We got all the work done at the bowling club over the space of four or five days, which saw the guys having to carry in more than 1,400 blocks. They were then cemented in by the two members, who, if I remember correctly, were skilled bricklayers. The newly built wall was then covered with AstroTurf, which was laid down right into the ditch.
We then gave the place a general tidy-up and got everything spick and span and ready for the new season. The committee really appreciated our efforts and so did my fellow members.
Some of the prisoners were also quoted in the local press at the time. One said: ‘We like the work as it teaches us a trade and skills we can use when we get out.’ Another added: ‘There should be a lot more of this because it gets us outside. It is very frustrating being banged up in prison the whole time!’
28
Impact of Such Projects
‘From the minute inmates arrived they had their freedom taken away and had to play by our rules. It didn’t mean we couldn’t try to improve their quality of life and I think most prisoners appreciated what we tried to do.’ - Bryan Glennie, Evening Express.
The outdoor projects were great for the prisoners. I believe more prisons should try and adopt similar projects because there are real benefits for the prison, the inmates and the community projects they work on.
It was never a problem finding prisoners who wanted to be involved. The biggest problem was picking the right ones. I would liaise with my fellow officers, mainly those who worked in the work sheds and in the halls, before I would decide who was going to go out that week or on a certain project that was coming up. As mentioned previously, those we picked had all achieved a more trusted status and were often near the end of their sentences. I would take recommendations from my fellow officers and from there we would decide on the three or four prisoners best suited for that particular job.
Once we had narrowed that down we would then get the prisoners in and get their thoughts. Some maybe weren’t interested but most would have bitten your hand off just to get out for a few hours of near freedom! Each inmate was told in no uncertain terms that if they wanted to be involved they had to adhere to our rules and if they stepped out of line then it was all over for them!
It didn’t matter what they were doing time for, it didn’t matter if it was a murderer or a petty thief, that didn’t matter to me. What mattered to me was the fact that I felt I could trust them. I was happy with that. I worked on the beach with two inmates who were doing life and another who had been sentenced to fifteen years.
I would also name one of the prisoners as my foreman. I just thought it was a good idea because if somebody was leaning on another prisoner or putting an unnecessary strain on him then the foreman would know the score and would come and let me know. That way we were able to sort things out before they became a problem.
The only time I had any such problems was when we were working on the nature reserve at Bridge of Don. One of the prisoners had organised for his wife to come down and drop off some money for him. That, as you would expect, was totally taboo. I was sitting in the caravan having my lunch when I heard a commotion. I went outside and my foreman was having a debate with this other prisoner. I knew something was up because the guy who had started the argument was the foreman and somebody I got on really well with. I had worked with him for a number of years on projects. He was a genuine guy.
I sent them both into the caravan and asked them what had happened. The foreman explained how this other prisoner had tried to hatch this plan for his wife to come down and give him money. So right away I went on to the radio and got a van sent out to get the other guy back behind the prison gates before anything else could happen. The next day we returned to the Bridge of Don but with only three prisoners and from that day onwards the other prisoner didn’t get another day trip again! That was the one and only occasion I had anything like that in my time with the Scottish Prison Service.
There was an inmate who came down from HMP Peterhead. He had served fifteen years up there before he came down to Craiginches. Some of the bosses knew there were a few projects coming up and they said to me: ‘Why don’t you give him a chance?’ I agreed and the first project he came out with me on was at the bowling club at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. He took to it like a duck to water and just absolutely loved it. He then came out and helped me three or four times cleaning up Balmedie beach. He then moved on and eventually was downgraded again to an open prison, so that shows how some prisoners can change and be reformed.
One of the life-serving prisoners was part of one of the projects but I noticed a problem with him one night. He was on a diet at that time. Prisoners who had special dietary needs had to go through to the prison kitchen to get their food first, before the rest of the inmates. There were always staff stationed at different points in the corridor on the way to the dining room. I was there when I saw him come back through and I could see he was far from happy. As he was heading back towards the dining room I knew something wasn’t quite right so I stopped him and asked what was wrong. We had a good relationship, thanks to our work together through our outside projects and so I felt I could speak to him. He just turned and said: ‘That bastard is not speaking to me like that!’ I looked down and saw he had his plastic dinner knife in his hand. He was on his way back to the dining room to have a go at a prisoner who had served him his dinner. He had said something and left us with a potential issue. I just warned him that if he went ahead with his threat there wouldn’t be any more project work outside of the prison.
We had just finished the Balmedie project and there was word in the pipeline that we were going to start work at the bowling green at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. I just told him: ‘Do yourself a favour and get back to your cell. You enjoyed Balmedie beach, didn’t you? The bowling green is coming up soon and if you go through there with the knife then you can forget that or any other future projects!’ He quickly took stock of the situation, nodded his head in agreement and then headed back through to his cell in A Hall. Thankfully that was the end of the matter,the prisoner didn’t take things any further and he was able to join us on future projects. Yet he could have thrown that all away for a few seconds of madness!
