LET’S get down to the nitty gritty about prison life.

Years ago, when you got sentenced to prison you were entitled to clothes, shoes, bedclothes and one letter to write home a week.

You worked from Monday to Friday in the mailbag-shop, sewing by hand. In the late morning you would get half an hour’s exercise, then go in for lunch.

At 1.30pm there was another half-hour of exercise, then it was back to the mailbag shop until about 4pm when you were locked up until tea time.

After tea you were locked-up again until slop-out time. That was when you emptied your chamber-pot and filled your jug with fresh water.

Then you were banged up for the night.

At weekends you were banged up for 23 hours a day, and on Monday you would start all over again. However, because we have allowed too many people to poke their noses into prison life, prison is now so easy that people don’t mind being there.

You can give and give to prisoners but try to take something back and you will have a riot on your hands.

So much for so-called progress.

P HOWARD, Brome Place, Headington, Oxford