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  • Everything feels that little bit more frightening.

  • (Sign language) There was total communication breakdown. They didn't understand me.

  • Everyone has their own opinions on how hard prison should be, but with a disability, it shouldn't be any harder.

  • [Deaf Behind Bars]

  • I worked as a prison officer, so I was in jail on a daily basis.

  • I then committed an offence, and I spent three years and three months in prison.

  • I wear hearing aids in both ears.

  • I'd taken with me a supply of batteries.

  • When I arrived at the reception area, I was told that I wouldn't be allowed to have those batteries with me, but then without them switched on, I felt really vulnerable, because I couldn't then hear what was going on around me.

  • (Sign language) I'm profoundly deaf. My first language is British Sign Language (BSL). My sentence was seven and a half years.

  • When I arrived from court to prison, there was no interpreter at all. So I was really frightened. I didn't know what was going on.

  • My English wasn't very good. I had to communicate through notes written in English, however I could.

  • Prisons are environments that really run on sound, so not only do you have lots of voices going on at the same time, but you have alarms, bells, tannoys, all making noise in the prison environment.

  • And so if you can't access that, it means that you can't hear if there's a fire alarm going off.

  • So it makes you more at risk.

  • If you can't hear what's happening outside of your cell door, or what might be coming, you feel even less in control of your own surroundings.

  • If another prisoner calls to you as you're walking away and you don't respond, they may perceive that as you being rude, and that could then result in an argument or even physical violence.

  • I was really aware at times of trying to position myself with my back to the wall so that I could see the door, because then you can see what's coming.

  • (Sign language) I wasn't able to communicate. I was really stressed. And I didn't feel safe.

  • My mental health was really bad. I didn't feel well at all. I couldn't sleep, and my mental health problems got worse. I became very depressed. I felt completely isolated and kept myself to myself for a long time.

  • I got attacked in my cell. I'd have to press the alarm all the time. So they'd have to move me to another cell. And that trauma changed my life.

  • The way that prisoners are meant to be supported is about making what's called reasonable adjustments to make sure that everyone's treated equally.

  • But in reality, what's considered reasonable is open to quite a lot of interpretation.

  • The adjustments that are made should ensure that deaf prisoners are able to access all parts of the prison regime.

  • But in practice, that's not really the case.

  • They tend to serve longer sentences because it's much harder for them to prove that they've reduced their risk through completion of rehabilitation programmes,

  • engagement in education or work or training, because those things aren't so accessible to deaf people.

  • (Sign language) The first four prisons I was in were the worst time in my life.

  • The last prison was much better. They taught me how to write and fill in the forms. And then when I got into class, we had a computer and I had an interpreter as well.

  • If I'd arrived in the first prison and they'd provided an interpreter and given me access to learning English, it would have been better, and my sentence wouldn't have been as drawn out.

  • Maybe it's just my experience of the three prisons that I was in as a prisoner, but also from my experience as an officer, I feel that making adaptations and making accessibility to all the same things as other prisoners feels like a bit of an effort.

  • Prison has an impact on you, psychologically, as it is.

  • To go through it feeling unnecessarily more vulnerable or more isolated seems harsh, regardless of someone's offence.

  • We might be tempted to say, well, this person's committed a crime and that's why they're in prison, so why should I care?

  • But at some point, this person will be released back into the community and really we have a choice.

  • We can either say, no, they should be given no extra support whatsoever and their time in prison is their time in prison.

  • Or we can try and support them in their rehabilitation, in building good relationships, in having good physical and mental health.

  • And we know that all of those things reduce the risk of re-offending upon release.

  • Of course prison's hard and prison should be quite hard, obviously, for it to have an effect.

  • But everyone should get the same sort of shot at it, surely, and that doesn't happen.

  • It does not happen when it comes to deafness.

Everything feels that little bit more frightening.

Subtitles and vocabulary

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A2 UK prison sign language deaf language interpreter sign

What is it like to be deaf in prison? | BBC Ideas

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    VoiceTube posted on 2025/06/15
Video vocabulary

Keywords

vulnerable

US /ˈvʌlnərəbəl/

UK /ˈvʌlnərəbl/

  • adjective
  • Exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
  • Susceptible to physical or emotional harm.
  • Exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
  • Exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
  • Open to attack or damage from criticism, arguments, or questions.
  • (In a card game, especially bridge) in a position where penalties are higher and bonuses are greater.
  • In need of special care, support, or protection because of age, disability, or risk of abuse or neglect.
  • (of a person) in need of special care, support, or protection because of age, disability, or risk of abuse or neglect.
  • Exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
  • Open to persuasion or suggestion; easily influenced.
  • Susceptible to physical or emotional harm.
  • Being open to attack or damage
  • Being easily harmed, hurt, or wounded
sort