That incident, however, showed how important these projects were to the prisoners and played their part in keeping some of them on the straight and narrow.
The Charitable Wing
29
Dedicated to Our Douglas
Good causes were always a big thing at Her Majesty’s Prison Aberdeen. The project that got the ball rolling was without doubt the one that was closest to our hearts and touched our lives more so than any of the others. It all came from our efforts to raise money in memory of our friend and former colleague Douglas Ruxton – the very man who had helped me to take my first steps into the prison service.
Dougie died in 1984 after a brave battle with leukaemia. Our initial fund-raising efforts in his name led to the charitable arm of the prison being set up.
Dougie was a really popular member of staff at Craiginches and beyond. I knew him well as we were both Insch boys. As mentioned earlier, he had been heavily influential in me joining the prison service and when I started I also worked closely with him.
I was put in the second division and Douglas was like a mentor in those early weeks and months. He was more of a guiding hand, as he was already an established member of staff. He was such a lovely person and member of the team. He was well liked. When it was confirmed that Dougie had leukaemia it was a real hammer-blow to us all. We all knew what a strong and determined character he was and we all hoped and prayed that he would come through the other side. Sadly, it wasn’t to be. It was a real shame.
We remained close friends right up until the end. I used to go up and see him when he was lying in the hospital. It really was heartbreaking. It was so sickening, the decline in Dougie’s condition. When he did pass away it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. He had been in so much pain and was a shadow of the
man we knew and loved. It was a real set-back to all the staff at Craiginches. He was a massive loss because he was such a popular colleague and friend.
Some of my fellow staff came to me and said they would like to do something in Dougie’s honour. I don’t know why they came to me, maybe it was because they knew I was close to him. I was really taken aback by the real desire to do something in his name. Just about every member of staff wanted to get involved and play their part.
I knew then there was no holding us back but I still thought it was best to get in touch with his wife before we decided to do anything. I knew things were still raw for her and the family, as it was with us friends, and we certainly didn’t want to do anything that would upset her or that she didn’t want us to do.
I went to visit Isma and explained how the staff at Craiginches all wanted to do something in honour of Dougie. I asked her if she had any ideas as to what she would like us to do. She said she would get in contact with Dr Audrey Dawson, who was his doctor at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. She said she would speak with her and then come back to me.
Isma got back in touch and said it would be a great gesture in Dougie’s name and, if possible, she would like us to raise money for Ward 47 at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. It was the leukaemia ward where Dougie had spent a lot of time in his last few months with us.
Dougie and Isma always spoke highly of the staff and the work they did for him while he was in getting his treatment. So we thought it would be good to give them something back and at the same time pay our own more lasting tribute to him.
We got in touch with the staff on Ward 47 to find out where they felt any money raised could be best used. They came back and confirmed that a computer system and terminal for the ward would really help them and their administration. It seemed really basic at the time but most of their archive records and work was still done manually on cards and files. It wasn’t so much the work but it was the time it took. The staff felt that a new computer system would free up more time for the staff to deal with more important tasks, like caring for the patients and offering support to their families.
We got prices for the equipment and we were told it would cost around £2,000. So that was what we set for our original target for the Douglas Ruxton memorial fund.
We held sponsored walks and even a sponsored slim for those who were looking to lose a few inches. We also organised a jumble sale, a dance night and several other different competitions. As a finale we held a dinner dance in the Old King’s Highway in Aberdeen.
It wasn’t much of a surprise that our original target was quickly smashed. That was down to the popularity of Dougie.
We ended up more than doubling our original target and finished on an impressive £5,200, which was a lot of money back in the mid-1980s.
It allowed the ward to not only buy their computer equipment but to extend some of the other facilities they offered on the ward.
We were also delighted that Isma agreed to come up to Ward 47 to hand over the new equipment. It was quite an emotional day for all concerned. We had all put a lot of work into things and wanted to do him and the Ruxton family proud. I think everyone at Craiginches did that to honour the name of our long lost friend, Douglas Ruxton.
It was emotional but there was such an enthusiasm to do Dougie and his name proud. I think we can all say we did. The hospital and his family were all delighted. It was the least we could have done for Dougie, who had touched all our lives.
30
Craiginches Shows Its Heart
Raising the money for Douglas Ruxton proved only to be the start. From there things snowballed. We realised we could do a lot more for the community and the less needy via the prison. What we raised in honour of Dougie showed what could be done and achieved. It was also another positive aspect of our work at Her Majesty’s Prison Aberdeen.
