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John Massey's story is unique. Part of a notorious duo that the Flying Squad dubbed ‘Laurel and Hardy', his criminal activities included hijacking a police car after robbing a bank of £25,000 and relieving the Sunday Mirror of £50,000 – and all before he was arrested for murder, aged 27.But that was just the beginning. Given a life sentence, with a minimum term of twenty years, Massey would find himself incarcerated for forty-three years, give or take a prison break, in almost every prison in the country. In Locks, Bolts and Bars, one of Britain's longest-serving prisoners reflects on a life spent on the ‘inside', from corrupt guards to notorious criminals, and the real value of freedom.

All I am is a fisherman. That's all I'm guilty of, Your Honour. On 31 May 2010 eleven holdalls were discovered along the shore near Freshwater on the Isle of Wight; when opened they contained £53m worth of cocaine – the biggest haul ever found in UK waters. A local fishing crew was accused of waiting in the Channel for the bags to be thrown from a passing cargo ship in an operation allegedly masterminded by a local scaffolder. The Freshwater Five is a true story that cuts to the heart of the British judicial system. Did five men really attempt one of the world's biggest drug smuggling operations – or were they simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time? Why did the police hastily alter key surveillance statements, why were logs blacked out or mysteriously left empty – and why was crucial evidence never disclosed at trial? All five men fiercely denied the allegations, but a jury rejected their version of the events. This is the story of what actually happened as told by the skipper of the crew. It's a story that reveals the human misery of brutal prison sentences and a story that leaves the reader with one question: Does the British legal system really dispense justice?

Winner of a Koestler Platinum Award (judged by author and comedian Will Self). As Frankie Owens writes in The Little Book of Prison (LBP), “Society wants to know about prison life, an interesting place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there”. An easy-to-read prison survival guide of do's and don'ts. Perfect for anyone facing trial for an offence that may lead to imprisonment, their families and friends. Packed with humour as well as more serious items. Backed by prisoner support organizations. Straightforward and highly entertaining. Frankie started writing the LBP from day two of entering prison as a first-time offender. He had no idea how the system or a prison worked. He was clueless about it all and it was hard for him going in and frightening for the family and loved ones he left behind. The writing began as self-help and as the days progressed it occurred to Frankie that the LBP would prove useful to first-time offenders as well as other prisoners and help them get through what is surely one of the most difficult times in their lives. It also motivated him to get out on the prison wing and find out as much as possible about his new home. There are a lot of books about people in prison, people in far worse places than Frankie was and on far longer sentences. But the LBP is a book about prison not people, and will help new inmates, their friends and families get to know what to expect from the system. The LBP is a masterpiece in comic writing but somehow gets through to people with serious information in a way that more formal texts cannot. Already organizations connected to the criminal justice system are beginning to acknowledge that Frankie Owen's LBP is an ideal read for people facing the trauma of a first prison sentence. It will also be of considerable interest to other prisoners or people working in a custodial setting.'If people want to know what prison is like it's for them, if people need to know what happens in prison it's definitely for them'. Reviews'Our awards judges don't give a Platinum Award lightly, and this book is a winner on more than one level. It is a practical and totally frank introduction to real life in the British prison system - probably the best introduction there is. But it is also a wonderfully human narrative and a sharply argued critique - the wit and wisdom of one inmate who turns out to be a born writer. I was gripped from start to finish - roared with laughter one minute, winced with pain the next, and was left wondering why we have prisons at all': Tim Robertson, Chief Executive, The Koestler Trust'Absolutely hilarious, I'm not sure it'll ever be standard prison issue but maybe it should be! Packed full of witty and wry observations and some extremely pertinent advice. It is well-structured, easy to read and informative. I hope he continues writing as The Little Book of Prison is something that the general public would love to read as well as a guide book for other prisoners': Koestler Award Judges As featured in The Guardian; in leading prison newspaper Inside Time; in Church Times; on BBC Radio; and around the web, including RSA, The Huffington Post, Sabotage Times. Author Frankie Owens was prisoner A1443CA at Her Majesty's pleasure until 2 August 2011. If he had been given the information gathered in LBP, he thinks that the first weeks inside would have been better and the learning curve not as steep.

