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Hard Time: Banged Up Abroad Raving Arizona

Shaun Attwood (Goodreads Author)

4.10 · Rating details · 1,447 ratings · 160 reviews

This is an alternate cover edition for B00OJZKUT8

As a teenager in an industrial UK town, Shaun Attwood covets the American Dream. He moves to Arizona with only student credit cards and becomes a stock-market millionaire. After throwing Ecstasy parties for thousands of ravers, Shaun bumps heads with Sammy the Bull Gravano, an Italian Mafia mass murderer, who puts a hit out ...more

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Kindle Edition, 366 pages

Published January 2017 by Gadfly Press (first published August 5th 2010)

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Aug 29, 2017 Theresa Alan rated it it was amazing

The appalling pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio by President Trump was the reason this prison memoir jumped to the top of my To Be Read list. I knew how vile Arpaio was a long time ago despite not living in Arizona or knowing anyone in his jail. He’s notoriously bragged that it cost more to feed the prison dogs than the prisoners, who he fed moldy bread and green bologna to for two meals a day (40 cents a day) and the “red death” for the other meal each day. Naturally, for inmates who were indigent—m The appalling pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio by President Trump was the reason this prison memoir jumped to the top of my To Be Read list. I knew how vile Arpaio was a long time ago despite not living in Arizona or knowing anyone in his jail. He’s notoriously bragged that it cost more to feed the prison dogs than the prisoners, who he fed moldy bread and green bologna to for two meals a day (40 cents a day) and the “red death” for the other meal each day. Naturally, for inmates who were indigent—meaning they had no one to put money on their commissary books to buy nuts, cookies, and crackers—chronic diarrhea was a constant companion.

The other constant companions were cockroaches and sweltering Arizona heat. Prisoners had perpetual heat rashes and bug bites that would become enflamed, but they wouldn’t get medical attention until one inmate’s thumb needed to be amputated, for example. If there were going to be inspections, suddenly the air conditioning would work again. As soon as the inspectors left, mysteriously the jail cells would once again be as hot as the Arizona sun could make it, which is why they had rashes that left them bloody, plus all the spider and cockroach bites. Some men died from heat exhaustion, especially men battling diabetes or other ailments. Some died from their beatings from other prisoners, which could inflicted for a variety of spurious reasons. Others died from suicide. These men were in jail, not prison, meaning they hadn’t been sentenced yet.
Many people in prison battle drug and alcohol addiction because they are self-medicating for the PTSD they have from the abuse they suffered as children or for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Mental illness can be treated, but a person needs the proper pharmaceutical cocktail, which means access to decent medical care. No one got such care in Arpaio’s prison.

The author Shaun Attwood came to Arizona from England. He was a successful stockbroker who relaxed by going to raves and doing ecstasy. He made so much money he no longer needed to work. Unfortunately, he used his good education and business mind to become a wildly successful dealer of ecstasy. He’d throw wild raves. However, by the time the police busted down his door, he was in a solid, healthy relationship with a woman who didn’t use drugs and had been clean and doing real work for a year. The police didn’t find any drugs in his place, but incarcerated him for two years without charges.

It’s important to note that most people who are incarcerated will return to society someday. “When a society treats its prisoners like animals some will behave like animals when they return to society.”

Attwood writes, “The media led me to believe that jails are full of serial killers and rapists, but they are only a small percentage of the population. The disproportionate amount of stories about killers and rapists keeps the public in fear of all prisoners and feed the lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key attitude. Most of the prisoners I’ve met need counseling, mental-health care, education and job skills.”

The other intriguing thing the book talks about is race relations in jail. Attwood is white, and when he was incarcerated he decided to learn Spanish, and the Mexicans and Mexican Americans (who are bitter enemies in jail), helped him learn in exchange for commissary, but this got him in trouble with other members of his race. He writes about the hierarchy of the Aryan Nation, and what the various tattoos mean. I wonder how many white people became Aryan Nation converts to survive incarceration and carry that hatred back with them on the outside, vs. how many started out as racists. Attwood is writes about “the saner whites” and “the saner guards.” (Meaning nonracist whites and guards that didn’t abuse prisoners for fun.)

