Customer Reviews

A Prison Diary

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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

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)

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.

I actually originally read Volume III Heaven before finding a copy of Volume I Hell and have to say I think Heaven was a lot higher in quality than this book. Heaven is also a lot thicker with a lot more pages. In Volume I Archer shows more of himself through his writing than in the final volume which to be honest makes him a little bit less likeable and harder to relate to. In Heaven you assume he is an average guy (I mean you know he is a rich author and politician) but in Hell he portrays his upper class upbringing and lifestyle and comes across rather snobby at times when talking about his fellow inmates backgrounds or describing his conditions. He will only drink bottled water, can't eat the everyday prison food served at meal times even though there's a menu of three alternatives, had never even heard of let alone eaten Coco Pops (these as the same as Coco Puffs for North Americans) before getting them in a multipack of cereal, and in his opinion they weren't as good as Cornflakes. How he was amazed that drugs can get smuggled in obviously means he had never watched normal TV before in his life.

I found that the empathy I had for Archer in Volume III Heaven I just did not have reading Volume I Hell. Surely he also got some of his friends into trouble and a loss of their privileges or another 28 days added onto their sentences by revealing stuff like one of them who worked in the canteen stole him a bottle of water and passed it through the wire. Even if he uses fake names it is not going to be that hard for prison authorities to work out who it was from the dates in his diary. I'm glad he also got rid of the cricket score updates by the trilogy finale as these were pretty boring.

Saying all that though I still found the first volume of the Prison Diaries an entertaining read and an insightful look into the Class A prisons of Britain which I imagine would have many similarities to ones in Australia, North America and elsewhere. I'm just glad that he improved the diaries by the third volume and I will definitely be checking out Volume II Purgatory.

Jeffrey Archer gives a great insight into the UK prison systems which is certainly a punishment.

For anybody wishing to learn about prison and have an interest in this subject I highly recommned it. Those fans of Jeffrey Archer or even to those that do not have any interest I recommened this book. It reaffirms that prison are a suitable punishment for crimes however there can be improvements.

Read this first book and a I guarantee you will get hooked and read all 3 that will be published.

Having a criminology background, I understand some of the problems facing the prison system that usually are not exposed to the public. Especially the drug problems and the issues involving first time offenders and murderer recividism (or lack thereof). This book, coming from the pen of a Peer, can only help to shed light on the problems and, hopefully inspire the desire to change it. The fact tha he is without a doubt treated differently by the other prisoners makes me wonder how much there is left to tell. And while I am an American, which means I do not know much abut his case and live in a country where the prison situation is worse, I feel that his sentense was harsh for perjury, etc.

This is a deep and thought-provoking book. Author Jeffrey Archer never hides his background - he's a millionaire jet-setting author, and a former politician who was convicted and sent to prison on very flimsy evidence in a perjury case.

His dry British humor is delightful, especially when he's quoting rap lyrics heard from the inmate down the hall who insists on playing his music at full volume, usually in the middle of the night.

Yet this book is also serious, with Archer realizing that he has what most prisoners don't - a supportive and intact family, a career, and a network of loyal friends. Most impressive is when Archer ponders the fate of the other inmates he meets during his first two weeks in prison.

Many are illiterate and drug addicted. Others are, like Archer, imprisoned for what seem to be ridiculous crimes - driving without a proper license, a financial crime in which full restitution was made. He asks a valid question: what exactly is the value in sending these men to prison?

More disturbing are the subtle indignities that Archer writes about. Asking a prison guard if he can take a shower before his lawyers arrive for a visit, and being told no, simply because the guard is a major a--hole. He's also denied a shower before his family comes for a visit, and he settles for shaving and washing himself in the same plastic bowl that he uses for his cereal. In a civilized nation, a man's dignity should still be respected, even when he is a prisoner, and especially when he is being incarcerated for a non-violent crime.

The author asks more questions than he answers, and this book is worth reading for anyone who has an interest in the criminal justice system.

Once started, I just couldn't put this book down. I was horrified to learn that 'non-violent' offenders are very often placed in 'high-security' prisons at the start of their sentence; this just absolutely has to stop if we honestly wish prisoners to be 'rehabilitated'. Before I read this I naïvely thought that everyone in prison was 'BAD' and deserved to be where they were. Now, I'm not nearly so sure. Even the 'lifers' that he encountered came across as people with thoughts and feelings just like everyone else. I'd always understood that the British penal system was based on the fact that people were sent to prison 'as a punishment' and not, 'to be punished', i.e. the fact that they are kept away from their home and loved ones was a punishment in itself. It seems, sadly, that this is not the case.

I shall certainly be looking out for books 2 and 3 in this series. No, they're not the normal "Jeffrey Archer thriller" but they're still a very good read.

I was thrilled to get hold of this book before its release here in Singapore, as I've long been a fan of Jeffrey Archer's short stories.

I haven't really followed through with Archer's perjury case so if you're like me, then this book won't help much with enlightening you about the case. Instead, it focuses on what Archer saw and who he met during his incarceration at Belmarsh Prison. The book also reveals a lot about how the prison system works in England, the knicks and knacks of shady deals that goes around behind the bars.

The book describes how Lord Archer had a hard time integrating into the prison life - the bad food, hard bed and confined cells. I thought it seemed a tad disgusting that Archer tended to keep whining about the poor quality of life within the prisons because I'm sure, there are people living in worse conditions out there with no food or bed. Moreover, a prison is there to punish and reform, and not as a holiday resort. He should have considered himself lucky not to have been sent to a Singaporean prison - no bed, even smaller space, shaved heads and no freedom to wear your own clothes.

At some parts in the book, Archer claims his innocence, and keeps mentioning the tremendous public support he has. A propaganda of sorts?

The different characters that Archer had to put up with in his cell block are interesting, and at times, even heart-wrenching. The additions of little footnotes here and there by the author allows readers to further understand what's going on. A couple of illustrations also keeps the book more interesting.

At times, readers might find details dealing with Archer's case a tad boring but otherwise, the book is a great read and keeps you entertained throughout.

i tore through this book this weekend, and while I got a pretty accurate idea of what prison life in Britian is about, I can't help but think Archer's view is a little skewed - after all he's a multi-millionaire and is treated like so in prison. He talks often about getting extra food and favors from other inmates. Given that though, he does describe the conditions very well, and I found his accounts of other inmates and their crimes/sentences very interesting. I hope he will continue to release his prison story, as the book ends when his three weeks in the high-security prison is over, and he is transferred to another facility.