wwwDotDong

The other day I found myself in the chance position of talking to a member of the prison population. He was out for the day and I was having a social chat with him when he suprised me with something he said.

I'll call this man Bob to protect his ID, but that is of course not his real name.

Bob told me that he was being kept in a category B prison. From what I understand, this is not an open prison which are considered easier. However how Bob got there shocked me a little.

Bob had been placed on probation and had deliberately broken his terms to get himself put back in prison. He actually wanted to get put back in prison! I was shocked by this, why would anyone want to go to prison? It turns out that Bob was having a rough time on the outside, although what he described didn't sound much different to pretty much everyone else's life. As a result, Bob had decided that he wanted a 'break' and decided that the best place for this would be back in prison.

Bob further explained that while in prison he was with several of his mates, had access to the gym to work out and basically had the time to clear his mind before being released again to the public. He explained that his short sentence was his choice and that he actually found it to be a break and enjoyable.

I appreciate that people go to prison for all sorts of reasons, but what does this say about our prison service that someone would willingly choose to go there for a 'break' and that they had their friends there, their recreation there, a time to reflect etc.

Is this what I'm paying for in my taxes? Some sort of relaxation centre to meet up with your pals, get over the last few months worth of stress and relax? Has prison become some sort of spa or clinic?

I'm glad I had this chance encounter. It's not normally something I would get an insight in to and I don't normally get to speak to people like Bob.

Genuinely I hope Bob sorts his life out, clearly he needs to, but it does concern me that he and possibly others see the UK prison service as a health and relaxation spa break. Where's the punishment gone?