A retired prison officer from HMP Isle of Wight has released a book detailing the stories of Parkhurst prison and the gangsters, psychopaths, terrorists and violent criminals that resided there.
Assaults, riots, cell fires, medical emergencies, understaffed wings, suicides and weapons are all part of ‘Inside Parkhurst – Stories of a Prison Officer‘, written by David Berridge.
After 28 years of working for HM Prison Service, 22 years of which were spent at Parkhurst, David gives a raw, uncompromising look at what really goes on behind the massive walls and menacing gates.
With this searingly honest account, David guides us around the wings, the segregation unit, the hospital and the exercise yard and gives vivid portraits of the drug taking, hooch making, dirty protests, irrepressible violence and the extraordinary lengths prison officers go to every day – and the harsh reality they face.
Split into 3 parts, Inside Parkhurst takes readers into the heart of life on the inside and shines a light on the impact government cuts are having on the wings. Both horrifying and hilarious, David’s diaries are guaranteed to shock and entertain in equal measure.
David Berridge moved from Parkhurst to Albany 6 years ago before retiring in 2020 at the age of 60.
Inside Parkhurst will be available from all major bookshops from 19th August – £7.99 paperback, £4.99 e-book, £19.99 audio.
