Russell Brand has been warned he must "put up and shut up" to survive being sent to one of Britain's most brutal prisons. The convicted rapist is reportedly set to be moved to Category A prison HMP Wakefield, which insiders describe as a "massive wake up call" that this is his life for the next few years.
The move is likely to be a "massive shock to the system" as he prepares to spend the next 10 years locked up beside some of the UK's most dangerous criminals. Former notable inmates at the West Yorkshire prison, known as "Monster Mansion", include Harold Shipman, Charles Bronson, Levi Bellfield and Roy Whiting. It is also where Lostprophets paedophile Ian Watkins was killed last year.
Prison Insider Warns of Dangerous Atmosphere
A prison insider revealed: "A lot of the inmates at Wakefield are there for the foreseeable. It is not a stepping stone prison, it is a place for the worst of the worst. A lot of them inside have nothing to fight for, no release date in sight, prison is very much their world and their life."
"For a lot of them there is no getting out. That is it. It is a place where hope tends not to live. And that's what makes the inmates so dangerous. They have nothing to lose."
The sentiment echoes the words of the prison's former governor from 2018 to 2024, Tom Wheatley, who spoke on a recent podcast about the inmates he helped serve at Wakefield. He called the atmosphere "inherently stressful" and mentioned the brutal attack on Watkins.
Former Governor Recalls Threat from Lifer
Mr Wheatley said: "In some ways, it is a real testament to the forbearance of people in prison and the skill of staff and others who are around people in prison that this doesn't happen more regularly."
"I can remember having a conversation with a prisoner who was serving a natural life sentence who was living in a close supervision centre. I was talking to this guy and he was angry about something that was happening to him in terms of the way we were dealing with him and we were engaged in a debate. That is a fairly usual thing to happen. But he said to me during the course of that debate, 'You do realise, Tom, if I killed you now, nothing would happen to me?'"
"I laughed because there is not a lot else you can do in those circumstances. And I said, 'But you are not going to do that.' And he said, 'No I am not going to do that because I quite like you.' But that was his reality and that was true."
Brand Unhappy About Move and Likely Segregation
It is said Brand, who was convicted of rape and sexual assault, is unhappy about the move to Wakefield, where he is set to be surrounded by other sex offenders. A source told The Sun: "Brand will not be happy about the move, if it goes ahead. He would be hoping for a much softer low-security jail, and he might end up in one towards the end of his sentence."
The insider agreed, continuing: "If he ever wants to get out of one of Britain's most brutal lock ups he will have to play ball. He will be in a single cell but he will be housed with a lot of other people in for sex offenders. There is a relatively high percentage in there, around two thirds of the inmates are in for something like that."
"There are dedicated wings and people tend to be categorised at first by their crimes. We have had to do that now because before we would just mix people up but then it led to attacks on people who had committed brutal sex attacks or attacks on children, it made them more of a target. We have a lot of sex offenders, but also lifers and those in for violent murders. These are dangerous folk."
In Wakefield, Brand would be in a single cell, and given one-on-one free time at first. The source said: "He would likely be placed on a Rule 45 - segregation for his own safety. High-profile individuals—particularly notorious sex offenders, celebrities or child killers—are typically placed straight into the Segregation Unit on F-Wing or kept isolated under Rule 45."
"This means that they will be kept segregated for their own protection or to maintain order. Some inmates remain in segregation for hundreds of days before any integration is attempted, it is done on a case by case basis, but I imagine Brand would fall under this category. There will be a bounty on his head, I imagine, and they will be keeping a very close eye. It will be expected eventually for him to integrate though and then he will be forced to mix in therapy sessions and the likes."
"Wakefield is a brutal and loud prison, it'll be a shock but the best thing he could do is keep his head down and just get on with it."
