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John Podmore
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Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Why Britain's Prisons are Failing Paperback – 6 Jan. 2012

by John Podmore (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 26 ratings
At the heart of his book is his conclusion that prison simply does not work, failing on three fundamental levels. The view of the popular media is that when prisoners are locked up they cannot commit crime. This is not true. Podmore shows how crime actually proliferates in prison, how serious organised crime is allowed to flourish there through bad management, and how the UK's prisons are a multi-million pound investment bank for the black economy. The public sees prison as a deterrent. This book shows that whilst it may deter the white, middle classes, for the majority of those behind bars it is merely a social tax, or as Norman Stanley Fletcher was told in Porridge, 'an occupational hazard'. It shows that for many across the spectrum of social exclusion it is a place of safety and preferable to life on the streets. Also, whatever spin is put on the figures it is clear that the majority of those leaving prison will quickly reoffend. OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND is a remarkable book that seeks to ignite a debate across society about a vital subject we ignore at our peril.
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  1. Print length
    302 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Biteback Publishing
  4. Publication date
    6 Jan. 2012
  5. Dimensions
    23.4 x 139 x 215 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1849541388
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1849541381
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Biteback Publishing
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 6 Jan. 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 302 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1849541388
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1849541381
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 322 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 23.4 x 139 x 215 cm
  • Best Sellers Rank: 1,062,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 26 ratings

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John Podmore

John Podmore

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
26 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book to be a brilliant read with a conversational and inclusive writing style. Moreover, the pacing receives positive feedback, with one customer noting how it packs in plenty of statistics.

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ReadabilityPacingWriting style
9 customers mention ‘Readability’9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and useful, with one customer noting it provides helpful insights and another highlighting the author's extensive experience at various levels.

"A useful and entertaining book...." Read more

"...brilliant book for anyone to read." Read more

"...This author has a huge amount of experience at various levels in the prison system and shares it in this book...." Read more

"...Well - I'm big enough to admit I was wrong. This book is really rather good and I was really pleasantly surprised and yes, I learnt stuff from it too..." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Pacing’4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one noting its balanced approach and another highlighting how it packs in plenty of statistics.

"...style is conversational and inclusive but still manages to pack in plenty of statistics without becoming a reference book...." Read more

"...The book is well written and informative with only a few howlers..." Read more

"...His approach is balanced and he is quick to name individuals, initiatives and prisons that are innovative and do work...." Read more

"...Although I am sure that the facts are all factual I found at some parts of the book the inference was that he thought that the particular subject..." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Writing style’3 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, finding it brilliant and easy to read, with one customer noting its conversational and inclusive tone.

"...This is an easy book to read if you are interested in the topic as it is clearly written...." Read more

"...The book is well written and informative with only a few howlers..." Read more

"...aware about the lack of literature from the voice of the Gov. Brilliantly written and John has been able to make parts of this hidden world, humorous." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Janie U
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating insight, good introduction to the system
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 August 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I'm new to the prison service having started a voluntary role a few months ago. Lots of things seem to happen which I am struggling understand and I am gradually realising how far removed prison life is from the world that the majority of us live in.
    I've read a few of the "prison experience" books then came across this one. It has to be interesting to see the system from a managerial view and this book turned out to be much more than that. This author has a huge amount of experience at various levels in the prison system and shares it in this book.
    John Podmore talks about the origins of the prison service showing some of the reasons why he thinks it has ended up in the state it is now. He comments on the social factors outside the prisons and the involvement of politicians (or eager amateurs as he describes them).
    This is an easy book to read if you are interested in the topic as it is clearly written. His style is conversational and inclusive but still manages to pack in plenty of statistics without becoming a reference book.
    Some of the other review accuse JP of a bias developed from being so involved for so long. There is a degree of truth in this but should be balanced against his depth of experience. The only criticism I would have is that he presented lots of problems but doesn't give any clear solutions (not sure they exist though!)
    I would recommend this book for anyone who wants a more general understanding of the prison system and it ought to be a "must read" for magistrates, IMB members or any other volunteers involved in prisons.
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  • Bryan
    4.0 out of 5 stars Curate's Egg - and a bit selective....
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 September 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I have to admit that I waited until this book featured in the Kindle sale before buying it. John Podmore and I were contemporaries - indeed I followed him into one of his early Prison Service HQ posts - but we sang from different hymn sheets throughout our respective careers. I thus expected the worst from somebody who I thought toed the management line throughout his career. I also was incensed at the time by what happened during the operation which resulted in systematic destruction of the regime at Blantyre House led by John in 2000 and about which he is unusually coy in this book. Tom Murtagh, whose orders John was following, has provided his own account in a book of his own and I accept with hindsight that there may be another side to the story. It's just a pity John didn't refer to it.

