The Magazine is Born

There can be few editors of any publication who have such an easy existence. The prison mag takes a couple of weeks to put together, then three months for management to ponder upon the content and wield their blue pencil. And at no point do these Suits even have the decency to come and talk over any issues with me.

I nearly took my name off the list of credits, such has been the level of censorship, and in previous times would have fought long and hard against such interference. This time, though, the purpose of the magazine differed from my past forays into publishing.

Previously, I viewed all prison magazines as being a vital avenue for prisoners to have a voice. In those circumstances, censorship is anathema and I resisted it at all costs. Here in Open prison, the political context is vastly different.

The truth is, no one cares. With the prisoners firmly divided into those set on the fastest release and those who seek the fastest way to druggie oblivion, then the place of prison politics is relegated to near non-existence. This positions the existence of the prison magazine in unclear territory and editors of a mind such as myself are quite redundant. Any semi-literate monkey could produce an acceptable effort.

And to my shame, I did!