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Once I’ve finished lunch, which takes all of five ain I continue uninterrupted for a couple of hours until Kevin returns clutching a plastic bag of goodies – two Weetabix, a carton of est triumph to date – two packets of Cup a Soup, rateful I a down to a plastic bowl of Weetabix soaked in

420 pm

It’s not until after four has struck that I aain and join the other prisoners for forty-five minutes in the exercise yard I quickly learn that you take any and every opportunity – froet out of your cell Once again, we’re searched before being allowed to go into the yard

Most of the inroups and sunbathe while lounging up against the fence Just a few of us stride purposefully round I walk briskly because I’y the latest Nike or Reebok trainers It’s the one fashion statement they are allowed to es of ato read thees a day and hopes to finish the work by the time he’s released in December

I read the ten pages as I walk He is clearly quite well educated as the sentences are grae I congratulate him on the piece, wish hi out the same exercise al problee of the law, I am unable to answer any of their questions I hear my name called out on the tannoy, and return to the officer at the gate

‘Mr Peel wants to see you,’ the officer says without explanation, and this time doesn’t bother to search me as I am escorted to a little office in the centre of the spur Another for if he can visit me on Friday

‘Do you want to see him?’ he asks

‘Of course I do,’ I reply

‘They don’t all want to,’ Mr Peel remarks as he fills out the for in

‘Not well,’ I ad locked up for seventeen hours…but I’m sure you’ve heard it all before’

Mr Peel begins to talk about his job and the probleh He’s been a prison officer for ten years, and his basic pay is still only £24,000, which with overtime at £1320 an hour (maximum allowed, nine hours a week) he can push up to £31,000 I didn’t tell him that it’s less than I pay my secretary He then explains that his partner is also a prison officer and she carries out her full overtime stint, which means they end up with £60,000 a year between thee across, he changes the subject back to Belmarsh

‘This is only a reception prison,’ he explains ‘If you’re convicted and not on remand, we move you to another prison as quickly as possible But I’ain and again They aren’t all bad, you know, in fact if it wasn’t for drugs, particularly heroin, sixty per cent of them wouldn’t even be here’

‘Sixty per cent?’ I repeat

‘Yes,habit or are part of the drug culture’

‘And can they still get hold of drugs in prison?’