sure they were no angels but when you are just looking forward to getting out, you just want to get along.

I met up with somebody I knew through somebody else and there were some others from where I come from

There were a few people who I actually became friendly with and I have seen 1 of them since getting out as he was released before me.

dublinshane

Can you go to prison yourself are you always taken directly from court?
Taken directly from court

Do you normally get a cell on your own or how many people do you have to share with?
I got a cell on my own which suited me. There were other cells with 2 people. The cell itself was pretty small with a bed, a table, some shelves. The cell door was solid (no bars like they have on the films with all the prisoners looking out) but with a little flap they opened on the outside to check on you. There was a window at the other end with bars on it and the walls were very thick. Although the cell was painted I often thought that the cell was probably not that much different from what it might have been like 100 years ago. Sometimes I used to wonder who might have been locked up in here before me.

Is it likely that you have to slop out – that seems pretty bad and I would hate that?
Well you do in Mountjoy. There is no in cell toilet or running water and you get a piss pot which you have to use if you need to take a leak or worse overnight. The fact that you have to live like this seems pretty disgusting these days but that’s the way it is. I hated the smell and can still sense it to this day. At least though it was my own – much worse if you were sharing a cell with someone else. Going to empty all this was the first job in the morning and it was just terrible. There have been times when this got thrown at other prisoners and the guards which is really gross. I think this was one of the most humiliating things of my time in prison.

Are you allowed a TV and radio?

Yes as long as you behave. I know some people give out about this but you have to imagine being locked up in a cell on your own for 16 hours or more a day. You need something to distract you and make time pass. It is a good idea for everybody as it keeps the prisoners a bit happier and the job for the screws is easier as you have something in your cell to keep you occupied. As I said they can take away the TV and your other stuff if you get into trouble so there is an incentive to stay out of trouble.

How bad is it with regard to people trying to touch you up or whatever or is that exaggerated on TV – certainly hope it is?
This is what everybody gets most scared of about going to prison. All I can say is that I didn’t see any of it and nobody ever threatened me or anything like that. Maybe I was just lucky but I think it is totally exaggerated in films. I suppose though that being in a cell on your own makes any of that far less likely to happen.

Are you allowed have money to buy things like cigarettes or do you get an allowance?Y
You have an account where your family or friends can leave in money for you. You also get an allowance of €2 per day for your work that goes to your account. Most of this can be spent in the shop on things like cigarettes, tobacco, sweets, crisps, drinks, personal hygiene stuff as well. I was lucky in that I was able to get money put in from outside so I was able to more or less get what I needed.

Cigarettes and tobacco are really important in prison. Nearly everybody smokes and there are lads looking out for extra. For somebody coming in you are always asked for smokes as most only buy tobacco to roll their own as it is much cheaper.

I can’t imagine what would happen if they banned smoking in prisons. I think the place would be more tense and there would be more trouble. I smoked more when I was in prison than I normally would and got into the rollies as well – haven’t had one of those since I’ve been out..

Do you have to wear prison clothes or can you bring in your own?

When you go in you do get prison clothes – just jeans, shirt and jumper. It sort of makes sense as I came in in a suit from court and wanted to get out of that as soon as I could. Once you can get 3 sets of clean clothes in you are normally able to wear those. There are rules to make sure that your clothes don’t look like the guards but mostly people were jeans and t Shirts or tops. You can also get made to wear prison clothes if you are causing trouble - it is another privilege they can take away.

How often do you get a chance to shower and wash properly and do you do this on your own?
You normally only get to shower once a week. If you go the gym you can get a shower after that or if you are working in one of the workshops you sometimes get a shower. There is not much privacy in the showers but it is supervised so there isn’t as much trouble as you think there might be.

How much violence and bullying actually goes on and do the prison officers try to get involved?
Well it is a prison and it does go on. I always felt threatened that something was going to kick off. While there was some viscous stuff going on you could keep out of the way of the most serious stuff by not getting too involved with anybody and not pissing the other prisoners off. That said there was always a bit of agro going on between various people and it was hard enough to stay out of – probably because most people were in there for reacting badly in various situations. The main thing was just to keep your head down and not piss off anybody and while it was never easy in there it was just about doable.

