A SOLICITOR who was struck off and jailed after being convicted of fraud is to have his prison diary published as a daily blog, in an effort to highlight the impact of imprisonment on families.

Lawrence Rew, 70, received a 10-month prison sentence in 2008 after extracting £25,000 from a client’s bank account by fraud.

He served his time in Greenock Prison – and kept track of his experiences in a daily diary, detailing prison life and visits from his wife Margaret (Mags), son Alan and other family members.

From today [Monday June 5th], Now, the former Barrhead solicitor’s account is being published online as a “real time” blog, and promoted via other platforms such as Twitter by the charity Families Outside, which provides support and information for families and children affected by the imprisonment of a relative or loved one.

The quotidianaccount includes reflections on prison food – and other aspects of prison life, including the fact that his neighbour was the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Adelbaset ali Mohmed Al Megrahi – who ended his sentence in Greenock’s Gateside prison after a transfer from Barlinnie.

But its main focus is the remorse Rew felt over his crime and its impact on his wife and son. At first, only his son visited him as his wife struggled with the shock of his conviction, immediate financial hardship and stigma. She felt unable to attend church due to the shame and embarrassment.

When Rew – who was recovering from cancer at the time of his conviction – was taken to hospital in handcuffs, his key concern was that he would be seen and the Paisley “gossip shop” would reach Mags, causing her more pain.

On another occasion a spate of new arrivals mean existing inmates must be shut in their cells: “I won’t get out to phone Mags and there is no way of telling her why,” Rew writes. There is also considerable humour in the diary, as he details how a copy of The Herald kept him going or how he avoids the jail barber whose nickname is Flymo.

Nancy Loucks, chief executive of Families Outside, said she hoped these reflections might encourage others to sympathise with those affected by imprisonment through no fault of their own.“The reason we’re promoting publication of his diary in blog format is because of the reflections he has about the impact on his wife and son,” she said. “I think it will be something a wee bit different to help raise awareness of what prison is like for the person inside and for their family outside.”

Although some aspects of prison life have moved on in the intervening years, much about how he felt – from the monotony to theconstant anxiety about family visits, reflect the experiences of prisoners and their families now, she said.

The idea for publication was raised while Rew was still in jail, nine years ago. “It has been suggested that when I get out I should set up my own blog site and put one day of my diary on each day to see what, if any, reaction it gets,” he writes, but he rejected the idea at the time.

“This would only perpetuate the sore and hurt for the family,” he points out. But his wife recently died and a Police Scotland officer suggested Families Outside consider publishing the journal. “My wife and son couldn’t read it and bits of it are still raw, for me, but I thought, why not,” Rew said. “I think I thought at the time it might be of interest to schools, to deter young people from offending. It wasn’t until later that I realised how much it focused on the trauma and cost to the family.”At the time, she did not know about charities like Families Outside and how they can help.

. More should be done, he says, to help those affected by the jailing of someone close to them. “I don’t think the prison service could have done much more – they were very welcoming. But there should be more to help people form the time someone is sentenced. At the court it was a case of ‘that’s it finished’, now off you go.”

https://prisondiary.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/diary-of- a-first-time-prisoner/