Prisonomics: Behind Bars in Britain's Failing Prisons

by Vicky Pryce

In March 2013, Vicky Pryce was sentenced to eight months in prison for accepting her ex-husband's penalty points on her driving licence some ten years earlier. After a very public trial, she was sent first to the notorious Holloway and then to East Sutton Park, an open prison in Kent. Inside, she kept a diary documenting her views and experiences; from this diary, Prisonomics was born. Faced with the realities of life behind bars and inspired by the stories of the women she met, Pryce began to research the injustices she found within the prison system. In this informed and important critique, she draws upon her years of experience in economics to call for radical reform and seeks to change how we look at crime and punishment. Prisonomics is not only a personal account of Pryce's experience in prison. It is also a compelling analysis of both the economic and the very human cost of keeping women behind bars.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2013

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vicky Pryce said she was responsible for her husband's traffic infraction and took the points on her licence for it. 10 years later she finds herself in prison for it. So, being a top government economist, she makes prison her next project and it's really gonzo reportage and analysis.

She doesn't feel superior to the other women at all, but one of them. By and large, despite what prison drama and documentaries would have us believe, they were a nice bunch who did their best to get on and help each other. They were also mostly of low intelligence, had committed crimes because they had no earning power to look after their children (many were single mothers) or because their men had wanted them to - drugs, theft. Few were violent, few were career criminals, but most were recividists.

The worst thing of all was the punishment of their children. These mostly very poor women from fractured families often literally had no one at all who could look after the children and they would end up in care with other children from equally chaotic homes. Punishment and rehabilitation in the community, ankle bracelets, whatever, might all have been more successful for these women and their families. And a lot cheaper for the country.

Everything in prison that can be analysed financially is. It is a really brilliant book by a very erudite and compassionate woman, an excellent writer. Do you think she would really have been locked up if she hadn't been a wealthy, successful professional, wife of an MP for taking points on her licence?

Do you think she was a danger to society? Do you think it was a total waste of money? Do you think that imprisoning her and many of her fellow inmates was more an exercise in revenge than appropriate punishment and rehabilitation? Does society not have better ways of punishment and better ways to spend tax money?

She served the last part of her sentence under house arrest with an ankle bracelet. It didn't cost anyone very much, it limited her freedom extremely, wouldn't that or community service been punishment enough.

[Alice Chau-Ginguene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this up by accident while browsing around in the library. The name caught my attention.
Such an interesting book, open my eye to see the criminal justice system in a new way. Policy makers should all read this book!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's normal to spend a sunny weekend in the garden reading an economic analysis of how the criminal justice system fails women, right?

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always wondered what it would be like to be in prison, and this book helped to explain things, though it was mostly about open prisons.
Unfortunately, a lot of the analysis at the end seemed to be out of date through time having passed, but it still raised some interesting points.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally I liked this book about the authors experience of prison. I just found it a little too statistically focussed, I understand that she’s an economist but sometimes it was just too numbers heavy and not enough on the personalities and daily life.
I appreciate this was written a while ago so I hope the author has gone on to make her voice heard about the prison system. Sadly, from what else I’ve read, I’m not sure that much has changed.

[Kyle Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting. I’ve learnt a bit about the justice system and especially the affects on women.

[Andrew Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

A proclaimed admirer of Thatcher in the book bemoaning cuts in the service from what can only be described as a break away in the countryside eating biscuits for a few months. Give it a rest.

[daphne hazell · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good book, easy to read and interesting
great stuff