Ronnie Thompson

June 2008

On Screwed and prison life

“There are only two rules in this prison. One, do not write on the walls. Two, obey all the rules.” These are the instructions given by Prison Officer Mr Mckay, to all the new inmates at the fictional Slade prison, in the British sit com, Porridge.

The idea of going to prison, is something that most people do not relish, or even contemplate. The idea of being away from loved ones and living in strict and at times a frightening regime, is not for the irresolute. 

Prison is a place where you spend long and lonely hours in a small cell with someone who you do not know, and in some cases cannot abide. Where work is a meaningless job, which just adds to the boredom and the tension that fills the air.

Where meal times are not the enjoyable and leisurely experiences they once were. Instead it is duration where you must keep your wits about you, to avoid confrontation, because you know if it is going to happen, it is going to happen here. You eat your sausage, with one eye on your food, and the other on any melee that might erupt. 

Dinner time is over and now you have the final interaction with your fellow cons called 'Association'. You have not earned enough privilege to have a TV in your cell. yet you are thankful that the prison is fully staffed. Meaning you can avoid lock up for another two hours.

Association is a time to relax and watch TV, before you are banged up for the night. The other inmates shout out insults to Anne Robinson on The Weakest Link, whilst you cannot wait for the day to end. Because another day less in prison, is another closer to your freedom.

There is no good night kiss, just a prison officer locking the door at 20.30. As you climb into your bunk bed, the smell of your cellmates’ BO whiffs through the confined space. You pray to God, for strength, and survival. What a life you are leading now.

The above may be a slightly dramatical and fictional account of the day in the life of prisoner. Yet prison life has been the centre of many great films, theatre productions, and books. Be it Edward Bunker’s brutal yet absorbing 'The Animal Factory' to ITV’s escapist 'Bad Girls'.

Prison life is a source of fascination and highly popular in the media, even Louis Theroux spent a week in prison recently for the BBC. So it comes as no surprise that Ronnie Thompson’s debut book, 'Screwed', his memories as a Prison Officer is causing quite a stir. 

With the consent coverage in the media of overcrowding, strike action, sentencing and corruption within the service the treatment of prisoners is being debated regularly. The timing is perfect to bring out a book that gives us civvies an insider’s guide into prison life.

Paired with the ex villain/football hooligan turned author market, being as popular as ever. OK this time, the book is written by a ‘good guy’. All the elements are there for a best seller. Yet the ingredients for a hit would be as stale as last week’s prison canteen’s bread, without the final spice, the author himself, Ronnie Thompson.

He is a young man, from the outskirts of London. With no known writing skills before 'Screwed' he was driven by an impulse to write and  air the demons from his time as a prison officer giving his book appeal and credibility. 

After reading 'Screwed', and ZANI’s own interest in the penal system, we were delighted when Ronnie Thompson agreed to meet us. 

ZANI - I bet you’re feeling a combination of excitement and anxiety with your debut book being released? 

Ronnie Thompson – Absolutely, it’s exciting times. It’s a new career for me, it’s all good.

ZANI - You’ve had press coverage in the Metro, Radio Essex, Radio 5 Live, Nuts, The Times,  and The Sunday Sport in a short period of time. Not bad for a new author. How did you manage to get press coverage so early on in your career?

Ronnie Thompson – I think a lot of it, is down to the subject matter. What I have written about is a system that everyone is interested in. Without wishing to sound pedantic, I’ve got to give myself a bit of credit. I’ve managed to string the words well enough, so it makes an interesting read.

ZANI - Where do you want to take 'Screwed'?

Ronnie Thompson – I want 'Screwed' to be a reference point. A talking point to what actually goes on in prison. I’m not a politician, or a reporter. I’m a regular bloke, I’m 29 years old. I like football, music, beer, rugby, and hot curries. I’ve written the book from the heart, and I want people to relate to that.

ZANI - You seem to have been bitten by the writing bug. Has this become an obsessive creative outlet, or do you treat it like a job i.e. writing for maybe 8 hours a day?

Ronnie Thompson – It’s a mixture. I do treat it as a job. 8 hours of solid writing is an impossibility, as you know, as you are a journalist. I try to write from half nine to half one, otherwise you get a bit of a brain freeze, and the quality of the writing wears off.

