'HPT for Prisons' Part 2

Partial Transcript from HPT for Prisons. Sunday 14th April 2013.

Following   http://themooreconsortium.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/going-into-prison.html

.....Continued
DM: David Moore
P: Prisoners
Single Initials for aliases of prisoners speaking or asking questions.

DM. Thanks for coming here.  I know that you see quite a few people here who come into this place and spend time telling you how to write, act, dance and all that other stuff.  I also know that doing all those kind of things is a great way to use up time in here.  Using up time seems to be the norm.  Any way to make a few hours pass by quickly is good right?

P. (general agreement) yeah, right

DM. With a lot of time on your hands its natural that you waste it.  It's out of spite.  Another day behind you.  They can't beat me.  I can do this stretch standing on my head.  I suppose you are taking courses and going on whatever education classes they have here? (quite a few nod their heads) Why are you wasting that time?  Why bother?  You are making agreements that you have no intention of keeping.  You are signing up for French and German courses just to pass the time with no hope of using those languages when you get out.  Like taking an english literacy exam; why?  Or Yoga!  Ok I get that you want to stay fit but yoga?  I know you are only doing these things to kill time. 

P-A Better than sitting here listening to you! (laughter)

DM. So why are you?  You came here.  You put your name down.  (DM walks over to the prisoner and stands two feet away from him) You heard that some guy was going to come in here and talk for one hour about how you can change your life.  Here you are and here I am.  But no.  That's not why you are here is it?  It will be an hour out of my cell on a sunday night, let him babble on and on about changing our lives and then we can go back to our cells and punch the air and say 'Hey, I won, I am still the same, he didn't change me'

(some laughter, DM walks around)

DM. How long before you realise that YOU put yourself in here?  YOU got yourself arrested.  YOU got yourself sentenced. YOU have years to serve for your crimes.   All the French lessons in the world are not going to change that.  You can Yoga yourself into oblivion but you know what?  All you will be is a very flexible idiot who breaks the law and throws his life away.

P-B. Why the fuck should you care man?

DM. Me?  I don't.  I don't care why you are here.  I know you have friends, family, wives and girlfriends out there who are serving a sentence too because you are in here and they are out in the real world.  No, I don't care about you, why should I?  You don't care about you.  If you did, and if you cared about your family out there you wouldn't do something that puts you in here for ten years would you?

P-A I was a victim. Circumstances put me in here. (inaudible) put me here.

DM. Bullshit! You put you here.  You created the circumstances.  Just like you created the circumstances for you to be here tonight.  I was going to be here anyway.  YOU made you be here.  The prison was going to be here, you put yourself in it.

P-C, You sound like you are taking the piss out of us like the others do.

DM. (walking into the crowd up until the tenth row to the prisoner that spoke)  That's right.  For you.  For you, it sounds like I am taking the piss.  But that's your point of view.  Not MINE!  YOU are hearing me taking the piss.  That is YOUR creation, not mine.  It is not my intent.  I am just being honest with you.  I am telling you what I think.  What you hear is from YOUR perspective.

P-C Yeah thats right, it's my choice what I hear.

DM. Everything is your choice Brother.  Everything you do.  You coming here tonight.  You being sent to prison.  You thinking I am taking the piss.  You wanting to smash a chair over my head right now. (laughter) You going back to your cell and speaking french to the wall while you have your leg behind your head. (Louder laughter) But you know what is also your choice?  Everything else!

P-C. What do you care?

DM. What do I care?  I told you, I don't.  Well....I care about one thing....I don't care why you are here.  I don't care what you did.  I don't care about any of you.  (silence for ten seconds)  I CARE WHETHER YOU CARE ABOUT YOU!  If you did, you wouldn't be in here.  You wouldn't create circumstances that put you in here.  You would be doing something constructive with your time in here to ensure you don't come back in here because you value yourselves.

(general shifting around in chairs, people sitting more upright)

DM Like I said before, I know the score, I know the bravado.  You say it doesn't bother you being in here.  At least thats the impression you give out on the landings to others.  Well it should.  It should bother the hell out of you.  And all that 'I can do this sentence standing on my head' crap!  Stop it.  It's time to get back on your feet.  Time to stand up and say I ain't putting up with all this crap I am creating for myself.  NO MORE!  It is about being strong enough to look yourself in the eye in the mirror and say "This is all my fault".  It's about taking control of your life, even in here.....

To be continued...