Just wondering if anyone has any tips/advice  for someone going to prison for the first time? And any personal stories on spending time on the vpu wings ? Day to day experiences, general safety, food. Stories from the court room to 1st night in the cell etc. There doesnt seem to be alot of personal experience stories on being on the vpu wing online and I think it would help alot of people who may be preparing for their time inside including myself. 
Thanks

https://stopso.org.uk/first-48-hours-in-custody/
This covers the first 48 hours.

You would probably be asked by the prison staff at Reception if you want to go on the VP wing, but you can ask if you want to make sure. When it comes to being on the wing, it is prison, so there will be people who were already thieves, etc, so you need to be careful with your property in that respect. Prisons will want to keep you well segregated from prisoners on other wings, and their procedures have been worked out over many years. I did hear of one incident of food adulteration, but the way it normally works is for the officer in charge of collecting the food trolleys to have the choice of which trolley to take, so if the food is seriously adulterated, it might go back to the wing of the person who adulterated it. They would not be popular, and would be dealing with far greater risks than you would ever face on the wing.

In terms of what to take with you, stick to a few items of clothing and some basic toiletries, plus some cash if you have it available. I emptied my bank accounts just before I went in. The money will be counted out in front of you, and you will be asked to sign everything, but that would also be done in the custody suite at the court building anyway. You can't take food, tobacco, vaping equipment, aerosols, anything with a rechargeable battery, a digital watch (I think). You shouldn't take any black clothing, and you're not allowed sunglasses or peaked caps/hats. Don't take any clothing that is branded with a sports team, and expensive fashion brands may make you more vulnerable to theft. You probably won't see any of that stuff for a few days after arrival anyway, and you should be called to Reception to collect it. Feel free to check that with your personal officer once they are assigned, as you might need to apply to Reception for permission to go and get it. Most stuff should be explained to you during Induction, but that only covers what happens after your arrival. It is better to find something to get you off the wing during the day, but the main thing is to be busy, especially if you can find something to fill the evenings and weekends. You should get access to the prison library, and that prison will be connected to the local authority's library system unless you are in a private prison. There will also be courses available in Education, although they mainly concentrate on basic numeracy and literacy with some IT courses offered (especially Microsoft Office). Obviously, all of this is subject to whatever COVID restrictions are still being enforced in prisons.

For some people, the hardest thing to accept is that you rely on other people 100% for everything. You can't open your own door during the night or even in the morning. You will have random drug tests and cell searches. You may also have to pass "volumetric control" as well, where you are given a couple of large boxes and you have to fit all your stuff into them. If you can't fit it all in, some of it will have to go, in theory. There are limits on how much money can go into your "Spends" account at a time, and a ceiling on how much you can have in your account before automatic transfers from your "Private cash" account stop. Do not be tempted to get a savings account within the prison, as that just locks the money away until you are released and does not earn any interest. Prisons are instructed to advise prisoners to have a bank account, so if you don't have one, apply for one while you are inside as it looks much easier than opening one when you get out. Again, all this should be explained to you during Induction, but don't be afraid to ask.

Meals are generally ordered a week at a time, in advance, so you'll be stuck with whatever is available for a few days, and you'll have to be at the back of the queue, unless your wing is really enlightened and the staff can be bothered to work out what will be available without waiting until the end of service. The same goes for canteen (or commissary as the US TV shows call it). You order in advance and collect it on the appointed day, which is once a week, with special arrangements for Easter/Christmas/New Year.

I think that's all the stuff I wished I'd known at the time, but it was some years ago now, and some procedures might have changed more than once. Most of Failing Grayling's reforms have been re-reformed since then, but some might live on. Pay attention during Induction!

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If you are to punish a man retributively you must injure him. If you are to reform him you must improve him. And men are not improved by injuries. (George Bernard Shaw)

Thankyou that was a good read. Shame he didn't write a book.

Thankyou for the advice, what would you advise on people asking why you in? I keep seeing mixed opinions of either "be honest" or "Dont talk about it".

Most (but not all) people on the VP wing will be there for a similar reason, so they won't be that interested. It's not something I was ever asked by a prisoner in any prison. I did hear that there were one or two of the "specialist" prisons where they like to differentiate between adult victims and child victims, but that is not a distinction that anyone else would recognise. I would expect "what do you think?" to be an effective answer.

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If you are to punish a man retributively you must injure him. If you are to reform him you must improve him. And men are not improved by injuries. (George Bernard Shaw)

Thanks, hoping more people share their advice and stories as it definitely  helps to give a reasonable view on what to expect and help prepare.

