David Berridge returns with more stories from his time as a prison officer at HMP Parkhurst, giving a raw, uncompromising look at the harsh reality of working in British prisons. 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. 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. Guiding us in episodic fashion through the various wings of Parkhurst prison, we witness the horrifying and often hilarious experiences of a prison officer through David's own eyes.

Inside Parkhurst - The Final Stretch

Politics & Social Sciences

Berridge, David

Social Sciences

Seven Dials

Product Description THE FASCINATING SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERAssaults. 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. InsideParkhurst 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 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.Both horrifying and hilarious, David's diaries are guaranteed to shock and entertain in equal measure. About the Author David Berridge joined the prison service in 1992, three weeks short of his 32nd birthday. He started his training at HMP Shrewsbury and then spent the next 22 years on the Parkhurst landings, dealing with the country's most violent and badly-behaved prisoners. During his time there he worked amongst Category A inmates, including serial killers, terrorists and armed robbers, in a dispersal unit, mentally ill inmates in a high security psychiatric unit, and high-risk inmates in a protected witness unit. Six years ago he moved to HMP Albany.David retired last year at the age of sixty. He is keen to use this book to raise awareness about the many problems our prison services are facing.

Inside Parkhurst: Stories of a Prison Officer

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Educational achievements for children in care are significantly poorer than for the general school population. This book explores why this is and how to enable children in care to succeed in the classroom.
It evaluates the educational experience and performance of a sample of 'difficult' adolescents living in foster families, residential children's homes and residential special schools for pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD). The book addresses factors such as the failure to prioritise education for children in care, placement instability and disrupted schooling. It investigates care environments, policy changes and young people's background experiences - as well as the costs of services - in order to gauge the effectiveness of targeted initiatives. The authors adopt a multidisciplinary approach to suggest how best to support children in care in educational settings.
This book will be essential reading for professionals supporting children in care, including social workers, directors of children's services, policy makers, school leaders, teachers and managers in the public, voluntary and private sectors. It is also highly relevant for social work and education lecturers, researchers and students.

Educating Difficult Adolescents: Effective Education for Children in Public Care or with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (Quality Matters in Childrens Services)

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Dance, Cherilyn

Beecham, Jennifer K

Field, Sarah

Psychology & Counseling

Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Who lives in children's homes and why? Who works there? How are the homes run? How effective are they? In this book, based on a three-year national research study, David Berridge and Isabelle Brodie examine the changes in structure and use of residential child care services over the last ten years. Beginning with a critique of the series of crises to have hit children's homes over the past decade (such as Pindown), the authors analyse the changing patterns of service use, developments in policy and the law, and general social factors affecting families. They consider findings from key research studies, interviews with managers in local authorities, staff and residents of homes, staying in each home for almost a week. The detailed account this provides forms the basis of their comprehensive analysis of the quality of care available and their recommendations for policy, practice, and the future management of children's homes.

Children's Homes Revisited

Mental Health

Jessica Kingsley

Despite developments in policy and practice, the academic outcomes for children and young people who are looked after by local authorities continues to be poorer than for their peers who are not in care.This book details the evaluation of the Taking Care of Education development project, developing an understanding of the relationship between specific interventions and outcomes for young people. It also identifies ways of developing a culture within local authorities that can effectively promote the educational welfare of looked after children and young people, and concludes by considering the implications of the key findings for policy, practice and research.

Taking Care of Education: An evaluation of the education of looked after children

Education & Teaching

Sinclair, Ruth

Dobel-Ober, David

Harker, Rachel

Schools & Teaching

National Children's Bureau

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