Case studies
For some the hardest thing about overseas imprisonment is the isolation and distance from home and family.For others it’s the difficult and uncomfortable conditions. Sometimes, it’s a combination of all of them.
But the following case studies show that with the right support and attitude, prison doesn’t have to permanently damage the lives of those it affects.
When someone is first arrested, it’s important for them and their relatives to know that they are not alone. The following stories show that no matter how difficult things are now, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
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Pat, a mother's story
When I first heard of my daughter’s sentence, I was in England. Her lawyer phoned: “I’m very sorry to tell you that Teresa has been given a ten-year sentence.” I was completely taken aback, I didn’t know what to say.
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Mark in Venezuela
I was arrested at the airport, on my way home from Venezuela. Because of my long dreadlocks the police nicknamed me Bob Marley. That was to be my name for the next four years, inside one of Venezuela's most violent prisons.
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Mark comes home
Hi, my name is Mark, and this is my story. I was born and brought up in Wales but I left the country in 1985, when I was 22 years old. Since then I’ve lived all over the place – Spain, Eastern Europe, but by 2003 I was living in southern India. I’ve always tried to come back at least once a year though – this is still my home after all.
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Shelley: One year on
Shelley was seven when she left the UK with her parents for a new life in America. Almost twenty years later, and after serving just under one year in prison, she was deported from the US and sent back to England. One year on, she tells us about the shock of returning to a strange land.
