I’ve had this book in my wish list for months. Having read strangeways by Neil Samworth I think I was expecting too much. Assaults. Riots. Cell fires. Medical emergencies. Understaffed wings. Suicides. Hooch. Weapons. It's all in a week's work at HMP Parkhurst. Inside Time reserve the right to republish comments in its newspaper or in any of its other publications, however, in these cases, comments will be anonymised.

This book is the best book I've read on life in prison written by members of staff. I have read many books on the subject but none are as graphic and as gripping as this book. The book follows the author through the beginning of his prison service until the end of his career. A solid five stars from me. Well done, Mr Berridge, for such an enjoyable and enlightening book, and thank you for it. Lots of tales about how prison officers exert their powers on the vulnerable ‘by accident’. On the whole I didn’t like the tone of it. How are we supposed to rehabilitate those in our prisons when the people in charge can’t behave like role models.Yeah so, I’m not a fan. I can understand the high rating on here though, this will have been bought by hundreds or thousands of people with no inside experience of the justice system of prisons and take what David Berridge writes (well, told whoever wrote this) at face value. I however, to my own misfortune, have seen the inside of prisons, numerous times in my early life, including an A cat dispersal and can’t categorically say quite a bit he says simply wouldn’t happen.

Each prisoner who arrives at Isle of Wight gets an induction that lasts about 2 weeks. They will meet professionals who will help them with:Once this approval has been given, make sure to include the prisoner’s name and number on the parcel. I have a new phrase, 'turning religous", as in when the author can't work out the who, what and where of a situation that might end badly for him, he says he 'turned religious' and prays! includes the alleged offences of named individuals unless it is considered to be already common public knowledge But there were accusations from the public and local politicians that the prison was too soft, not helped by a devastating riot in December 1912 that saw windows smashed and furniture destroyed. However, the government continued with this new type of incarceration until it changed into a Borstal in 1935.

With this searingly honest account he guides us around the wings, the segregation unit, the hospital and the exercise yard, and gives vivid portraits of the drug taking, the hooch making, the constant and irrepressible violence, and the extraordinary lengths our prison officers go to everyday. 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. The staff are responsible for prisoners safeguarding and welfare, and the Governor is ultimately responsible for staff and prisoners at all times. Arrival and first night You might also be able to attach photos and receive replies from the prisoner, depending on the rules at Isle of Wight. LettersNOT for the faint hearted. This is a true story of Berridge's time as a prison officer at Parkhurst, from his rookie days to a fully fledged officer. He kept a diary type note of what he experienced, his time there and it came from that this book. You will be told the rules by an officer at the start of your visit. If you break the rules, your visit could be cancelled and you could be banned from visiting again. Visiting facilities With this searingly honest account, he guides us around the wings, the segregation unit, the hospital and the exercise yard, and gives vivid portraits of the drug-taking, the hooch-making, the constant and irrepressible violence and the extraordinary lengths our prison officers go to everyday. 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 listeners 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. This book is not for the fainthearted there are areas of this book that literally leave you speechless, but also there is great humour in what must be a very difficult dark job. The book basically is the author's story with a lot of anecdotes about his prison career, sometimes also gripped that I wanted to know more about particular story or experience that the author had conveyed but before I knew it he was onto the next disturbing adventure/chapter. 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.