Rena Costello, 27, Fred's first wife, also killed in 1971, buried at Letterbox Field in Much Marcle. 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.

These omissions notwithstanding, the three books do provide us with a view of prison from the perspective of a Prison Officer from the days when Capital Punishment was still practiced (Douglas attended an execution at HMP Bristol) to almost the present day. What do they reveal? Perhaps it is best to look at what we learn about prisons through the lens of the Prison Officer by considering this in two ways. First, the effect of Prison Officers on prison life – and specifically the effect of Prison Officers on the lives of prisoners, and secondly the impact that prison has on Prison Officers. Lucy Partington, 21, killed December 1973. Last seen at a bus stop in Cheltenham, her body was discovered in the cellar in Cromwell Street in 1994. 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. The film was directed by Reg Traviss ( Joy Division), and Lionsgate will release it this weekend, starting tomorrow, June 3rd, in the UK. 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.

Select Genres

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).

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. Therese Siegenthaler, 21, abducted in 1974 while hitchhiking. Buried under an extension built by Fred at 25 Cromwell Street.

Juanita Mott, 18, a former lodger at Cromwell Street. She was last seen in April 1975. Her body was found buried at Cromwell Street. Ronnie Thompson was just an ordinary guy. That is, until hebecame a prison officer. By the time he started work at HMP Romwell, he realised he was actually a nurse, a copper, a probation officer, a carer, a councillor, a social worker and, of course, an incarcerator all in one. Oh, and a punch bag for the cons and bosses.