This story was written in 28-6-1998 by Seyed Mohammad Ali-Mearaji from Iran.
Newly, I was in prison called Vester fængsel in Copenhagen. I got to jail because I tried to solve my problems by physical fight when, I saw no progress in bureaucratic way.
I had fight two men in street. I hit them and they complained to police. I have got arrested and was in jail for wildness and threat about 45 days.
Because of this case I was three times in court. My lawyer defended me by use or abuse of psychological problems as reason of my wildness. In my third court I have got realised until result of Mental observation which should be done by one of Copenhagen psychiatric hospitals.
It was not pleasure being in jail but, it was a good opportunity to see the life behind bars from inside. Jail is a part of society which is normally hide to rest of society. I call it other side of line.
Before I write anything about jail I send my regards to all them who know me in Vester and all other prisoners in world. I start by wish freedom for all prisoners. I wish you mostly good normal and trouble free life in free world after getting free.
Vester fængsel was generally good according to what I heard about prisons in rest of the world. But I expected more of a danish level jail.
Vester fængsel buildings are old. There is need for what danish man call "Good kind caring hand". Vester buildings are nice as old buildings of this type. They sure have historical and cultural value. But, as a danish prison buildings they are too old. Reparation is necessary.
You should not forget that Vester fængsel from inside of view is where prisoners live and guards work. I don't forget my cells hand wash bad smell which was like a toilet. Cells need better light and new painting. In my cell slings paint was near to fall. New bed madras is necessary too.
Food was not good and enough and coffee was only one cup a week on sunday. Shopping was only possible twice a week and sometimes only once because of holidays.
Jail shop prices was high and prisoners income for work was low. There was no public phone too. Maybe it is first sign of being in closed world.
It is not easy to take money from bank, if you have some there. For me it took about a month. It take time and is hard to get visitation papers for visitors too.
Another need is need for more entertainment facility. Jail days are long. Longer than days anywhere else can be. Prison need more sport or other entertainment facilities. This kind of facilities can be used to stop prisoner narcotic abuse and as education to crime free life.
Disappointedly, hash abuse is normal in prison. Hash is as usual as cigarettes. Hash mostly used as sleeping pills to make jail days shorter. Guards try to stop open handel but, they don't want to make prisoners life harder than already is. In other words taking to hard on hash will only make its prise higher.
What who disappointed me was number of young prisoners. Near to half of prisoners were under 25. In jail you meet men, so was this young guys too. I have become friends with some of them. Disappointedly, braking the low and getting back to jail was near to become their life style. One guy told me that it is about two years which he live in jail. He is in jail about three months. He is free about one or two mouths. He do something wrong and he is back in jail for three or more months again. Maybe there is need for more serious look at these young guys life and problems. What I know is sending them back to jail wont help either them or society.
In the first week of my prison days, I was in building called Vestfløj. This building was for women and families. It was good to keep families in one building but, it could be better if they could live in a same cell.
(This point is coming up now too) In jail I talk to some female prisoners and guards. None of them complained of any sort of sexual harassment. But, in case of any sort of harassment prisoners are not in strong position. It is simple no one believe prisoners. I had to remember female prisoners situation to make there position stronger and show they are not alone.
Female prisoner are not the only female in jail. It is good that near to half of guards are female. I send my regards also to them. Every morning they woke me with smile. This smile give hope for another day getting closer to freedom.
It is good to have female guards in jail. It make jail atmosphere better and polite. I talk to some female guards. It look like they like their job. However sometimes or in my opinion more or less they are under daily sexual harassment.
No one tell you respect your jail guard because, she is a woman. Fact is that prisoner is in one side of bars and guards in another and it will always be so.
In Vester fængsel there were foreign/minority prisoners too. I am iranian and was one of them. I have got HALAL food in jail. I am thankful to danish jail respecting my religion. There were possibility for taking to church and mosque too.
In Vester there was homosexual and very young prisoners too. I have not seen sexual harassment but, still it is not a good idea to send very young guys in normal jail.
In vester jail every jail had a compact disc with radio, tape and CD player. It was possible to rent TV too. TV rent prise according to prisoners income was high but, not so much. My work in Vester was reparation of compact discs. I was proud of my job but, my salary was less than 300 dkr. a week.
I told you about my weekly salary. Let me tell you about cigarette prise in Denmark too. Of course only for foreigners. A pack of cigarettes cost 30 dkr. TV rent cost about 4 dkr. a day. You can see it is not cheep to smoke and watch TV in jail. By smoking about one pack cigarette a day you will have only about 60 dkr. left for every thing else in a week. Remember one pack cigarette in jail is only enough for half of a jail day.
It was possible to watch 9 TV channels in jail. One of channels was jails own channel. It send two video films every night. (GOD forgive me) I watched only porno one at 11 pm however videos were to old (That time I was not religious, I hope GOD forgive me). As jock we changed the time meagre to 11 pm too. for example morning was too long to 11 and 9 pm was 2 hours to 11. You may call me pervert but, I am what I am. (I hope GOD forgive me. Still I love sex and women but, in more religious way. GOD created us as man and women to enjoy each other not to be kept in jail and see how another one enjoy or act like it in screen.).
