Inside Parkhurst: Stories of a Prison Officer

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As with most things, the issues identified come from cuts and decisions made by managers and service-leaders who lack experience of the jobs they are overseeing.

Actually the things he was complaining about happen in a lot of environments, not just prisons and there was no concession that maybe he should move with the times rather than see the past as the golden years.His first book, Inside Parkhurst, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller and helped to raise awareness for the ongoing problems within our prison service.

The author is not a worthy person, this is a job, and he only ends up in the high-security Parkhurst because after training when asked for his choices of where he wants to work, he can only remember this one's name. Registered office address: Unit 34 Vulcan House Business Centre, Vulcan Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 3EF. Through it all, David retains his wry humour and offers a much-needed assessment of the state of UK prisons today, the job crisis and poor recruitment, the corruption and gangs running rife, and the mental health epidemic hitting prisoners, causing many to take their own lives. He should understand that the reoffending rates are not because of rehabilitation being a buzz word in his training, but that as he demonstrated rehabilitation is completely ignored by him and his generation of officers. After 28 years working as a prison officer with 22 years at HMP Parkhurst, one of Britain's most high-security prisons, David Berridge has had to deal with it all.By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. I didn't like his tone when writing about younger officers, who he often described as 'snowflakes' etc.

If anything, it almost mirrored the prion officers career; the last 50 or so pages read like he'd really had enough and was counting down the days until retirement. He is keen to use this book to raise awareness about the many problems our prison services are facing. As an ex patient of the Priory hospital and a current Open University student, reading prison to be a combination of the two made me laugh out loud. I had also read prison books by Norman Parker, Bobby Cummines (both of these books were also about Parkhurst) and Neil Samworth (also a prison officer), and I enjoyed all of these. From dealing with inmate violence and clearing out defiled prison cells to the unsavoury nature of prison language and life, this is an even more detailed look inside Britain’s most infamous prison.We learn what it is like to be an officer, working alongside some amazing officers who have your back and first into the line of fire as well as those who cower away and put folk at risk. Prison is a punishment, but it’s also an opportunity to interrupt intergenerational cycles of abuse, violence and crime. I often think Joe Public should read them, it gives a bit more appreciation for the job these people do.

One of the more poignant areas of the book is towards the end of the author's career he struggles with the changing ethos of prison as it becomes less about punishment and more about reforming.

Fascinating, disturbing, and eye-opening, this was a real mix of heart-breaking stories, facts, and anecdotes, and the author's dry sense of humour shone through. The one thing there isn't enough if though is adequate Mental Health support for the staff, these people are pushed to their limits yet because it's 'their job' they just have to get on with it. When my old father in law discovered I was going down this road he said why would you do something that stupid its not the same anymore now you have to massage ego's. Divided into three parts – the first from David’s early years on the wings, the second the middle of his career, and the third his disillusioned later years – David will take readers into the heart of life inside and shine a light on the escalating violence and the impact the government cuts are having on the wings. After watching many prison documentaries has made me question how much of this information is accurate and actually does happen.