THE PRISON DOCTOR: My time inside Britain’s most notorious jails. THE HONEST, UNBELIEVABLE TRUE STORY AND A SUNDAY TIMES BEST SELLING AUTOBIOGRAPHY

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Drugs are an especially big concern in prisons and drug-related deaths are increasing dramatically, especially due to spice as the effects are so unpredictable. Because prisoners can’t be searched internally, a lot of them smuggle in drugs in their vaginas and anuses The ‘normal rules’ as you say are points of law and the Home Office doesn’t make a habit of breaking the law!” I didn't find this book to be as fast paced as her previous book which is why it didn't get a full five stars from me but I still really enjoyed her easy to read writing style. In true Prison Doctor style Dr Amanda Brown tells heartbreaking stories with warmth and compassion of her time spent working with prisoners whose fate of deportation hangs in the balance.

The stories and case studies discussed in this book are so fascinating. It really does open your eyes to the struggles and abuse women go through which often leads them to prison. True, it makes it easier for the doctor, however others may argue they may miss crucial parts of a patient’s social history. There is no right or wrong approach. If the circumstances of the patient’s crime are known, the doctor will, even if only subconsciously, treat their patient differently. But that knowledge could provide insight into the patient’s lifestyle or mental state at the time, invaluable information in some cases. Amanda Brown has written three prison books, the others being The Prison Doctor and The Prison Doctor: The Final Sentence. This one is by far the best. She did not seem to regard the women prisoners as anything but women who had through circumstances had lives that put them, eventually, in prison, and were potential friends. The other two books, about men, they seem to have remained prisoners and people she treated in a friendly, caring way, but there was not, or at least she didn't convey it, such a real connection with them, as there were with prisoners in this book. Content warning: contains graphic references to self harm, suicide, and sexual, physical, and emotional abuse.I absolutely loved the prison doctor and although I didn't love this one as much as her first book, I did really enjoy it still I really enjoyed this book! Three star as I liked it but would not read again (in-line with my rating system) A week later, Jared returned to Dr Brown’s surgery with a beautiful poem about his childhood which was both moving and tragic. Seeing his desire to better himself, she bought him a dictionary, only to be told that it was against prison rules to give presents to inmates. Though crestfallen, she knew that these brief encounters had made an impact. The teenage boy with rich inner dimensions left an indelible mark on her memory. Throughout her work in prisons, this breakthrough moment remained as a glowing ember in her consciousness, reminding her of the worth of her job. Who would I recommend this book to?

I wasn't aware of this kind of prison, so I definitely learnt a lot from reading this book. It certainly brought up challenges I wasn't aware of before. Because prisoners can’t be searched internally, a lot of them smuggle in drugs in their vaginas and anuses. One girl told me that she had sewn bags of heroin and cocaine into the hem of her skirt. Nežinau, ar kaltas kalėdinis laikotarpis, bet iš šios knygos gavau tiek pozityvo. Mano pacientai taip pat nėra lengvi.Gydytoja Amanda įkvėpė nepamiršti, kad pacientas ne vien tik diagnozių sąrašas. Tai jautrus, pažeidžiamas žmogus, nors jo išorė sako ir ką kita.She also had described many relevant topics like Narcississtic controlling relationships, bullying, kleptomania, crime and family life, future of children of prison inmates, mental trauma that prison inmates have to face, and many other important topics pertaining to the life of other prisoners. Apart from the last quarter, I would have rated the book at 2 stars, a slightly less than average read. Not demanding, neither badly nor well written, nothing interesting, nothing to learn and an author who described herself as having two great sons, a supportive husband and a nice home life, nothing there of interest either. My mind always wonders during this series to what the ‘happily ever after’ ending would be if these were works of fiction. And so rarely is that how the story ends. But I think it’s important to hear these stories and to humanise prisoners and prisons themselves. It’s all too easy to write them off as places full of bad people, but the reality is often so much more complicated than that. And this final instalment was no exception. Stories like these need to be told, and Dr Brown does it with such compassion. I have friends who work in prison healthcare and I think the benefit is they see the person as a patient before a prisoner. Their crime is irrelevant and so they are able to look at these people through a different lens. Brown’s sympathetic outlook places readers and prisoners on the same side. She may describe a prisoner as attractive, or as having kind eyes, which is in stark contrast to how the media might describe them. She does not judge them as they open up to her, offering an explanation for their actions. The voice that Brown gives her patients challenges perceptions we may have about many criminals.

This book discusses her experiences working in a foreign nationals prison, where the prisoners are soon to be deported. The bloodcurdling sights, sounds and smells that fill the prison walls formed a startling deviance from the peaceful, pristine and immaculate clinic that she used to run, but Dr Brown soldiered on through the daily affair of expletives, insults and mental health problems, sometimes interlaced with blood and gore. To her, the most fulfilling part of the job is being a listener, a counsellor and a friend to inmates who are drowning under the weight of their circumstances or harrowed by the length of their sentences. Some of them experience caustic guilt and shame, while others are more obstreperous but still in need of medical help.Dr Amanda Brown, thank you so much for sharing some of yours and your patient's stories. The world is a better place because of people like you. Despite the brutal, raw and depressing things I’ve seen, my job isextremely rewarding in a way that I have never found before (Picture: Harper Collins) Every prisoner that Dr Brown met in those years had a unique story, some of which would cause you to wince. Some were downright traumatic; others had a lugubrious tint. I hope it is better than this Final Sentence. A bit less of her not-very-interesting private life would be a good start. I do think though that this book, probably all of them would make a good, even fascinating, tv show. The formula of the book - prisoner comes to the surgery, have a chat, reveal a bit about their character and crime, get diagnosis and treatment, on to the next and then reappear sometime later in the book as the stories are ongoing - isn't one that held my attention. The prisoners were obviously interesting to the author but she didn't convey that to me, I didn't care about any of them.