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Strangeways Unlocked cover art

Strangeways Unlocked

By: Neil Samworth
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble,Neil Samworth
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Summary

A darkly funny, harrowing and heartbreaking look at the reality of prison life, with first-hand accounts from men who found themselves on the wrong side of the cell doors.

This audio edition includes a preface powerfully read by the author, Neil Samworth.

Neil ‘Sam’ Samworth spent eleven years as a prison officer at HMP Manchester, better known as Strangeways. He has seen it all: from notorious criminals, dangerous gangsters and repeat offenders to those who simply made the wrong decisions. In this shocking page-turner, he tracks down former prisoners and staff, and uncovers the inside story of what life is really like in one of the UK’s most infamous high-security prisons.

We’ll see a prisoner whose unwanted feud with an inmate ends in a fight and the loss of his eye, another who is convicted for theft but leaves addicted to spice, and many who become victims of the IPP system where they find themselves serving indefinite sentences for petty crimes. We’ll see the dark underworld of the prison system, where riots can occur at any time, where the worlds of gangbangers suddenly collide, where class A drugs and contrabands roam. On the other side, we’ll see staff grappling with a failing prison system, while dealing with an inmate who records the highest ever psychopath rating and caring fully for men with mental health issues.

In brutally raw and gripping detail, Strangeways Unlocked gives voice to the people behind the bars and exposes a prison system that is failing them, providing an unforgettable account of a life that many can only imagine.

©2022 Neil Samworth (P)2022 Macmillan Publishers International Limited

What listeners say about Strangeways Unlocked

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Let down by accents

I can’t decide what I thought of this book, as I struggled to overcome the narration. I found myself concentrating so hard on trying not to think about the accents that I just missed so much.

I find it incredibly insulting when someone puts on a regional dialect, and not only gets it wrong, but also makes the person sound stupid. Is there a vocal equivalent of blackface? If so, this has to be it.

There are so many people in the UK with wonderful regional accents, why don’t we hear them narrating audiobooks?

It drives me to distraction.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Fantastic insight into the workings of a Prison

Loved this so much the dark humour and the daily shenanigans of all involved.I would struggle to be around some particular ones.Though some have interesting back stories and truly sad ones.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing

I’m studying criminology and psychology with the OU and listening to your books is great I used to work on a prison as a civilian staff and agree with everything you’ve written. I’m just about to listen to your podcast and hope to listen to more of your books

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1 person found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars

After reading and listening to many books , I’ve never heard such a self conceited and high and mighty person in my life

This guy thinks he’s famous after blowing the whistle on everyone apart from himself , now it’s about him and only him , don’t read !!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

very real

tough truths of the real lives of both inmates and prison officers.
great listen and highly recommend

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An intriguing listen.

A great, well written insight into prison life.
Good humour, well worth a listen

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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Boring

On a whole, not worth paying for. Wish I could get my money and time back

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Another fine book sir!

Ayup lad, great second book. Thanks Mr S. great listing as much as the first. Hope you can knock out a third! Thanks for the insight, black and white no fluffy clouds. I would certain recommend both books and as a fellow Sheffield lad it greatly amused me with all the colloquialisms

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A stunning gritty story

A great example of how HMP Manchester is failing its customers.
Will be getting the fist book

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not as good as the first book

I zoomed through the author's original book and enjoyed it, so promptly got this afterwards. However I didn't find this one to be anything like as engaging – the longer, deep-dives into (often less-than-sympathetic) individuals' stories became a bit samey, and I found myself zoning out a little bit. I understand the desire to write/read a follow up, but I'm personally more interested in the experiences of the author rather than the criminals he dealt with.

On another note, I found the narrator's various accents for the different interviewees very distracting – it sounded like a budding actor's showreel highlighting the regional accents he can pull off (or not). It really drove me mad after a couple of hours.

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