    So - I was expecting the worst; a self indulgent diatribe bigging up the system which eventually spat him (and others, myself included) out unceremoniously at the end of their careers. Well - I'm big enough to admit I was wrong. This book is really rather good and I was really pleasantly surprised and yes, I learnt stuff from it too. I could have done with a bit less of a side-swipe at the Prison Service's Staff Care & Welfare Service - I ran it for 3 years, so I would say that, wouldn't I? We were trying to support prison staff who had got into mind watering levels of personal debt whilst not grassing them up to senior management. (That never went down well with the then Director General, who seemed to fail to grasp that the moment we reported these staff up the line was the moment they would stop coming to us for help).

    The book is well written and informative with only a few howlers (the board on which previous Governors' names is inscribed in prison is the Roll board, John, not the Role Board, and your definition of Habeas Corpus is a bit off beam). I commend it to those who were there, those who would like to know what it was like to be there and those who are eternally grateful that they weren't. It really wasn't an easy time.......
    10 people found this helpful
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  • bookfan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Why Britain's Prisons are Failing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 February 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Let me state at the outset that this book is an interesting read, it is not dry or some out of touch diatribe by someone who has no grasp of the reality of the subject. Mr Podmore has extensive first hand experience in several senior Governor management positions within the Prison Service. His wide ranging and often humourous comments provide a worrying indictment of the failure of our politicians and senior civil servants to deal with what is an antiquated, inefficient organization that is not fit for purpose. His approach is balanced and he is quick to name individuals, initiatives and prisons that are innovative and do work.
    The system fails the prisoners, their families and our society. It is not that the book champions the prisoners' needs as such but provides a critical analysis of why our prisons are failing. Failing to be cost effective by any reasonable standards, failing to provide a safe environment and failing to rehabilitate. Yet sections of our press and many of our politicians push for more people to be locked up in this system because it is a popular thing to be tough on crime. Complex problems often have simple, easy to understand but wrong answers and Mr Podmore certainly cuts through such ill informed views.
    The book is balanced and fair and should be read by anyone with an interest in the subject but more importantly by those who work in the Criminal Justice system, those tasked with improving our prisons or overseeing change. Members of the press would also greatly benefit from reading it to give them a different perspective from the usual tired and stereotyped arguments about prisons. I found the comments especially enlightening on legislation, on political shortsightedness and how prison regimes often make successful integration for prisoners back into society more unlikely.
    Politicians and opinion formers would do well to reflect on his Chapters entitled: 'Pathways to Success' and 'Conclusions'.
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Timothy Mason
    4.0 out of 5 stars An inside view of the British prison service
    Reviewed in France on 24 April 2012
    Verified Purchase
    No one can read this book without coming to the conclusion that the Prison Service needs reforming root and branch. Unfortunately, no one can read it without doubting that such reform will occur any time soon. The author has served as a governor in several prisons. He alternates analysis with illuminating anecdote. I am a little skeptical of some of the long interviews with prisoners, which seem to have undergone considerable revision, but perhaps it was necessary to clean them up for them to be readable by a general audience.
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