In saying that, I could be watching TV late at night. I’ve had a couple of beers, the idea comes straight to my head, and I get back on the PC. So it is an obsession, it’s a way of life for me now. 

 ZANI - When I started reading 'Screwed', two things sprung to mind.

The Glossary was reminiscent to the intro of The Long Good Friday, and the opening chapters read like a Danny Dyer dialogue from The Football Factory. Am I right or am I reading too much into to it.

Ronnie Thompson – No you’re not. I’m from the Danny Dyer generation. You can see where I come from, I’m an Essex lad. The Long Good Friday is a great British film, I’m influenced by a lot of great British films. It so happens that their voice is influenced by real situations and hopefully my voice continues to inspire them, as it has inspired me.

ZANI - In 'Screwed', you state that the Government needs to build more prisons. The Justice Secretary Jack Straw stated he was going to build three new “super prisons” for 2,500 offenders, to deal with the overcrowding of prisons. Now he’s seems to have done a U-turn. Does that surprise you? 

Ronnie Thompson – That doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. Jack Straw, the so called Justice Secretary is a man who spends too much money on bureaucracy and red tape. He appears to be an expert on the judicial system, but he isn’t.  

We do need new prisons. But the likelihood of the new prisons Jack Straw was talking about, they probably would have been private prisons anyway. Which is a waste of money.


ZANI – We’ll go back to private prisons a bit later on.

Ronnie Thompson - I’ve actually written an article on the recent comment made by Jack Straw.  Where he states how wonderful the reform system is going. . But he’s talking about the changes within the top management structure. He’s not talking about the foot soldiers, and how they deal with the inmates on a daily basis.

ZANI - Sounds interesting, where can people read the article?

Ronnie Thompson – On my MySpace page (Web address at the bottom of the page)

ZANI - Overcrowding in prisons seems to be a big issue within the government now. I’m not asking you to change the world, nevertheless, do you think that the whole judicial system needs a reshuffle?

My point being perhaps there should be a leniency towards first offenders. Taking into account perhaps their character and the nature of the offence. OK, paedophilia, and murder, prison sentences for sure, regardless of whether it is a first offence or not. 

But minor crimes like small-scale fraud, driving offences, or petty theft. Where a heavy fine, and longer community service could be sufficient or perhaps do you think that nice bit of bird does the trick?

Ronnie Thompson – That’s an interesting point, what you’ve said about the whole judicial system being reformed. You’re quite right I can’t change the world. But it is something that needs to happen, we need more prisons, tougher sentencing. We need prisons to be, a place where people don’t want to return to. 

The career criminals, guys that are habitual offenders, they don’t mind going to prison. We do need tougher sentences on people like that.

Likewise I do agree what you said about the minor crimes. We do need more community service. But we need community service that doesn’t have a man sitting in a charity shop drinking tea all day.

We need them out in the street, cleaning the areas, making the community a safer and nicer environment. Giving the public back something for their crimes.

Let us see them doing something, at the moment we’re not. So we’re failing the public, not giving the criminals a chance to lead law-abiding lives, and we are failing the victims. The whole system is fucked.

ZANI – The reason why I am not in favour of first time offenders going to prison for minor crimes, is that some fella might get 6 months for something, like benefit fraud, and his time inside could really screw him up.

He comes out unemployable due to a lack of confidence and a criminal record. He’s labelled a criminal, and perhaps he’s learnt a trick or two inside. Therefore, he now starts to steal to survive. He is caught, and goes back to prison for a longer sentence.

I am not being a PC liberal here, but one wrong turn in life and everything changes.

Ronnie Thompson –That’s a bit of cliché. People jump on that, everyone that comes into prison comes out a criminal. That’s not true, however your point is a valid one. Certain crimes like benefit fraud shouldn’t warrant prison perhaps a good community sentence instead.

But if prison makes him unemployable, and he was committing benefit fraud, if he was employable then he wouldn’t have been committing benefit fraud in the first place. 

ZANI - Anyway, to the best of my knowledge, a great deal of Prisons were built in Victorian times. Therefore they are bleak and cold. Do you think that the sheer nature of the building maybe maintains the values from that era?

A time where prisons were upright, strict and unpleasant. I am not saying prisons should be a holiday camp, but they should perhaps be a little bit more modern.

