Students face life behind bars

From the archive, first published Friday 26th Jan 2007.

Students talked to murderers and armed robbers during a day trip to a prison.

The Keighley College students were shocked with the "hell" of life spent in a tiny cell.

They said their encounters had put them off any thought of a life of crime and wanted all students to share the experience.

Students from the college's public services course visited Wellingborough, a class C prison, as part of their studies.

Lecturer Christian Thersby wanted to give them an insight into the prison service, one of their career options.

The students met 12 prisoners including some in their 20s who had already served several years for murder and armed robbery.

Student Jonathan Baddeley said the visit was a "real eye opener."

Fellow student Jenny Barker said: "They were really human, just ordinary blokes who made the wrong choice. The ones we met seemed genuinely sorry for what they'd done."