Books behind bars: five of the best stories about prison life

From Alan Sillitoe’s inspiring story of a long-distance runner to memoirs about what life is really like on the inside, author and former inmate Erwin James shares his favourite books about crime and prison

‘Mr Nice’ Howard Marks dies aged 70

Books about crime and prison are often among the favourite reading choices for people in jail. Howard Marks, who died of cancer this week, wrote a classic of the genre with his autobiography Mr Nice. First published in 1996, it chronicles Marks’s international drug smuggling activities and his seven years in a US prison. Since then, Mr Nice has been one of the most borrowed books in prison libraries. As a former prisoner, I have read many books on the subject – not to mention written a couple. Among the best are the following five:

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