“Obviously I got done for * didn’t I, like when I was younger, but I don’t really know … just living a wild lifestyle really, so just never really been that stable. I think like it’s kind of on the cards from a young age, well maybe not this, but obviously I’m gonna get a long period in prison. [Drugs/alcohol] I don’t know, I don’t even think like … coz even before that, like when I was in units and things like that, yeah, like boarding school units and things like that, so I did like, you know, where you have to go and stay there and everything like when you’re naughty, so obviously I done all them as well when I was a kid, so from really young. I never used to drink or anything then, so I don’t know, I just like used to lose my shit when I was a kid. Do you know what I mean? I used to fly off the handle. [In care] Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was in care from like, I think, when I was about 10. I don’t know. I was just obviously naughty again. So I was in care for a couple of years… I was in foster care, then I was in the units, and then I done three other sentences, and then I got this one. Yeah, it’s a lot innit.
[How many times go for parole] Three. [Out on the third] No, actually the fourth one. So the first one I got a D-cat, went to D-cat, it was absolutely horrible. I got thrown out of there, so then I come back, two years later I got another board, I got given D-cat, then Covid come in. Covid was like ’20. It was just horrible wunnit, it was like basically locked up all the time, kind of thing. Obviously I was up to no good just like in prison. Do you know what I mean? Just living the way I needed to live, not abiding by the rules.
For my first day. Yeah, I met everyone. Had a look around and that. I liked it. I don’t know, I don’t know actually, I thought it was gonna be a bunch of old Christians … we forgive your sins and all this. So I had it completely wrong and then I thought I’ll come here for a little few sessions and then I’ll call it a day. It was just little things. It was like when … coz obviously I done my theory test for my driving licence didn’t I and the people from LandWorks were like the first ones to message in the morning and say good luck. It just means a lot. It’s nice. It’s like I say, it just meant a lot. I thought it’s different here. And it is innit?
I just thought it was gonna be a bit like that, like a charity-based thing or something, you know, try and give you some tins with no labels on. There you go. Then when I found out you don’t take money from the government and that I thought oh, brilliant. Once you get money from them they’ll start to try and tailor things, and you’d have like real weirdos up here. Do you know what I mean?
My probation officer (PO) had put it to me a few times, so the parole before, like two-and-a-half years ago, so he sent all the stuff out to me, to the prison, and then obviously that never happened then, so he sent it again at the next parole and I thought well, I’m gonna go and see what it’s about. Like with the brochure and that you genuinely can’t really see. It don’t … I don’t think there’s any way to explain in the brochure like what really happens. You look at the pictures and that and the views, you just think it’s just gardening or something like that, you don’t … even if you read it you can’t get the picture… But they can offer you help with everything don’t they, they do. Like even May said she’s gonna start helping me look for a flat. Things like that. Yeah, it’s just nice.
Food. I like the food, even like the egg and chips today was good. Like organic eggs straight from the chickens, you don’t get that do you. Like even the eggs are decent. With salad, all the tomatoes and things, it’s just nice. In Town, yeah, you look for somewhere to eat, you can’t find nowhere decent, it’s all greasy shite innit, everything’s fried or it has to be with chips or something. [Into healthy food] Yeah, but while I’m there (Approved Premises) it’s a little bit awkward, you’ve just gotta kinda just fucking eat it.
[Highlights] What at LandWorks? I like it. You know like when like George (2) come back, Chris gets like emotional, he genuinely cares and that, it’s just little things like that I like. It just shows there’s a lot of good people. It’s just little things like that, it’s just nice to see.
[Lowlights] There hasn’t been any down here. It’s always pretty like peaceful innit, and quiet. I get to see my PO down here as well don’t I. If I moved somewhere else, if I say I’m gonna be Somewhere else, he transfers my case to there and I don’t know what probation officer I’m gonna get. My current PO is like a safety-net kind of thing isn’t he. This is why I’m thinking if I stay in this kind of area, he’s still my probation, but I can travel anywhere to work.
It’ll be good though because I suppose everything starts to become a bit real now, I need to really start looking for somewhere to live. I just think I’m gonna struggle about references and things like that. I could get some fake ones, say I’ve lived there for three years. I was saying to Steve I could just like give them all the different prisons that I’ve been to … he looked after his cell really well. Do you know what I mean? Smashed this one up. It’ll be alright though. Like I say, when I speak to people and that and they’re saying you’ve just got to lower your expectations for a little minute to just get somewhere, even if it’s just a bed and a shower. It’s like your own space and I get that…. Then once you’re working you can start looking for somewhere else/ ”
A window into LandWorks 