Prison governor describes disgusting ‘potting’ method to ‘degrade’ staff members

A former prison governor has shared the methods inmates would use to ‘degrade and abuse staff’ and the lengths they would go to incite chaos on the wing.

Former prison governor Vanessa Frake sat down with LADbible and shared the most dangerous situations she’s had to face within her career.

She explained: "No matter what you do, unless you’re strapped to the inmate 24/7, it’s impossible to avoid contraband coming through, which can be turned into some type of weapon."

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Frake revealed how inmates would use almost anything to fashion a weapon from - citing things such as toothbrushes to tins of tuna, and she described having to constantly be on guard and brace for sudden conflict.

When asked if she ever had instances where she feared for her own life, Frake shared: “I don't think I've ever feared for my own safety. You know, I think once you decide that you're scared or you're frightened, that is time to give up the job.

"We had a prisoner who was very abusive to female staff, making sexual innuendos, and I'd put him on basic regime, which basically means that his privileges are taken away in the hope that he would realise that he can't go around making innuendos and sexual comments to female staff."

She explained that the inmate in question then went on to use one of the ‘most degrading’ tactics seen within the prison walls.

Frake continued: “He became very irate over it, and another prisoner came up to me the day before and said, 'Look, gov, you need to watch your back. Somebody's got it in for you.' And I knew exactly who he meant. It was this prisoner that I'd just put on basic.

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"But the following night I was working late, I was trying to catch up on some paperwork, and there was an alarm bell went off on D wing on the fourth floor.

"And if that happens then, you know, it's an audible alarm, and, you know, you rush to it as quickly as you can. And that's what I did. And I got halfway up the landing, and I was just literally stopped in my tracks, covered in this sort of liquidy stuff.

“What a prisoner does is he'll put feces and urine in a bottle, add some water, shake it up, and leave it on a radiator for a couple of days and then find some victim to throw it at. Potting is done to degrade, humiliate, and I was determined that that wasn't gonna be me. Got a couple of staff with me, went up to this guy's cell, told him that he was going down the seg, told the staff to grab him, and we marched him off down to seg. So I hope it was worth it for him.”