Inside Parkhurst: Stories of a Prison Officer

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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. Assaults. Riots. Cell fires. Medical emergencies. Understaffed wings. Suicides. Hooch. Weapons. It's all in a week's work at HMP Parkhurst. There are several ways you can keep in touch with a prisoner during their time at Isle of Wight. Secure video calls 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. I saw this in a bookshop recently, and I have always been interested in books of this genre, so I decided to buy it. 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. I also bought several books by Charles Bronson, Britain's most notorious long-serving prisoner, but I didn't enjoy his books as much.

If coming by public transport, you will need to take a ferry from one of the ports at Lymington, Portsmouth or Southampton. To plan your journey to the port: In October 2008 it was announced that Camp Hill, Albany and Parkhurst would be combined to become part of one large prison run by a single governor. HMP Isle of Wight continued to operate, but in January 2013 the government stated the Camp Hill element would close as part of a wider reorganisation. 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.

If you are like me and love books about prison and prison life, then you should love this as much as I did. I heartily recommend it. A solid five stars from me. Well done, Mr Berridge, for such an enjoyable and enlightening book, and thank you for it. All visitors, aged 16 or older must prove their identity before entering the prison. Read the list of acceptable forms of ID when visiting a prison. 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. Whilst Parkhurst has become infamous for holding prisoners such as Peter Sutcliffe, Ian Brady and the Kray twins, Camp Hill was used as a ‘Corrective Training’ facility for adult males. In the modern era it became a Category C prison, meaning it held those who cannot be trusted in open conditions but who are unlikely to try to escape.

Prisoners have phones in their cells but the phones do not accept incoming calls. They will always have to call you and need to buy phone credit to do this. 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. NOT 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. 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 nightFrom toilet brush removal, unpleasant parcels & plenty of claret, this isn't for the fainthearted, but a truly fascinating eye opening insight as to what it takes to become a Prison Officer. Assaults. Riots. Cell fires. Medical emergencies. Understaffed wings. Suicides. Hooch. Weapons. It’s all in a week’s work at HMP Parkhurst. You might also be able to attach photos and receive replies from the prisoner, depending on the rules at Isle of Wight. Letters The only things you can take into the visiting hall are money (in coins), prescribed medication (handed to the desk officer), certain baby feeding items and disability aids.

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. 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. Isle of Wight has a strict dress code policy, which means visitors should wear smart clothes. That means no vests, no low-cut tops, no shorts, no short dresses and no headwear, other than that worn for religious reasons. Religious headwear will be searched in a discreet area.There are over 1,000 prisoners at the Isle of Wight prison, housed in a mixture of single and double cells. 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! Parkhurst is a category B prison, it's sister prison is Albany which is also cat B. They are now combined & are known collectively as HMP Isle of Wight.

If you get certain benefits or have an NHS health certificate, you might be able to get help with the costs of your visit, including:

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Milton Keynes College offers a wide range of education, including degree courses and vocational training. I love books like this where you get you see exactly what goes on inside those prison walls, how dangerous it can be & how you have to be on your guard 24/7. 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. 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.