A Prison Diary [Hardcover]

Jeffrey Archer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003

On July 19, 2001, following a conviction for perjury, international bestselling author Jeffrey Archer was sentenced to four years in prison. Prisoner FF8282, as Archer is now known, spent the first three weeks in the notorious HMP Belmarsh, a high-security prison in South London, home to murderers, terrorists and some of Britain's most violent criminals.

On the last day of the trial, his mother dies, and the world's press accompany him to the funeral. On returning to prison, he's placed on the lifer's wing, where a cellmate sells his story to the tabloids. Prisoners and guards routinely line up outside his cell to ask for his autograph, to write letters, and to seek advice on their appeals.

For twenty-two days, Archer was locked in a cell with a murderer and a drug baron. He decided to use that time to write an hour-by-hour diary, detailing the worst three weeks of his life.

When A Prison Diary was published in England, it was condemned by the prison authorities, and praised by the critics.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Convicted of perjury in 2001, Archer, a bestselling novelist (Sons of Fortune) and member of the British House of Lords, penned this memoir about his first three weeks in prison, focusing on his daily life, the prisoners' lives and the state of the British penal system. An old hand at plotting novels and developing stories, Archer moves his memoir at a captivating pace, a credit to his storytelling skills considering the book's characters are in their cells for 22 hours a day. Deftly using mundane hour logs, he relates the slow passage of time without falling into the trap of recounting events minute by minute. Knowing that his story as a wealthy, educated celebrity with high-powered attorneys pales in comparison, Archer focuses on the sad, strange and even silly tales of his fellow inmates, a cast of hardened criminals and smalltime crooks. Concentrating on others also serves to help Archer avoid extended fits of melodramatic and self-serving prose (as when he compares himself to Oscar Wilde), which occur when he writes about his own case. But balancing this small flaw with his humorous descriptions of prison food and listening to a cricket match that seems as long as his four-year sentence adds a needed bit of humanity to this controversial politician. Of course, some of Archer's observations and the inmates' tales can't be taken as gospel since Archer is a convicted perjurer and his secondhand stories come from the mouths of murderers and other felons. But those caveats do not override the strong narrative and good writing that make this memoir an intriguing and engaging version of the often-trite prison journal.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Jeffrey Archer was educated at Oxford University. In 1969, aged 29, he became one of the youngest Members of Parliament; he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party in 1985, and in 1992 was elevated to the House of Lords. All of his novels and short story collections-including Kane and Abel, Honor Among Thieves, and most recently, Sons of Fortune-have been international bestsellers.

Archer is married, has two children, and lives in England.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312321864
• ISBN-13: 978-0312321864
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,023,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some useful insights, but marred by excessive ego, September 1, 2003

By 

Dr W. Richards "wmr-uk" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Prison Diary (Hardcover)

In 2001, Jeffrey Archer was convicted of perjury, arising out of his libel suit against a tabloid newspaper some years earlier, from which he had profited enormously. His conviction occurred as a result of new evidence indicating that there had been a conspiracy, instigated by Archer himself, to 'prove' that he could not possibly have been with a prostitute on the night in question.

Convicted of perjury and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, Archer was initially sent to Belmarsh, a high-security jail in London, pending recategorisation to a lower-security prison based on being assessed as low-risk. He spent a period of just over a month in Belmarsh, and this diary - written while in prison - is the result.

In reading it, one has to learn to ignore the continual hard-done-by attitude of Archer. He consistently pleads his innocence, despite his guilt being indisputable, and complains about the 'bias' of the trial judge. We are treated to a stream of commentary about the judge's summing-up, and as if that's not enough, Archer tells us all about the letters he receives sympathising with him and agreeing that he has been treated unfairly (he doesn't mention any correspondence which says that he got what he deserved!). He also name-drops constantly in relation to 'famous' people who are apparently on his side.

He also has to name-drop in relation to fellow prisoners, so we hear about Ronnie Biggs, the Great Train Robber, who is also in Belmarsh, and also Barry George, on remand at the time awaiting trial for the murder of Jill Dando. In this respect, it is hard to understand how the book got published; it is apparently against Home Office rules to identify serving prisoners in this way.

All that aside, there are some telling insights into prison life which deserve wider reading. For instance, Archer puts forward a vigorous argument against sending those convicted of minor offences and serving short terms to a high-security prison such as Belmarsh. The young man serving six weeks for breaking a red light is a telling example: he is being put under severe pressure to murder the witness in another prisoner's trial, once he is released. Another short-term prisoner was persuaded to try heroin for the first time while in Belmarsh, and within a couple of days is addicted: so when he is released once his six weeks are up, how will he fund his addiction?

There are certainly lessons to be learned about the prison culture and the criminal justice system from Archer's book, and given the author's reputation as a novelist, this book is sure to get a wide circulation. However, it is far from being the best critical account of prison life in recent years; I would recommend that anyone wishing to read a less egotistical and melodramatic account might look for Erwin James' A Life Inside, available from amazon.co.uk

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling read, October 19, 2005

By 

Ralph Blumenau (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Prison Diary (Paperback)

How does a Peer of the Realm and former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, sentenced to four years for perjury and perverting the course of justice, cope with the initial 21 days in Belmarsh (Hellmarsh) High Security (Category A) Prison, where many of the inmates are murderers serving life sentences? What is most striking is that, apart from the one volley of threatening abuse which he reports, the other prisoners are quite friendly to him, and they seem to welcome the interest he takes in them and their stories (which they know will figure in his Prison Diary, the keeping of which kept him sane). Archer shows great compassion for most of them, and he receives a touching letter from one of the inmates, telling him that this has not gone unnoticed. It is astonishing how some of them looked after him, and how much they trusted him. They told him not only their stories, but also all the tricks of how to cope, and even of how and why drugs are introduced into prisons. That long section alone should be an eye-opener for the innocent reader. One would think responsible ministers and prison authorities know all about this - but one does wonder. (See also my review on Vols. II and III)

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Light at the end of the tunnel for Archer..., June 6, 2004

By 

DJ Lee (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Prison Diary (Hardcover)

That's how I would describe this book. Archer, upper middle class, MP, Deputy Chairman of the Tories finally faced the music when he was sentenced for obstruction of justice.

Whether he is guilty or not doesn't really matter as there will always be two sides to the coin. What is interesting however is that Archer, who have had a very comfortable life prior to his sentence was placed into the prison. All of a sudden, a free man to a convict.

The book simply describes his life in the prison. His daily routines and little things that happen each day. Though it may sound boring, it was actually a plesant read.

I often imagined what it was like to be in his shoes and whether I could handle what he was going through.

Do not expect the book to be one of his masterpiece with plots. This is a simple book about a man who enjoyed all the best in life and suddenly having all that taken away from him.

He was able to bring to the reader a sense of humour, saddness and curiosity to life in prison. Prior to reading the book, I thought criminals deserve their time... after the book, I wonder whether society has done all it can to accomodate these people.

Whether he is guilty or not I do not know... what I would love to see is that Archer can use this unique experience in helping others who are in need...

Not an Archer fan... but I've just purchased First Among Equals.