This book by Tony Levy is very transparent and forthright in explaining the 25 year career journey he served as a Prison Officer and the changes the system went through as well as how it affected him personally. It would have never been the direction he chose had he not met up on vacation with a couple that suggested he explore this route.

Throughout his career, from young and naive to seasoned and mature, he would endure daily stresses but the dignity and care extended toward prisoners would earn their respect. He states the following: "...I really felt that by interacting with them and treating them as equals I was doing my bit to help stop them re-offending and perhaps helping them go on to lead useful lives back in society". Principal Officer "Yiddo" Levy has left no stone unturned working with personality and psychological disorders, sex offenders, attempted suicides, assaults, escape, and those suffering heart attacks.

I am convinced his strong will and dogged determination was a leading ingredient that enabled him to deal with such dynamics. As he moved to different sites-Pentonville, The Mount, Woodhill, and finally Grendon within the UK there was politics that came into play as well as a major transition of him having to change from hands-on relationally with prisoners to despising working behind a desk doing auditing reports. "The more I looked into it, the more I came to the conclusion that there was no future for someone like me in the modern prison service...they only wanted yes men who wouldn't air opinions different to their own and who would treat the staff with disdain while giving the impression to those that they really cared.". Today he reflects not a bitter man but an introspective person and one that has wise insight into inmate behavior, ideal procedures, and the political aspects that run the UK penal system.

Gain a true perspective on the inside from a man that worked doggedly hard, never hesitated to speak his mind, and has seen both the good and evil in conduct and procedure. I was able to understand how the British penal system operates, how it differs from where I reside in the U.S., and how the changes evolved over time.

For the content and his sincerity I rate it 5 stars.