Ronnie Thompson – There are many Victorian prisons, and they are particularly not nice places. They are dirty, they smell, and they look like what you think a prison would look like.

But there are many new prisons, you’ve got Belmarsh, Peterborough. The gym at Swaleside is better than the gym you would get at Fitness First. I mean is that fair, is that justice. I don’t think so.


ZANI - Like most public services, the prison system is always looking at cost saving measures. The Guardian announced on 15th December 07, that the prison system might plan to lock up 100,000 prisoners in England and Wales from Friday lunch time to Monday morning in an attempt to find £30m a year in treasury-imposed efficiency savings.

If that does happen, don’t you think that would cause bigger problems with regard to control. By the way, the prisoners will be compensated with a TV in their cell.

Ronnie Thompson – Of course it will. They are always cost cutting. The Prison Service needs to invest more. The reason why they don’t want to invest more is because crime and prisoners are taboo.

The public doesn’t want their tax money being spent on reform. But if you look at the bigger picture, if we put more money into the prison services, rehabilitation, and re-offender programmes, and actually put discipline back into the services, we would make the crime rates low, so the whole country will prosper.

That’s a ridiculous idea about a weekend lock up. But it doesn’t surprise me. The government will continue to do and say things like that. 

ZANI - In 'Screwed', you mention a great deal about corruption within Prison Officers, ‘Cons with Keys’, as they are called. They are Prison Officers, who are on a criminal’s pay role. Who will bring in drugs and mobile phones into prisons for the cons.

It seems to be a big problem. In August 2006, 14 prison officers were suspended from Pentonville Prison following allegations of corruption and “inappropriate relationships” with inmates.

It’s hard for other officers to come forward, because if they are tagged as whistle blowers, they will be given a hard time.

Most recently, Emma Howie of Wakefield Prison has had a distressing time, since she reported bullying at the prison. In addition, all confidential documents and interviews were leaked out. Is it really like the Mafia’s Omerta with Prison officers, and how can the prison service help those that come forward? 

Ronnie Thompson – As you know from reading my book, I’ve been instrumental myself in dealing with informatives, and taking intelligence matter further in regard to how to prevent the corruption that exists.

Like I said in 'Screwed', you take your information to the Security Intelligence Department. But you can’t trust that it won’t get back to the other officers concerned.

It’s down to your own integrity, to pick someone who works in that area, and who is trustworthy.

I always dealt with one guy in security, and he didn’t tell anybody else. For that reason, I had people saying that I was bent, because I was working with one officer, one inmate. But I was doing the job, the way it should be done. 

ZANI - In 'Screwed', you talk a great deal about the Prison Officer’s club and the heavy drinking culture, which you openly admit you were a part of, and enjoyed.

Don’t you think due to the complex nature of being a prison officer that turning up on the job half cut is totally irresponsible?

Ronnie Thompson – For sure, I’ve turned up for work fucked and without going to bed, the night before. It’s the honesty I wanted to put in the book. I don’t want to make out I was an angel, because I wasn’t an angel. I wasn’t a perfect employee, somebody who stuck to the rules, set out by the government.


ZANI - A few years ago London Transport got rid of the tube driver’s mess, due to the heavy drinking culture. Do you think the Prison Service will get rid of the officers club?

Ronnie Thompson – The officers clubs have already been smashed. Many the clubs have been shut down. The drinking culture is being dissolved. They’re tougher on it now. Without not wishing to sound like a hypocrite, I think this is a good thing. In 'Screwed', I wanted to get across what the lifestyle is like for Prison Officers. 

ZANI – Going back to a point you mentioned earlier, Private Prisons, we have seen a rise of the number of them in the UK since the 90’s, and in turn, they are not getting get good press. It was reported in The Sunday Times 19th January 2008 that privately run prisons are performing worse than their counterparts in the state sector, according to a leaked document. Private Prisons seem to be failing on maintaining order and security.

What knowledge do you have of these prisons, and should prisons be a public sector responsibility?

Ronnie Thompson –Private prisons are absolute dog shit, is the best way to describe them. I’m not an economist, I’m not a politician. But to my understanding the prisons are privately run, with no government funding. 

It’s a load of bollocks because when these prisons are failing, the government actually fines them. Then the government will send in public sector governors to try and sort out their establishments.

