We are simply not told, the dramatist leaves all possibilities open, including the certainty that a character who started as a prisoner's daughter has graduated to be a prisoner's wife, although Fran hints that even Matt may may avoid conviction, and possibly even Prosecution, if the Crown Prosecution Service, after reviewing all the evidence decide 'it is not in the public interest to prosecute him'
I once dealt with a man - a get away driver for armed robberies - he was part of a very violent and well rehearsed criminal gang - he was literally caught with his trousers down, having for once been chased by police after a raid and having abandoned his vehicle, ran into a wood and abandoned his clothes. Initially he made no comment other than to intimate he would deny everything.
At one point he had conversations with representatives of the regional crime squad who had been pursuing the gang of which he was a part for many months. At court, a little surprisingly to me (he told me he would definitely plead not guilty) he did in fact plead guilty - it is over 25 years ago and I cannot recall all details but I think he realised he would be found guilty - so by pleading guilty he would minimise his sentence. He got ten years.
Meanwhile his wife and young child lived in an Essex coastal town with her claiming she did not know who her landlord was of the small rather neat bungalow she occupied on a very quiet street. In those days cash snatches were more the focus of organised crime, more so than the drugs trade.
As a Probation officer - in those days we maintained contact in a limited way - with prisoners and their families throughout lengthy sentences to aid the eventual parole assessment and attempt to give support that would help keep family intact and increase the prospect of a release without further offending - I visited him in prison - only to be told - he was not in the gaol, and I could not be told where he was, but he had been removed by the police.
Subsequently I learned from the police that he was in special custody - received intimate visits from his wife and gave information about 62 armed robberies but never appeared in court for even one of them! The last I heard was that he was in a low category prison, being allowed home leave as he progressed towards probable parole after he had served between about 5 and 6 years in prison - he stood to be released without parole after he had served 6 years and eight months. However although he still only had around a year of his sentence to serve, he absconded from one of those home leaves and remained missing.
So, Prisoners Wives is very much real life, in magnification - with things happening in weeks rather than spread out over years.
It could go anyway with Fran, and I hope the BBC make another series but they seem less than enamoured with Prisoners Wives, maybe it is not a strong seller overseas, although it seems exactly the sort of drama they should be showing as it is a real slice of UK life in the early 21st century.
We are being educated, informed and entertained simultaneously. It is also exposing us to the moral dilemmas involved, like when should police intercept family communications, what about those who work in our prisons, this time it focussed on the moral dilemmas of prison chaplains, although mostly Ian.
I hope there is great public discussion and another longer, slightly less frenetic series. Maybe next time they can have an elderly frail prisoner who is needing more physical care than can be provided conveniently, but the politician's refuse to release due to his notoriety, and maybe Fran can be a prisoner and we can see the complications when a whole family are 'banged up'. She obviously is guilty of enough to earn a substantial sentence, whether or not she is technically guilty of murder.
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