“From what I’ve seen, the prisons are being packed with mostly petty drug offenders. That’s how the system stays in business, and the corrupt few like Sheriff Joe Arpaio enrich themselves.”

For more of my reviews, please visit: http://www.theresaalan.net/blog ...more

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Dec 15, 2014 Giddy Girlie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I picked this up as a free Kindle download and was not disappointed. The book jacket image makes it look amateurish but this writer has chops. He's basically a well-educated man who overindulged his vices and got in a lot of trouble. What makes this book different from so many others is that, firstly, the author can write. Also, he admits to his crimes and accepts his penalty, all while keeping the discussion open about the horrors found in Maricopa County jails. So many people think "oh well, i I picked this up as a free Kindle download and was not disappointed. The book jacket image makes it look amateurish but this writer has chops. He's basically a well-educated man who overindulged his vices and got in a lot of trouble. What makes this book different from so many others is that, firstly, the author can write. Also, he admits to his crimes and accepts his penalty, all while keeping the discussion open about the horrors found in Maricopa County jails. So many people think "oh well, if you do the crime, you deserve to eat spoiled food" but that isn't true. If you're not familiar with the horrors of the jails in Arizona, you might want to read up a bit before you settle in to this book. The author is not exaggerating to make his point - the system IS that broken. Disease runs rampant, people are starving, detainees are overcrowded, and many people get hurt but no one does anything to stop it because to say that human beings deserve better treatment, you're accused of defending murderers. It's a terribly messed up situation.

The bulk of the book is Attwood's story of incarceration in the jail -- this is where you're held UNTIL you are sentenced, meaning that at the jails everyone is 'presumed innocent'. Which makes the way people are treated even worse. I think most people don't know the difference between jail and prison and so they are fine with the "lock 'em up and throw away the key" mentality until it happens to them. You've got unpaid tickets? You get a minor skirmish? Your child is caught shoplifting? This is the volatile situation where you'll end up while waiting months or years for your date with a judge. Although Attwood admits he has committed crimes, he was arrested seemingly unfairly and detained for an incredible amount of time and with the DA finding various loopholes to drag it out. Nonetheless he is resigned to his punishment and sets out to "do his time" in a way that make him a more productive person after this experience. However, it is nearly impossible to avoid the violence in the jails. Alliances of all sorts are founded and you either join or perish. As Attwood points out again and again, for those who fall into a bad pattern of recidivism, there is no escape - the jails are not set up to provide education or counseling. Instead, the system turns a blind eye to people (in this case, men) who made some bad choices but are not beyond redemption. Instead, the system sets them up to fail - again and again. For example, the jails are full of addicts and mentally imbalanced people. Rather than treat the addiction/illness, they are sent to jail where they are physically abused which forces them to strike back and then they are given longer sentences for fighting.

I think books like this are important for 'the rest of us' to get a glimpse into the way that our jails and prisons are managed. Refusing to provide humane conditions (edible food, healthcare, climate control) does NOT deter crime. Investing in programs to decrease recidivism and address societal problems (theft, drugs, etc.) do. The way that "Sheriff Joe" manages the jails in Arizona is despicable (not just my opinion, several human rights organizations have successfully sued and continue to sue the system) and this book will give you an insider's view into what is happening there right now. ...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Joe Stamber rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012

Attwood's tale of his rude awakening in America's toughest jail is as disturbing as it is compelling. How much artistic licence he has taken to make his account more outrageous is obviously open to question, but I imagine much of it is genuine. Whether treating criminals (and remand prisoners, as that is what this book is about) like animals is acceptable is a debate for another time, but there are many sickening scenes in Hard Time.

