Eastcombe WI: Pornography, Prison and Politics

INTREPID members of Eastcombe WI braved temperatures of minus three to hear a talk by Prison Governor, Debbie Young.

This talk was not entitled ‘Pornography, Prison and Politics’ for fear of attracting too much of the wrong sort of attention!

As it was, the turnout was very good, and we listened agog to stories of how Debbie had coped with some of the most difficult situations and the most violent criminals in the country.

By serendipity, Debbie joined the Civil Service and found herself in Customs and Excise.

Her duties included reclaiming £250,000 horses in horse-boxes borrowed from the Met, and ‘staking out’ the homes of drug couriers to nobble ‘Mr Big’

She then went on to an ‘easier’ life as a prison governor.

She described the sexual shenanigans between officers and inmates, the various ways drugs were smuggled - apparently there are ‘stuffers’ and ‘swallowers’ – (don’t ask!), the empty eyes of a cold-blooded murderer, lesbian bullying rings, suicides and the host of ordinary folk who, by bad luck, have somehow committed a horrendous crime.

With a blend of toughness and sympathy, Debbie brought all of this close to home.

The time came to muffle up against the cold and head back to our cosy homes, happy in the knowledge that there would be no ‘knock, knock’ on the door, dragging us out into a twilight world.

But, as Debbie said ‘There but for the grace of God…’

Many of us will remember this amusing, yet pull-no-punches talk next time we get a speeding ticket!