The Big Breach - Index of

The Big Breach; From Top Secret to Maximum SecurityCompliments of http://www.192.comWhen my turn came I was asked to confirm that I was not on anymedication. `No bad back, then?' the screw asked suspiciously. Most ofthe dope-using prisoners had permanent `bad backs' and queued every dayto get a dose from the doctor of Brufen pain-reliever which maskedtraces of marijuana in their blood, rendering the test worthless.Indeed, Ronnie's bad back was so `bad' the doctor had ordered him tohave an extra mattress in his cell. The screw lead me over to a urinal,gave me a small receptacle and told me to fill it. `Tomlinson, if youhear of any drug use, you'll give us a nod, won't you?' he asked lamelyafterwards. `You'll have to do better than that to recruit me,' Ilaughed.The probation service summoned me on 29 March, and I went to the legalvisits rooms to find a young female officer waiting for me. `There issomething very odd about your case,' she frowned. `Normally we have afirst appointment with a prisoner three months before they arereleased, but we were only told about you by the Home Office two daysago and the Governor wants to talk to me about you after this meeting.'I suspected the meddlesome hand of MI6, but said nothing. She explainedthat I would be on probation for three months after my release, andduring that time I could be reimprisoned for breaching any probationconditions. `But frankly, for somebody like you who is a first-time,non-violent offender, there won't be any conditions and we probablywon't bother you much.' She made an appointment to see me three daysbefore my release, and wished me luck for the rest of my sentence.The mood on the spur varied from day to day, depending on which screwswere on duty. If the good-natured and cheerful Mr Richards was incharge, associations were quiet and generally trouble-free. But when MrRichards was on leave, senior screws from other spurs stood in andtheir different management style, or unfamiliarity with the foibles ofa troublesome prisoner, could quickly antagonise the whole spur. Inearly April the atmosphere became so tense that even Mr Richards waslosing his cool. First, a bottle of hooch was found brewing behind thewashing machine and because nobody would own up association wascancelled for the day. Then the local newsagent went bankrupt and allthe prisoners, myself included, lost the money paid in advance for thedeliveries. Then we lost another association because most of the screwstook leave to attend the funeral of a colleague who had hung himself.With missed associations and trivial annoyances, the spur was in atetchy mood and there were some minor scuffles in the lunch queue. Thatafternoon association was late starting because a screw had fallen illand a replacement could not be found immediately. We were late gettingto the gym, so our session was shorter than usual. `Spur 1, in yourcells, no shower, no water.' Mr Richards bellowed as soon as we wereback, the timetable disruption forcing him to cut the ten minutes wenormally had to get a shower and hot water. A cup of tea at every bangupwas an important part of the daily routine, and having it denied wasdemoralising.`Mr Richards, yer a fat, fat bastard,' hollered Onion-head from thebalcony, ducking into his cell before Mr Richards could identify him. Afew prisoners tried to make a dash for the urn, but Mr Richardscollared them and emptied the mugs of those who had succeeded infilling them. Other screws starting banging-up prisoners like me whohad reluctantly gone into their cells, and the spur resounded with thepage- 194 - To purchase the original limited edition hardback version of this bookplease call 08000 192 192 or go to http://www.192.com