Procedures, rules and routines
How to read the stories

Procedures, rules and routines

List of words used in prison

Reception: All new prisoners come here when they enter prison. This is where you will meet prison officers and nurses for the first time. They will ask you lots of questions about your health. You can tell them any problems you have.

Remand in custody: This is when the court decides you have to go to prison to wait for your trial.

Sentence: This is when you are sent to prison by the court after you are found guilty of a crime. Your sentence is also the amount of time you are sent to prison for.

Full search: This is when the prison officers search you. You take off your clothes. Officers look to see if you have hidden anything that is not allowed.

Prison kit: These are the words that the prison uses for prison uniform. You get a clean uniform every week.

Servery: This is the name for the kitchen.

Cell: In prison the bedrooms are called cells. You may be in a cell on your own or you may share with another prisoner.

First night centre: This is where you spend your first night in prison.

Induction programme: Every prisoner has to go to an induction programme when they first go into prison. It tells you about the prison rules and gives you the chance to talk about your needs.

Education assessment: Every prisoner has to do an English and Maths test. Someone will talk to you about what support you need.

Pin number: Every prisoner gets a different pin number. You use your pin number when you use the phone.

Canteen sheet: This is the way you buy things in prison. There is a form called a canteen sheet you get on the same day each week. It tells you how much you can spend, and has a list of things you can buy, for example, phone credit, stamps, writing paper, food and toiletries.

Mental health worker: This is someone like a community nurse, psychiatrist or therapist who works in the prison. The mental health worker can give you support while you are in prison.

Chaplain: Each prison has a chaplaincy team with chaplains from the main world faiths. A chaplain visits each part of the prison every day to give extra support to prisoners. You can talk to chaplains about anything that is worrying you even if you are not religious.

Exercise yard: This is a big outside area where you can exercise and chat to other prisoners.

Visiting order: A visiting order is a form you can fill in and send to the person or people you want to visit you. Different prisons allow different numbers of visits.

Release date: This is the date you will be allowed to leave the prison.

How to read the stories

There is no right or wrong way to read the stories.

Some people are not used to reading stories. Start at the beginning and read the story in each picture. Encourage the reader to move through the pages at their own pace.
Encourage the person to tell the story in their own words. You will discover what they think is happening, what they already know, and how they feel. If you are using the pictures to help explain a procedure to someone, you may need to describe or clarify the actions being shown in each picture to help them understand. Try not to challenge the reader(s) or suggest their ideas are wrong.
Some pictures may be more difficult to understand. It can help to prompt the people you are supporting, for example:
• Who do you think that is?
• What is happening?
• How is he or she feeling?
• Do you feel like that? Has it happened to you/ your friend/ your family?
Allow people enough time to follow the pictures at their own pace. Allow time for discussion of each picture.
Some people may benefit from reading the larger story from which the extract has been taken. This will allow them to explore their feelings and experiences in more depth. To buy the complete book, follow the link to the bookshop that appears at the end of the story.