Convicted rapist Russell Brand has been warned to keep his head down in prison, where fellow inmates may regard him as the "lowest of the low" and a potential target because of his fame.
The 51-year-old comedian is reportedly being held at HMP Wandsworth, a Category B security prison that holds around 1,300-1,500 inmates — almost double its original design capacity when built in 1851.
Prison advisor warns of risks
Chris Atkins, a former prisoner who now advises Prison Consultants, a privately-run advice service staffed partly by ex-offenders, said of the prison: "It is a form of hell." He added: "He's over the worst but what he's got to do now is watch his step."
Atkins explained the social hierarchy inside: "In the league table of prisoners, sex offenders are considered to be in the relegation zone, they are the lowest of the low. The two worst things you can be in prison are a former police officer or a sexual offender."
He also warned that Brand could be targeted by those seeking to extort money: "He will be seen as a target because he's a name or they will say they will look after him if his family pays their family and if he doesn't he will have an accident."
First day routine
On his first day, Brand would have been woken at 8am and offered an hour of exercise. He would then have undergone a medical examination by the prison doctor and been given the chance to visit the prison chaplain.
Atkins told the Mirror: "He will then remain in his cell which will have a sink and toilet. Maybe he will be able to have a shower but he is such a high profile prisoner he will probably avoid that." He added: "He will also be entitled to a legal visit when his team will ask if he wants to appeal his conviction and sentence."
Brand will also get a welfare phone call to family or loved ones, strictly limited to two minutes.
Classification and transfer
He will likely be classified as a "Category C" or "low-risk" prisoner after undergoing an assessment in the next ten days. That may see him transferred to spend the bulk of his sentence in a Category C prison such as HMP Coldingley in Surrey.
Cells in such prisons are typically equipped with single or bunk beds, along with a partially partitioned toilet and a TV with basic terrestrial channels. Brand will probably have to share a cell for at least part of his sentence.
He will only be eligible for a move into open prison conditions if he completes specialist treatments designed to address sexually predatory behaviour. Inmates are expected to work, often in the laundry or kitchens, and Brand is likely to be given a backroom job away from other prisoners, perhaps in reception or in the governor's office.