For all its horrors, Hard Time is a well written account which ...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Laura Lam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, memoir, 2011

Hard Time is the story of Shaun Attwood. Attwood grew up in England and moved to Arizona after university. His life seemed to be going wonderfully, if illegally—he was a successful stockbroker with a huge mansion and a sports car, and he also threw raves and dealt drugs like Ecstasy. However, after several years, the partying began to weary him and he settled down with his girlfriend, Claudia, and was living a more sedate, lawful life.

However, the law caught up with him. In 2000, he was arrested Hard Time is the story of Shaun Attwood. Attwood grew up in England and moved to Arizona after university. His life seemed to be going wonderfully, if illegally—he was a successful stockbroker with a huge mansion and a sports car, and he also threw raves and dealt drugs like Ecstasy. However, after several years, the partying began to weary him and he settled down with his girlfriend, Claudia, and was living a more sedate, lawful life.

However, the law caught up with him. In 2000, he was arrested on suspected drug dealing charges and thrown into one of Sherriff Joe Arpaio’s jails. For those of you who don’t know him, Arpaio is a disgusting human being. Amnesty International has complained about him, and he has more lawsuits than you can shake a stick at. This is a man who feeds his inmates green bologna and violates human rights. Many of the people, like Attwood, were unsentenced, meaning that many of them could be and were innocent. Others were definitely guilty, but still did not merit being treated like dogs.

Choice quotes by Arpaio:

"It costs more to feed our police dogs than our inmates. The dogs never committed a crime, and they're working for a living."

"It's 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths."
— Arpaio to inmates living in tents that reached 138 degrees during a heat wave.

Nice guy, right? Attwood was thrown into the jail and his bail was set at $750,000, even though they only had circumstantial evidence. In the end, Attwood spent 8 years of his life in first the jail and then the Madison prison, befriending cockroaches and suffering from terrible health problems and having his life threatened. But he fought back.

While in jail, Attwood started a blog and smuggled the entries to his aunt Anne, who typed them and sent them to Attwood’s parents. Attwood’s parents then put them on a blog under a pseudonym: Jon’s Jail Journal

Before long, the blog began attracting visitors and press. Last year I spent hours reading the blog, fascinated by the horror Attwood lived through and amazed at the different people he interacted with and befriended. Attwood used his time wisely, reading widely, working on his writing skills, and practicing yoga for hours every day.

After Attwood was finally released, he began speaking at schools and published his book, and has been quite the thorn in Arpaio’s side. Hard Time is an honest look into what his life was like in the jail and the difficulties he faced, and chronicles his attempt to have justice and a clear sentence. It’s definitely worth the read. ...more

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Jul 20, 2017 Rhianne Larson rated it really liked it

Learned way more than I wanted to know about cockroaches. Not forgetting this one anytime soon!

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Feb 01, 2017 Manda Jacobs rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Although this author is not as well known as many others out there, I HIGHLY encourage anyone who is looking for something interesting to check out to give his books a try. Shaun Attwood is somewhat well-known in the Phoenix community for being a major ecstasy dealer during the early days of the drugs arrival stateside, as well as being one of the pioneers of the movement of the rave. I got this book as a free Kindle download, and was hooked right from the jump.

The only thing I hated about this ...more

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Nov 09, 2017 Zak rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

A "hero-to-zero" true life account of former stockbroker, millionaire day trader Shaun Attwood's nightmare in jail in Arizona BEFORE he was convicted and sent to actual prison. He spent about 2 years in hellish conditions and finally took a plea bargain just to have the certainty of a fixed incarceration period. In the book, he does admit his own guilt in running arguably the largest Ecstasy distribution ring where he lived and throwing drug-fuelled rave parties for thousands.