What happens in Private sector prisons as well, should an officer find some contraband, which is a good thing, because the officer is solving a problem. However the officer and the prison gets a black mark against them, because the private sector system perceives that something is wrong in that prison and they get fined as well.

So now the prison officers in private prisons won’t report any misdemeanors, because it will affect their wages.

ZANI – So these Prison Officers are effectively working for a corporate company. They have to turn a blind eye, otherwise it will not look good in their appraisals?

Ronnie Thompson – You can’t knock them for turning a blind eye, because if they get too many negative marks for finding contraband, these fellas don’t get their bonuses.

So these prisons become lawless. When in fact you should get commended for finding drugs, or restraining a violent prisoner, but you don’t in those establishments.

ZANI – That’s the wrong way of doing things, but I suppose it is all about performance related flow charts at the end of year, and profit margins.

Ronnie Thompson – Exactly, it’s a load of bollocks.

ZANI - Let’s talk a bit about prison life itself. In 'Screwed', you talk about how first timers can be bullied into giving money, their tobacco, and perhaps in some cases it might be physical bullying.

That must such a consent thing, and if a prisoner is clearly being bullied, how can the Prison services protect them?

Ronnie Thompson – There is what is known as Rule 45. This is the protection of vulnerable prisoners’ act. Which is basically where prisoners are segregated for their own safety. Now Rule 45 should be for your vulnerable prisoners who get bullied, and in some cases it is. But 9 times out of 10, we call it the nonce rule, because it protects the paedophiles.

So the only way to deal with that as an officer, is to try and keep an eye on an inmate, and see if he is struggling. This comes down to your ‘jailcraft’, which is about your experience, knowledge and security awareness as an officer.

However, it’s hard to control bullying, where there are 2 officers to 100 inmates. Unfortunately, the bullying will continue, as it’s part and parcel of the institution.


ZANI  - What is ‘jailcraft’, and how do you learn it?   

Ronnie Thompson – Learning Jailcraft, is about like learning to walk to be honest with you. Like having a bit of savvy, down the pub, knowing who’s a clown, and who ain’t. It really is as simple as that, but it’s not simple, it’s complex.

Jailcraft is security awareness. Like when you go to football matches, you know which pubs to avoid, who do you want to drink with, who you can trust, you can’t, what’s going on, and where not to go. It’s that savvy, that common sense, one step ahead.

They are many officers, who are shit at jailcraft. Moreover, Jailcraft is a fundamental backbone to being a good officer. You can’t teach it, you even got it or you haven’t. 

ZANI - The Prison slag term “Swinger” means finding a prisoner hanging in a cell. That must be an emotional time when you find a dead con in their cell. Do you at the time, feel responsible?

Ronnie Thompson – In a word, no, because from my experience, when a dead body was found, they were not on suicide watch shall we say.

ZANI – Please explain suicide watch?

Ronnie Thompson – Suicide watch, is keeping a constant eye on an prisoner  who is a self harmer, or is having suicidal thoughts. From my experience, the people on suicide watch use it as a manipulation of the system, to get what they want.

The true people that want to commit suicide, or hurt themselves  don’t tell anybody. You try and keep your eyes open, but when someone hangs himself or herself, or cuts their wrists, you didn’t know they were going to do it.

ZANI – That’s the same as suicide on the outside world. People are seen happy the night before, the next day are then found dead in their car from exhaust fumes.  

Ronnie Thompson – The same rules apply on the inside.

ZANI - There was a sad case of a young mother Petra Blanksby strangling herself in 2003 at New Hall Prison, Wakefield, West Yorkshire. She was on suicide watch, but the Prison Officers failed to check on her.

She should have been sent to a psychiatric hospital, as she had a history of mental illness, not remanded in custody. The charge was “arson with intent to endanger life”, she set fire to her own flat. Yet shouldn’t the judge have seen that she needed help, and not sent her down.

My point is that certain people with mental disorders cannot handle the complex and harsh life of prison. Therefore they see suicide as the only way out.

If these people can be assessed by a Psychiatrist before they go inside, and the courts take into account their mental state. Maybe the prison system might avoid ‘Swingers’, which is embarrassing for them and more importantly the pain it causes the deceased’s family.

As I stated earlier, for some crimes and for some people prison is not the answer. What are your thoughts on that? 

