Rehabilitation

I am tired and planning an early night. It was a busy morning at the charity shop and once again I was on my own behind the counter. I have not seen the man called Gordon for some weeks and I understood from the manager that he would be working with me on Wednesday mornings. There was Judith, the manager, present and a young black man called Jamie. A volunteer called Ryan also came in. There was a spate of donations, some of them very interesting, and we sold a lot of goods too.

A few week or so after Jamie started I heard Judith talking to Jamie about having his licence extended. I wondered if he has recently been convicted of something. Today I answered the phone and it was a man from Ford Prison, asking how Jamie was doing. The call was not very clear and I repeated the name of the prison. I regret that; fortunately the young man was not nearby. Judith took the phone and I could hear her telling the caller how well Jamie is doing with us.  I handed the phone over and went on working.

Last  year we had a talk at the Probus Club from a woman who used to volunteer at Parkhurst Prison in the days of Reggie Kray and Fred Sewell. It was the most interesting, amusing and moving talk I have ever heard. I am a great John Mortimer fan and know his views on the Victorian monstrosities in which prisoners are incarcerated. Margaret Thatcher cut down on education in prisons and there is far too much illiteracy. Jane, for that is her name, did her best to interest prisoners in education and learning a trade. Life is hard for anyone with a criminal record.  My son has one; he was convicted of wounding without intent and carrying an offensive weapon in July 2013. This was what led to our estrangement, although I never upbraided him.

One night a young woman friend of Neil's was having trouble with her violent ex-boyfriend, who was already known to the police. Neil offered to walk her home and when they were accosted by Ryan Gibbs, he flagged down a police car. Thereafter Gibbs assaulted Neil every time he saw him. In July 2011 Neil was walking back to his flat from the station and Gibbs assaulted him outside Marks and Spencer. Neil went home, took a knife to defend himself with and went out again to buy himself food for his evening meal. He encountered Gibbs and told him to leave him alone; if not, he would stab him. Gibbs nutted Neil and was stabbed. Dan and I were planning to go out that night and I looked out and saw a police car blocking one side of the street. Dan came in and said there was police tape around The Square. We went out and had a meal in a restaurant opposite Neil's flat. This was a Wednesday night. On Saturday one or our neighbours asked after Neil; she had seen the report on the Internet. He had been charged with wounding with intent and carrying an offensive weapon. As a result he was suspended from his job. I gave him a key to our flat and fed him and did his laundry. In January 2012 he quarrelled with me; why, I never knew. We argued at Winchester Crown Court in April and he sent me nasty emails. Gibbs never came to the trial. The day we walked with friends up Snowdon, May 28th 2013,   Neil was at Portsmouth Crown Court and Gibbs had not shown up yet again. Neil's barrister asked the Recorder who was presiding to issue a witness summons. This was done but the police found that Gibbs had disappeared. Neil changed his plea to wounding without intent and carrying an offensive weapon. I found this out by Googling my son; I had seen him in the town that day and decided to do that. His barrister phoned me and told me that, although a custodial sentence was on the cards, it was not inevitable. In July he emailed to tell me that Neil had received a suspended sentence of eighteen months and had been ordered to do unpaid work. This he did in the Cancer Research shop in the town. He had to leave his flat because of non-payment of rent; he came to our flat asking for money  but his father refused. He wrote me a cruel, hurtful letter. When his sister died he did not come to her funeral. I think that then I gave up hope of any reconciliation.

I hope that Jamie gets a permanent job, puts his past behind him and does as well as possible in life. One should not pay for mistakes for ever.