Ronnie Biggs: The Inside Story, written by two of Ronnie Biggs's closest friends and most ardent supporters, delivers exactly what it says on the label, giving a very personal, unique and yet disturbing insight into the mind and subsequent treatment by the judicial and penal systems of the man that became a legendary household name for his role in one of Britain's most notorious crimes, the Great Train Robbery of 1963, and his subsequent life on the run upon his escape from prison in 1965. Raising pointed questions and dispelling many myths, the story makes one wonder who is the greater criminal: the carpenter that played a bit part in an unarmed robbery 45 years ago, who has remained incarcerated since his return to the UK in 2001 despite the fact that he is now a frail, wheelchair-bound 79-year-old grandfather who is no threat to society, is fed via a tube to his stomach and can only communicate by pointing to letters on a laminated sheet; or the justice and prison systems that have allowed him to rot in jail for so long. One thing's for sure, although Ronnie Biggs's body is letting him down after a series of strokes and other illnesses, his legal team, campaign supporters, underworld friends and devoted family certainly aren't, and neither is his own fighting spirit or his humanity in the face of inhumanity. All he wants now is to be able to die a free man rather than suffer “a slow crucifixion on the Home Office cross”, and once all the facts have been digested one can only be moved to ask: “How could anyone deny him that?”

Originally published in 1824, this firsthand account describes how, in June 1822, young English seaman Aaron Smith was taken captive by Cuban pirates when his ship was boarded en route from Jamaica to England. A skilled navigator, fluent in Spanish, and regarded as what was then acceptable as a ship's surgeon, he was an attractive candidate for conscription. Forced to work as a navigator and participate in pirate boarding parties for ten months, he suffered mightily and witnessed unspeakable acts of murder and torture. He struggled between resisting the orders of the cruel pirate captain and acting against his conscience to preserve his own life from the wrath of the pirates. After failed attempts to get away, he managed to narrowly escape with his life, but was arrested as a pirate upon arrival in Havana. Smith was jailed in Cuba and then sent back to England in chains, where he found himself on trial for his life at the Old Bailey courthouse. The attorney general himself led the prosecution, with the captains of the ships boarded by Smith and the pirates as the principal witnesses.

From Oscar Wilde to the Kray brothers—a unique history of the lives and crimes of the United Kingdom's most famous, and infamous, inmates. Their names can chill the blood of true-crime aficionados: Peter Sutcliffe, aka The Yorkshire Ripper; child-torturer Ian Brady; cannibal Dennis Nilsen; serial killer Beverley Allitt. Some are tinged in glamour: beautiful nightclub hostess Ruth Ellis, hanged for a crime of passion. While others hold a bizarre fascination, like bare-knuckle boxer Michael Gordon Peterson. Called “the most violent prisoner in Britain” he changed his name to Charles Bronson in honor of the Death Wish star. Only to change it yet again to Charles Salvador, in honor of his favorite artist, Dali. By any name, the “one-man riot” was a prison superstar. Britain's Most Notorious Prisoners tells the stories of these lives and many more inside the Big House where prison culture breeds a strange, unreal community. It's also where the system learns to cope with those who refuse to live by the law of the land: killers and rapists, spies, gangster, hit-men, political prisoners, and serial offenders—as well as some who were egregiously wronged. From headline-makers to long-forgotten villains, these stories make for a thrilling and harrowing look at life, death, and survival behind bars.

Charlie has taken his 30 years of prison dwelling and condensed it into one handy and comprehensive volume. Moved around the prisons of the British Isles regularly, he has sampled all that prison life has to offer, taking in both the historic and the pre-historic buildings that comprise Britain's prison system. It's all in here - from the correct way to brew vintage prison'hooch'and how to keep the screws from finding it; to prison food and its many alternative uses. Read about Charlie's special taming techniques for prison wildlife such as spiders, rats and cockroaches; creatures that may be your only friends on long streches in solitary. With over 70,000 people (and rising) currently residing at her Majesty's Pleasure, Charlie Bronson's Good Prison Guide is essential for young offenders and old lags alike. Don't go away without it!

Charles Bronson is the most feared and most notorious convict in the prison system. Renowned for his serial hostage-taking and his rooftop sieges, he is a legend in his own lifetime. The recent film of his life was a critically acclaimed, box-office hit. Yet he is a man of great warmth and humour; a man of huge artistic talent who exhibits his drawings around the country; a man with an overpowering urge not to let the system get him down. More Porridge Than Goldilocks is a crazy look into the mind of a true individual.

Charles Bronson is the most feared and most notorious convict in the British prison system. Renowned for his serial hostage-taking and his rooftop sieges, he is a legend in his own lifetime, who has had a critically acclaimed film made of his life. Yet he is a man of great warmth and humor; a man of huge artistic talent who exhibits his drawings around the country; a man with an overpowering urge not to let the system get him down. Bronson 2: More Porridge Than Goldilocks is a crazy look into the mind of a true individual.