Ronnie Thompson – That’s a great point, and something that I am massive advocate of. New prisoners are valuated, and under some circumstances, they are even proved to be unfit for prison. However there aren’t many NHS mental institutions, so they are kept in prison, so again it’s down to the money.

As I said in my book, as a prison officer, my duties were incarcerator, a copper, a carer and a nurse. Nevertheless, we are not trained for all that, so you will get people that will slip by the wayside, come into the system, but they shouldn’t be there.

People accept that if you’re in a wheel chair, people can see that there is an impairment. That you are not physically fit for certain elements in life. But when you’ve got mental health issues, you’re not mentally capable for certain things in life. But people don’t recognise that as much as they should, and that is what causes a massive and major problem in prison.


ZANI - Another hot potato concerning the Penal System is early prison releases. The scheme is aimed at lower level offences and sentences no longer than 4 years. 2,039 were on early release last year. However there was a slight public outcry due to 1/5 of those being violent offenders? 

Do you think with crimes of these serious natures, the offenders should serve the full sentence or can a man redeem himself under 4 years, and be released back into society?

Ronnie Thompson – As regards to the releasing of prisoners, that’s another fucking ridiculous act from the government, to gain more beds in Britain. We’re up to 80,000 prisoners, and there are no beds left. Prisoners are now being put in police cells.

The government are shitting themselves, thinking they need more beds. Let’s release people, who we think are OK. And with the violent crimes, you may say they are rehabilitated in 4 years, well every case is judged on its own merits.

We need tougher sentences for violent crimes. We’re human beings, if there’s a tough sentence, its cause and effect. If you know you are going to go to prison for a long time, you’ll say I ain’t doing that. Because the system is so soft, people don’t give a shit.

People are getting sentences, and out in a third of it. Because the prisons need beds, its bollocks, you’ve got criminals laughing at the system.  

ZANI - What about the term ‘window warriors’, where prisoners shout to each other from their windows, trying to wind each other up. Is that just banter amongst the cons, or is it malicious bullying, that can lead to other things?

Ronnie Thompson – You hear the shouting, day in, day out. When I was in the exercise yard, the guys from the wing would shout out wind ups to me. It’s not all threats. I don’t want to paint a false picture, there is a lot of violence, there is a lot of threats. But it isn’t relentless from 7 in the morning to 12 at night.

There are a lot of jovial characters inside, there are a lot of good cons, with a lot of humour. Think Ronnie Barker and Porridge, and the humour is very much like that. Then you get some anti social cunt, who spoils it for everyone.

ZANI - We are always reading about morale, being low in Prisons. How do you think the Prison Service can install morale, and do you think we are better off dreaming of Utopia?

Ronnie Thompson – The way I did it, I was always honest with people. The way I am speaking to you, is the way I would speak to the prisoners. “You can’t have this, but I tell you what I will do for you. I’ve got the power and the ability to do this”. You give the cons an alternative. The hardest thing in prison, for inmates, is getting stuff done, that they want done.

So what I did to instil morale, was to never give promises, I couldn’t deliver, and I always did what I said I could do. You do that, and speak to people on the level, you get morale.

ZANI - In the 90’s, Derek Lewis the then Director General, successfully took away the POA’s right to strike Do you think that POA’s should have that right back, and would it help the Government to listen to the service’s needs?

Ronnie Thompson - We are actually in a grey area at the moment. Because technically prison officers have the right to strike.


ZANI – Oh right.

Ronnie Thompson – But they signed a treaty, stating they have the right to strike, but they never would. Hence the reason, why during the last strike in 2007, the government were saying it was illegal. When in fact it wasn’t, they had the right to strike, but had promised not to.

Prison officers should have the right to strike. It seems the way the government stands now, unless you are saying I am not going to do it, then they aren’t going to listen. That’s why I think the police should have the right to strike, and the army.

People say it will be mayhem, but these services, including the fire service, the nurses, need more credibility, more money, and more support. The government should pump more money into it, but they won’t. Until people say I am not doing this, unless you pay me right.  

If the prison service went on strike, it would cost the Government millions because the police say they wouldn’t go in prison unless they had 3 prison officers to one inmate. So in a prison of 1,200 inmates, you would have 3,500 coppers.

