In It

by Jonathan Robinson

From Eric Allison, The Guardian I sometimes think I know all there is to know about prisons. The delusion comes from spending some 16 years, on and off, behind bars, during a criminal career that spanned over four decades. Since turning my back on crime, The Guardian newspaper has seen fit to employ me as their prisons correspondent, a post I have held for the last nine years so, although I last left prison some 12 years ago, prison has never really left me. But of course, nobody knows everything about anything. And I am frequently surprised-amazed even-at a prison story/issue that lands on my desk. And so it was when the manuscript of “In It” came my way; the tale of one man’s sojourn as a guest of Her Majesty at HMP Bedford and Hollesley Bay. Jonathan Robinson was a “first timer”; nicked for stealing from his employer and sentenced to 15 months. Given that prison sentences have become much longer since I first trod the penal path, 15 months is “short term”- hardly time for a “shit and a shave” (as us old lags used to opine when a newcomer grumbled about spending a few months with us.) Not that Robinson moans of his plight, far from it; throughout the tome, he repeatedly shows remorse for his crime and declares he deserved a longer sentence. No wallowing in self-pity for this lad, he just got on with it. Now a free man, he is on a mission to change the system that incarcerated him. Robinson landed in Bedford jail, a Victorian relic that takes the flotsam and jetsam from the courts of the county it serves. He feared the worst when the gates slammed behind him. Shades of Shawshank Redemption closed around him. Would he be assaulted, robbed, raped? No such thing of course, as Robinson quickly realised. Far from terrorising him, his fellow travellers helped him traverse the minefield of pettifogging rules and rigmaroles and his only fight was against boredom and bureaucracy. To deal with the former, he elected to start a diary and recorded his experiences with great perception - and not a little humour. Robinson surveyed that system through an eye that saw more in a few months, than many a prisoner I knew saw in many years. His account immediately drew me back to the wasted wings and landings I knew so well. Seeing them again through his fresh eyes, put me back in the early 1960s when, like Robinson, they were new and equally strange to me. When I first entered the adult prison system, I was a “star”. No kidding; all first timers wore a red astral sign on their jackets, to denote their lowly stature in the prison pecking order. Don’t ask me why; prison service orders made as little sense then as they do now. Robinson, the star prisoner, may just turn out to be a star writer. He paints a stunningly accurate picture of the chaos and confusion that exists in prisons like Bedford. These are “local” jails, where prisoners are dumped from courts, categorised and, eventually, shunted around the system. He ended up in Hollesley Bay, an open jail, where he expected to find more order. But the chaos followed him, albeit at a slightly less frenetic pace. I found the account of his travails highly readable; the narrative is colourful and goes at a good gallop. He could turn out to be the penal equivalent of Adrian Mole. Like that spotty kid, Robinson was different from his peers inside. Well educated - he was a helicopter pilot before landing inside - and, I suspect, fairly right wing in his attitude to offenders, before he became one. And though I disagree strongly with some of his views and ideas for reform, I cannot fault his passion for change, or his ability to capture the essence of doing time, in a bloated, failing prison system. Apparently, a copy of “In It” has been sent to Justice Minister Chris Grayling. It should be required reading for him as he sets about his Transforming Rehabilitation programme. Eric Allison Prisons correspondent The Guardian

Genres: Nonfiction

Unknown Binding

First published February 14, 2013

Reviews

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book via Twitter and was pleasantly surprised indeed. I read alot of books about prison, Probation, crime and criminology out of both a personal and professional interest. By day I work within the criminal justice system and by night I read about it as much as I can as I am always keen to listen to other views and experiences.

Jonathan explores the prison system as a resident of Her Majesty's Pleasure, serving time in both open and closed establishments. What I like about this book is the realism within every page...a diary of sorts...a day in the life of Jonathan Robinson. Not once does he deny his crime or moan about the sentence he received, instead he focuses on the failings of a system which is suppose to rehabilitate but instead seems to debilitate those who want to use the system to better themselves before they are released back into society.

