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Graham Parker’s My Life in Crime: A Prison Governor’s Memoir of Rehabilitation and Reform
01/10/25, 16:03
In his autobiography My Life in Crime, former prison governor Graham Parker reflects on 25 years in the Prison Service, revealing stories of reform, resilience, and the human side of incarceration.
- Graham Parker’s My Life in Crime offers an extraordinary insider’s view of the British prison system from the perspective of a governor who spent 25 years at the heart of it. Beginning his career in 1969 as one of the youngest ever direct entrants to the Governor Grade, Parker went on to serve at Wetherby Borstal, Risley Remand Centre, Holloway Prison, Hollesley Bay Colony, and Elmley Prison.
Unlike many memoirs of crime and punishment, Parker’s story is one of rehabilitation and humanity. At Hollesley Bay, he pioneered outdoor activities, community service, and marathon running with young offenders — experiences that many participants later described as life-changing. At Holloway, he worked with women and girls in crisis, leading therapeutic programmes that offered compassion where the system had often failed.
With candour and conviction, Parker challenges the idea of prisons as warehouses, arguing instead for an approach rooted in respect, engagement, and equipping inmates for life beyond the walls. My Life in Crime is both a personal memoir and a timely call to rethink how society deals with offenders.
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