Last time there were major strikes in prisons in the 70’s, and 80’s, they had the army on the landing. The cons didn’t fuck about, otherwise they got a rifle butt in their gob.

ZANI - Did you find whilst working as a prison officer, that people ie civvies, kept their distance from you, and in turn, the only friendships you could form was with other officers?

Ronnie Thompson - Again, that’s a bit of cliché. It’s more like that for coppers, than prison officers. You would get the plastic gangsters, and the pretend criminals who go, and say “You screw cunt.” But a real heavy-handed villain, crook, criminal or what you want to call them, they understand there are guys like me, who are just doing a job. Providing you are decent, there for them and their port of call to the outside world.
 
Don’t get me wrong, there are some bastard wanker screws that are bullies. But there are some wanker bastard managers in Tesco’s that are bullies. It goes on in every walk of life.

Going back to your question. What does happen when you’re a prison officer, the only other people that understand your pressures, the duties, and the lifestyle, are other officers. So your family would try and understand you’re 1,000 woes, your pressures, and perhaps anxieties and depressions that you might go through. But the only other people you can find solace in, is with other officers down the pub.
 
ZANI - What is Prison food really like? I have the impression  that it is bland and tasteless. 

Ronnie Thompson – The food was good. There’s a choice of curries, roast potatoes, mash, rice, different meats, veg, and salad. Loads of bread and different desserts, chips and veggie stuff every day. Not five star food but better than a lot of people got on the outside.

Prison food is 100 times better than hospital food. But I still ended up rolling around the floor with some dickheads who complained.

ZANI - The fundamentals of Prison are basic, the captives, and the captors living together under one roof. How do cons and prisoners, try to rid this primitive way of living or I am being too liberal here?

Ronnie Thompson – No, you’re not. You could probably say that many of my views are to the Right, than to the Left. But in many respects, what I tried to demonstrate in 'Screwed' was that there is a professional distance that you must maintain. However relations have to be good for there to be a good environment for them, and us.

At the end of the day, you are spending 45 hours a week with a guy that is banged up. That’s more time than I spend with my girlfriends, and friends. I don’t want consent aggro.

ZANI – Exactly, I mean a fella doing time for a crime, he knows he done wrong. So prison doesn’t have to be torture for him.  

Ronnie Thompson – No it’s not. I always categorically state, if they play the game and do what is asked I always used to say to the inmates, “These are the rules, when I ask you to go to your cell for bang up, bang up. When I ask you to do something, just do it. I’m never going to be unreasonable, when I ask you to do something it’s for a reason. If you don’t do it, then we have got a problem” 

ZANI -  One story, I found amusing in 'Screwed', even though it wasn’t at the time, was when some of the cons sided with the Prison Officers to regain control of the prison during a riot. That shows there must be a bond, and the relationship between some prisoners and cons can’t all be bad?

Ronnie Thompson – Yea that goes on all the time. It’s doesn’t make them a ‘screwboy’, or someone who is sucking up to the officers. They are blokes who just want to do their bird, and get out.

They weren’t small little idiots either, they were tough fellas who could look after themselves. They were thinking I don’t want to get in a riot, I want to get me head down in my cell tonight. They’re humane people, they liked me, even though I was wearing a uniform.  

ZANI - With prison life being so violent, do you think if a prisoner is smoking a joint, and it’s helping to relax them. I know it’s breaking the law, but don’t you think with cases like that, it better to turn a blind eye?

Ronnie Thompson – I’ve turned a blind eye from time to time, but never to a bit of brown. It’s dirty, it’s filthy. With heroin and crack, you are talking a different level. Not literally turn a blind eye, if I know they are smoking a joint in their cells, I’ll go in and say “Give me that, don’t be a wanker I’m on the wing, cos you’ll make me look a wanker and I’ll get in trouble”

Back in the 70’s and 80’s, cons were allowed two cans of beer a night. The legalisation of cannabis should be paramount and it should happen. The way I see it I pay massive tax on my beer, why not mass produce cannabis, and tax them as well. The government have decriminalised cannabis in one sense, and I know coppers who now think do we nick them or don’t we.  

ZANI – Fair enough. Recently convicted killer Michael Sams (Murderer of Leeds teenager Julie Dart, and kidnapper of estate agent Stephanie Slater in 1993) wrote a letter to the Inside Time. Stating that as an OAP, he is better off inside.