As I said there were some prisoners who had a reputation of just lashing out over the simplest things and you needed to avoid these. People get into arguments over the tiniest things – probably a result of being locked up for most of the day.

In fairness if things are kicking off the guards do try and put a stop to it but they aren’t everywhere and if people want to kick off they will find a time to do it. If the guards hear about someone making a weapon or having something they shouldn’t they will search cells to try and remove the danger. For the first days I was always thinking that something serious was going to happen but as my time went buy I got calmer and settled down but was never off my guard.

Is the food alright?

The food actually isn’t bad. There are choices at the main meal and the menus do change – it’s like canteen food but it is alright. One thing I imagined about prison was that you would be eating at these long tables with benches but that doesn’t happen. You get your breakfast, dinner or tea and go back to your cell and are locked up while you eat it. The guards get their meals at this time too. The only thing is that you get tea at about 5 o’clock and you don’t get another meal until the morning although you do get something small before you get locked up for the night. It means you can get a bit hungry during the night.

How often can you get visitors and do you see them one to one or are there glass dividers or whatever?
Visits were once a week for 30 minutes but you could apply for a second visit. People on remand were entitled to more visits. I had mixed feelings about the visits – I looked forward to seeing familiar faces but hated the way they would pass so quickly with your visitor going back to their normal life while I just had to go back to my cell. I hated my family seeing me in the situation I was in and felt bad for them having to come along but it meant so much to me for the short time that they were there. You have to give a list of your visitors when you go in. Two of mine didn’t come and visit which was tough but I understood why they decided not to.

Most people were able to have visits just across the table. Some prisoners though weren’t allowed these as they had been caught trying to get drugs in before. There are camera watching the visits and trying to stop drugs getting in but it doesn’t really work.

I found keeping in contact with my family and friends really important when you are locked up and things are quite boring. You were allowed one 6 minute phone call each day. There is always a huge demand for the phones and you never really get to have a private conversation as everybody is trying to get their phone calls in. You are also allowed to write and get letters but all these are checked by the guards.

The Daily Routine

The routine is pretty similar day in day out. Cells are unlocked at about 8.15 and the first thing you do is empty your piss pot in the communal toilets on the wing. You have a chance to wash and shave and then go and get breakfast. As I said, there is no central eating area so you are back in your cell to eat breakfast and are locked up again. By 9.15 things start to move and you are unlocked for work, education, exercise or visits. You go back to your cell at 12.30 with your dinner and are locked up until 2.00 and then go back to work. At 4.30 you get tea and are locked up again. From about 5.15 you are unlocked for 2 hours for recreation and then you are locked up for the night at 7.30.

I really felt that I had lost control in my life as you don’t have the chance to make the normal decisions you would each day. I was told when I could eat, when I had to do work and when I was to be locked up. If you were going off the wing, you would have somebody escorting you, unlocking the gates and passing you over to somebody else. You couldn’t just decide to go for a walk or get something to eat – you just didn’t have those choices.

I also found it really boring. Being locked up for 16 hours a day or more sometimes gave me plenty of time to think and while during the first few weeks I was happy enough for 7.30 to come to be locked up for the night and away from all the **** that goes on, as time went by I found this more difficult.

Khannie

Glad you got through it allright DublinShane. I assumed that you had gone in after we didn't hear back from you for a while on the other thread. Welcome back anyway.

Mr Magnolia

Welcome back dublinshane. Glad to year you got through your time inside.
Thanks for the update and the insight you've provided.

Best of luck for the future.

Sleepy

Very informative post DublinShane. Might give a few people enough to think about to help them control their tempers better in future and to be more careful. The best of luck with getting your life back.

hepcat

That's an interesting read, DublinShane. Glad to see you got through prison ok - what would you say you have learned from the experience, if anything? Are you a changed person in any way? Or would you be less scared of prison in the future and therefore see it as less of a deterrant than before?

gracehopper

Very interesting read.
Glad to see you got through it and the best of luck with the future

TempestSabre

Thanks for posting. Very interesting to read. Good luck with the future.

dublinshane

hepcat wrote:

That's an interesting read, DublinShane. Glad to see you got through prison ok - what would you say you have learned from the experience, if anything? Are you a changed person in any way? Or would you be less scared of prison in the future and therefore see it as less of a deterrant than before?

