4 ms·

-I used to visit inmates at a prison nearby (I've since moved too far away for it to be feasible to go on a regular basis) During my first visit, the guy I spe

by lb1lf 5y ago

-I used to visit inmates at a prison nearby (I've since moved too far away for it to be feasible to go on a regular basis) During my first visit, the guy I spent a couple of hours chatting with suggested I never, ever remove the visitor's parking pass from my car - as 'even speed freaks' (in his words) would be reluctant to break into the car of someone on the visitor's service. While one data point is hardly evidence, there was a number of smash-and-grabs from curb parked cars on my street - my car was indeed untouched. (Which, of course, might as well be because I never ever leave any visible valuables inside...)

PeterHolzwarth 5y ago
Your comment ("visitor's service") seemed to indicate something more formal/organized than a simple one-off visit, leading me to find the National Association of Prison Visitors website. https://www.naopv.com/ https://www.naopv.com/ Fascinating! I had not head of this before, and if that is in fact what you were involved in, good on ya.
- lb1lf 5y ago
  -Yes, it was basically my country's equivalent of this - you're being vetted (basically no convictions; no associating), are being briefed on what not to discuss with whoever you end up visiting, then you get scheduled visits at regular intervals. Once the inmate is released, you're not supposed to stay in touch - though in the small town I lived in at the time, you were bound to bump into each other on the street every now and then; when we did, the rule was that the former inmate initiated contact if he'd like to have a coffee or just say hi - after all, it could quickly become awkward if I greeted someone and their company asked where we'd met, for instance. Most interesting, if nothing else I came to realise that just about anyone could end up doing something which landed them in prison. (Plus, inmates make for excellent conversation partners - after all, they have all the time in the world to ponder all sorts of things.)
robocat 5y ago
Have you had any problems with police seeing the sticker, and assuming your support of convicts is bad? The opposite is the black rat sticker: https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/features/bikes/the-history-of-the-black-rats-londons-traffic-police https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/feature...
- lb1lf 5y ago
  No, never. It should be noted, though, that the Norwegian system is focused heavily on rehabilitation - and that anything which may ease the convict's transition back into civil society is widely seen as a good thing.

by lb1lf 5y ago

PeterHolzwarth 5y ago

Your comment ("visitor's service") seemed to indicate something more formal/organized than a simple one-off visit, leading me to find the National Association of Prison Visitors website. https://www.naopv.com/ https://www.naopv.com/ Fascinating! I had not head of this before, and if that is in fact what you were involved in, good on ya.

lb1lf 5y ago
-Yes, it was basically my country's equivalent of this - you're being vetted (basically no convictions; no associating), are being briefed on what not to discuss with whoever you end up visiting, then you get scheduled visits at regular intervals. Once the inmate is released, you're not supposed to stay in touch - though in the small town I lived in at the time, you were bound to bump into each other on the street every now and then; when we did, the rule was that the former inmate initiated contact if he'd like to have a coffee or just say hi - after all, it could quickly become awkward if I greeted someone and their company asked where we'd met, for instance. Most interesting, if nothing else I came to realise that just about anyone could end up doing something which landed them in prison. (Plus, inmates make for excellent conversation partners - after all, they have all the time in the world to ponder all sorts of things.)

robocat 5y ago

Have you had any problems with police seeing the sticker, and assuming your support of convicts is bad? The opposite is the black rat sticker: https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/features/bikes/the-history-of-the-black-rats-londons-traffic-police https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/feature...

lb1lf 5y ago
No, never. It should be noted, though, that the Norwegian system is focused heavily on rehabilitation - and that anything which may ease the convict's transition back into civil society is widely seen as a good thing.