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A crocodile of prisoners proceeds slowly along the polished linoleum floor until we’re stopped for another body search before entering the chapel Why would they search us before going into a place of worship? We file into a large hall where each worshipper is handed a Bible I takeblack lance around at what appears to be a full house

The Chaplain, David (his name is written in bold letters on a label attached to his orn jacket), takes his place at the front of the chapel and calls for silence He is a man of about forty-five, stockily built, with a pronounced liation of ly, it takes hi such a flock to order

While he goes about his task, I continue to look around the roouess measures about twenty paces by twenty The outer walls are red brick and the room holds about two hundred plastic chairs, in rows of twenty On the four walls there are paintings of Christ and his Disciples, Christ being carried to the toin Mother with an angel, the Raising of Lazarus, and Christ cal the storm

Directly behind the Chaplain is a rock band – their leader is a pretty, dark-haired girl who has a guitar slung over her shoulder She is accoers, all of whom have tiny roup is aa slide projector that flashes up on a white sheet hung in front of him the words of the first hymn

When the Chaplain finally gains silence – achieved only after a threat that anyone caught talking would iins the service by delivering three prayers, all unsubtly spelling out the sihbour He then turns to the girl with t

he guitar and gives her a slight bow Her gentle voice rings out the e, which is accompanied heartily by the black prisoners who ation, while the rest of us are a little ers are all white, and give as good as they get, even when the clapping begins After the last verse has rung out, we are all ready for the sermon, and what a sermon it turns out to be

The Chaplain’s chosen theme is murder He then invites us to pick up our Bibles – which he describes as the biggest bestseller of all tilances in my direction and winks

‘And it all began with Cain and Abel,’ he tells us, ‘because Cain was the first e by killing him But God saw him do it and punished him for the rest of his life’

His next chosen exayptian and also thought he’d got aith it, but he hadn’t because God had seen him, so he too was punished for the rest of his life I don’t reht Moses died peacefully in his bed aged 130

‘Noant you to turn to the Second Book of Samuel,’ declares the Chaplain ‘Not the first book, the second book, where you’ll find a king as aDavid He killed Uriah the Hittite, because he fancied his wife Bathsheba He had Uriah placed in the front line of the next battle toBathsheba However, God also sahat he was up to, and punished hily Because God witnesses every murder, and will punish anyone who breaks his commandments’

‘Alleluia,’ shout several of the congregation in the front three rows

I later learnt froation were murderers, so the Chaplain ell aware of the audience he was playing to

After the ser a quiet reprise while the Chaplain asks if all those who are willing to put their trust in God ins to form in front of David, and he blesses the the last hy As we file out, I thank the Reverend before being searched – but what could possibly change hands during the service, when they’ve already searched us before we came in? I find out a week later We are then escorted back to our cells and locked up once again

12 noon

At midday we’re let out for Sunday lunch There are four different dishes on offer – turkey, beef, ham and stew As I arated cheese and two slices of un- to my cell to sit at my little table and slowly nibble my cheese sandwich