Fletcher [prisoner]: I had a friend once- haven’t told you this before, have I? He was a light-heavy. Good strong boy. Won a few fights. Suddenly thought he was the bees knees. Fast cars, easy women. Classic story of too much, too soon. He just blew up. He got into debt and ended up in one of those travelling booths. Four fights a night, seven nights a week. Well the body can’t take that punishment. His brain went soft, his reflexes went. You know- punchy. Just became a vegetable- an incoherent non-thinking zombie.

MacKay [warder]: What became of him?

Fletcher: He joined the prison service as a warder. Doing very well.

A scene from Porridge [a TV show set in a British prison]

Chris