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I Miss Everyone Beyond Words
Woman's Own magazine (U. K.)
Oct 10, 2005

In 1998, Chantal McCorkle, from Berkshire, was sentenced to 24 years in a prison. Her crime? Hiring actors to portray satisfied customers in ads for the firm she ran with her  ex-husband William. In the week in which an appeal against her sentence is due to be heard in a US court, Chantal - whose plight is highlighted on her web site - describes a typical day behind bars...

People start switching on the lights and moving around before 5.30am. I share a 10ft by 8ft room with two other women. One of them snores and sings in her sleep. But it's nothing compared to  sharing a cell, as I once did, with a woman who'd  decapitated both her parents. I used to make sure she'd taken her medication at bed time. I didn't fancy her having another breakdown with me locked in with her.

Our rooms have to be cleaned - and beds made - with just time to take a quick shower before 6.30am. Now, I decide my morning timetable. I might relax with a run, or start my chores - probably my laundry. I'm still getting used to having my own free time.

Until recently my job was 'vegetarian chef' which meant cooking 250 lunches and then dinners. I loved it. But after 18 months, the work had grown too much for me; I was always exhausted. It was a big decision to quit being chef - the pay was 27 cents an hour - but my boss says there's always a job for me in the kitchen which is a nice complement.

Exercise is my way of escaping for a short while. After lunch, I'll  use the weights in the yard and work out for an hour. I also teach aerobic classes twice a week.

The post is the highlight of the day, So many people still keep in touch after all these years and their words give me so much strength. I've made new pen-friends too. We're going to have such a party at the end of this nightmare - everyone says it will happen and it's true.

Most women are here for very serious crimes; murder, drugs and firearms offences. I'm the only one who's imprisoned because actors were used in ads. William hired the actors to play satisfied customers who'd supposedly bought our company video programme for $69 and made a lot of money. More people would then buy the videos. Some did make money using the plan. The trouble is  William asked me to put the company in my name as he was a bankrupt. I've been sentenced to over 24 years without parole for fraud. It sounds crazy I know. I just pray that they see sense at my appeal.

My new cleaning job is less stressful than working in the kitchens, but the drawback is that I have more time to worry about my situation.

When I was 19, I came to the US to work as a nanny for a year That's when William asked me out. My future life was ruined at that point. When I think how things could have been; a career, children, a happy life - if only I'd never met him.

This is my 6th year in prison.  Each day is a fight to stay positive. In England, my lawyers say I wouldn't even have been prosecuted, but that doesn't help me now. Bed times are all the same - my head hits the pillow at 11.45 and I lie there, just wishing I could be at home with my family. I miss them beyond words.