The memoirs of an English prison warden, pure and simple. The author joined Her Majesty’s Prison Service in 1983 and served for 25 years in a number of establishments before taking early retirement. Throughout his book the author considers the balance necessary between secure custody of the inmate as required by law and the level of empathy and dignity which makes life bearable for both jailer and jailed. A Turnkey or Not The story is straightforward. The author’s application to join the Service is only semi-serious as is his attitude to the training period when he is unexpectedly selected. Throughout his career he sees himself as something of a maverick, speaking his mind to the consternation of his superiors, not one to toe the party line. Nonetheless he is conscientious and determined that he will always do a professional job. As might be expected the author paints a picture of the daily routine of a prison officer – checks, counts, recounts, paperwork all done with military precision. However all involved are human and there are any number of anecdotes to spice up the monotony. He starts at Pentonville Prison in London and the distinctive stink of the place, though he becomes accustomed to it, he never forgets. Overtime rackets, sick leave rackets, they’re all here. From time to time the author half-heartedly seeks promotion, for the money rather than any real wish for recognition. He experiences different establishments and different categories of prisoners. Throughout he displays genuine empathy for those under his care and custody, comradeship with his peers but often certain contempt for his superiors who, in turn, treat him with suspicion. Finally, with the Service changing rapidly, and not to his liking, the author takes early retirement. This is my first every book to be published. A chance meeting on holiday in Majorca changed my life forever and launched me into a 25 year career in a job that I never would have considered previously: working in Her Majesty’s Prison Service. This book catalogues my personal experiences of working as a prison officer, from my early days at high security HMP Pentonville to my final years in therapy-based HMP Grendon. Filled with interesting observations and incidences, hilarious wind-ups and memorable characters, this autobiography is the story of a journey, from the happiest days in what will always be a potentially volatile environment to a complete state of disillusionment as an old dinosaur that no longer fitted into the modern prison service world. I give an honest account of my feelings, as someone who would never be a yes man and toe the party line, in the face of a constantly changing environment that had become increasingly controlled by political correctness gone mad and by budgetary needs rather than human needs. I am a man who cared, and even though my heart was sucked out of my job, I never lost my dignity or respect. Most importantly, I would never allow myself to be reduced to just a turnkey.