The 60s UK was relatively quiet place. The Beatles were conquering the world, while Bond made sure nothing threatens The Queen. The little Village of Newcastle upon Tyne, however, had a year of terror In 1968. Two little boys were brutally murdered. The murderer was caught within year, but the nightmare didn't end there: The killer was a 10-year-old girl.
The story of Mary Bell is not only a gruesome murder story. It's also a success story about rehabilitative power prison could have, once run by loving staff. That's what I'm going to focus on this post, so many of the details will be left out. But now, it's storytime!
Young Mary Bell never had good predictions for life. Her prostitute mother abused her mentally, physically and sexually. Mary was a ticking time bomb about to explode. After she was caught, the officials had a problem: Where to replace her. Britain that time had no place for incarcerated girls and women's prison was right out.
So they decided to place her in Red Bank Secure Unit. She was the only girl in this facility for young offenders. Going in, Mary had every trait of a psychopath. However, In Red Bank she met James Dixon, the warden.
Dixon is one of unsung heroes of his time. There's no statues or biographies about this former navy officer. However, he took Mary in his guidance. From him, she got discipline, but also gentleness and love. Dixon treated Mary like his own daughter. He became the father figure she never had, and desperately needed. With his attention, Mary was able to grow out of violent tantrums she got, when she started her term.
At sixteen she was transported to women's prison despite of mr Dixon's protests. The cold environment of prison wasn’t good for Mary, just like Dixon feared. However, his guidance and gentle care had made such a strong impact on young Mary, that she was able to pull through, despite one adventurous escape in her later years.
When she was released at the age of 23, she was granted an anonymity and could start a new life under a new name. Four years later she had a daughter. Today Mary is a grandmother, living a peaceful life under a new alias. All thanks to the love and care she got after her incarceration.
For a moment, let's assume that the officials had focused solely on punishing Mary for her crimes, which were absolutely horrible. Even she has admitted that. If instead of getting the attention she needed, she was sent to the worst maximum security prison in the UK. Let's then assume that Britain would have come up with some dreadful law allowing them to lock up children for life. How many lives would have been saved and how many would have been lost?
Impossible to say, but one thing is certain: Mary's young victims would have still been dead. Mary would have become bitter and resentful towards the whole system. She would have made life a living hell for inmates around her as well as the prison staff. And as kids like her would keep coming in, the same thing would have happened again and again.
An old wisdom says that civilization can be measured by the quality of its prisons. More importantly, how it treats inmates. How many Mary Bells are inside USAs prison system today? And will keeping them in for the rest of their life really make the society a safer place?
How do you feel? Please comment below!
Freedom Forever!
-Alex
