Strangeways Unlocked
The Shocking Truth About Life Behind Bars
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Strangeways Unlocked
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Keeble
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Neil Samworth
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By:
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Neil Samworth
About this listen
A darkly funny, harrowing and heartbreaking look at the reality of prison life, with first-hand accounts from men who found themselves on the wrong side of the cell doors.
This audio edition includes a preface powerfully read by the author, Neil Samworth.
Neil ‘Sam’ Samworth spent eleven years as a prison officer at HMP Manchester, better known as Strangeways. He has seen it all: from notorious criminals, dangerous gangsters and repeat offenders to those who simply made the wrong decisions. In this shocking page-turner, he tracks down former prisoners and staff, and uncovers the inside story of what life is really like in one of the UK’s most infamous high-security prisons.
We’ll see a prisoner whose unwanted feud with an inmate ends in a fight and the loss of his eye, another who is convicted for theft but leaves addicted to spice, and many who become victims of the IPP system where they find themselves serving indefinite sentences for petty crimes. We’ll see the dark underworld of the prison system, where riots can occur at any time, where the worlds of gangbangers suddenly collide, where class A drugs and contrabands roam. On the other side, we’ll see staff grappling with a failing prison system, while dealing with an inmate who records the highest ever psychopath rating and caring fully for men with mental health issues.
In brutally raw and gripping detail, Strangeways Unlocked gives voice to the people behind the bars and exposes a prison system that is failing them, providing an unforgettable account of a life that many can only imagine.
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What listeners say about Strangeways Unlocked
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- sean
- 21-11-23
very real
tough truths of the real lives of both inmates and prison officers.
great listen and highly recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael Sutheran
- 16-01-23
listen to the end
I've listened to both of Sam's books within one weekend, the bulk is factual and intriguing.
Sam sheds light on the inner workings of "our" prison service.
But more importantly sheds light on HIS inner workings
we're all human...
we should remember that, and we should applaud folks like 'Sam' who share their experiences &, dare I say, because of that, struggle with day to day ptsd.
thank you, for being so open & I wish you & your fam great happiness..
keeble is FANTASTIC by the way,
brilliant
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Fuse
- 02-09-23
A stunning gritty story
A great example of how HMP Manchester is failing its customers.
Will be getting the fist book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-01-23
Great book
Great book again Neil. Would love you to keep up the good work and another book being done
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- 28-06-24
Lessons need to be learned
I’ve listened to both of Sam’s books on his life as a ‘screw’ or PO. And the main message in both is that those that should be listening to prison officers about the job they do aren’t they see it as a job or they’re doing justice in their own way by keeping some who don’t need to be locked up, locked up but doing so by not giving the staff that do the job a decent wage or after care when they leave the job and that’s not right Sam gives you both worlds in this edition which was good to hear and sad at the same time also his thoughts on IPP couldn’t be more on the button I would thoroughly recommend this book and I’ve rather enjoyed Jonathan’s performance narrating both books too. I hope those in charge of the prison system are reading or listening to it also, they might just learn something to help ease the workload of those who do the job.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stephen Lightfoot
- 12-05-22
again brilliant
as in the first book by Mr samsworth what a book to listen to can't wait for the next book if he has one coming out listen to his podcast on YouTube to brilliant
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-07-22
Thoroughly Enjoyed
excellent read, enjoyed both of this chaps books so far and looking forward to trying the Podcasts real porridge.
excellent narration too, set the scenes well
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Nigel R Benson
- 03-09-22
Quite good though not superb
I believe from the book itself that there was a predecessor. I didn't feel I missed anything by not listening to that first, so can't comment on what it involves or what link there may be. I found the narrator's voice irritating, though got used to it after a while. The approach of him interviewing and being involved with a number of people, quite extensively in each case, worked well for me. It was nice to have a feeling of in-depth understanding of individual cases, as well as those people's views of the system, rather than the author's own broad-brush approach. I overall enjoyed the listen but it wouldn't make me purchase the predecessor. Nothing wrong with it at all, it's simply my opinion.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Bertil Theodore Boyles
- 07-08-24
An honest 'as it is' tale of prison life.
Having been in the job for nearly 20 years, I found this book almost therapeutic! I could relate to everything said, and most of the prisoners.
For anyone who has been or is still in the job, to give this a listen.
For anyone else interested in what happens behind those walls, please give this book a try...
You will not be disappointed.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 13-08-22
A Fantastic insight into the workings of a Prison
Loved this so much the dark humour and the daily shenanigans of all involved.I would struggle to be around some particular ones.Though some have interesting back stories and truly sad ones.
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2 people found this helpful