Lifer Charlie Bronson's reputation precedes him - ‘Britain's most violent prisoner'- or does it? Do we really know the true Charlie, or are our impressions the result of media hype? Well, what is in no doubt is that Loonyology is 200% Bronson and will transport the reader on the dizziest no-holds-barred roller-coaster ride of their lives, from suspense and shock to laughter and tears, and from Bronson the ‘Solitary King'to Bronson the Philosopher, the Poet, the Artist, the Author, the Joker, the Walking Scar and the Freedom Fighter. Now 55 years old, and having spent most of his last 34 years as a maximum security ‘Bronco Zoo'inmate, he's a much wiser man as he looks back on his crazy journey of unpredictable behaviour, his ever-alert mind darting from reminiscences of his teenage years to memories of fellow-cons, the screws, the cranks, letters and news reports, prison life and procedures, and the overall madness (‘loonyology') of the legal and penal systems, peppering his stories with diary entries, true gems of information, sound advice and hilarious one-liners. Together with his many supporters and with the aid of a top lawyer, Charlie is campaigning for the parole board to finally allow him his freedom, but begging is not his style: he calls a spade a spade and is determined to win with dignity, fighting with his pen and his brain to achieve his aim of a life outside ‘the cage'. In his words: “I chose to be a villain. I'm not proud of it, nor am I ashamed of it. I have paid my debt to society and it's time to go home.”

Charles Bronson is the most feared and the most notorious convict in the prison system. Renowned for serial hostage taking and his rooftop sieges, he is a legend in his own lifetime. Yet behind the crime and the craziness, there is a great deal more to Charlie. He is a man of great warmth and humor; a man of great artistic talent who exhibits his drawings around the country; and a man with an overpowering urge not to let the system get him down. Insanity is a look into the mind of a true individual—a wild, inspired, single-minded, fascinating man, oppressed not only by the workings of his singular mind, but also by the system that confines him.

Alex Alexandrowicz spent 22 years in custody protesting his innocence. This book explains how something which began with a plea bargain in the belief that he would serve a'short'sentence turned into a Kafkaesque nightmare. His'Prison Chronicles'are placed in perspective by Professor David Wilson. The Longest Injustice contains the full story of Anthony Alexandrovich - known universally as'Alex'. Principally, the book is about his 29-year fight against his conviction as a seventeen-year-old for aggravated burglary, wounding with intent, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Twenty-two of these years were spent in prison where Alex was a discretionary life sentenced prisoner, and where he steadfastly maintained his innocence. He continues to do so after release, and is taking his case through the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which was set up in 1995 to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice. Alex's own recollections are supplemented by analysis of the dilemma facing people in British prisons who are determined to maintain their innocence, and the book highlights the considerable disincentives and disadvantages to them of doing so. Authors Alex Alexandrowicz spent 22 years in some of Britain's most notorious gaols much of this time as a Category A high security prisoner. His Prison Chronicles are a first hand account in which he explains why he believes he was wrongly convicted (a matter currently with the Criminal Cases Review Commission) and vividly recreates his experiences of the early years following his arrest. Institutionalised by the system and apprehensive of the outside world he now lives alone in Milton Keynes where he continues the long fight to clear his name from a flat which has grown to resemble a prison cell. David Wilson is professor of criminology at the Centre for Criminal Justice Policy and Research at the University of Central England in Birmingham. A former prison governor, he is editor of the Howard Journal and a well-known author, broadcaster and presenter for TV and radio, including for the BBC, C4 and Sky Television. He has written three other books for Waterside Press: Prison(er) Education: Stories of Change and Transformation (with Ann Reuss) (2000), Images of Incarceration: Representations of Prison in Film and Television Drama (with Sean O'Sullivan) (2004), and Serial Killers: Hunting Britons and Their Victims (2007).

Revealing the secret world of one of Britain's highest security jails as no one on the outside could possibly imagine, Norman Parker has spent over half his life in prison. He was released from prison after 23 continuous years in prison. From his arrival in Parkhurst in the early 1970s as a category-A prisoner, he mixed with some of Britain's hardest cases. Parkhurst is immensely tough. But Norman Parker has one special quality that helped sustain him there - he is a natural observer of the human condition. There at close quarters he encountered: gangsters, such as Reg and Ron Kray and Eddie Richardson; armed robbers, including Great Train Robber Buster Edwards; characters such as Billy G, a well-known London club owner who went robbing with John McVicar; and'Lambo'Rony Lambrianou of the Krays, as well as a host of others who would prove that Parkhurst itself was such a dangerous place that you had to watch out for your life.