English Language Paper Two PPE: Prisons

SOURCE A: The following extract is taken from a magazine article written by an anonymous prisoner
describing his first day in Newgate Gaol (a prison in London). This article was first published in the
Household Words magazine in 1853.

Strong and stony as the prison seems to passers-by, it looks much stonier and stronger to the men who
enter it. The multiplicity of heavy walls, of iron gates and doorways; of huge locks, of bolts, spikes and bars
of every imaginable shape and size, make of the place a very nightmare dungeon. I followed the gruff
under- warden, through some dark and chilly vaulted passages, now turning to the right, now to the left.
5 We crossed a large hall, in the centre of which is a glass room for the use of prisoners when they are giving
instructions to their lawyers.

Still following; I was led into another large recess or chamber, on one side of which was a huge boiler with
a furnace glowing under it, and on another side a large stone bath. On the third wall there were a couple of
round towels on a roller, with a wooden bench beneath them.

10 "Stop," cried the warden, "take your clothes off." I hesitated. "Take off your clothes, do you hear?" My
clothes were soon laid on the bench, and a hot bath filled, and I went in. The officer had then his
opportunity of taking up my garments one by one, searching their pockets and their linings, feeling them
about and holding them against the light. My boots appeared to be especially suspicious. After he had put
his hands into them, he thumped them violently on the stone floor; but there rolled nothing out.

15 Having bathed, I was led down another passage, at the end of which were two gratings of iron bars, closely
woven over with wire-work, distant about two feet from each other. Unlocking both he pushed me
through, and started me up two or three steps into a square court-yard, where there was a man walking to
and fro very violently. After shouting "One in!" he locked the two gratings, and retreated rapidly in the
direction of his dinner. Another warden with a bunch of keys came from a gloomy building that formed one
20 side of the court. "Go up," he said to the pedestrian; who disappeared up a staircase instantly.

"Where from?" the jailor asked me, and "What are you here for?" Being replied to on these points, he said
shortly, “Come this way.” He led up the dark stone staircase to a corridor with cells on one side, having iron
doors to them a foot or more in thickness. One of these cells was to be mine. Venturing as I went in to ask
"Whether I might be allowed to walk in the yard when I pleased?” he answered sharply, “You'll just please
25 to walk where and when you're told." He slammed the door, bolted it, locked and padlocked it.

The cell was about eight feet by four, lighted by a Ioophole above eye-level. It contained, besides an iron
bedstead with a straw mattress and two coarse rugs upon it, an uncomfortable stool and a slanting
reading-desk fastened to the wall, on which were a Bible, a prayer-book, and hymn-book. Alone for the
first time since my apprehension, I stretched myself upon the bed; and, with my hands over my eyes
30 endeavoured to collect my thoughts.

I was soon aroused by the undoing of bolts and bars below, while a stentorian1 voice shouted from the
yard, "All — down!" I heard the cell doors being opened in the corridor; and, in due turn mine was flung
open, and the jailor looked in. The impression my body had left upon the rugs enraged him dreadfully.
"What," he cried, almost in a scream, "you've been a lying on that 'ere bed, have you! You just let me catch
35 you on it again till night, that's all!"

"Oh," I said soothingly, "I didn't know. Now that I do know, I will not lie down again."

"If I find you on it again I'll have you up before the governor or stop your supper. That's all. Go down."

1
Stentorian – Extremely loud

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 English Language Paper Two PPE: Prisons

SOURCE B: Jermon Clark is serving 50 years in a federal prison in Louisiana, USA. When he was 15 years
old, he was involved in a carjacking where a 16-year old girl was killed. Here, in 2015, he writes about
his first day in prison.

Walking into Receiving and Discharging for the first time, I felt what seemed to be a million butterflies
bouncing off the inside of my stomach. Here I was, an 18-year-old first-time offender carrying a 50-year
sentence on my shoulders.