How you feel about people feeling like that, and should prisoners be allowed to comment to the media, about life inside?

Ronnie Thompson – I vaguely remember Michael Sams, a bit before my time. If these convicts wish to write to the media, it’s down to the editors whether they publish their letters or not. At the end of the day, editors wants to shift papers. Like that Michael Sam’s letter, you’ve read it, thought about it and now we’re talking about it. So they got what they wanted, a reaction.

But in a way, they shouldn’t publish letters like that, because it is disrespectful to the victims.

ZANI - OK, 'Screwed' is definitely straight from the hip, raw, narrative memories of your career as a Prison Officer. The ending was powerful, and many people could connect with you on that. But one question, I have to ask, do you think the swearing was really necessary?

Ronnie Thompson – I had to write it in an authentic way. What I wanted my readers to experience, was a day in the life of a prison officer. Now if the swearing wasn’t like how I wanted the portrayal it to be, then I would not have put it in there. 

But it is fuck this, fuck that. That was my day, and that is how I got through the day. Perhaps the book is a bit bitter, as you could tell. But I was talking about situations that happened to me, that I wasn’t too happy about.

I had to leave it there. It was something I was considering editing. As you know I do swear a bit, but perhaps not as much as the book.

ZANI – I know, you’re articulate, and you express yourself well. 

Ronnie Thompson – Cheers. But I had to write it that way. Being a prison officer for seven years, wasn’t a nice experience. It was full of violence, full of bad language. I had to be true to myself, and true to the job. I wanted people to live and breathe a prison officer, and the only way I could do that was to set the language, the settings and the story correctly. That’s what I did, and that’s the way it is. And it’s not palatable to everybody. I’m not Jack Straw, I’m a bloke, who lived there

ZANI –Have you read Jim Dawkins The Loose Screw, and have you and him spoken about each other’s book?

Ronnie Thompson – Yes I have read Jim Dawkins’ book. Jim contacted me recently, and wished me good luck on the launch of 'Screwed'. I didn’t know anything about his book, I heard about it through MySpace that there was a guy called Jim Dawkins, who had written a book about his life as a prison officer.  

'Screwed' was due to be out last year, and I wasn’t aware that another officer had written a book. The thing about his book, is that it is ironing out the myths of Charles Bronson. I must admit he answered many mythical questions that I had experienced and heard on Bronson. 
 
ZANI - Do you think your book and Jim Dawkins,, will help to bring public awareness to what happens in prisons?  

Ronnie Thompson – I hope so. Jim’s book and my book are very different. We were in the service at different times. I joined the service after he had left, so our take on the service is slightly different.  However, they do marry up in certain aspects. Jim’s book is a good book, and I hope the public will enjoy them.

ZANI - Do you plan on any readings from the book, perhaps a little mini book tour?

Ronnie Thompson – In a word no, I’m going to keep my profile raised. Do the interviews, and talk to my fans on MySpace page. I have no plans to do a tour. However, I do have plans to continue within the media fraternity, talking about my book, and prison issues. And as you know I am writing more books. 

ZANI - Have you had any feedback from the Prison Service about 'Screwed', and have you had other prison officers write to you, in empathy or in anger.

Ronnie Thompson –I have had an overwhelming response from Prison Officers, saying “You’ve said what we’ve wanted to say”. I have had a few negative comments, but as far as I am concerned they are either bent or they are jealous. 

ZANI - Quick change of subject, music features heavily in your life. Moreover, Oasis, good lad, are your favourite band, this isn’t a loaded question, but why do Oasis hold a special place in your heart?

Ronnie Thompson - Quite simply Oasis are the soundtrack to my life.  They are me, my life, my football, my attitude is all personified in their great music. Oasis sing from the heart, and I can relate to that. They are really the true soundtrack to my generation.

ZANI -, Do you think 'Screwed' would make a good British crime film, and who would you like to play Ronnie Thompson in the movie? , I bet you will want a Oasis soundtrack?

Ronnie Thompson – I’m in talks at the moment with a couple of film and DVD production companies. It looks promising, and I think it’s got all the elements to make a good film, or a good TV series.

With regards to who will play me, most people who have read it, say it’s got Danny Dryer written all over it. We’ll wait see what happens when it comes off. And if I don’t have a Oasis soundtrack then I won’t make the film.