Jonathan uses humour to draw the reader into his own experience--unfortunately, I spent a vast amount of time googling his character references as many of his descriptions related to people I was not familiar with, being a Canadian. Despite this, once I had a reference, I was able to picture each and every person as if I personally knew them and wonder whether or not I will come across any of these people within my professional life...and will I be able to remain professional when I do...we'll see!

Working with ex-offenders/prisoners myself I know the difficulties professionals face with a lack of resources and often a lot of red tape to go through, yet I was still shocked to read about prison officers falling asleep on the job or the September 1st incident (which I will not ruin for others). I do not know the difficulties these professionals face, but I can honestly say that being very passionate about the work I do, I would find it very difficult to work within an environment where we are supposed to be helping people move forward yet the system itself and some of those within it are doing the complete opposite.

I enjoyed the light banter within the day-to-day discussions Jonathan had with his fellow prisoners and sorry Jonathan...I still have to agree with Albert (I think it was Albert)-the kettle is NOT boiled until the light goes out! I found myself wondering what happened to these individuals once they left prison and whether or not any of them had the opportunity to do something positive or if they fell back within the revolving door of the criminal justice system. Perhaps I will find out in Book II?

I have used this book to reflect on my own practice and speak to colleagues to see what we can do differently. Don't get me wrong, there are people we come across who don't want to or are not ready to change. But there are people we work with who are ready and need all the help and support that professionals can give them. We have to listen and learn from these people or we are doing them and ourselves an injustice. I think Jonathan's book is a fair portrayal of not only his, but other (ex) prisoners who may not have the voice or capacity to speak. I highly recommend this book to those who work within the criminal justice system as well as anyone interested in making a positive change.

I promised Jonathan I would review his book and hopefully I have not disappointed. I wish I could do the book justice, however each person who reads this book will take something different from it and perhaps do something positive to make the changes needed. I am passionate about my work and know countless others within the CJS who feel the same. I would urge those people to read this book, reflect on their own practice and keep focussed on the positive work that we do.

Jonathan is not a man who will give up on his cause to make the changes needed and I wish him well in his endeavours. IN IT

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got 33% of the way through this, according to my kindle, and that was more than enough. Boring, repetitive, and frequently offensive, this book does offer an insight into what it's like to be in prison in the UK, but it needed some serious editing. What really got to me was the casual racism (everyone in the book has a pseudonym, which is where a lot of the racism comes out; one of the prison guards is dubbed "FIO" for "Female Indian Officer" and a fellow prisoner, who is Vietnamese, is called "Nick Nack") and the author's unrelenting sense of superiority (a recurring theme is people doing a double-take when they hear him talk--what are *you* doing in here?!--presumably because he's so well-spoken and intelligent or whatever; there are multiple points where he very condescendingly advises some young men in prison after the London riots of 2011 to turn their lives around, and feels very proud of himself for giving them such solid counsel. I just imagined them nodding very solemnly and then laughing their heads off as soon as his back was turned). Throughout the book he laments that his wife has left him because of his crime and subsequent imprisonment, and hopes that they might fix things when he gets out. But honestly, I wondered if she was just looking for an excuse--I couldn't imagine being married to this guy for even a minute.

[Tom Hopkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting in its portrayal of the daily frustrations of prison life, but the Adrian Mole-esque air of superiority (which coupled with the frequent spelling mistakes and poor writing made for a tiresome brew) which the author seemed to hold over other inmates was incredibly irritating. Became too repetitive to continue much further after ~25% of the way through.

[Chris sturgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it in it

Got readers headache as I couldn't out this book down and so have read it in a day.very insightful with hilarious character references but also with a powerful message..brilliant

[J.B. Hollows · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the first quarter. Made me laugh and reminded me of the guys I work with. But it got a bit repetitive and I skim read the rest.

It's really a life letter to his wife.

[Anna Whittaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking and genuine; very interesting story of the authors experience of prison