Australia's Hardest Prison: Inside the Walls of Long Bay Jail

Australia's Hardest Prison: Inside the Walls of Long Bay Jail
Author: James Phelps
Publisher: Random House Australia
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2016-05-30
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0143780794

Welcome to Long Bay, Australia's hardest prison. For the first time, guards and inmates of the notorious South Sydney facility reveal what really goes on behind its towering concrete walls. Opened in 1909, Long Bay Jail, originally a women's reformatory, has a dark and extraordinary history. From ghosts to legendary prisoners, there has been an infamous collection of Long Bay "guests," including the formidable Neddy Smith, convicted rapists the Skaf brothers, and shamed entrepreneur Rene Rivkin. Former inmates Rodney Adler, Graham "Abo" Henry, Tom Domican, John Elias, and others tell all about the brutal reality of life behind bars. And "Mr Big" Ian Hall Saxon finally comes clean about his prison escape, which baffled the nation. Delve into the personal accounts of the prison guards, Long Bay's unsung heroes, as they open up about their experiences dealing with some of the most dangerous men in the country.

Australia's Toughest Prisons: Inmates

Australia's Toughest Prisons: Inmates
Author: James Phelps
Publisher: Random House Australia
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2016-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 0143780530

These are the true and uncensored accounts of Australia's hardest inmates, from Australia's hardest inmates. Martin Bryant--who killed 35 people and injured another 23 at Port Arthur in 1996--is a 160kg slob who trades sex for chocolate in Risdon Prison. Twenty years after Australia's worst massacre, his blond hair is gone, and so is his self-righteous smirk . . . but he is as evil as ever, showing no remorse for the crimes that shook the nation. He is just one of the killers in the rogues' gallery of Australia's Toughest Prisons: Inmates. You will meet the alleged hitman and undisputed hardman called "Goldie", feared by both prisoners and guards alike. John Reginald Killick will tell you how he really escaped from Silverwater Jail in a helicopter and survived Pentridge Prison's notorious "Hell Block." And former Rugby League star Craig Field will tell you his incredible story of how one wrong pub punch landed him in prison limbo. From the rise of ISIS gangs, the lethal underground drug and tobacco trade, and the threat of contraband phones, to shiv fights, brawls, and white-collar criminal beat-downs, the secret lives of Australia's most dangerous men will be on full display. Award-winning author and journalist James Phelps reveals the horror of life inside Australia's most notorious prisons, including Grafton, Cessnock, Pentridge, Minda, Risdon, Silverwater, and Lithgow.

Australia's Most Murderous Prison

Australia's Most Murderous Prison
Author: James Phelps
Publisher: Random House Australia
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2016-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 0857987518

An unprecedented spate of murders in the 1990's - seven in just three years - made Goulburn jail the most feared prison in Australia. Inmates who were sent to the towering sandstone menace, located an hour and half south west of Sydney, declared they had been given the death sentence. Every man who entered the prison was marked for death, and not because of his crime. In the Killing Fields you were murdered because of the colour of your skin. The worst race war in the history of Australian prisons saw four groups; the Aboriginals, the Lebanese, the Asians, and rest, wage a vicious and uncontrollable war as they battled for control of the prison drug trade. Every day there were stabbings. Every day there were bashings. And when they weren't being bashed or stabbed, they were being murdered... The vicious riot, the one that saw guards belted with didgeridoos and stabbed with broken broomsticks, put an end to the segregation that saw Goulburn jail the only prison in the world to separate men by race. It also ended the Killing Field. But soon something far scarier would rise, something called SuperMax... Called a variety of things from "Australia's most secure prison'' to a "hell hole'', SuperMax is the only prison has seen complaints referred to the United Nations. All white walls and solitary confinement, it is where Australia's most evil men are locked away. It is home to Ivan Milat, to the Cobby Killers, to Bilal Skaf, and to Bassam Hamzy to name a few. And soon you will meet them all; murderers, rapists, terrorists. This is Australia's Most Murderous Prison, the Killing Fields, Inside the Walls of Goulburn Jail.

