On The Wing

C: Can I come in and do art. I’m on basic. They’ll lock me up otherwise. They got keys and all that and they think they’re better than us. Fuck that. I’m a hitman, people pay me to attack guards, I don’t want to be in this fucking jail. I’m a Londoner… they moved me down here cos I flooded Elmley with drugs… and violence.

G: Sounds rough

I: If you think it’s rough in here… go to Juvie… it’s wild man. You sit in someone’s seat with your food and they’ll stab you… they’ll stab you for anything… I know kids who got stabbed… do you know lozenge’s… like nicotine ones… yeah? I know people who got stabbed over a lozenge… you get stabbed over 50p… I’ve stabbed someone over a tenner… fucking Juvie is wild

G: Is that the young offenders block?

R: People got to live up to their reputations… you have to move someone out of your seat otherwise everyone else thinks you’re a pushover.

C: Kettle them, in it. I don’t care. I’ve had people coming for me. I got post-traumatic stress disorder because of people trying to kill me. I woke up in the night and threatened my pad mate… I was shouting at him “are you trying to kill me? Cos I’ll fucking kill you”. When I woke up in the morning I was like “sorry about that, my heads fucked in it”.

G: Shall we do some art?

I: I’m out next week. Four years recall though.

J: Notice the language

G: What do you mean?

J: He said recall not license

I: I’m coming back, no doubt about that. No way I can stay out of trouble out there.

J: I was out for a year and a half. I was doing alright too. I can’t believe I’m back here.

I: Shit hole in it

J: Ten years… I’m in shock. I was the only one in the car convicted. The others got off. I’m going to appeal. No face no crime, right? They have footage of a fat guy getting out the back and into the driver’s seat. But you can’t see the face.

I: My mate was in the car with me, he had his feet on the dash. I was driving at 80mph and I hit a car head on doing 60… my mate just went through the windscreen. He landed on the road. He was alive. He was hit by two other cars… I got 8 years for death by dangerous driving. I come in here and was sent to Juvie… I never went to school.

G: How come?   

C: My mum was a crack head. I found her OD’d. I called the paramedics. They had to put those things on her chest and “DOOF” bring her back. I was twelve. I had to look after myself. I started hanging round with bikers. They got me doing little things for them and they gave me pills and that.

G: Was that good?

C: Being stoned?

I: You think I’m stoned? I fucking am! Loaded mate! You don’t understand… people outside don’t understand… we’ll do anything to pass the time. I buy a sheet of spice and then tear bits off. It last longer. I owe my mum five grand. She paid off my drug debt. Everything is twice the price in here.

G: It shouldn’t be available in here, right?

J: I paid an officer to bring in drugs last time I was here. She used to bring in a little package twice a month. Easy… no bother. Then she got greedy, started doing it for others. She’s doing 6 years inside now.

G: Let’s mix some colours.

R: We’re all in our 40’s now, we don’t want that shit. These kids have made this place really tense. You can see when it’s going to kick off… you can avoid it or get involved. I’m too old for that shit.

N: They take drugs, they’re off their heads. I used to be like that but I stopped. I haven’t smoked spice for weeks now. I used to tear off massive pieces and smoke it.

R: Yeah, he’s done really well, fair play. I was in a cell with this young kid. It was a nightmare. Lasted 4 nights. I bullied him a bit to be honest. Here he is… what’s happening, you wasted?

L: You’re gonna die, might as well get high… fuck it, in it. What you going to do in here?

R: See what I mean. Imagine being two-ed up with that.

JB: It used to be alright on here. It’s gone really crazy.

RJ: What you doing today then boss? What’s going on? Where’s the others? Have you got any canvas’? I brought the ones back I took last week when I saw you looking for them. Did you get the others back? No! Can’t trust no one in here… it’s a prison. (Sings loudly)

G: We’re painting today, sit down join the others. I’ve not met you before have I?

K: They moved me from C on to here. They swapped me with someone else. I had a job… I was doing alright and then they put me here and I didn’t know anyone. I’ve got a cell to myself because I’m high risk… epilepsy. I have seizures and that could scare someone else. I’m not working so I spend most of my time in my cell. When it gets noisy on social time I go back into my cell. It gets too much. I’m living off 50p a day. That’s hard. I was homeless out there. I got into trouble because of drugs and then selling drugs. 

Sh: It’s so hot today. I’m sweating, man. I’m coming in definitely. This painting is like jazz… Marion said it was like music… where is she? Yeah… I’m going to add a bit more to that painting I started last week. It’s hot in here.

RC: This is supposed to be a drug rehabilitation wing. There is too many young ones… they don’t care. It’s too boisterous for me. I’m moving tonight. I’m going to T block. Can I take this with me? It was calming to do. I can give it to my son.

G: Yes, it looks really good. Nice one.

Sh: Yeah, it’s well chilled in here

R: It’s calm in it. For a couple of hours the walls disappear.

N: I like that… have you got any blue?

G: Yes…