ANGELA LEVIN, Wormwood Scrubs: The Inside Story: Revealing What Really Goes on in England’s Most Famous Prison. London: GFI&A, 2014, pp. 162, ISBN 978-1500440893, £9.99 (pbk).
In Wormwood Scrubs: The Inside Story, Angela Levin provides insight into the
complex prison life at this male, category B, West London local prison. Being a former Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) member, Levin conveys her frustration with the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) blase´ attitude towards prison reality. The book does not reveal anything new or more controversial than what has already been published publicly in recent years in the IMB annual reports and by the Inspectorate of Prisons.
However, the story is narrated from within, thus giving the reader a rare opportunity to see and feel the reality upon which official reports form their dry and detached conclusions. The text is neither judgemental nor sentimental. Rather, it reveals a complex human relationship exemplified through oral and written communications and events that Levin observed and experienced during her time as a member of the IIMB. The story is unpleasant because it confirms what we know – that prisons are appalling places – and reveals prisoners' awkward relationships with themselves and the prison environment, including IMB members and prison officers.
Read the full review: Wormwood Scrubs: The Inside Story: Revealing what really goes on in England's most famous prison. Social & Legal Studies, 25:2, 2016, 249-258.