Question Time

Matthew asked: Your presentation at Cromwell Communiy College has left a question in my head that I really want to know. When you came out of prison and got back to England, what was the first thing you wanted to do/eat?

Shaun: The first thing I wanted to eat was Indian food. I used to eat it almost daily before my arrest. According to the police reports, undercover cops used to sit in Indian restaurants to spy on me, and try to record my conversations. Before getting to London as a free man, I’d been in prison transport, travelling for days with hardly any food, so I was starving. My family took me to an Indian restaurant, and I ate till I was so full I could barely move. After the "red death" meal at Arpaio's jail that sometimes had dead rats in it, I'm still a vegetarian to this day. The first thing I did when I got off the plane was give my mum, sister and dad a hug.

Anonymous asked: Have you had any word about Two Tonys' health?

Shaun: I haven't heard from Two Tonys in a while, but I got news from another prisoner that he is no longer in a medical unit, he is back on a regular yard, so I can only take that a sign that his health has improved.

Anonymous asked: I would be really interested in a write up from you about the HBO TV series ‘Oz’ about a prison in America (it may cut a little close to the bone – or else you might think it is ridiculous).

Shaun: I haven't watched Oz, but I did catch some Prison Break last Xmas. As an ex prisoner, I found it fascinating even though a lot of it was impossible. They nailed a lot of detail, but the fact that the two brothers would end up in the same prison is implausible as there are numerous prisons in California, and you generally don't get short timers rubbing up with guys on death row. But having said that, I still really enjoyed it, especially the characters and the staff. They represented some of the types I met in prison.

Anonymous asked: Why are there bits left out of your blog?

Shaun: There were things I wrote that I couldn’t post to the Internet when I was in prison as they could have caused immediate danger for me and other prisoners. I have what I wrote in a collection I call The Parallel Blogs. This could be material for a third book.

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