In a world where t ...more

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Jul 10, 2017 J rated it liked it · review of another edition

I think I would have given this book a higher rating had I not lived in Arizona for most of my life and knew for many years about the human rights violations that happened under Joe Arpaio. I think this book will probably stun many who haven't heard of Joe, tent city and the pink boxers. The most surprising thing about the story to me, is that the justice system is SO broken that both sides use loopholes, illegal maneuvering and outright trickery to try to make it work for them.

It also never oc ...more

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May 16, 2015 Izabela rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Although I found the style of writing awkward, I was sucked into Shaun's story too much to put the book down. The story didn't really flow well together, even from paragraph to paragraph, making it difficult to follow sometimes, but it was very entertaining. ...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Joe rated it liked it · review of another edition

Hard Time is a very compelling first hand account of sheriff Joe Arpaio's torturous Maricopa county jail system. It will also leave you wondering about our criminal justice system as a whole.

Shaun's stories are shocking for many reasons - almost all of them having to do with the prison administration, but also paint a vivid picture of the people living in these jails. They are human beings. Flawed, many broken, but human. The mere drug offenders and petty criminals exist in stark contrast to the Hard Time is a very compelling first hand account of sheriff Joe Arpaio's torturous Maricopa county jail system. It will also leave you wondering about our criminal justice system as a whole.

Shaun's stories are shocking for many reasons - almost all of them having to do with the prison administration, but also paint a vivid picture of the people living in these jails. They are human beings. Flawed, many broken, but human. The mere drug offenders and petty criminals exist in stark contrast to the hardened, hyper-violent gang members who essentially run the prisons because of over-population and under-staffing. But even the most remorseless gang leader is given a fair shake in this book, his actions shown within the awful context of his surroundings.

It's extremely telling that Shaun and other inmates in Maricopa county's jails preferred federal prisons to sheriff Joe's torture pits, where medical care is essentially non-existant, facility conditions are 3rd world, and where guards go uncaring, or unaware of the murder of inmates on their watch.

Perhaps of more concern is the criminal justice system that is not only aware of these conditions, but does nothing to reign in this monstrous treatment, despite multiple, impotent actions from the court. A subtext of the book is how these inhumane conditions lead defendants to accept unfavorable plea bargains. Malnutrition, sleep deprivation, unmonitored and untreated health conditions. These factors do not lead to sound decision making. And of course there's just the pure, naked coercion inherent in "if you don't accept a plea, you'll be in that jail for another year before trial".

Shaun points out how public defenders, police, and prosecuting attorneys routinely lie to accomplish their goals. When Shaun inevitably accepts a plea so that he can move into the federal prison system, the prosecutor lies to the judge to try and reneg on a key provision of the deal which would shorten his sentence, and almost gets away with it.

This is an important book to read for anyone who's interested in how the criminal justice system works, and a very important read for anyone living under the jurisdiction of sheriff Joe. ...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Nicci rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book is about a man put in an American Prison for drug offences and is written by him about his time in the jail. It uncovers the ridiculous state of the american system held in remand on a $750,000 bail when the justice system had minumal evidence against him. With the help of a $50k lawyer he managed to get out but only after a plea bargain. A first time offender he was clearly used to set an example. His day to day life in the prison is an interesting read and it sounds horrendus. The fo ...more

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Jul 13, 2017 Crickett Lancaster rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow.

I work with women in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, and I am seriously considering lobbying the counseling staff and program director to include some of Shaun Atwood's work in their programming. Of course, it's possible that the only lesson some will learn is "don't do crime in Maricopa County" , it is also quite likely that the larger consequences might sink in. You've done a package tour of Hell, Mr. Attwood. It is awful that people are still treated this way, but you are to be ...more

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Apr 10, 2017 Lorie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Believable

And compelling...glad to know someone is shedding light on the county jails situation in this country. The fact that it takes someone outside of this country to do that is telling. They are a revolving door and money making scam between the courts and the legal system, and yes if you commit a crime and do the time, that would be one thing, but there's so much room for improvement it's mind boggling that people in county jails are treated like animals. Not just in Arizona, but everywher ...more

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Jul 07, 2017 Ken Montrose rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I couldn't put this book down for many of the same reason's I can't stop myself from looking at a traffic accident. I know what I'm about to see/read is bad, but I have to know how bad, even though I'll never clear my mind of the image. The picture Attwood paints is bad. Unbelievably bad. In many ways we're running a third world prison system. Attwood captures this in vivid detail. At times I felt sick as he described the violence, bugs, heat, food, showers, etc.

