Screwed

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So too we should note that these autobiographies all describe local prisons – specifically HMPs Winson Green, Durham, Wandsworth, Belmarsh and Wormwood Scrubs, and “Thompson” calls the prison that he served in as “HMP Romwell”. Again, from the descriptions that he provides, this would appear to be a busy London local, and in all likelihood HMP Pentonville. Thus we have a partial view of the Prison Service contained within these accounts given that they do not describe training prisons, Cat Ds, Young Offender Institutions, the female prison estate, or the therapeutic regime at HMP Grendon.

Heather West, 16, the eldest daughter of Fred and Rose. A pupil at Oxstalls School at the time of her death in June 1987. Her dismembered body was found buried in the garden at Cromwell Street. Her brother Stephen claims their father asked him to help dig the hole she was buried in. includes the alleged offences of named individuals unless it is considered to be already common public knowledge We’ve seen a trailer and poster for Screwed– the British prison drama that stars Mr Noel Clarke and James D’Arcy ( Master And Commander), which is an adaptation of a novel called Screwed: The Truth About Life as a Prison Officer, a bestselling work, both acclaimed and controversial, by British ex-prison officer-turned-author Ronnie Thompson (not his real name by the way).The first point to note is an absence. Douglas joined the Prison Service in 1962 and resigned in 1977; Dawkins served between 1992-1999; and “Thompson” for approximately seven years from 2000, and thus their record of service does not include the 1980s when there were major changes introduced into the management of prisons through a series of reforms known as “A Fresh Start”. This was an important time for the management of the service when, for example, the old ranks of Chief Officer and Assistant Governor were unified, and the practice of directly recruiting Assistant Governors was abolished in favour of an Accelerated Promotion Scheme.

Inside Time reserve the right to republish comments in its newspaper or in any of its other publications, however, in these cases, comments will be anonymised. Mary Bastholm, 15, disappeared in January 1968. Last seen in Bristol Road at a bus stop. She is widely believed to have been killed by Fred. Yet despite this obvious market for books describing prison conditions there has been a surprising absence of any account of prison life by Prison Officers, as opposed to Prison Governors – and even these are relatively rare, with the best remaining Andrew Coyle’s (1994) The Prisons We Deserve. Then, for no apparent reason – just like buses – along comes Jim Dawkins (2005) The Loose Screw, Robert Douglas (2007) At Her Majesty’s Pleasure and “Ronnie Thompson” (2008), Screwed: The Truth About life as Prison Officer. What do these three autobiographies (the latter of which was written under a pseudonym) and which cumulatively cover the period 1962-2007 tell us about the skills and qualities that it takes to be a good Prison Officer, about life in jail more broadly and the relationship between prison staff and prisoners more specifically? Juanita Mott, 18, a former lodger at Cromwell Street. She was last seen in April 1975. Her body was found buried at Cromwell Street. Excavation work at Cromwell Street started in February 1994 as part of a missing person enquiry into the disappearance of Heather, then 16.

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Shirley Hubbard, 15, abducted from a bus stop in Droitwich in November 1974. Dismembered remains were found in the cellar in Cromwell Street. Anna McFall, 18, killed by Fred in July 1967. Discovered June 1994 at Fingerpost Field near Much Marcle. She was eight months pregnant at the time of her death. These books were and remain popular and appeared on a number of “best-selling” lists at the time of their publication, and unsurprisingly there are new books in the offing from Noel Smith (about, most immediately, his time at HMP Grendon) and so too Erwin James continues to write in the Guardian. Based on the book by former prison officer Ronnie Thompson, who also produced the film and wrote the screenplay, Screwed is an ugly and at times clichéd look inside a place you would rather not be. However, the performances are convincing, particularly from D’Arcy, and the director handles the subject with skill.