ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to examine the experiences of one specific individual, Eddie O’Neill. As an Irish Republican volunteer, O’Neill spent many years in the British prison system. In fact, Eddie O’Neill was one of the so-called “forgotten prisoners”, and he endured a particularly punitive penal environment. By analysing some of the extraordinary events, and the resistance which characterised his period of incarceration, it is possible to make broader observations about the nature of the British prison system and the way it has dealt with (and continues to manage) political prisoners. This micro-case study indicates not only that the British state failed to impose its own narrative, with its emphasis on “terrorist” and “criminal”, it also reveals some of the most callous components of a carceral system which has been designed to degrade and dehumanise people.
