Fine Cell Work - Giving prisoners a purpose

“Giving someone something to concentrate on helps to push aside struggles, open their minds and get lost in creativity”

Working for Fine Cell

Mr C joined Fine Cell due to tedium. As an pro-active person he needed something to occupy the long hours spent inside Wandsworth Prison. Prisoners are let out of their cells only around 4 hour’s a day this is if they a part of a workshop. If not they can spend up to 23 hours day inside the cell, especially during weekends.

 

 

From left - 1. Speak shit, spit blood, cause and effect bitch. 2. The Final furlong at the races.3. Look, don't see, hear, don't listen, touch don't feel.

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One of the inmates suggested to go into tailoring. Mr C had never sewn a button in his life (His girlfriend always did it.) he thought that would be a challenge.

Learning to tailor with a struggle sewing machines running away from itself, as teachers fail to mention there are brake on the machine. After only a fortnight he got the hang of it. Able to create officer's short duffle coats and jeans.

Words got around wing indicated Mr C was a creative, impeccable drawer and designer as his previously worked as a CAD Technician. Fine Cell Work asked if he could design a charity banner for Jumbulance. FCW was so please with the work that  Mr C was on board to learn how to sew hand embroidery.

 After a few months FCW was commissioned by Victoria and Albert Museum to produce a wall hanging quilt for the V and A and lead a team of 53 prisoners.

 

Mr C designed the Footprint of this quilt which was made up of 53 hexogen shapes, structured around the floor plan of Wandsworth Prison. The blue represents the uniform of inmates.

 

THE WANDSWORTH QUILT

 

 

Each of the 53 inmates put their own stamps of what they thought of life in prison is about. Some stamps captured the strong portrayal of prisons life i.e. being overcrowded. Others showing the mental rehabilitation of inmates.

The Wandsworth quilt was displayed for three months in Victoria and Albert Museum. A record 177000 visitors came to view it – that is the most visitors in any V&A exhibition has ever had in that short amount of time. It toured all across the world and was Mr C’s proudest moment, along with curating the Help for Heroes  patchwork hanging representing all the lives lost in Afghanistan which raised almost £3000 in a raffle for the charity.

 

   Help for Heroes patchwork quilt 

Another achievement for Mr C, was during his six month’s in Open Prison, where inmates go when they are proved to be less risk. He discovered that almost £25000 was being spent on replacing faulty uniforms. Mr C was shocked that the faults were very minimal, and the price so high. He created a business proposal to officers to show how much it could save, if prisoners were taught to repair items, more jobs would be created within the open prison and a lot of money would be saved. To this day Mr. C’s proposal is still continuing.

  

Mr C’s art has won many Koestler Awards (an arts award for prisoners) and his work has featured in their exhibitions, including “Life on the Wing” a portrayal of the happenings in prison and his quilt which was featured on ITV London Tonight

 

 

 Life on the Wing

A day in the life of an inmate.

Prisoners are woken up around 8.30. By 9 they are doing their workshops for 2 1/2 hours. Afterward they are given something to eat. The food is terrible especially meat, where only cheap and fatty cuts are used. Mr C told me that with this poor diet it did not help the physical and mental wellbeing of inmates,

A lot of drug smuggling happens in prisons.  The substances can come in by various means chuck them over the prison wall and collected by privilege inmates who is allows by the wall. Nowadays recently they are flying drones to carry illegal substances, which are placed outside in the exercise area. The prisoner who would receive the drugs would be the first out to the yard and quickly snatch the packet before the rest of the officers came out to supervise.

 

    There was at least 33 drone incidents in 2015

 

Suicide rates at Wandsworth are also the highest in the country (82 took their lives in 2014) – perhaps the reason why drug smuggling is seen as somewhat a less of an issue. This suicidal rate has been linked with the fact that prisons are overcrowded and therefore a lack of staffing and mental care resulting in self-inflicted death.

By 5pm prisoners are locked back up in their cell for the rest of the day. Almost all prisoners share with at least another person. There is a Kettle, TV, wash basin and loo in the cell, though no privacy. Mr C said that his roommate was not a huge fan of his, who used to stay up until around 3am stitching and drawing. Eventually Mr C managed to get a cell of his own!!

 

What has Fine Cell done for Mr C.

Although cliché without Fine Cell, Mr C stated that he would not be where he is today. Fine Cell gives prisoners a focus. For all inmates or anyone suffering with deep mental problems, giving someone something to concentrate on helps to push aside struggles, open their minds and get lost in creativity.

"I wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their work over the past Nine years, for a wonderful experience and the skills that you have taught me during my time with you.”

 

 

Finally asking Mr C to give three words to sum out Fine Cell, this was his conclusion……

Relieving boredom

Keeping Sanity

And increasing creativity.