In 2014, Mackenzie Basham dropped her little boy off at her Mother's house on a Friday night, and never returned. The following week her family saw 19-year-old Mackenzie's mug shot on the local evening news channel, she has not been home since. This is the true story of Mackenzie's mother's personal diaries to her daughter through years of her incarceration, and Mackenzie's letters written back. They grieve one another yet still alive, as well as tackle issues of drug abuse, suicide, homosexuality, family acceptance, violence, prison rape, police corruption, and her child growing up without any parents. This story makes you feel like you are sitting in the prison cell afraid to close your eyes some nights, as well as Mackenzie describing the mental and physical torture many women inmates endure while in a state prison in the U.S. The book also puts you in the frame of mind of a shattered mother who has watched a perfectly beautiful child spiral from her pride and joy down to hit rock bottom into their very own living hell.

The final volume of Jeffrey Archer's prison diaries covers the period of his transfer from Wayland to his eventual release on parole in July 2003.

Two days before Christmas 2013, former MP Denis MacShane entered one of Europe's harshest prisons. Having pleaded guilty to false accounting at the Old Bailey, he had been sentenced to six months in jail. Upon arrival at Belmarsh Prison, his books and personal possessions were confiscated and he was locked in a solitary cell for up to twenty-three hours a day. Denis was the latest MP condemned to serve as an example in the wake of the expenses scandal. Written with scavenged pens and scraps of paper, this diary is a compelling account of his extraordinary experiences in Belmarsh and, later, Brixton. Recording the lives of his fellow prisoners, he discovers a humility and a willingness to admit mistakes that was conspicuously lacking in his former colleagues at the House of Commons. Woven into the narrative are thought-provoking reflections on a range of important topics, from the waning of public confidence in MPs - and the high-profile termination of his own political career - to the failings of the British judicial system. Above all, Prison Diaries reveals what life as a prisoner in Britain is really like, addressing issues such as rising inmate numbers, dehumanising conditions, high incarceration rates, lack of rehabilitation and an endemic political disinterest. This honest and fascinating diary is both a first-hand insight into the current prison system and a report on how it simply does not work.

‘It won’t happen to me. That’s what I thought when I got on the plane to Venezuela. But it did – I got caught.’ Caught smuggling half a million euros’ worth of cocaine, Paul Keany was sexually assaulted by Venezuelan anti-drugs officers before being sentenced to eight years in the notorious Los Teques prison outside Caracas. There he was plunged into a nightmarish world of coke-fuelled killings, gun battles, stabbings, extortion and forced hunger strikes until finally, just over two years into his sentence, he gained early parole and embarked on a daring escape from South America . . . Aided by his extensive prison diaries, Keany reveals the true horror of life inside Los Teques: a shocking underworld behind bars where inmates pay protection money to stay alive, prostitutes do the rounds and vast amounts of cocaine are smuggled in for cell-block bosses to sell on to prisoners for huge profits. The Cocaine Diaries is a remarkable story, told by Keany with honesty, courage and even humour, despite knowing that every day behind bars might have been his last.

A microhistorical examination of early American culture

Charles Bronson is Britain's most notorious prisoner, a ‘Category A' inmate who has spent over 30 years inside as a result of his violent and unpredictable behaviour. No one knows the system better than Charlie. Now, for the very first time, you can find out what it is really like inside a maximum security institution as Charlie blows the lid on his life in HM Wakefield. Written in diary form by Charlie himself from behind locked doors, this unique book uncovers the real Charlie; his thoughts, frustrations and true feelings about the people who inhabit ‘the concrete coffin’ with him. This raw, unedited text, in his own hand, comes straight from the heart and also reveals another side to the man who has spent much of his time in solitary confinement in inhuman conditions. From writing poetry and creating works of art, to keeping fit and his secret passion for the X Factor and Coronation Street, there is much more to the man dubbed ‘Britain’s most violent prisoner’ than his reputation suggests. Charlie says that he never plans his actions and only reacts violently when provoked and he has received more than his fair share of provocation over the years. This hard hitting book tells you how it is by the man who knows. Following on from his earlier works Loonyology and Respect and Reputation, and Bronson the film about his life, Prison Diaries continues the unbelievable Charles Bronson story. As Charlie says, ‘After reading this book you will know what its like to be me’.

'Shocking, scathing, entertaining.' Guardian 'Incredibly compelling.' The Times 'Heart-breaking.' Sunday Times Where can a tin of tuna buy you clean clothes? Where is it easier to get 'spice' than paracetamol? Where does self-harm barely raise an eyebrow? Welcome to Her Majesty's Prison Service. Like most people, documentary-maker Chris Atkins didn't spend much time thinking about prisons. But after becoming embroiled in a dodgy scheme to fund his latest film, he was sent down for five years. His new home would be HMP Wandsworth, one of the largest and most dysfunctional prisons in Europe. With a cast of characters ranging from wily drug dealers to senior officials bent on endless reform, this powerful memoir uncovers the horrifying reality behind the locked gates. Filled with dark humour and shocking stories, A Bit of a Stretch reveals why our creaking prison system is sorely costing us all - and why you should care.

Heaven, Jeffrey Archer's final volume in his trilogy of prison diaries, covers the period of his transfer from a medium security prison, HMP Wayland, to his eventual release on parole in July 2003. Here is the shocking account of the traumatic time he spent in the notorious Lincoln jail and the events that led to his incarceration there, and also shines a harsh light on a system that is close to its breaking point. Told with humor, compassion, and honesty, the diary closes with a thought-provoking manifesto that will be applauded by reform advocates and the prison population alike.

Purgatory: A Prison Diary, Volume 2, is Jeffrey Archer's frank, shocking, sometimes humorous, sometimes horrifying account of his incarceration. On August 9, 2001, 22 days after Archer--now known as Prisoner FF8282--was sentenced to four years in prison for perjury, he was transferred from a maximum security prison in London to HMP Wayland, a medium security prison in Norfolk. For the next 67 days, as he waited to be reclassified for an "open," minimum security prison, he encountered not only the daily degradations of a dangerously overstretched prison system but also the spirit and courage of his fellow inmates.