Heaven: A Prison Diary Volume 3

Riveting is a review with which I agree. It is a complete diagram of the lack of common sense used by humans even at the highest levels of civilized bureaucracy and misuse of power at every level.

Prison Diary is, by far, one of the most interesting books I have ever read. While some believe that Archer is egocentric (he does talk about himself quite a bit), I believe this adds importance to the story. Archer was part of the political system, yet he had no idea how horribly the prisons were run. He is now experiencing day to day life in the highest security prison in England. For a first-time offender, that has to be extremely overwhelming! He may complain about his conditions and the ordeals of his daily life, but wouldn't you if you were given a four year sentence for something that should have only gotten community service? His stories of the drug dealings, the prisoners inside the "lifers" wing, and the problems the guards face bring a new insight into prison life. Because Archer was not the "typical" con, everyone felt as if they could talk to him, thus, making this a well-rounded novel on the system. Overall, this is a well-written novel sure to shake things up a bit.

In the Open Prison at North Sea Camp, Archer fell on his feet straightaway. One of the prisoners who had helped him so much in Wayland had referred him to similarly helpful prisoner at NSC. This prisoner had the best job at NSC - as hospital orderly. Archer will often stand in for him, but right at the start he had got the second-best job, that of orderly in the Sentence Management Unit, which involved helping the officers with office work (ordering supplies, for example) and seeing the prisoners when they are called to the officers, whether in the course of induction (for instance telling them what work options are available to them) or preparatory to them being called in for some offence. This enabled him to be helpful both to the officers (the first thing he did was to reorganizing drawers, cupboards and notice-boards more efficiently) and to the prisoners; so once again he becomes popular and respected by both sides. The one prisoner who threatens him is seen off by three heavies whom Archer does not even know well. He writes (can we believe it?) that hardly any prisoner would swear in front of him (though a woman officer has no such inhibitions), and when refereeing a football-match, he actually penalized one of the players for swearing and got away with it. Though it is an open prison, it still has a contingent of murderers and of drug users. On the one occasion when an inmate promised to beat Archer up, the offender was visited by three heavies (whom Archer did not even know that well) who made him change his mind and apologize. The question of drugs obsesses Archer. He records every aspect and what the prisoners don't tell him, he reads up. There are frequent random Mandatory Drugs Tests (MDTs), and the more resourceful prisoners told him of the many ingenious ways in which they can fool the testing procedure. Even so, many of them do test positive, for which the penalty can be anything from an extra 28 days being added to their sentence to being shipped out straightaway to the closed prisons at Lincoln or Nottingham. Archer understood the difficulties of someone hooked on drugs; but he was amazed at the sheer stupidity of so many prisoners who commit other offences or unsuccessfully abscond, sometimes only weeks or days before they were due for release, which led to similar punishments. So it is of course ironical that he himself, after a blameless 435 days, is sent to the notorious prison in Lincoln. Archer was unaware that he had broken any restrictions in his license, and it turned out that his license did not actually include the restriction he was accused of having broken. It appears that David Blunkett, then Home Secretary, had been enraged by yet another press report showing that Archer was receiving preferential treatment, and had ordered the Director- General of the Prison Service to take "immediate and decisive disciplinary action". The whole story is one incident among several he recounts of the miscarria

Narayan of Rebeccasreads highly recommends HEAVEN as a worthy third volume to Jeffrey Archer's Prison Diary, although if you're looking for a new Archer thriller, this it is not. As in the previous volumes, PRISON DIARY VOL. I & PURGATORY, Archer continues his scathing attack against prison conditions & atrocities, stating, at the same time that prison reform is the need of the hour, & has plenty of suggestions to offer, as one who has experienced it all. Unlike the first two, HEAVEN is more voluminous & poignant. Archer has finally rescinded to fate -- the vengeance & despair is noticeably absent herein. He now tries how to make maximum good use of his prison life. His plans for charity & his future. The author does, however, have a deep fear of how life will be outside prison, & how British society might perceive his return to public life. Will he able to forget ( & society forgive) past demons? A good, emotional read.

LOVED THIS BOOK..BUT FEEL YOU SHOULD READ VOL 1 AND 2 FIRST.... J. ARCHER'S WORDS MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE A FLY ON HIS WALL.... YOU CAN ALMOST FEEL HIS EXPERIENCE IN PRISON.