tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post8734328068768836406..comments2023-10-25T09:49:43.089+01:00Comments on BEN'S PRISON BLOG - Lifer On The Loose: For Whom the Ringtone Tolls, Part 2...prisonerbenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14923205052778958118noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-74039569203863581922011-05-23T22:43:32.644+01:002011-05-23T22:43:32.644+01:00This is very sad news, but not uncommon in my expe...This is very sad news, but not uncommon in my experience. I've got two observations. First, moves to 'open' are very sressful and significant numbers of long term prisoners can't cope with it. Second, all indeterminate prisoners are only released on terms decided by the system and not the prisoner. That may sound either harsh or to be common sense depending on your point of view about the system. But either way it's a fact I'm afraid.Jim Brownhttp://www.probationmatters.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-4021293773773092502011-05-23T16:42:31.923+01:002011-05-23T16:42:31.923+01:00Devastating.Devastating.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-78447544407966011822011-05-22T22:10:42.730+01:002011-05-22T22:10:42.730+01:00I can see why they don't allow mobile phones i...I can see why they don't allow mobile phones in prisons. I can't see why Mr X didn't know the one he put in Ben's kit would be found. Is he a bit slow?<br />Oh, and keeping Ben in prison is still a criminal waste of my taxes.Cirrocumulushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11357630236254664430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-39617183986472619902011-05-22T19:23:10.370+01:002011-05-22T19:23:10.370+01:00Anonymous, 11.10. Of all the upsetting comments o...Anonymous, 11.10. Of all the upsetting comments on here that has to be the worst, and I hope you are wrong. Had you been a follower of this blog since 2009, you would know that Ben was already done for the mobile he used to own back then, and it cost him 2 years. This adjudication somewhat different, but the point is not really phone but the fact that Ben is 22 years over tariff. His use of a mobile phone does not make him a danger to society - risk to life and limb is the real issue when it comes to release; not the phone. Ed.prisonerbenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14923205052778958118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-50442713019356451012011-05-22T09:59:18.396+01:002011-05-22T09:59:18.396+01:00A sick response.A sick response.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-36706692787006409572011-05-21T23:10:45.748+01:002011-05-21T23:10:45.748+01:00Haaaaar haaar when does the editor explain why did...Haaaaar haaar when does the editor explain why didn't he warn you off an illegal activity?<br /><br />5 more years ben!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-88988796178356104422011-05-21T18:38:45.716+01:002011-05-21T18:38:45.716+01:00I don't feel like a gullible fool either, Jul...I don't feel like a gullible fool either, Jules. But I carefully said 'look like'. In the perception of the jailers Ben's supporters look, I suppose, like nobbut a gaggle of well-meaning, clueless chatterers. And that dilutes the power of our advocacy? <br /><br />Sophie, I entirely agree with you that Ben's obduracy is his integrity. Bloodymindedness is a fine and admirable thing. But I worry that this phone business was more about expedience than principle, that its ramifications will affect many people; that it was ill-judged.<br /><br />Which brings us to sanity. Here I think all 3 of us agree.Charles Cowlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06757185376546920527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-89456241060114498152011-05-21T18:25:46.825+01:002011-05-21T18:25:46.825+01:00Sorted Jules, well saidSorted Jules, well saidAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-12499567972317617972011-05-21T17:00:36.132+01:002011-05-21T17:00:36.132+01:00Poor Ben. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the m...Poor Ben. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the mobile phone thing, surely we can all empathise with his longing to communicate his news to a loved one. Sometimes our hearts over-rule our heads, the only difference is in Ben's situation it has much more dire consequences for him. As for insanity, yes Sophie we do suffer from it at times and to varying degrees. Ben has been locked away all his adult life so who could be surprised if his sanity was affected? My heart goes out to Ben, and also to Ed. <br /><br />I for one do not feel like a gullible fool Charles, and I don't believe any of Ben's supporters should. I just feel a deep compassion and sense of injustice with the way a 14 year old child was dealt with all those years ago.Juleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16194966950654510250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-76175512477070591002011-05-21T12:38:35.560+01:002011-05-21T12:38:35.560+01:00Ben is too straight to play anyone elses games and...Ben is too straight to play anyone elses games and he probably can't either; so he has to go his own way. <br /><br />Darby, don't we all have questionable sanity at times?Sophie Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04336695401529252201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-21051509991435362792011-05-21T12:33:29.248+01:002011-05-21T12:33:29.248+01:00Big picture, little picture. Ben took a miscalcula...Big picture, little picture. Ben took a miscalculated and arguably hubristic risk by trying to outsmart the system. He has shot himself in the foot, justified the Prison Service's self-fulfilling view of him as a manipulative liar, and thereby made his supporters look like gullible fools. Result: one hundred-nil to the penal system. Far cleverer to have played it by their rules and not let them lay a glove on him. That's the little picture. The big picture is that Ben exists in a system which is so morally and remedially broke that you wouldn't want to fix it. But given almost total public indifference/hostility to 'criminals', that's a consideration of no relevance or force. Ben's situation, his wasted life, is not all about Ben. There are thousands of him. To sum up, it seems to me that he has made a catastrophic, culpable tactical mistake.Charles Cowlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06757185376546920527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-29794979766562943402011-05-21T11:41:15.899+01:002011-05-21T11:41:15.899+01:00How has Ben learnt so much- yet mastered so little...How has Ben learnt so much- yet mastered so little? when it comes to 'playing the game' that is our judicial system. Even I moderate what I say on this site with Ben's welfare in mind. Yet he fails to do so himself. I too worry about his sanity!Darbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-42184301975322917442011-05-21T04:00:46.522+01:002011-05-21T04:00:46.522+01:00As if possessing a mobile phone to keep a friendsh...As if possessing a mobile phone to keep a friendship and relationship going makes you dangerous, too dangerous even to be moved. Face it, the system is full of crass, petty rules like this one which has the effect of destroying a person, and their friends and family.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-20786112445870631822011-05-21T03:17:11.896+01:002011-05-21T03:17:11.896+01:00Telling truth = bad. Lying to achieve your goal = ...Telling truth = bad. Lying to achieve your goal = good. Are they teaching these prisoners nothing.<br /><br />Then again the whole Mr X story could be a concoction to disguise the fact that the phone is Ben's. A cunning plan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-90366783328745338352011-05-21T00:23:56.986+01:002011-05-21T00:23:56.986+01:00I only agree with Anon 4.58 regarding Ben's po...I only agree with Anon 4.58 regarding Ben's pointless admissions. The stuff with the phone was just shit luck - but the confession stumps me!Darbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-9449183628456925292011-05-20T19:36:06.055+01:002011-05-20T19:36:06.055+01:00Well said JGWell said JGInfamousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-25275705325257488882011-05-20T19:33:51.037+01:002011-05-20T19:33:51.037+01:00JUSTICE!...What crimes are committed in thy name?