Hi

A lot of sound advice has been provided my AB2014, though it all depends on your own attitude, life experiences etc. 
You will be tested by both inmates and staff. Remember everyone in an establishment has an agenda which is personal to them. Inmates might be desperate for friends because they may have been alienated by other inmates or they want something from you. I was conned over food within days because I was sympathetic to a story....
Be wary of stepping into an incident to help someone as that is the staffs responsibility and your actions maybe misunderstood.
If you wish become a "listener" or other official supportive person and definitely get a job. If there are benefits to the job DO NOT allow yourself to pass them on to others.  
You will find everyone is innocent, had a bad solicitor or judge etc. Plus everyone has money in the bank and a porsche in the garage.  Just treat everyone with respect, and use your gut feelings the same way as you would on the outside.

The most important advice I can give you is:

Forget about time as you understand it as it does not exist inside

Outside you have control and expectations over time. Inside you do not. For example an officer with say they will get back to you. Do not expect voluntary updates and be polite when asking them.

Try to be organised and keep a diary of events, requests made especially who to, date and time and reply.
There is so much more but that is the book you mentioned, but then your diary may be that book.



Society suggests I must let go of all my expectations but I disagree, as whilst I have a voice, I have hope.

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope is for tomorrow else what is left if you remove a mans hope.
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This forum supports these words, thank you Unlock and your contributors.

Some good points there I will take on board, Thanks again.

Thought I would try and update this a bit (having recent experience), just in case anyone is being considered for a stay at on of His Majesty’s establishments in the near future.
A lot of what AB2014 says is still good advice, even 4 years later, which shows what a truly lumbering out of date organisation that HMPPS is.

Pretty much nowadays you don’t get a choice if you are convicted of a sex offence you are going onto a VP wing until you get moved to a VP prison. Unfortunately, your first experience of prison is going to be your worst experience as well. From court you will go to a reception prison, probably a B-cat local to the court. Generally, you will work in a separate area to the “mains”, move at different times and generally be segregated. This is the time when you will get the calls of “nonce” or “pedo” from those prisoners who don’t realise that their crimes create victims and have as much impact on people (possibly more) than yours did. Reception prison officers have a general apathy towards prisoners as you shouldn’t be there long. Generally, in these prisons if you are not working it will be 22-23 hour bang-up.

You will be sharing a cell with someone else, unless you are deemed as high-risk, i.e likely to kill your cell mate, if you identify as transgender, etc. Getting a single cell takes time, but you will appreciate it when you get there.

You used to stay at the reception prison for a few months before being shipped to a long-term prison. This is something that has improved, and it is now usually on a matter of weeks, or in some cases days before you are moved on.

Once you get moved to a VP prison (be it B-Cat or C-Cat), prison life gets a little better. People are friendlier, and although I will never see the people I met in prison again, it helps to have some social time during your sentence. You are unlocked in the morning around 7.30am-8.00am, locked up over lunch usually 12.00-1.15/1.30, then open until bang up around 18:15-19:15, depending on the prison.

I will add a little to AB2014’s money tips. You have three accounts in prison, “Spends”, “Private”, and “Savings”. The current (as of this post) limit is £900 across all three accounts. Savings, as AB says, is useless unless it is the only way to stop you spending money you may need for your release and you don’t have a bank account. Private is where the money you take in with you goes, and any money you have sent in to you goes. Depending on your regime level, a certain amount of this gets transferred every week to your spends (roughly £25 if you are on standard, £36 on enhanced), along with any wages you earn. Your spends account is where you have to buy everything from, your canteen (weekly shopping supplies), any mail order, weekly charge for the tv etc (£1, or halved if sharing a cell with only one tv), newspapers, tv guides, magazines comes out of. Prisons have cut down on clothing parcels being sent in, most though will allow one when you are first sentence, take advantage of that if you can, but again, nothing black, nothing with hood, no peaked caps, nothing with offensive slogans or national teams, etc.

Finally, for now as this post is getting too long, regime level. You will come in on standard, you want to work towards enhanced. Different prisons give different rules for getting it but the most common you will hear is that you have to have been in for 3 months and must be going above and beyond, that means good compliance with the prison regime and volunteering outside of work to help out where you can. Enhanced will allow you to buy little extras like a dvd player or a games console. Prisons are still working on consoles that are now 12-15 years out of date, so Playstation 2, or X-Box 360 (with the internet permanently disabled obviously). Enhanced will also give you more money transferred from spends and some little things, like an extra gym session and visit per month. Basic is obviously a bad thing, when you do something wrong and includes reduction in pay, closed conditions (i.e. only out of your cell for exercise and showers), and normally having your tv removed.
This went way too long but is hopefully helpful, if anyone has any more specific questions, I will try and answer them.