Green Is The New Black

Green Is The New Black
Author: James Phelps
Publisher: Random House Australia
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2017-07-03
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 0143782835

Ivan Milat, the notorious backpacker serial killer, is not the most feared person in the prison system. Nor is it Martin Bryant, the man responsible for claiming 35 lives in the Port Arthur massacre. No, the person in Australia controversially ruled ‘too dangerous to be released’, the one who needs chains, leather restraints and a full-time posse of guards is Rebecca Butterfield: a self-mutilating murderer, infamous for slicing guards and stabbing another inmate 33 times. But Butterfield is not alone. There’s cannibal killer Katherine Knight, jilted man-murderer Kathy Yeo, jailbreak artist Lucy Dudko, and a host of others who will greet you inside the gates of Australia’s hardest women’s jails. You will meet drug dealers, rapists and fallen celebrities. You will hear tales of forbidden love, drug parties gone wrong and guards who trade 40-cent phone calls for sex. All will be revealed in Green Is the New Black, a comprehensive account of women’s prison life by award-winning author and journalist James Phelps.

Intractable

Intractable
Author: Bernie Matthews
Publisher: Macmillan Publishers Aus.
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2007-11-10
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1741970172

Intractable is a relentless and remarkable story of life on the inside of two of Australia's most brutal prison regimes – Grafton and Katingal – in the 70s. In 1969 Bernie Matthews was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 10 years. A serial escapee, prison authorities soon classified Matthews as an intractable prisoner and he was transferred to the Alcatraz of the NSW prison system at Grafton. There, life was a routine series of bashings and solitary confinement, and as the systematic brutality of Grafton became a political scandal, Matthews and other prisoners found themselves transferred to a fresh hell in 1975 – Katingal Special Security Unit inside Sydney's Long Bay Jail, Australia's first super-max prison. A concrete bunker with no natural light or fresh air, Katingal replaced Grafton's bashings with sensory deprivation and psychological control. Suicide attempts and self-harm followed. One of the longest serving and surviving Katingal inmates, Matthews did not see daylight for two years, eight months. Intractable is not only a shocking story of what it's like to do time but also a history of one of the great political scandals of the 70s from a unique perspective (Katingal was pulled down this year). It's also the eye-opening story of a man who managed to turn his life around in the worst of Australia's prisons to become a writer and prison activist.

The Inside Man

The Inside Man
Author: James Phelps
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2021-06-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1460712412

He's the only one who can stop a massacre ... The unputdownable action thriller from Australia's no.1 true crime writer. Riley Jax, convicted murderer. Once a promising engineer in the army, he lost everything in a single night when he killed a man – an act he cannot remember. It's a devastating gap in an otherwise perfect memory. Now he's facing a new life, one behind bars, where he has to learn a whole different set of rules and only the toughest survive. And as a series of deadly bombings rocks the outside world, the only man who might be able to find the truth behind the conspiracy ... is on the inside. Australia's no.1 true crime writer lets his imagination off the leash in this unputdownable action thriller for all fans of Matthew Reilly, Lee Child and David Baldacci. 'An exciting action thriller ... An enjoyable, easy flowing tale that will keep you turning the pages' Canberra Weekly 'A gripping new action thriller ... The story moves along at a lightning-fast pace. [Phelps has] got a knack for bringing you right into the heart of the action, making for some truly tense moments. The Inside Manticks all the boxes when it comes to an action-packed crime novel. If you enjoy authors like Tom Clancy, or are just looking for a thrilling new read, check out The Inside Man. I can't wait to see where Phelps takes this series next.' Better Reading

Dick Johnson

Dick Johnson
Author: Dick Johnson
Publisher: Random House Australia
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2013-08-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1742759785

The incredible story of Dick Johnson – the Aussie battler who became an all-time V8 great. Ford legend Johnson did not get his break in motorsport until he was famously smashed out by a rock in the 1980 Bathurst 1000. But true to his never-say-die attitude, he went on to establish one of Australia’s most successful V8 Supercar teams, amidst a dramatic career that, on many occasions, almost saw him lose his home, his team and even his life. Through intimate revelations and blistering accounts of the motor racing industry, Johnson reveals the incredible strength and commitment it took to win three Bathurst titles and a record five Australian Touring Car Championships in a remarkable career spanning almost 50 years.