I would have given it five stars ...more

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Jul 17, 2017 David rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Intriguing look inside

A captivating story about the process one goes through while being processing in the American legal system. The hardships faced for those who only want to do their time and move on make one rethink the value of our current prison system.

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Nov 04, 2012 Iysha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Felt every emotion possible, from anger to sadness to happiness....

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Dec 02, 2012 James rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Superb read! You get hooked in early on. The characters, events, and narrative are absorbing. Exactly what a good journal should be.

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Feb 11, 2017 Melody Vig rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Very inspirational book about overcoming obstacles.

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Mar 03, 2017 steven smith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Tidy

Well worth a read if you're in to prison books going e download prison time now then I've read them all ...more

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Mar 29, 2017 Justin Hall rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great read

A very interesting book. Looking forward to reading the other books in the series. If I hadn't got to read this one for free, I would've missed out on a good story. ...more

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Jun 11, 2017 Jane Thompson rated it liked it · review of another edition

Jail time

This book tells it like it like it is. It is an unblushing look at jail as it is administered in this country.

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Jun 27, 2017 Shelly Singhal rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Compelling read

This is a stark reminder of how corrupt the us justice system is. Hopefully Sheriff Joe gets a taste of his own prison as part of his indictment.

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Jun 30, 2017 Melanie Bower rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shocking

Very hard to read. It gives a fantastic insight into the prison system at that time and the conditions hidden from the public.

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Jul 02, 2017 Bill Lively rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This should be required reading for all teenage boys. If Atwood's true story does not scare them straight then nothing will. ...more

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Jul 15, 2017 Jennavieve rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Amazing Book

This book was everything I had hoped it to be and even more then I had imagined. It gives you a real insight of what it is like to be locked up.

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Jul 20, 2017 Colin fripp rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Very good book

Loved the book.true to life.read it in one sitting. I recommend this book to anyone.you will enjoy it.its good.oh yes

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Aug 05, 2017 Lisa Marroquin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great Book

I loved this book. Couldn't stop reading. Great story. Thank you for this great read. I can't wait to read the rest of his books.
...more

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May 20, 2012 Dandontthink rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Good read. Ending however left me in the dark somewhat. Hated the ending

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May 20, 2020 Mistress Kaz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shaun Attwood's book trilogy including; Party time, Hard Time and Prison time is a compelling series, and an astonishing biographical account of an ex stockbrokers time suffering at the hands of America's judicial system. Shaun exposes the appalling conditions prisoners face and the Hell they must endure, but what stood out for me was the author's resilience, the anecdotes and the friendships formed with other inmates. Attwood's style of narration super sizes the colourful characters and they pr ...more

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Oct 28, 2020 Rick Nonsense rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Ignore the trashy name and cover. The book ends up covering significant thematic depth, with obvious things like the state of US prisons and the drug epidemic but also ideas of suffering as redemption, the value of reading, emergent order and a whole bunch of fascinating stuff about social and tribal dynamics. It's a bit like if Dostoevsky was a raver from Widnes. Great stuff. ...more

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About Shaun Attwood

Shaun Attwood

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In prison, I read over 1000 books in just under six years, including many literary classics. Books were the lifeblood of my rehabilitation.

As told on National Geographic Channel's Locked-Up/Banged-Up Abroad episode "Raving Arizona," I used a tiny pencil sharpened on a cell door to write the first prison blog, Jon’s Jail Journal. My writing, smuggled out of the jail with the highest rate of death ...more