Getting into this situation and knowing i could be going to prison changed me over the last year or so. I knew I had messed up and felt bad and ending up there just made me realise that even more. Getting through it all OK makes me feel a bit better as i didn't think I could cope with it. I've also learnt that hard drugs are just pure evil and it's hard to see people ever been able to change themselves when they are on them.

I think I've changed in that I've toughened up a bit but also understand that there are consequence for your actions. As I said on the last thread I had been in some trouble before but the fact that it was a fine and probation didn't have the same effect on it. I suppose I've also learnt how important it is to have friends and family stick by you when you are in a situation like this - alot of people didn't have that. Maybe it's just growing up but it's a pretty major way to grow up.

Over the past few weeks I've been doing all I can to stay out of trouble. I have to - as I say the suspended sentence for the next few years. Not that I went out to get into fights or anything before but I couldn't walk away. I'm careful drinking - not getting pissed or anything because I can't afford to lose it.

I was really worried about going into prison but to be honest, I wouldn't be as scared about going back as it wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be but it is still such a horribe place to be that I don't want to spend anymore time there. The fact that you don't really have a life and are away from where you want to be is so depressing when you are in there. I don't think I need an extra deterrant to stay out of trouble but knowing what it is like and how people can waste so much time in there is always going to be at the back of my mind.

The other things that have changed have been now that I've been out a while. Getting back working is a problem - going to be doing some leaflet deliveries next week but that's it. I split up with my girlfriend over this and going down that road again is going to be difficult - what happens if I got involved with somebody and what happens if she finds out about that I've been in prison. My granny still thinks I was in Australia but there you go.

dublinshane

NUTLEY BOY wrote:

Shane, I wish you the very best of luck for your future and really hope that things go well.

One question please. When inside did you receive any ACTIVE training or rehabilitation as distinct from having things available to you on a PASSIVE basis ?

Put another way, do you feel that the regime did anything helpful to you during your time in prison ?

Because i wasn't in there for too long I didn't get really into anything to much. There are courses and that and I did go to some classes - more to pass the time than anything else. You don't have to do classes but you are encouraged too - some people get their Junior Certs/Leaving Certs in there and then go on to get degrees and that but as I say I wasn't really there for long enough to do that.

N90user

Fair fúck to ya mate. Read through all your thread and you seem like a nice guy. Glad your getting back on the road

HelterSkelter

dublinshane wrote:

Getting back working is a problem - going to be doing some leaflet deliveries next week but that's it.

Will you tell them that you have a record when applying for jobs? I reckon I would keep it to myself. If they don't find out well and good, if they do then so what, they would not have given you the job if you told them in the first place so no loss. I presume it is not a criminal offence to keep this information from your employer. Afterall you have done your time and paid back "society" for your crime. That should be the end of it.

BTW thanks for posting about your experiences, it was very interesting to read. I wish you the best of luck and hope you can get your life back to normal again.

dublinshane

HelterSkelter wrote:

Will you tell them that you have a record when applying for jobs? I reckon I would keep it to myself. If they don't find out well and good, if they do then so what, they would not have given you the job if you told them in the first place so no loss. I presume it is not a criminal offence to keep this information from your employer. Afterall you have done your time and paid back "society" for your crime. That should be the end of it.

Haven't done any proper interviews yet - got some forms from 1 place and they asked about a criminal record so didn't fill it in. Don't know how many checks they do. There's also the problem of the time that's missing from the last job - had to give that up a while before going to prison. Can't see them giving me a job if I tell the truth.

bohsboy

What landing where you on? Surprised they kept you there for the whole sentence?

astrofool

From your story, I wonder if short prison terms would be a better deterrent than fines and probations (as you said). Like 7 day sentence or wotnot, obviously the logistics would have to be looked at, and care would have to be taken that people who were sent in didn't come out better criminals.

