Sponsored by
Prisoners learning to help each other overcome the stresses of life behind bars
Life doesn't stop when the court judge's sentence is made and a criminal realises he or she must spend the next decade or two locked away in prison.
Most people will never find out what it is like to spend many years in prison, but one thing is for sure, those inside must find a way to continue their lives in a completely different way.
For some this will mean long years spent coming to terms with the fact that something they did meant their freedom had to be taken away.
This inevitable separation from the outside world can mean alienation from family members and partners, depression and even suicidal feelings.
But, when I dropped in to Wellingborough Prison to speak to some of the prisoners about how they have taken part in a Samaritans scheme to help support their fellow inmates, I realised that life behind bars is exactly what you make of it.
The reason for my visit was that a group of the prisoners were being awarded their 'listener' certificates having successfully completed their training with the Northampton and Kettering Samaritans.
Whereas the good work the Samaritans do is usually done anonymously and on the phone, Wellingborough Prison's trained listeners know the people they are helping – they are fellow prisoners.
David Earle, director of Northampton Samaritans, explained: "In a sense the Samaritans in prison are like 'super Samaritans'. They don't have the ability to go home and forget about it. They are the Samaritans, but in prison."
He added: "A Samaritan here in prison will perhaps see that guy the next morning when he is queueing up for his breakfast. "The incidents of suicide and suicidal feelings are very much higher in a prison population than the population generally. So it is a big help for people to off-load their feelings to someone else who understands what that person is going through."
Once qualified, listeners go onto a rota and can be on call at any time in case they are needed by one of the prisoners.
There is 25 hours of training to go through before prospective listeners can reach this stage.
Mr Earle said: "We help support the team of listeners and they can telephone us if they want to offload."
The scheme has been operating for about 25 years nationally and about 12 years at Wellingborough Prison. During this time, hundreds of people have passed through the listener project.
Mr Earle said: "It is an initiative between the Samaritans and prison after the realisation that prison populations had very high incidence of suicidal feelings."
Those taking part in the listener scheme are all volunteers who have also been recommended for the scheme on the basis of their good behaviour and ability to keep matters confidential. Everything disclosed by a prisoner to a listener must be kept under wraps.
Mr Earle said: "They are there all the time so if someone feels suicidal in the middle of the night the listener can go to the prisoners and the listener will help them with their suicidal feelings.
"We train them with listening skills and how to help people decide about their feelings. It is mainly a case of helping people to work things out for themselves.
"You don't cure any problems, you listen and help them to know and work out what they need to do."
'We could sit up all night and listen'
'Helping people with suicidal feelings' is such an easy phrase to say.
But is it easy to do?
The task can prove particularly tough when the person doing the helping has problems of their own.
But, for those at Wellingborough Prison who have become listeners through the Samaritans programme, there is great reward in volunteering to help others.
Tony Gervas, 48, has been a listener at Wellingborough for five years.
He has already been in prison for 17 years and is nearing the end of a life sentence. He explained: "I started getting into chapel activities and going down to work with the Samaritans was part of that process.
"When you listen to people and help people you are also helping yourself. I spent four to five weeks in a big dormitory so people who were suicidal or depressed could come and we could sit up all night with them and listen. That had a great benefit and we did see a change."
He continued: "We introduce ourselves and make it clear that everything said is confidential. We make them understand that we are going to stick to that confidential role. Once they have off-loaded, you can see the change.
"It is often about stuff that is going on outside, like relationships.
A lot of people have relationship problems or there is the stress of being in prison. But there are lots of opportunities here; I did an engineering course."
He said he had a recent disappointment in terms of his release and found out the true value of being able to talk to others.
He said: "I have had other problems but for the first time I found out how speaking to people can really help."
New listener David Smyth, 31, said his training was carried out over a three-month period.
He said: "I did a couple of years of therapy myself and listening is part of the process. I wanted to help other people.
"At the time it is quite intense and it can be emotional for them. Perhaps the most common one is family problems and people splitting with partners or families.
"When you are in prison it is all about bravado, you never get to see what anyone is like at all. That kind of setting rarely gives people the chance to open up."
New listener Kristofer Whittaker, 26, said he found the first few weeks in prison very hard and wanted to help others get through this tough time.
He said: "You have to help explore their feelings and try to make them think of ways for themselves and tease things out of them. You want them to reach a conclusion themselves.
"You can't give advice and you have to be careful you don't cross that line of advice. You might have experienced a feeling yourself and want to tell them how you cured your problem, but you have to be careful as everyone is different."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Kettering
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North west
