Description:A shocking and darkly funny account of the reality of Britain's prisons.
Where
can a tin of tuna buy you clean clothes? Which British education system
struggles with 50% illiteracy? Where do teetotal Muslims attend AA
meetings? Where is it easier to get 'spice' than paracetamol? Where does
self-harm barely raise an eyebrow?
Welcome to Her Majesty's
Prison Service, a creaking and surreal world that has been left to rot
for decades in the shadows of polite society. Like most people,
documentary-maker Chris Atkins didn't spend much time thinking about
prisons. But after becoming embroiled in a dodgy scheme to fund his
latest film, he was sent down for five years. His new home would be HMP
Wandsworth, one of the oldest, largest, and most dysfunctional prisons
in Europe.
Horrifying, moving, and darkly funny, this is the
unvarnished depiction of what he found. With a cast of characters
ranging from wily drug dealers to corrupt screws to senior officials
bent on endless (and fruitless) reform, this is the reality behind the
locked gates. Full of incredible and hilarious stories, A Bit of a
Stretch reveals the true scale of our prison crisis and why it is
costing us all.