Reflections on Rehabilitation: A Conversation Among Inmates about Coping, Justice and Rehabilitation in Prison

Johnny Marrisa is having lunch with inmates Tony, Ofel and Kevin. You like, you’re angry all the time, right? That’s quite a high level of energy that I don’t have, for example. But I can see how you become that because you have to be like that. Yeah, cause you’ve got these things set up to cope. It’s all about coping. It’s just coping, getting through every day, coping. Can you imagine this routine for eight, nine, 10 months? I know, I know. Imagine what effect that has on you mentally. Yeah. Yeah. And then one day someone opens the door and goes, going home today? Yeah, but all that mental damage is done. You need more support in prisons. There’s nothing wrong with victims wanting to see you punished, but listen, you’re. You’re stuck on this victim. Yeah. If all we’re gonna say is, will the victims deserve justice? Yes, they do. But what about the next victim, and the victim after that, and the victim after that, and the victim after that? Because if you don’t fix that individual, there’s just gonna be more victims. Is a big part of that. Rehabilitation is big, but it’s not everything. This idea that prison is purely for your rehabilitation, well, it should. You haven’t got to be a rocket scientist to look at the crime statistics that have consistently gone up. What planet have you got to be living on to look at that and think, yeah, prison service is Working? You’re deluded. Look at the statistics. It’s not working. Wake the fuck up, government, mate. You’re talking out your ass. People dying for what? So that some MP in government can stand up and go, yeah, no, I think the prison system is working. I’m gonna go and decorate my flat. You ain’t it. Ultimately, if we’re going to rehabilitate people, which is what people want to see, but it requires further reflection from them rather than complaining about everything that’s been done to them. But even that is wrong because their products of their upbringing. Kevin never had a dad. Nothing simple, particularly in prison.