Got home from work and picked up my messages:
11 a.m. Message left on my voice mail from Ben telling me he is moving to Prescoed at 1 pm.
12-ish Message from Ben "this is the worst of news. The Governor came to see me and told me they found something in my property and I am not going to Prescoed".
Forgive me for not doing any more on the blog tonight.
Ed.
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This is dreadful. I can't even imagine how you must be feeling Ed.
ReplyDeleteSpeechless! This has to be deliberate...
ReplyDeleteoh no! Ben's busted! Busted Ben. I'm sorry, and I'm thinking of you : (
ReplyDeleteWhat type of *something* would trigger this happening?
ReplyDeleteSo sorry Ben, thinking of you.
Kate in Australia
This is beyond belief. Thinking of you Ben - what can we do to help?
ReplyDeleteKeep strong.
I'd guess a phone or something, I'm inclined to wonder if something was planted (either by another prisoner or a screw who doesn't like what he's doing) because I don't believe for one second that he'd risk his move to open prison...
ReplyDeleteDid Ben not recently blog about them searching his cell frequently after "intelligence" that he has in his possession a mobile phone? Would make sense if it was a phone that has been found...conspiracy!
ReplyDeleteThey found his coffee jug and decided it had to be subject to a controlled explosion?
ReplyDeleteMore seriously, Ben's possessions were searched before the last move. I cannot believe a man of his intelligence would be stupid enough to add something banned to them between then and now.
My guess is that it's down to the screws at Cardiff, who would have had both (the best) oppotunity to plant contraband, and in there minds the motive, because of Ben effectively calling the shots by way of his hunger strike whilst in 'their jail'
ReplyDeleteTallguy: you'd think, wouldn't you? But he must have done, and we still don't know what it was. It is possible to be intelligent and not very smart!
ReplyDeleteUntil I have any more news I'll just carry on blogging.
A letter to the Prime Minister asking for him to personally look at this case and get involved where needed is on its way to 10 Downing Street.
ReplyDeleteI'd bet on Ben not having done anything. It's called a stitch up, plain and simple!
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed that even the Ed seems to accepted Bens guilt!
ReplyDeleteDarby,
ReplyDeleteContraband is everywhere in prison and a lot of the time it is ignored so as to keep things calm. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Ben had squirrelled away something in the two months since his last failed transfer. Also, he has been battling depression and people do irrational things when they are that unhappy.
Blog Ed knows all this, of course, and, much as we would like to be able to cry "stitch up", the honest truth is that it is more likely Ben has something he shouldn't have. Whatever it is, it won't be something that a person should be kept in prison for owning >:|
Unfortunately I tend to agree that Ben had something in his property, but I am also not convinced that stitch up doesn't come into it. Whatever the truth is it should not affect his promised transfer. Ben is a product of the system, we should never forget that.
ReplyDeleteI got the impression(maybe wrongly!)that the property refered to was that which is kept in reception,not what Ben had in possesion in his cell.
ReplyDeleteEverybody needs to know, that when it comes to prison there is contraband - and there is contraband. In my opinion the only types of items that would warrent a delay in transfer, are weapons, drugs/booze, money or a phone.
I would be more than suprised if Ben (at this particular point in his sentence)had allowed the screws the pleasure of finding any of the above, and therefore favour skullduggery on the part of his keepers.
To me this is just the next move, in the same conspiracy that saw an 'administration error' put Ben back where he is now.
We all know that Ben is a long-term prisoner. Once someone has spent considerable time in custody, the quest to find and secrete contraband (of any kind) becomes the norm, often to the point where prisoners don't always realise what they are doing. The lines between what is and isn't contraband become blurred (although I accept that the rules are drummed into prisoners, so this shouldn't be the case), and in their mind, many prisoners begin to lose te mechanism which ensures they don't make irrational decisions, such as keeping contraband.
ReplyDeleteIt is also worth noting that the majority of prisoners find themselves in custody because they, to some extent, lack the ability to make sensible decisions. Consequential thinking and problem solving skills are often problematic, and it isn't always as clear cut as saying 'surely he wouldn't have contraband if he knew he was up for transfer to open conditions'. It is common for other needs to be prioritised, for example, the perceived need for drugs/alcohol/contact with the outside world/to keep a weapon to protect oneself.
I suppose what I'm getting at, is that Ben may well have had contraband, it's not necessarily a stitch up (surely it would be foolish of the 'system' to try and stitch up such a high profile prisoner with such immense support 'on the out'. I know Ben is unlikely to get preferential treatment, however, especially in light of the mess up at Prescoed last time, they will surely be traeading carefully), and even if Ben did have something, it doesn't necessarily make him an idiot, or foolish, just human and prone to making mistakes.
Anonymous above, thank you for that. I can't comment on Ben, but I totally agree with you concerning problems with the thinking and problem solving skills of some prisoners, particularly those with addiction problems. Even the most intelligent can prioritise their need for drugs/outside contact and be oblivious to any risks or consequences. This is why I get so angry about the level of prison staff corruption, recently admitted by Michael Spurr. What chance of ever getting clean when their habit is even being fed inside, it is scandalous. I must add that I know lots of effort and work IS done for prisoners with addiction problems, but an alarming number of corrupt staff are negating these efforts.
ReplyDeleteIt is terribly easy to find yourself in possession of something that would be considered "contraband/against the rules" without even realising it and I am a case in point. During my short term in HM Prison's (18 months for fraud, 99% of it spent in open conditions) I was deemed to be a suicide risk and as such the officers would always make sure I had tobacco by providing me with a "smoker's pack" whenever I asked for one. No matter what size pack you get it comes with a lighter. They always gave me the smallest pack so that when I ran out I was forced to engage with the officers on a regular basis. Eventually money came in from friends and family and my little job on the unit and I started buying my own tobacco but prior to that I managed to accumulate 17(!) lighters. Fast forward a few months and I am coming up for release on Home Detention Curfew when an officer informs me, "We've just noticed you've never been searched in the entire time you've been here, going to have a quick peak around your room but we're not expecting to find anything." 10 minutes later and these two officers come down laughing, "What's with all the bloody lighters!? You're only allowed to have 2!" Up to that point I had been a "model prisoner" and now 3 days before I get out I have broken the rules without even realising it! Fortunately the officers in this particular open prison are cut from a different cloth and I got a simple, "As far as I'm concerned I found nothing, now get up there and get rid of them!" Spent the rest of the day handing out free lighters :P
ReplyDelete