Chapter 1: The crime and the punishment

Democratic Republic of Great Britain
Prison Service (P&T Unit)
Hawkers Lane
Bistonbury
ZP5 4AQ

11^th September 2024

Alice Rachel Carter
The Manse
Church Lane
Little Bistonbury
ZP4 3BA

Ms Carter

You are required to attend the Punishment and Training section of the above prison at 08:30 hours on 13^th September 2024 in order to receive the Moderate chastisement of fifty lashes awarded by the Bistonbury Court on September 1^st 2024. Two days after the completion of the chastisement, you will be entered into the rehabilitation and induction programme lasting one to two weeks. From the resulting assessment, you will be placed in a suitable training programme to instil the skills needed for you to be of service to the community. Participation in the training is mandatory and a satisfactory completion of this programme is necessary before your release. This could be as little as one month or as long as one year, or even more, dependant upon the course and your progress.

Dress in loose fitting clothing. Wear no make-up, no jewellery, and no watches. Do not bring a handbag or any other items of clothing.

Note: Lateness and failure to observe these regulations will incur further penalties.

Yours sincerely,

(Signed) Margaret Benham

Secretary to Governor Richard McNeil

Sobbing and with tears running down my face, I read the letter several times. I knew it was coming but hoped father would have a last minute change of heart and do something to get me off or at least get the sentence reduced. He, the Reverend Michael Carter, had other ideas and, unflinching on principle, decided I, his only daughter, should be punished like any other criminal to the full extent of the new laws. Yes, he could have had a few quiet words with the magistrate, but his only comment was, "You're an attractive and intelligent girl but for the last ten years since your mother left us, you've gone wild, you've made no effort to do your college work and, on many occasions, have tried to ridicule me and my beliefs. Now you have to pay the price, harsh as it might be. Maybe it is God's way teach you a lesson that will set you on the right road again."

My anger at him rose. He was supposed to be my father and yet he acted more like a schoolteacher and only cared about the image I create around him. I remembered the many rows we'd had especially when I reached the age of sixteen and could legally have sex with boys. He wanted to tie me to his home where I was constantly under his supervision; I wanted to be free and do as I pleased without regard to his moral stance. The rift between us became a canyon when he'd virtually forced me to go to church on a Sunday soon after my sixteenth birthday and I embarrassingly showed him that he could no longer boss me around. My temper, already at near boiling point at being forced to sit between some 'nice' old ladies, flared up when he preached about love and affection and treating our neighbours as we wished to be treated. The look of horror on his face gave me much satisfaction when, in the middle of his sermon I stood noisily in the pew and shouted, "Why don't you practice what you preach you fucking old hypocrite. You preach love and understanding and yet you only love yourself and certainly have no affection or understanding of me. This is the last time you are forcing me to come here and listen to your crap!" There were gasps of disgust from the congregation and the two ladies either side of me tried to pull me back into the pew, but, making the 'fuck-you' sign with my fingers, I wrenched myself free and stormed out of the church slamming the heavy oak door behind me.

With hindsight that was not a good move and only led to further rows. I did everything I could to defy him. I dressed like a punk and had a stud in my tongue and sported a coloured spiky hairstyle. At one point he tried to curtail my allowance but in return I threatened to become a prostitute to get the money I needed and, indeed, did have sex for money a few of times and gloatingly showed him my proceeds. I even got one of my clients to phone the manse and ask if I was available for the night. Things eased a little when he married Sarah Blanchard and she became the mother I had lost. We got on well together and was instrumental in allowing me to live in the Manse when father threatened to throw me out on my eighteenth birthday. She too, tried to get him to intervene with the magistrates on my behalf but to no avail. His usual inflexible attitude would not even accede to her wishes.

My temper never improved although oddly, I never had a row with Sarah, but it got me into a number of scrapes with boyfriends and at college. Nothing though, bad enough to get me into trouble with the law, not until one Friday evening when I saw Janice coming to a club clinging to the arm of my boyfriend. He'd turned me down a couple of times in recent weeks and now I knew why. Janice hardly knew what hit her. Furiously, fists and boots flying, I punched and kicked at her until I was pulled off and held until the police and ambulance arrived. Janice's face was a mess of blood and in court I learned that I'd broken her nose and blackened both her eyes.

Sarah had to stand bail for me because father refused, it was either that or I would spend my waiting time in prison because at nineteen years old, I was considered an adult. They put this electronic tag in my neck; tiny little thing injected with a needle, but it let Control know my whereabouts, even to which room in the house I was in, so there was no point in trying to run and hide to avoid the punishment. In any case, I'd been warned several times that if they had to come for me, they would award even more lashes or lay them on more cruelly.

At the court hearing it was a foregone conclusion that I would be found guilty. On Sarah's advice, I dressed conservatively, removed the stud from my tongue, brushed my hair into a traditional style and tried to appear repentant. She came with me but father stayed at home so as 'not to influence the judicial process'. He could have pleaded on my behalf but didn't.

"They've given you a date?" Sarah asked. I handed her the letter. "Friday the 13^th. Not a good omen." We hugged and cried for a while but we both knew there was nothing either of us could do to prevent my 'chastisement', another term for a whipping. I was one of those in favour of the new Republic with its stronger laws and deterrent punishments, but now, when it was me that faced punishment, I wondered if it hadn't all gone too far. The exiling of that wimpy Charles III was no bad thing and something had to be done when crime got so bad that we hardly dared go out alone in daylight. The new government sorted that out but when it came to thrashing teenage girls and me in particular, I drew the line at it being just. "You'll get through it Alice, others have, even those less strong than you. I'll do what I can for you but not being your parent, doesn't give me much authority and you are considered an adult anyway."

"She's only getting what she deserves Sarah. She's a criminal too and tried to beat another girl senseless. Remember that!" Father's sharp voice cut into Sarah's comments.

"Sometimes I wonder why I married a man as heartless as you," Sarah quietly replied. I knew why. When father wished, he could be one of the most charming and engaging men and to most women he was, but not to me.

She came with me as far as the prison gate, kissed me and said, "I'll be waiting for your return, whenever that is. Don't worry about your father not letting you back home, I've still kept my own place and a caretaker couple are living in it. Be strong and you'll get through it. Keep your cool and don't lose your temper. I'm sure they'll give you extra punishments if you do, even though no one has said so." Within an hour, I wished I'd heeded her words. She at least showed some concern for my welfare whereas father's words were akin to one of his sermons. "I will pray that through your suffering, you will receive redemption." I think he wanted me publicly crucified on the hill outside town.

The middle-aged, austere looking woman at the reception desk eyed me with distain and the two security men behind her mentally undressed me. "You've just made it on time, Ms Carter. Sign here to witness that your time of arrival is 8:29." I didn't like her abrupt manner but kept calm. "I have the doctor's report saying you are fit and healthy enough to receive a full chastisement to Severe level so there will be no problem with you taking the Moderate the court awarded." My sobbing choked any reply but she ignored it, no doubt going through similar scenes each day inured her to the suffering of others, or perhaps, she delighted in it. "I will call Mister Tom and Mister Joe who will prepare you and supervise your punishment. You will of course, treat them as your superiors and do what they say promptly." I wondered if I was supposed to use the 'Mister' title or maybe it should be 'Master' but I never found out.