Article Draft

Headline:
They say home is where the heart is

Subheading:
Whilst I was serving my sentence, my boys had to adjust to life without me. By Jillian Page, 33

Article:
After committing to my three year sentence, I have completely missed out on my boys’ childhood. The last time I saw them, Leo and Aiden, before I had to hand myself in, I bent down and whispered to them both ‘You both are my world. Mummy will be back for you soon!’ With one last glance at my gorgeous boys, my husband wiped the tears that were streaming down my face, and then I turned to leave my world behind me.

As we pulled up to prison, my husband, Gary, held and squeezed my hand. ’The time will fly by, you’ll be home in no time babe’. I took his words as a comfort and reminded myself of them every single day that I was in there.

Before leaving, Gary pulled me close and kissed me on the forehead. With his last words being ‘I will come and see you next week. You’ll be absolutely fine. I promise you.’ 

Prison was exactly what I thought it would be. Groups of women that had been there for the past several years, with their friendship groups as strong as them. I knew I was going to struggle to fit it. I was surrounded by many of the nation’s most evil female offenders. I had never felt so alone and frightened in all of my life. I was so disappointed in myself for letting all of my boys down and that this is what my life had now become. During my time in prison, I had never felt so unfeminine. Showers were cut down to three minutes each, which was barely any time to have a proper wash. Not only that, but all make up was contraband and if found, the consequences were severe and you would be severely punished. Hair was scrapped back into a tight bun so it would not get in the way of our activities during our day.

Every morning at 6am, a guard would come into our dorms and order us to report to the main hall immediately. Once in the main hall, all prisoners had to partake in a morning exercise routine. The routine was similar to one you would expect in a military organisation. Once again, if anybody was found not partaking in the routine, major consequences would be taken into consideration and you would be thrown into isolation. Isolation was a place in which a prisoner would be locked away even more than they already are. The time that a prisoner would spend in isolation was unknown to them and was only decided by higher authorities a few days after they had been put in there. Thankfully, I never had to experience isolation, as I always obeyed the rules of the guards.

 Three years later, I am now free. I was released six months ago and life could not be any better. After spending some well-earned time with my boys, I am content.  I am now pregnant again, and will be giving birth to our precious baby girl later on this year. Being a prisoner was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. I am now a different person and nothing will ever change that.