Free Bang Up: Prison walls don't just keep criminals in, the keep the outside world at bay by Karen Woods Page B

there were always a few prisoners who reformed and got their life back on track but they tended to be a lot older than this crew and at the end of very long sentences.
    The only time most of the prisoners had done a day’s work in their life was when they were in the big house. Anything to get them out of their cell really. To work in any jail was a privilege and something every inmate didn’t take lightly. It was a chance to meet people, an opportunity to pass contraband around the jail, to stick a blade in someone if needed. Mikey planned to get a job inside the jail once he’d settled but as yet there were none available. Perhaps a shift in the kitchen or as a wing cleaner, anything to get him out of his pad for a few hours. He needed all the money he could get his hands on to get his empire up and running.
    Brendan Mellor sat behind Mikey in the classroom and he’d lost a lot of weight already. His cheeks looked empty and his hair seemed to be thinning. The poor fucker was stressed out and his mind wasn’t with it. He’d not slept properly either, just a few hours here and a few hours there was all the shut-eye he was getting. Potter was in the class too and the work he’d been given to do was child’s play to him. He never once told the teacher how intelligent he was and he just let her carry on thinking he was as thick as pig shit like the rest of the students sat there. In his defence he could have probably taken the class. He was well educated and before he got nicked he had an opportunity of working at one of the top banks in the area. The other lads were lively and none of them were ready to learn. This was just another ploy to get them out of their cells for a few hours a day.
    Mikey looked at the words in the book in front of him, his eyes squinting together tightly. His mouth moved but not a single sound come out. The teacher was by his side and she pulled up a chair next to him. She could see he was struggling. “Right, just read this paragraph for me and let me assess just how much help you need. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, lots of people can’t read properly.” Mikey’s ears pinned back and he hated that she’d put him on the spot. It was just like being back in school again, people making fun of him, calling him a thicko. The words started to roll from his tongue. He was doing well and he had the attention of the class. Suddenly, he paused. It just happened to him, his concentration went and his mind went completely blank. The words didn’t make sense anymore. They were all jumbled up inside his head. There was an eerie silence and all that could be heard was his struggled breathing. Sniggering and whispering could be heard behind him. An inmate from the back of the class let his voice be heard as he chuckled loudly.
    “Come on, we’ve not got all day. Derr…”
    Mikey clenched his fist tightly and twisted his head back slowly. He shot a look at the prisoner and nodded his head. He swallowed hard and his nostrils flared. This wasn’t good, it was about to kick off. Mikey’s chest was firm and the vein in the side of his neck was pumping with rage. “Are you talking to me you clown?”
    The teacher was aware Mikey was embarrassed and she tried to diffuse the situation. “Boys, boys. Come on, Mikey you were doing so well. Just carry on reading, you only have a bit left to read. Just concentrate.” He was in a zone now and nobody would ever take the piss out of him and get away with it. In seconds the desk was launched and he threw the chairs out of his way as he sprinted for the lad at the back of the class. This kid was quick and he ragged him from his seat in seconds; head-butts, blows to the face and stomach quickly followed. It was over in seconds. A knockout blow put the inmate straight on his arse. He was out for the count and didn’t have a clue where he was. He fell to the floor like a sack of spuds. Mikey stood over him and spat in his face. “Who’s the thicko now?  You