What is life on the inside really like? Is prison an easy 'out' for career criminals, or is it a brutal, survival-of-the-fittest world we would prefer not to know about? As the vast majority of inmates are eventually released into mainstream society, do they have any hope of rehabilitation, or are they destined to be a danger to society forever, falling prey to a revolving door syndrome?
In Life Behind Bars: Conversations With Australian Male Inmates, author Neer Korn opens up the clandestine world of NSW prisons, introducing Jason, Shane, Michael, Gordon, Stuart, Darren and David-all experienced inmates with a history of violent crime.
The inmates present a fascinating and at times shocking portrait of the NSW prison system, showing a Darwinian society riddled with racial tension and unchecked violence. They speak with unsettling candour about their backgrounds and violent childhoods, their quick decline into the world of crime, their initial run-ins with the law, entry into the world of prison and strategies for survival inside.
From standover tactics to drug selling and the reality of prison rape, Life Behind Bars reveals the truth about the inside, from the inside.