Fremantle Prison “The Circle”

Description

It was five-thirty in the morning and the rest of the prisoners were still locked down. He could hear the clank of plates and cutlery echoing through New Division as the Trustee prepared him a special meal that sent the familiar smell of bacon, eggs and toast throughout the landing. He looked through the yellow bars of the grill door for the Screw who would open his cell so he could wash and prepare for his appointment. He had already been weighed and measured as it was a special day for him. His appointment was with the hangman. He knew the routine and was prepared for the walk through the empty Divisions to the Death Cell. He felt remorse but was satisfied that what he had done, had to be done. He knew the routine as he had been a screw for s ome years, working the shifts and dealing with the Prison’s day-to-day life (and death). He also had something to say but it could wait until moments before he met his God. This is an account of the toxic culture that existed at Fremantle Prison during the late 1940s and 50s. It focuses on the brutality of the Officers and the nepotism and bullying of an elite group of Officers known as the “Purple Circle” —- ISBN: 9798366540735