I knew it was a big job to manage these sorts of projects so I thought it would be better to get quite a few people involved. Initially I roped in Allan Grant, Ernie Christie and Allan MacKinnon and what a decision that turned out to be – we were a brilliant team and worked so well together. We decided to call ourselves the Aberdeen Prison Community Links Project, which basically became the charitable wing of the prison in 1988. Many years later in the middle of 2014, with only three members left on our committee, we got together again to arrange a reunion for retired staff members which you can read about later in the book. It was a great success and showed we still had all our organising skills for such events.
Our initial idea was to go out into the community and to promote the prison and the work we did. It was more a sort of press relations exercise at first, trying to raise our profile in and around the various parts of Aberdeen. The move was initially thought out by the committee, so we then approached our prison governor to see what his thoughts were on our idea. He thought it would be a good idea because the prison and the outside community were very much kept apart. There was very little interaction – it was pretty much us and them. Nobody knew what we did other than hold prisoners.
We knew there was a lot more going on and we wanted to make people aware of it. So our initial idea was to put together a slide show of life and our work in the prison.
The governor bought us a camera and we then went round the prison taking photographs of various things so we could give people an insight into what life was like behind bars. We didn’t take photographs of prisoners because that would have been a breach of their human rights but we were able to show different parts of the prison and the workshops and empty cells.
We started by going out and speaking to groups in and around the city but things just escalated out of hand. We ended up going out two or three times a week and could have been anywhere across Aberdeen or the surrounding North-east, even as far out as Ballater or my hometown of Insch. We needed a few of us just to cope with the demand.
We also wanted to try and promote what we were doing and make it a bit more visual. So we came up with a logo for the Craiginches Community Links. The logo was of a cartoon prisoner sitting in a corner with a ball and chain round his ankle. It was the brainchild of Allan Grant and one of the prisoners – as always we wanted them to have their input into things if it was possible.
We then got the logo on tiepins, T-shirts, tea towels, sweaters, badges and pens. We would never ask for money for the slide shows but we would put out some merchandise after it that people would buy and help us to boost our funds. So we would always get plenty of sales.
It was strange because word certainly got around and we ended up sending stuff as far afield as Spain and even America. It showed things were really taking off.
The slide shows remained a central strand of our work. After each showing we would hold question and answer sessions and they proved very popular. We would visit anywhere from schools and community centres to the Women’s Rural Institute and church groups. The feedback was unbelievable.
I remember we held a similar event for the Rotary Club in a hotel in Dyce. I actually met up with one of my old teachers from Insch school, Gordon Brewster. Gordon did the acknowledgements at the end and thanked us on behalf of the Rotary Club and their guests. I joked that this was only a set-up but he said no, it meant a lot to the Rotary Club and they had got some really good feedback from its members.
So much so I was asked to go and do the same presentation for the Rotary Club in the Bridge of Don the next week. Gordon turned up and I joked: ‘Are you stalking me? What are you doing here?’ He replied: ‘There was so much going on last week in Dyce I couldn’t take it all in and I asked if I could come across to the Bridge of Don to watch it again.’
The Rotary Club proved to be a real ally to the Links Committee. The Dyce branch actually gave us a sizeable donation to go towards our chosen charities because their members had voted us their best talk and presentation of that year. That was a great honour in itself for the committee and showed we were, at least, doing something right.
Things at the p
rison were very much a team affair but away from work we also had to rely on the support of our families. Our hours, at times, were unsociable and doing extra work outside of shifts, as we did, meant we spent even less time at home. So we thought we would arrange a prison night for our partners and our families. It would be best to organise such events for a Sunday evening when the prison was locked up for the night. It allowed those closest and dearest to us to see the environment in which we worked and gave them more of an insight into the prison, rather than hearing and visualising everything second-hand. I think the families enjoyed it and it was all part of opening the prisons door that little bit wider. There was a great response from our nearest and dearest. We decided that because of the numbers involved we would split the groups up and have a couple of evening visits. On each night we split the groups into twelve to take them round the inner sanctum of Craiginches.
John Watt was the principal officer on duty for the visits and took some of our esteemed visitors around our workplace.
John said: ‘We decided to invite the wives along to see the environment in which the staff has to work. We thought it would help them to understand the strains and pressures which the staff had to put up with and may have helped them to realise why their partners reacted in certain ways away from work.
‘When we held the visit it was the first of its type at Aberdeen although Barlinnie prison, in Glasgow, had held a similar event a few years earlier.’
It proved a useful project, as I know it gave some of our wives and partners a real insight and also opened a few eyes just to what the staff had to work through on a daily basis. I think it worked for both sides and also made our families even more a part of the team.
Craiginches Page 12