The Prison Doctor

By literary standards this book is not very well written. The writer is not an intellectual and makes no pretence to be one. This does not prevent a fast-moving, lively and sincere - it seems - account. It is the personal note that gives the book some originality, for the narration of events is at best, as another reviewer points out, well known. As Dr Brown moves from a young offenders' institution through Wormwood Scrubs and finally to a large women's prison we come to appreciate how important her stable home life is in sustaining her in the face of many horrors. Her husband comes across as the unseen hero on a number of occasions.The book can easily be read at a sitting, testifying both to its entertainment value and to the lack of any real depth of analysis. The overall effect is that it is lightweight, but still hard to put down.

A brilliant book - which is both informative and entertaining. An incredibly down to earth, honest review about life inside our prisons, using colourful and creative words to give a clear account of life, events and people inside. Above all the writer Dr. Amanda Brown shows the prisoners should not be judged but helped to provide a firm foundation, so that when they are released, they have the guidelines and support needed to help them move on with their lives. I couldn't put the book down and would certainly recommend it to anyone who is interested in people and what can be done with understanding and compassion to help the increasing prison population avoid re-offending. Delia Young Chartered Psychologist.

Well this was a waste of three quid.If it had been written by the doctor concerned it would have been a better book.As it is, it's an anodyne and tedious account of Amanda Brown's work in HMP Various.Not worth buying - especially if, like me, you cannot forgive obvious grammatical and syntactical errors.Just awful. I only got to p16 before absolutely giving up.

I usually pass on books that I know have been ghostwritten because in the past I’ve found the end result to be a bit hit and miss. I also have my concerns about ghostwriters, who are sometimes underpaid and rarely get the credit they deserve.On this occasion curiosity about the UK prison system got the better of me and I tried to give ‘The Prison Doctor’ a chance.In all honesty it was a struggle to get through. The tone of the author or should I say authors, was quite patronising throughout and I’m getting sick and tired of reading prison memoirs where the people featured are portrayed in a stereotypical manner. Perhaps if I hadn’t watched OITNB where the characters are quite fleshed out, my expectations for ‘The Prison Doctor’ wouldn’t have been so high.One thing troubled me about this book. She mentions quite a few of her female patients who have harrowing backstories that were rife exploitation and abuse. I wonder if the author made any effort to contact some of the women she treated, that later went on to be released from prison, in order to get their permission to tell their stories to a wide audience. Isn’t this another example of how vulnerable women are further exploited by ‘well-meaning’ individuals in authority, often without getting paid or receiving any recognition for their contribution.Read ‘The Prison Doctor’ if you’re a fan of prison clichés, otherwise I’d give it a miss.

Doctor works in prison. Discovers not everyone is like her. Does job adequately and is presumably fairly well paid. Claims epiphany. Demands praise.Facile, cliched, narcissistic and, worst of all, really rather dull. Who on earth edited this?