It seems the stigma attached to doing time is probably the biggest deterrent.

niggle

Alright Fella,

You seem to have your head screwed on, keep pluggin at it, the job will come, you will find a new girlfriend, cause when you find the right person, they wont care about your past,

Good luck for the future and thanks for sharing your experiences

HelterSkelter

dublinshane wrote:

Haven't done any proper interviews yet - got some forms from 1 place and they asked about a criminal record so didn't fill it in. Don't know how many checks they do. There's also the problem of the time that's missing from the last job - had to give that up a while before going to prison. Can't see them giving me a job if I tell the truth.

I'd just tell them the same story you told your gran about being in Australia. Or say you were ill in hospital. I know my job don't do any checks like that and I'd say most places are the same. I'm sure it would be an invasion of privacy for the cops or anyone else to give that information to anyone without your permission.

LegacyUser

Well done on getting through it without any serious issues.

Get on with your life now

tbh

I see where you are coming from HelterSkelter, but my 2c would be to tell them if they ask, shane. They could well find out anyway, although I know that the place I work for wouldn't check (but wouldn't ask, either). Depending on what type of job you are doing, you may be asked down the road if you're going to be driving or travelling etc. I'd like to think that if I knew your background, it wouldn't affect my decision if you did a good interview. Anyway, as I've already said, thanks for posting - very interesting, and welcome back.

The Corinthian

Reminds me of boarding school, TBH.

Dragan

When you originally started posting about how you were gonna go down for what you did I made my posts saying do your time, you did the crime.

Now that your out just make sure you don't do it again dude. I seem to recall a lof of looking to blame other people for your own actions so hopefully that will have changed now and you reaslize your responsible for what you do.

Best of luck getting on with things.

hutchie

That was prob the best thread I have ever read on any site!!!
Good luck finding a new job...say nothing you didn't kill anyone everyone makes mistakes ,and girls will be understanding !you sound sensible enough to me.Hope every thing goes well for you from now on

the_syco

HelterSkelter wrote:

I presume it is not a criminal offence to keep this information from your employer.

Actually, I think it is. Also, if you lie about going to prison, they'll have doubts over anything else you told them, when they find out you're lying.

rsynnott

the_syco wrote:

Actually, I think it is. Also, if you lie about going to prison, they'll have doubts over anything else you told them, when they find out you're lying.

I can't imagine that you're required to tell them, but in the long run it would be foolish not to. In any case, how did the OP explain his absence?

BobTheBeat

astrofool wrote:

From your story, I wonder if short prison terms would be a better deterrent than fines and probations (as you said). Like 7 day sentence or wotnot, obviously the logistics would have to be looked at, and care would have to be taken that people who were sent in didn't come out better criminals.

It seems the stigma attached to doing time is probably the biggest deterrent.

Good idea, but I reckon its only a deterrent for people who might be conscious of what other people or society think. Alot of people going to jail wouldnt be bothered by it I reckon.

Best of luck with everything DublinShane, if the 'getting back to normality' road is proving difficult for you, in any way, you should think of talking to a councillor. These things can build up in your head, and make life very difficult

TapouT

Gordon wrote:

Oh stop asking for goodness sake, he's been asked umpteen times, it's obvious that your curiosity will not be sated.

He's done the time, surely that's what counts.

Actually its not what counts at all. Some crime IMHO deserve a hell of alot more time than the system is dishing out. And while Shane appear's here to be a super nice guy we don't know if he was a conman and is now ripping the piss out of the board or what the heck he was/is guilty of.

So I think its a reasonably question to ask, since Shane is receiving alot of advice and good wishes here.

Btw Shane, best of luck with the future, you do sound like a decent bloke and I hope your never in this situation again.

I could careless what you done to be honest, although I'm slightly curious sometimes. But anyway to my question, did you reflect on your crime while you were locked up or give a seconds thought to your victim, or victims?.

rsta

Hey Shane
Thanks for posting all that. Im glad you stayed out of trouble inside and didnt get involved with any sh*t. You seemed to have come out of it a better person.
best of luck with the job front, hope you get something easy to start with. And hey, you're prob best off saying you were 'abroad' or travelling for the past 3 months when asked about the gap between your last job.
anyway, i think you could start a book or something, from what you've written here it seems there is a good bit more behind your words. Something to pass the time and keep you out of any more trouble

anyway cheers Shane. all the best