Inside Parkhurst
Stories of a Prison Officer
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Inside Parkhurst
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Narrated by:
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David John
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By:
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David Berridge
About this listen
The Fascinating Sunday Times Top 10 Best Seller
Assaults. Riots. Cell fires. Medical emergencies. Understaffed wings. Suicides. Hooch. Weapons. It's all in a week's work at HMP Parkhurst.
After 28 years working as a prison officer, with 22 years at HMP Parkhurst, once one of Britain's most high security prisons, David Berridge has had to deal with it all: serial killers and gangsters, terrorists and sex offenders, psychopaths and addicts. Inside Parkhurst is his raw, uncompromising look at what really goes on behind the massive walls and menacing gates.
Thrown in at the deep end, David quickly had to work out how to deal with the most cunning and volatile of prisoners, and learn how to avoid their many scams. He has been assaulted and abused; he has tackled cell fires and attempted suicides, riots and dirty protests; he has helped to foil escaped plans, talked inmates down from rooftop protests, witnessed prisoners setting fire to themselves, and prevented prisoners from attempting to murder other prisoners. And now he takes us inside this secret world for the first time.
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.
Both horrifying and hilarious, David's diaries are guaranteed to shock and entertain in equal measure.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2020 David Berridge (P)2020 Orion Publishing GroupListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Inside Parkhurst
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S Nimmo
- 28-02-22
Great insight
I really enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator was fantastic.
It gave a great insight into what prison officer life was once like, and it is easy to see how the prison system has became a shambles.
I would be nice if this book made those making the decisions actually take note, and see where they have done wrong, but I won't hold my breath.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Dan
- 23-08-21
not too bad.
After listening to Neil Samworth's Strangeways and Vanessa Frake's The Governor, I was excited for the release of this book. Unfortunately I think I expected too much from it though, it's by all means not a bad listen/read.. however, I feel the constant moaning about NEPO's being incompetent or being too young to do the job was quite harsh and repetitive.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 29-07-22
Not great
I can see why this man did not get promotion. He says prison officers like to moan and gossip. He is an expert.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- EMMA SMITH
- 12-07-22
Excellent
Great to find an honest account of prison life. Summed up very well! Enjoyed the narration too.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- noeleen walsh
- 03-02-22
A very realistic and un exaggerated book.
I am retired nearly 15 years and this book brought on the PTSD I had not realised I have. I know there is no way I could work in a prison today, and feel sorry for new recruits who are like lambs to the slaughter
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vicky
- 26-10-23
The accent of the reader
The strong West Country accent of the reader is very off putting. I couldn’t continue listening to it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Adam James
- 28-09-21
Narrator
Overall a good listen, interesting insight behind bars and what prison officers have to put up with - doing a great job but undervalued and unseen. One of the jobs “we” don’t think about or want to do. The only downside for me was the narration which sounds like a comedy voice from a sketch by the two Ronnie’s. Oyve gorra luverly tornip oy av. I was half expecting a brief chapter about the time they incarcerated The phantom raspberry blower of ole London Town
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Simon
- 02-09-21
Interesting insight into a dreadful job
The book starts off in a very interesting way and is well performed.This is such a dreadful job that one wonders why anyone would ever want to do it.As the book progresses and the author goes from being an inexperienced officer to an experienced officer the book becomes,quite rightly it seems,more cynical and critical which makes it more boring.It is evident that the prison management have got things badly wrong but I don't want to listen to hours of examples of how they get it wrong.Having said all that would I buy it again-yes.The author should enjoy a well deserved retirement.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Paula Rogers
- 15-08-24
fantastic
Amazing from start to finish and his second book also highly recommended. I find it hard to concentrate reading so listening to a book for me is fantastic.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- L. BETTLES
- 26-08-21
life in the prison service
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.
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 narration is excellent and sets the right tone of grit and drama throughout the book. There is a handy glossary at the back of the book as there are a lot of acronyms which you will need to get your head round but even if you don't look at the glossary this does not detract from the story in anyway.
If you like books on prison this book is for you, if you think you know what goes on inside a prison then this book will certainly open your eyes!
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.
I really love this book and I will keep in my library although it is not a book would automatically reread but I have to say this book is superb!
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2 people found this helpful