Once a Copper

Once a Copper
Author: Vikki Petraitis
Publisher: Wild Dingo Press
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2018
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 0648215903

Once a copper, always a copper. At least that’s how it seems for Brian ‘The Skull’ Murphy, long-retired but sought out by a trail of journalists and cops who regularly beat a path to his door. Once known as Australia’s toughest cop, The Skull was both charged with manslaughter (and acquitted), then awarded a Valour Award for bravery in the line of duty. It is these two sides to the complex man that intrigue audiences to this day. A non-drinking, Catholic family man, The Skull didn’t fit the 1950s police mould and often found himself on the outer among his colleagues. Dodging crooks and corruption on both sides of the thin blue line, The Skull carefully cultivated a reputation for being a ‘mad bastard’. Over 40 men felt the sting of his bullets, and many more felt the sting of his fists. But behind Australia’s toughest cop lay a personal secret of sexual abuse which Murphy shares publicly for the first time, in the hope that it will help others. This abuse formed the kind of police officer he later became — tough on the bad guys, but fiercely protective towards victims. With today’s political correctness and strict rules of conduct, there will never be another big personality copper like Brian ‘The Skull’ Murphy. This is his story.

Hell Is a Very Small Place

Hell Is a Very Small Place
Author: Jean Casella
Publisher: New Press, The
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2014-11-11
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1620971380

“An unforgettable look at the peculiar horrors and humiliations involved in solitary confinement” from the prisoners who have survived it (New York Review of Books). On any given day, the United States holds more than eighty-thousand people in solitary confinement, a punishment that—beyond fifteen days—has been denounced as a form of cruel and degrading treatment by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. Now, in a book that will add a startling new dimension to the debates around human rights and prison reform, former and current prisoners describe the devastating effects of isolation on their minds and bodies, the solidarity expressed between individuals who live side by side for years without ever meeting one another face to face, the ever-present specters of madness and suicide, and the struggle to maintain hope and humanity. As Chelsea Manning wrote from her own solitary confinement cell, “The personal accounts by prisoners are some of the most disturbing that I have ever read.” These firsthand accounts are supplemented by the writing of noted experts, exploring the psychological, legal, ethical, and political dimensions of solitary confinement. “Do we really think it makes sense to lock so many people alone in tiny cells for twenty-three hours a day, for months, sometimes for years at a time? That is not going to make us safer. That’s not going to make us stronger.” —President Barack Obama “Elegant but harrowing.” —San Francisco Chronicle “A potent cry of anguish from men and women buried way down in the hole.” —Kirkus Reviews

In Russian and French Prisons

In Russian and French Prisons
Author: Peter Kropotkin
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 187
Release: 2020-05-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 1528790146

First published in 1887, “In Russian and French Prisons” is Peter Kropotkin's detailed critique of French and Russian prisons in the late 19th century. Within it, Kropotkin offers poignant descriptions of the conditions of those who undergo solitary confinement while offering his own panacea to the wealth of problems engendered by the existence of prisons: abolish them entirely. Although written over a century ago, Kropotkin's astute criticisms of the penal system are still very much relevant today. Contents include: “My First acquaintance With Russian Prisons”, “Russian Prisons”, “He Fortress Of St. Peter And St. Paul”, “Outcast Russia”, “The Exile In Siberia”, “The Exile On Sakhali”, “A Foreigner On Russian Prisons”, etc. Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin (1842–1921) was a Russian writer, activist, revolutionary, economist, scientist, sociologist, essayist, historian, researcher, political scientist, geographer, geographer, biologist, philosopher and advocate of anarcho-communism. He was a prolific writer, producing a large number of pamphlets and articles, the most notable being “The Conquest of Bread and Fields, Factories and Workshops” and “Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution”. This classic work is being republished now in a new edition complete with an excerpt from “Comrade Kropotkin” by Victor Robinson.