Notorious career criminal Charles Bronson, who is serving time in a British prison, recently received a mixed bag of news. The good news is that he’ll be able to further develop his gambling skills, however, the downside is that he’ll have to continue to do so from behind bars in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
Bronson has found himself in the spotlight for becoming the first British prisoner to go before a public parole board. When he appeared before the board in March, he admitted to having pocketed close to $2,000 from gambling while in prison. This did not help his case and he ultimately failed to convince the board of his rehabilitation.
The career criminal has a long rap sheet stretching over the past five decades, with offences including armed robbery, kidnapping, weapons possession, assault and more. In one particular incident while in another UK prison, Bronson held 11 people hostage.
In November 2018, he was involved in a physical altercation with a prison official, threatening to bite off the man’s nose and gouge out his eyes over a disagreement. Despite his violent behavior, a court later deemed him not guilty of the altercation.
When the UK relaxed its rules on parole hearings last year, Bronson had a chance to become a free man. However, the parole board that heard his case decided against his release, citing his suspiciousness of everyone, a “romanticized” view of violence, and a disregard for authority. In addition, a psychologist suggested that Bronson may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his violent behavior and mistreatment in prison. Unsurprisingly, none of the prison officials testifying supported his release.