...JUSTICE!...What crimes are committed in thy name?<br /><br />Nothing gripes me so much as victimless crimes. What is the 'crime' of a mobile phone, and where is the virtue in censorship?<br /><br />The law is the law, but to be justice, it has to have a purpose, and not be an excuse for mere law.JimmyGirohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01548795180321590463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-37387924738211029762011-05-20T17:45:51.326+01:002011-05-20T17:45:51.326+01:00Tallguy that doesn't excuse Ben writing this o...Tallguy that doesn't excuse Ben writing this on his blog. If he was hoping for any leniency at his disciplinary then he has lost any chance now. He has now rubbed his keepers nose in it.. He needs help. Anyway he could have used a pay phone for that one-off call. Crazy stuff. I worry about his sanity and his safety now. This is a bizarre turn of events.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-17892631160311175472011-05-20T17:30:46.672+01:002011-05-20T17:30:46.672+01:00@anon 4:58.
Whilst I do feel Ben was somewhat rec...@anon 4:58. <br />Whilst I do feel Ben was somewhat reckless, consider his position. He has to move to open to get released. He has to move now, this month, or his next parole hearing will not release him. He has been messed about by administrative mistakes, and last time he was moved ended up miles from where he expected to be with no way of making contact. <br /><br />So at a moment of great joy for him, with also a fear of other dangers, how is there anything more normal than to try and tell those close to you in anyway possible?tallguynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-60053997790827477222011-05-20T17:29:06.931+01:002011-05-20T17:29:06.931+01:00@Anon
It pains me,- but I have to agree!@Anon<br />It pains me,- but I have to agree!Darbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-58453291727667634192011-05-20T16:58:21.107+01:002011-05-20T16:58:21.107+01:00Are you completely mad? Using a phone is foolish w...Are you completely mad? Using a phone is foolish when you are expecting a move to open. Then confessing a historic case of phone use on your blog in this post?? You ask people to support you and then you self-inflict in this way. I think you need psychiatric help.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-84876650301556701382011-05-20T16:30:19.397+01:002011-05-20T16:30:19.397+01:00@Mary. Mr X may be trying to get parole or move on...@Mary. Mr X may be trying to get parole or move on too. He didn't have to share his phone with anyone. Moreover, Ben should not reveal who Mr X is, as no-one likes a grass. <br /><br />The prison should reduce the cost of calls. It makes me mad that my partner phones me, from prison, and credits are precious, and if i were able to, it would be free to call him back at weekends, and after 7pm. But i can't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-85028953736597979472011-05-20T13:08:16.815+01:002011-05-20T13:08:16.815+01:00What a wonderful thing it would be if Mr X did own...What a wonderful thing it would be if Mr X did own up and got Ben off the hook - would certainly do a lot of good from the point of view of demonstrating, what many of us know, that some prisoners are decent human beings who can do the right thing at times. This would restore people's faith in humankind as well as assisting Ben to get to the open prison, where he should have been weeks ago.<br /><br />Ben, you must hang in there - many of us are rooting for you and believe that you should not be incarcerated any longer. Wish I knew more of what could be done. Perhaps the prison service could make an assessment, that in spite of the mobile you are not a risk to the public. The prison and parole staff should ask themselves how they would behave in the same circumstances as you are in and if they could do this with an open mind and hoestly you almost certainly would be sent to the open prison immediately.<br /><br />Keep strong.<br /><br />xxMarynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-50478976727347052182011-05-20T09:51:00.861+01:002011-05-20T09:51:00.861+01:00@Anonymous 9:32
Its a word processor, not a lapt...@Anonymous 9:32 <br /><br />Its a word processor, not a laptop. Given this, and the fact that ben uses a floppy disk, it indicates that this machine is somewhat archaic. <br /><br />On an unrelated note, whilst Ben's conditions are bad and his blog does plenty to shock, it is nothing compared to this. <br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13457576tallguynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3184990032979540229.post-14998341921861200312011-05-20T09:32:23.134+01:002011-05-20T09:32:23.134+01:00I don't blame any prisoner for having a phone....I don't blame any prisoner for having a phone. Prison phone credits are expensive, and you can get contracts out here, with loads of free calls/texts. I agree, not down to Mr X to own up, if he was doing Ben a favor. But i still don't know how a phone could be hidden in a laptop???Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com