One of the officers called names from a piece of paper that she held in her hands. When she called, “Clark!”
5 I stood on the wall just as the guys before me had been instructed to do. My heart began to pick up its pace
as I stood next to two older criminals who were having a conversation about all the prisons they’ve been to
and all the violent acts they’d participated in and witnessed. Hearing these gruesome stories put a
significant spike in my blood pressure. Still I kept a stern face while trying to hide how I really
felt…petrified!

10 While listening to them, my mind began to drift. I started asking myself, “Am I supposed to be at this
particular prison? Would these older convicts take advantage of me because of my age?”

“Clark!” I heard someone yell.

I snapped out of my nervous and scared thoughts before asking, “Did you call Clark”?

“About three times! When someone calls your name I suggest you answer, kid.”

15 The officer pointed to a door that was slightly open. Entering the room I noticed two officers sitting at a
table covered with brown folders. One of the officers looked up from whatever he was reading before
telling me to shut the door and have a seat. As soon as I sat down I looked at the two officers. One was fat
and the other had a pair of brass glasses sitting on top of his bony nose. The officer with the skinny face
said, “It seems that you’ll be spending the rest of your days with us. They gave you a fifty-year sentence. Is
20 that right Mr. Clark?” I could feel the anger and the shame that my sentence placed on me.

“Yeah, they gave me fifty years.” I was still trying my best to come to grips with all that time.

“Well, I have a few questions I want to ask you before we place you into General Population, ok?”

I shook my head up and down indicating that I understood him.

“Do you know any reason that you cannot be placed in General Population?” I didn’t know what to say so I
25 took a minute to rethink his question. He saw my hesitant reaction and asked, “Do you have any enemies?
Are you a homosexual? Have you cooperated with law enforcement? Are you scared to go into General
Population?”

I shook my head no to all his questions, but in all honesty I was scared. Who wouldn’t be scared of entering
prison at such a young age. True enough I was now eighteen years old, but I had been incarcerated since 49
30 days after my fifteenth birthday.

“We are going to have to hear you verbally say no to the questions, young man,” the fat officer said.

“No,” slipped off my tongue before I had the chance to really think about my safety. I hope I didn’t let my
false pride place me in a den full of lions.

“You know it’s rough out there. There’s people walking around with makeshift weapons. They have more
35 time than you and could care less about how young you are… hell they might prey on the age factor,” the
fat officer went on to say. The butterflies in my stomach begin to make my stomach turn and twist in knots.
As I sat in the chair, I could feel my hands tighten around the armrest. The fat officer’s words had really
gotten to me.
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 English Language Paper Two PPE: Prisons

Section A: Reading.
Answer all questions in this section.
You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.

Q1: Read again source A, lines 1-14. Choose four statements below which are TRUE.

 A) The corridors were cold.

 B) The inmate was forced to take a shower.
 C) The warden paid special attention to the footwear.
 D) Stones rolled out of his shoe.
 E) There was barbed wire around the prison.
 F) The bath was made from iron.
 G) The corridors were not well lit.
 H) The gates were made with iron.
[4 marks]

Q2: You need to refer to Source A and Source B for this question. Both Sources give details about a first day in
prison. Use details from both Sources to write a summary of the differences between what happens on
the first day in each prison.
[8 marks]

Q3: You now need to refer only to Source A, lines 21-30. How does the writer use language to describe the
setting?
[12 marks]

Q4: For this question, you need to refer to the whole of Source A, together with the whole of Source B.
Compare how the writers convey their different attitudes and perspectives towards prison.

In your answer, you could:

➢ Compare their different attitudes and perspectives
➢ Compare the methods they use to convey their attitudes and perspectives
➢ Support your response with references to both texts.
[16 marks]

Section B: Writing
You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.
Write in full sentences.
You are reminded of the need to plan your answer.
You should leave enough time to check your work at the end.

Q5: “Prison needs to change so that it is more about rehabilitating the inmates, rather than punishing them.
This is how we can ensure that they don’t re-offend.”

Write an article for a newspaper in which you explain your point of view on this issue.

(24 marks for content and organisation,

16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]

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