Book Review: The Prison Doctor by Amanda Brown

[thunderstream]

The Prison Doctor by Amanda Brown
4/5
tagged: nonfiction, medical, memoir

I will preface this by saying that I have studied criminology and sociology, and prisoner welfare is a topic of interest for me - combined with the utmost respect I have for medical personnel, that is the main reason I chose to read this book.

It is not the best written book I've ever read, however that is understandable when you consider the author is a Dr, not a professional writer. And hey, at least it's not hand-written! It was actually quite an easy read despite the subject matter. Some of the events and issues that Dr Brown talks about, the prisoners stories, can be heartbreaking.

She doesn't really share her opinions on the state of the prisons which I found disappointing but the book was far more about the medical side than the crime and punishment side (I'm not saying she doesn't HAVE opinions, but that's not that the book is about. It is a book that is a doctors day to day work, her patients that just happen to be in prison which makes some of the situations a little more varied than had she stayed as a GP

It was interesting to note however how Dr Brown's attitude to life changes as she spends more time in prison. Her own 'middle class' values seem to become more irrelevant when faced with people who struggle just to survive and end up getting themselves put in prison due to poor (and sometimes unavoidable) life choices.

But, like I said, there are many debates to be had about this topic. This book will not provide any answers but it may open some eyes and get people thinking and looking for more information and opinion on the matter.

Overall, a good book worth reading.