Vester jail private channel and porno movies was fun but, private TV channel in jail give a lots of possibilities. Prisoners are not in jail for fun. This channel can be used to bring the crime down by education. Prisoners wont stay in jail for ever. Head problem for them is society who lead them back to jail. This channel can be used to show prisoners other possibilities and life style than crime in out side world. Not by boring programs but, by their own join and out from their own needs.
Danish are good in case of social work. It should continued even behind bars. Maybe it is social workers job to destroy the line. Line which society draw between prisoner and rest of society. Anyway, as long as there is crime and prisoner there is need for social work in both side of line.
It was all about my experience in copenhagen Vester fængsel. My private life problems have not got less by street fight and become a prisoner. Even I had my problems with me in jail. Problem of being under psychological terror, which suffer me in about 17 or more years.
(I wrote this text while I was arrested in psychiatric hospital, Please read Statement 1 about my problems) Disappointedly, about 10 days ago police once more came to my house. This time they accuse me as badly/harmful mental sick. I had no way but, let them take me as mental ill to a psychiatric hospital. In first three nights they kept me in closed section of hospital. Now they moved me to open section but, I have to stay there for undecided time.
I have no complain about the hospital. If I had any complain is not the right time to tell about it too. In hospital some like to help me, but I am under the same psychological terror in hospital as any other place else which I was before.
One of doctors offered me a tablet called Zyprexa. This tablet is very expensive and good for illness called schizophrenia. I have got 5 mg Zyprexa for three days. I guess Zyprexa is good for accused illness. I have got some of Zyprexa side effects too, like becoming sleepy and hard in neck muscles.
I stopped taking Zyprexa after the third day. I stopped because in third day I have got problems to keep my temper. My behaviour were changing to be like one of patients in close section of hospital. It made me frightened specially in case of loosing temper. In other hand it is a simple fact. If is good to act like other patients, what are they doing in close section of a psychiatric hospital.
I know my enemies and their goal for psychological terror. I know how they attack and I learned how to survive. However there is no win in my survive or at least was not in last 17 years. It is my enemies dream to put me in close section as mental ill patient. My temper lose will give them what they want and work for. About 3 or 4 years ago they told they send me to psychiatric hospital for ever.
My problem is political and social, more than psychological problem. As I said before Zyprexa or any other tablet which I take wont help my enemies mental sickness and stop them torturing me.
As I said before I have no complain over hospital. It is not help for me being there but, it is for other patients. Disappointedly, Kommune hospital should close. Unsafe work and fear for future can be seen in employees, however they work as usual.
Kommune hospital is one of Copenhagen old hospitals. Hospital is in centre of city. Kommune hospital has a psychology, old care and research centre as I heard.
I heard one of reasons for closing the hospital is its old buildings. In other hand I heard buildings has historical value and should kept as they are. In this case reparation is necessary and cost have to paid from one or another state packet, what is difference and why close the hospital.
Another reason for closing Kommune hospital can be missing need for hospital facility in area which is copenhagen centre. In this case nothing can be done and Kommune hospital or one or another hospital is no more useful. But, what is meagre for society medical care need. Is it occupied beds number or societies health and satisfactory percent.
Kommune hospital is in centre of city. Its placement is good for old people who live in copenhagen centre. Another good things about kommune hospital is its old buildings. Old's used to this kind of buildings and youth patients who suffer of psychological problems in their small betonic flats can find it suitable. Maybe reorganizing the hospital after need of these two groups be better idea than closing it.
Society and its culture change, so do peoples needs for societies facilities. One of societies facilities is medical care. Medical care should change in both style and level according to society needs. Maybe in old days there was mostly need for new hospitals with facilities to help patients with physical problems. Maybe that time society culture was in a way that hospital care was only necessary in few days. Rest of treatment could find place at home by family help. But, now there is need for more hospital care to make patient able to survive. In today society and with today culture and today problems everyone has enough to be busy with and has no energy left for others. Old days home treatments by family or friends help do not exist as before.
Society is us. Societies problem like work, small places to live, racism and etc is our problems. Culture and peoples culture in caring about each other has changed too. There is need for more society care facilities to cover care need in society.
Yesterday rock culture had a border drown by its king Elvis Presly called "hound dog". Today culture borders are drown by "The bold and the beautiful" and "Beverly hills". Both yesterday and today culture got and get critics. Culture is not the subject but its out come is one of reason behind society medical care needs. (By getting far from GOD and falling for cleaver abuser tricks. We give our lives control to abusers to decide for us how to abuse us instead of taking it in our own hands.)
Today, it is Okay to come together with your friends lover or even your family members lover. Today culture base on more self dependency than yesterdays rock culture. That time you could at lest count on your friends or your family members, therefor there was not need for society care facilities in the same way as today. Yesterday hospital care need was until patient get able to survive at home. Maybe today hospital care need must be until patient get able to survive in society. And in case of love get able to fight people, friends, brothers and father for his love rights.
Self dependency in high grade with our society problems like work, racism, etc make survive concurrence harder. By our societies general problems some have to lose. Today patients need for medical care is in another level and style.
In case of oldies, once someone said some old are not sick but they like to stay in hospital because of its care. I should say they need this kind of care otherwise they could take to another place which they could get what they look for in hospital.
Self dependency is mostly youth problem. Today youth have to stand on there own feet from 16 or latest 20. Hospital care for youth should organized for make youth self dependent and strong to survive in family and society. This should be done independent and without help of their family or friends.