ZANI - Ronnie Thompson is a pseudonym, and the HMP Romwell, the prison featured in 'Screwed', is a fictional one. In fact it is an amalgamation of the prisons you have worked in.

Do you think at some time you might drop the Ronnie Thompson, and reveal who you are and the prisons you worked at?

Ronnie Thompson – I’m Ronnie Thompson that’s all you need to know.


ZANI- I’ve read you are writing a play, tell us about that project?

Ronnie Thompson – I’m writing a novella, which will be written in three acts. Therefore, it’s ready to go out as a play. It’s called The Jailer That Found The Key, it’s about a prison officer who is a mild man, he’s not what you would call evil. He dabbles in drugs, drinks too much, and likes prostitutes.

It’s completely different to 'Screwed'. Halfway through, the prison officer finds religion and it’s going to turn him for the better. It’s a bit arty, I want to express myself as a writer, whilst 'Screwed' is telling as it is.

ZANI  - Writing is an intense process, what do you do to forget about writing ?

Ronnie Thompson – Drinking, going to the gym, watching films, and gigs.

ZANI - Finally Ronnie, you’re young, and your life seems to be a journey, where do you think the journey will take you?

Ronnie Thompson – Hopefully it will take me on to writing more books fiction and non-fiction. Film making, I’m already getting involved in script writing process. Getting recognised by my peers, as a man who lives a different life and has something to say. 

Ronnie Thompson certainly has a lot to say. He is expressive, intelligent, conscientious, creative, and self-assured. At first impression, you could easily mistake this for arrogance. However I just got the feeling that Ronnie is a little mistrustful in meeting people first time round, and likes to suss them out before they gain his trust. But, his career as a prison officer, with its daily contact with cons and other screws in the system is enough to make any man sceptical and cynical toward strangers. Fortunately Ronnie and I had built a good rapport prior to the interview, and the level of trust and understanding was mutual. This allowed Ronnie Thompson to be open, and thoughtful with his answers. Being honest ZANI had doubts about Ronnie Thompson, and 'Screwed'. Even before reading the book I envisaged a cocky individual, who felt only his opinions had value. I stand corrected.

Concerning his new writing career, Ronnie Thompson has a good head on his shoulders. This will take him far. What John Grisham is to the USA courtroom novel, Ronnie Thompson could be to the British penal system. He has already mentioned future works which centre around prisons. Of course, ZANI will keep you updated on this stimulating new writer.

Ronnie Thompson does not seem fazed by the media. In fact he seems to thrive off it. He has learnt quickly how to play the media game. Moreover his publishers, (Headline Publishing Group), his personality, and 'Screwed' itself, have created a level of excitement, which as an avid reader and writer, you cannot help but be drawn into.

Ronnie Thompson’s insight and thoughts about the prison service, is definitely an eye opener. Is the prison system ever going to be stable or will it forever be a service laced with disruption, and corruption? At this moment in time, it sadly seems to be the latter.

If you are looking for sensitivity in 'Screwed', then forget it. It is a brutal, dark and raw book. It is a journey into corruption, deceit, fear, power, and alcohol. A book that starts as an advert for the second generation of ‘laddism’, soon embarks into honest, and at times bitter memories.

You feel compelled to read the next page, as you experience a chaotic and challenging life as a prison officer. Once you have finished 'Screwed', you will be disturbed by what you have read. Moreover, you might find it hard to feel any empathy towards Ronnie Thompson and his world. Yet I do not think Ronnie wants the reader to feel for him, he just wants them to see prison life, as he encountered it. In short, 'Screwed' is a power house of a book, worthy of a read.

Things are going the right way for Ronnie Thompson, and 'Screwed'. This year could be a big one for him and we at ZANI certainly hope so. Because Ronnie has certainly added some zest and intrigue to the world of literature. As he proudly claims to be part of the ‘Danny Dyer’ generation, well maybe they have just found their star author.

As we parted, I quickly turned to Ronnie and shouted out one last question. “What did you do if the cons wrote on the walls?” Ronnie laughed and replied “they didn’t, they obeyed all the rules” 
 
©Matteo Sedazzari/ZANI   

Ronnie Thompson/ Screwed MySpace Page

---