Porterfield Prison

Inverness

A local prison normally for holding short term and remand prisoners, so to be amongst some short timers is rather a kick in the groin albeit I being a LTP ie long term prisoner has its advantages.

After I was sentenced the honourable Lord Mccauly never even came and shook hands strange as I thought being a Q.C he would have been delighted at the fact that I had got off with the initial charge MURDER.

then again going back to his advice had I took it and plead guilty to this charge I would have been sentenced to life imprisonment, for a Q.C not to even come and speak to me I find strange.

I find out my liberation date is 07/06/95

six years and eight months ahead of me.

I was allocated a cell on the ground floor and placed on strict suicide observation

not that at any time ,did I feel the need to commit suicide.

Fortunately for us our cell looked on to some private flats and we spent many an evening trying to gain a sight of one of the nurses in the flats opposite, but I must say it was more of a chore spending hours ,just for a fleeting glance of a nurse moving from bathroom to living room

and to this day I never saw anything I could write home about.

J.A.Y

was coming for a visit now and again, but soon reality struck home and we drifted apart, I was allocated a job in one of the sheds making camoflage nets for the M.O.D

to which I found rather labourious

I was pestering the S.P.S to get a move to Glenochil Prison as I had been in there as a Y.O and knew the place better than this victorian shambles of a place, made infamous through Jimmy boyle,s exploits, when he and a few other prisoners ,smashed through the cell walls, during the late 60,s.

My father managed a visit although it was a short one as he had difficulty finding the place

although, I had not seen my father for a few years , and until recently I hadnt admitted to him what had happened even if I had commited the crime.. I was to ashamed to admit it...

After nine months of this regime I was told i was moving to glenochil at last somewhere closer for my family to visit.

prison no.544/89  I  would  like  to point  out  that  I  hadnt came  across  any  drugs  or  alcohol in this  prison not  that i  had  any  inclination to do any, also my  appeal was lodged 

It was not long before all the halls were full approx 92 prisoners per hall ,three flats

and then three levels

Remember that during this time inside things were changing, you were allowed your own clothes ,duvet, radio cassette, curtains , where as before the prison clothed you , and supplied bedding , therefore saving the prison £1000,s of pounds yet conditions overall have not changed, putting a toilet in a cell is a step back, the smell alone must be over powering, as for slopping out there is nothing more degrading especially in the like of porterfield and saughton , not very pleasant when the cell is shared.

VISITS

the visits are ok in most prisons except for the strip search after , this is one of the most humiliating things I found while in prison considering I never took any thing through a visit except on one occasion and that was enough.

It was in 1990 that I was to try opiates for the first time and immediately I was hooked, things were to progress for the worse, and it was not long before I was addict chasing it every day, trying to feed a habit is hard when your only getting £6.70 a week you have to balance the books .. and it is quite simple to do ,without money ever entering the prison.. but that would telling.

smuggling

with an architect angus and scrabble champion

quite funny as the nights we got stoned between 18.30pm and lock up...........dont bear thinking about..this is a different world in prison so if you have not been locked up you probably wont be able to relate to this story.......

coming soon waiting on

MAIL