THE NZ Herald has run a photo we ran last year on social media, a photo of the roast dinner served up to inmates in prison.
I can remember the derision and scorn that was heaped upon the image, with many saying it was a meal that was likely to be better than their own one, or that it was more than any prisoner really deserved, considering their crimes.
It makes me realise that people have a pretty warped and stereotypical view of the culture and realities of prison, largely because most of us -- fortunately -- have had no experience of it. Our popular culture viewing means we might think prison works as a fictional exaggeration or a haven for gang initiation with lots of weight training, or something like a hotel. Thus people might think that today's prisons, unlike the hard days 50 years ago, are not much of a deterrent at all. And then the icing on the cake comes along -- a roast dinner with all the trappings.
To me, a roast dinner at Christmas, in jail, is merely a detail, which does not stack up against the one colossal aspect of prison life -- the complete loss of your liberty. In a society which is fundamentally free, and democratic, the loss of freedom is such an offence against your well-being that the consequences far outstrip whatever basic comforts and food you receive in jail.
There will be people in this community who have packed the bag for someone likely to end up in jail, depending on the court's will. There's a depressing list of items you're allowed, with particular note to the colour of the clothes to avoid gang associations.