US /sɔrt/

UK /sɔ:t/

  • verb
  • To arrange things in a systematic way, typically into groups.
  • To arrange things in groups according to type.
  • To organize things by putting them into groups
  • To deal with things in an organized way
  • noun
  • A category of things or people with a common feature; a type.
  • Group or class of similar things or people
perceive

US /pɚˈsiv/

UK /pə'si:v/

  • verb
  • To notice or become aware of something
  • To interpret or regard (someone or something) in a particular way.
  • To become aware of or understand something.
  • To think of someone or something in a certain way
  • other
  • To become aware of or understand something.
  • To become aware of something through the senses, especially sight.
  • To interpret or regard someone or something in a particular way.
mental

US /ˈmɛntl/

UK /ˈmentl/

  • adjective
  • Concerning the mind
access

US /ˈæksɛs/

UK /'ækses/

  • noun
  • The ability or right to enter, use, or look at something.
  • Way to enter a place, e.g. a station or stadium
  • The means or opportunity to approach or enter a place.
  • A means of approaching or entering a place.
  • The right or opportunity to use or look at something.
  • verb
  • To obtain or retrieve (computer data or a file).
  • (Of a computer) to find and use (data).
  • To be able to use or have permission to use
  • To obtain or retrieve (data or information) from a computer or other device.
  • other
  • The action or way of approaching, entering, or using.
  • The means or opportunity to approach or enter a place.
  • The opportunity or right to use something or to see someone.
  • other
  • To obtain or retrieve (data or information, typically held in a computer).
physical

US /ˈfɪzɪkəl/

UK /ˈfɪzɪkl/

  • adjective
  • Relating to the body as opposed to the mind.
  • Relating to things that can be seen or touched.
  • Concerning the body of a person
  • Concerning things that can be seen or touched
  • Involving bodily contact or the use of force.
  • Relating to things you can see or touch.
  • Relating to physics.
  • noun
  • Health check at the doctors' or hospital
  • A medical examination to check a person's overall health.
  • other
  • Education in sports and exercise.
trauma

US /ˈtraʊmə/

UK /'trɔ:mə/

  • noun
  • A very severe or upsetting experience
  • Serious injury to part of the body
practice

US /ˈpræktɪs/

UK /'præktɪs/

  • other
  • To carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly.
  • To carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly.
  • To perform an activity or exercise a skill repeatedly in order to improve or maintain proficiency.
  • To perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency.
  • To do something repeatedly so as to become skilled at it.
  • noun
  • A customary way of doing something.
  • A usual or customary action or proceeding.
  • A doctor's or lawyer's business.
  • Repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it.
  • The customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing of something.
  • The office and place for legal or medical work
  • Doing something many times to become better at it
  • other
  • A customary way of doing something.
  • The business or work of a professional person, such as a doctor or lawyer.
  • other
  • The customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing something.
  • Repeated exercise of an activity or skill in order to improve or maintain proficiency.
  • Repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it.
  • Repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it.
  • other
  • Work at or be engaged in (a profession).
  • verb
  • To perform an activity or exercise a skill repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency.
  • To work as a doctor or lawyer
  • To live according to the teachings of a religion
  • To do something many times to improve a skill
experience

US /ɪkˈspɪriəns/

UK /ɪk'spɪərɪəns/

  • noun
  • An event at which you learned something
  • Thing a person has done or that happened to them
  • An event or occurrence that leaves an impression on someone.
  • Knowledge gained by living life, doing new things
  • Knowledge or skill gained from doing, seeing, or feeling things.
  • other
  • An event or occurrence
  • other
  • An event or occurrence that leaves an impression on someone.
  • Something that happens to you that affects how you feel
  • other
  • An event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone.
  • An event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone
  • other
  • Knowledge or skill that is gained from doing something for a period of time
  • Previous work in a particular field.
  • Knowledge or skill gained from doing something.
  • Knowledge or skill gained from doing, feeling, or seeing things
  • other
  • To encounter or undergo (an event or situation)
  • To have something happen to you
  • To have something happen to you
  • verb
  • To gain knowledge by doing things
  • To have something happen to you.
  • other
  • Knowledge or skill gained from doing something
impact

US /ˈɪmˌpækt/

UK /'ɪmpækt/

  • noun
  • A striking effect or result to hit with force
  • Act or force of one thing hitting something else
  • A marked effect or influence.
  • other
  • To collide forcefully with something.
  • verb
  • To hit or strike someone or something with force
  • other
  • (especially of a tooth) wedged so that it cannot erupt.
  • To have a strong effect on someone or something.