Strangeways: A Prison Officer's Story

'A fascinating insight into the workings of a prison and the effects that staffing cuts have had on those trying to maintain order . . . a frequently shocking read.' Daily Express

Neil 'Sam' Samworth spent eleven years working as a prison officer in HMP Manchester, aka Strangeways. A tough Yorkshireman with a soft heart, Sam had to deal with it all - gangsters and gang bangers, terrorists and psychopaths, addicts and the mentally ill. Men who should not be locked up and men who should never be let out.

Strangeways is a shocking and at times darkly funny account of life in a high-security prison. Sam describes being attacked by prisoners, tackling cell fires and riots, and reveals the problems caused by radicalization and the drugs flooding our prisons. As staffing cuts saw Britain's prison system descend into crisis, the stress of the job left Sam suffering from PTSD.

This raw, searingly honest memoir is a testament to the men and women of the prison service and the incredibly difficult job we ask them to do.