My life experience in Changi Prison (Cluster B)


    Chapter #21

    My 1st night lock-up at Cluster B2

    After minutes of settling down in my cellroom.. One of my roommate ( the oldest one) start to speak and suggest to the rest of us to have our dinner first then to shower before lights off at 9pm (the water supply will closed). So we sat on floor together, eat our breads and we start to communicate with each other and start asking questions to each others in a friendly way (I never expected that these people are so friendly and easygoing). As I am first-timer to jail (other three are repeated), They had brief and taught me what to do and expect in CPC…

    Heres a short intro of my roomates:

    A) ID: 5XX1 (2ND TIMER) AGE: 26 CASE: AH LONG SENTENCE: 6 MONTHS

    B) ID: 5XX3 (4TH TIMER) AGE: 40 CASE: FIGHTING SENTENCE 9 MONTHS

    C) ID: 5XX5 (3RD TIMER) AGE: 43 CASE: CHEATING SENTENCE: 18 MONTHS

    Readers, share with me. Imagine that if you are me, how will you react and feel after you get to know their case and background and need to stay with them for days?

    (Info: In prison, inmates normally don ask name from each other for the beginning. Normally inmates will start conversation with each other by asking their offences, how long is their sentences, etc.. From there inmates start to chat with each other and will become friends without knowing each other name. Most inmates practise remebering the person’s ID number instead names. Oficers in CPC address inmantes by their ID number as well instead names)

    After dinner and shower, the lights are off soon. Due to limited space, 4 of us slept in ‘manjong formation’. I couldn’t sleep, I do not know what time is it but i know i have been lying on the hard floor like hours.. Eveytime i turned my head to the wall, all i can see through the tiny holes from the wall are nothing, totally black. Slience moment throughout the long nite.. Only sound of areoplane flying past the prison once in a while.

    I feel hopeless, week, meaningless in life, loneliness, mind totally lost and my tears start to drop from my eyes again n again whenever i think back what’ll have i done and think about my family. I forced myself to sleep and stop thinking but failed. In that long darkness, Its the first time in my life that i really miss them so much although we are still together few hours ago.

    “Readers: how many of you really missed your family members if you don get to see them for a few hours only?

    When is the last time you reali gave a good hug to your parents?

    Correct me if i am wrong, I believe some of you feel nothing or may feel happy without seeing them for days.

    Some would wish they could shutup and stop asking questions whenever you reach home.

    Some even can’t wait to sent them away.

    Frankly I admit i used to be one of those mentioned above as well!

    Now thinking back again, thanks to the mental torture and Q&A myself throughout that very first nite at CPC have made me realise something important which most of us have never beware of in our daily life. I try to make it short for you and hope you can spent minutes to think about it and understand what i am trying to express:

    ’ Those you spent your time most daily hardly provide you love, those you spent your time rarely daily provide you the most unlimited love’

    ’ Only those whom give you unlimited love will standby by your side till the very end no matter how bad the suitation is. Feel it, treasure them while you can and don’t take things for granted!'

    Although my first night in prison is like months, I am glad i have reali learn and experience something which money can’t buy throughout this long hurtful experience.

    -—————– To be continued———————-

    Post #46
    1 comments
    Chapter #22

    2 months imprisonment for a 408 offence is unheard of. Its seems more like a 406 offence. Anyway, I walk into Cluster A or B at least twice a month and each time I walk out smiling. I am so glad that I am not staying there.

    Post #48
    0 comments
    Chapter #23

    Bro Gara,

    Please carry on with your next chapter……,

    I just come across ur thread today and i tunning in for update.

    Like your thread, coz i may not be caught of crime…..but i have being throught alot in life.

    Sometime life there will be alot of pass and parcel by, is great that you willing to share yours over here. hope to hear ur next chapter experience soonest

    Post #49
    0 comments
    Chapter #24

    Bro Gara, thank you for sharing your part of miserable story and experience. I do hope that things will get better and you standing up again strongly with your beloved family behind you. Just one question, do you get a new IC (with your no. changed to something else) after serving the sentence, as somekind of identification in case of spot check?

    Post #50
    0 comments
    Chapter #25

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by

    sky_liner2

    Bro Gara, thank you for sharing your part of miserable story and experience. I do hope that things will get better and you standing up again strongly with your beloved family behind you. Just one question, do you get a new IC (with your no. changed to something else) after serving the sentence, as somekind of identification in case of spot check?

    Nope.. Everything remain the same. We get back our old IC

    Post #51
    1 comments
    Chapter #26

    hello joncheong,the legs shackled part also applies 2 the women as well.

    wat can they use 2 shave their armpits in prison ?

    women inmates r not allow 2 wear bras.

    they r only allow 2 keep @ most shoulder length hair.

    Post #53
    0 comments
    Chapter #27

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by

    joew2005

    hello joncheong,the legs shackled part also applies 2 the women as well.

    wat can they use 2 shave their armpits in prison ?

    women inmates r not allow 2 wear bras.

    they r only allow 2 keep @ most shoulder length hair.

    went in CWP Block D and E regularly for work. Most of the ladies there are I spot are similar short hair style - till the beginning of the neck only. However, there are a few with shoulder length.

    One compulsory practice whenever I went through the cells are that the ladies have to line up, squat down and face the wall before any guy can walk through.

    I always ask different prison officers why they have to face the wall before a guy can walk past. Is it because they are not allowed to see guys? Or scare that they are shy? I never get the answer.

    Now that you said they are not allowed to wear bra, perhaps thats the reason. - To protect them from “zao geng” in front of guys.

    To threadstarter; congrats on your freedom. It really sadden me whenever I saw ah peks in the cells - on wheelchairs being pushed around by those Young People..

    Post #54
    0 comments
    Chapter #28

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by

    yeehaa

    is it with a marking to indicate that you were in jail?

    No marking

    Post #55
    0 comments
    Chapter #29

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by

    joew2005

    hello joncheong,the legs shackled part also applies 2 the women as well.

    wat can they use 2 shave their armpits in prison ?

    women inmates r not allow 2 wear bras.

    they r only allow 2 keep @ most shoulder length hair.

    Actually i think the girls are allow to wear a singlet inside (not quite sure)..

    Cos those all guans/ ba poh (we address them as ‘sisters’) whom are lockup in my same dayroom but different cell unit, wear additional singlet inside beside their normal white t-shirt!

    Post #56
    0 comments
    Chapter #30

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by

    joew2005

    women inmates r not allow 2 wear bras.

    what about sanitary pads during their period ?

    Post #57
    0 comments