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Mr Ordinary Goes to Jail
"Wil’s honesty really had me gripped, and his description of his first night in jail is something I won’t forget." (Emily Webb, crime author and podcast host of Australian True Crime)
Wil Patterson was just an ordinary working husband and father. Always one to make light of things, inside he was becoming increasingly desperate about how he was going to pay bills and keep up with the new cars, house renovation, and beach house.
One day, while at work for one of Australia's biggest financial institutions, temptation presented itself to Wil in the form of a check addressed to someone with the same name. Wil knew it was wrong, but the temptation was too great. Soon enough, he found himself down at the bank cashing that check.
After vowing ‘"ever again", it wasn't too long before Wil's mounting debt meant he just could not resist. No crime goes unpunished, and Wil was eventually caught and charged and, to his horror, sentenced to three years in prison. Mr Ordinary Goes to Jail is Wil’s account of his time in a contemporary Victorian prison, the unusual characters he met, the often hilarious and terrifying situations he found himself in, and the ways in which he comes to terms with his past and forges a new, more hopeful future.
For anybody who has ever wondered how they would cope facing similar circumstances or speculated what life is really like on the inside, Mr Ordinary Goes to Jail is a gripping and fascinating listen.
About the Wil Patterson lives in the outer east of Melbourne, Australia, with his partner and son. He says his experience in prison has taught him to be gracious and calm in an all-too-often hectic world.
Wil Patterson was just an ordinary working husband and father. Always one to make light of things, inside he was becoming increasingly desperate about how he was going to pay bills and keep up with the new cars, house renovation, and beach house.
One day, while at work for one of Australia's biggest financial institutions, temptation presented itself to Wil in the form of a check addressed to someone with the same name. Wil knew it was wrong, but the temptation was too great. Soon enough, he found himself down at the bank cashing that check.
After vowing ‘"ever again", it wasn't too long before Wil's mounting debt meant he just could not resist. No crime goes unpunished, and Wil was eventually caught and charged and, to his horror, sentenced to three years in prison. Mr Ordinary Goes to Jail is Wil’s account of his time in a contemporary Victorian prison, the unusual characters he met, the often hilarious and terrifying situations he found himself in, and the ways in which he comes to terms with his past and forges a new, more hopeful future.
For anybody who has ever wondered how they would cope facing similar circumstances or speculated what life is really like on the inside, Mr Ordinary Goes to Jail is a gripping and fascinating listen.
About the Wil Patterson lives in the outer east of Melbourne, Australia, with his partner and son. He says his experience in prison has taught him to be gracious and calm in an all-too-often hectic world.
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Published June 8, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 27, 2018
4.5★s
“A friend once asked me how I would describe jail to someone who had never been. ‘It’s like being forced to live at the Motor Registry,’ I told him. ‘There are lost of rules that no-one really understands, there’s queues for everything, and everyone is either angry, bored, tired, or a combination of all three.’”
Mr Ordinary Goes To Jail is the first book by Australian author, Wil Patterson. Wil is Mr Ordinary. He could be any of us who falls on hard times and then makes a poor decision. And then another. And a few more. And by the time he’d stolen thirty thousand dollars from his employer, a large insurance company, well, someone noticed. Wil ends up in jail. But Wil is no hardened criminal, even if his hard times are largely of his own making. He has not a clue what he’s in for, as wouldn’t you or I.
By the time Wil has spent nine months in various correctional facilities, he has a lot to tell. And Wil has a talent for the telling. His voice is genuine, candid and redolent of the naïveté one would expect from a first-time inmate. And while some of what he tells is downright scary, there’s quite a bit more humour than you might expect, much of it self-deprecating, so there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. And in the final pages there is a very moving anecdote that is bound to bring a lump to the throat of the toughest reader.
Wil matter-of-factly agrees that a prison sentence is absolutely his just desert for his offence. Retrospectively, he freely admits to being a thief and likens it to an addiction, thus feeling the need to show contrition in the same manner as those attending AA do, apologising to those affected by what some call a victimless crime. Wil has realised that countless people were affected by what he did.
Wil describes not just his time in jail, but also the lead up to his imprisonment and the aftermath: the support of family and true friends, interactions with other inmates and “the system”, getting a job, a home, a family. There is not the slightest hint of “poor me” in Wil’s tale. If anything, he’s ultimately saying “lucky me” when he concedes that his incarceration has allowed him to start over.
And also “…I learned that the darkness doesn’t end at the gates of the jail. You carry something away with you from an experience like prison, and if you try to ignore it, it festers. It’s far better to take it out into the light, deal with it, dismiss what you can, and learn to manage the rest.” This is an interesting, insightful and often funny read.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Finch Publishing.
“A friend once asked me how I would describe jail to someone who had never been. ‘It’s like being forced to live at the Motor Registry,’ I told him. ‘There are lost of rules that no-one really understands, there’s queues for everything, and everyone is either angry, bored, tired, or a combination of all three.’”
Mr Ordinary Goes To Jail is the first book by Australian author, Wil Patterson. Wil is Mr Ordinary. He could be any of us who falls on hard times and then makes a poor decision. And then another. And a few more. And by the time he’d stolen thirty thousand dollars from his employer, a large insurance company, well, someone noticed. Wil ends up in jail. But Wil is no hardened criminal, even if his hard times are largely of his own making. He has not a clue what he’s in for, as wouldn’t you or I.
By the time Wil has spent nine months in various correctional facilities, he has a lot to tell. And Wil has a talent for the telling. His voice is genuine, candid and redolent of the naïveté one would expect from a first-time inmate. And while some of what he tells is downright scary, there’s quite a bit more humour than you might expect, much of it self-deprecating, so there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. And in the final pages there is a very moving anecdote that is bound to bring a lump to the throat of the toughest reader.
Wil matter-of-factly agrees that a prison sentence is absolutely his just desert for his offence. Retrospectively, he freely admits to being a thief and likens it to an addiction, thus feeling the need to show contrition in the same manner as those attending AA do, apologising to those affected by what some call a victimless crime. Wil has realised that countless people were affected by what he did.
Wil describes not just his time in jail, but also the lead up to his imprisonment and the aftermath: the support of family and true friends, interactions with other inmates and “the system”, getting a job, a home, a family. There is not the slightest hint of “poor me” in Wil’s tale. If anything, he’s ultimately saying “lucky me” when he concedes that his incarceration has allowed him to start over.
And also “…I learned that the darkness doesn’t end at the gates of the jail. You carry something away with you from an experience like prison, and if you try to ignore it, it festers. It’s far better to take it out into the light, deal with it, dismiss what you can, and learn to manage the rest.” This is an interesting, insightful and often funny read.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Finch Publishing.
July 2, 2018
An entertaining and thought provoking coming of age story.
My View:
One upon a time, many years and career changes a go, I had a part time job – social worker for visits time at a low security prison. I was filled with the same trepidation that Will experienced for his first night at prison. I knew no-one else at the prison, I didn’t know how any of the prison systems worked (I had assumed I would have a meeting with someone on staff before I started work but that didn’t happen). I was a little concerned. The stereotypes of prisoners in crime fiction and film and TV shows were almost enough to put me off- but I was studying and thought I wanted this experience on my resume.
So Sunday – visits are generally on a Sunday, I made my way to the local prison. I didn’t even know how to enter the place and consequently drove down a road I shouldn’t have and was quickly escorted to the main entrance by a patrol of guards.
My concerns must have been obvious - one of the guards on duty that day took me to one side and said “They (prisoners) are just ordinary people. Think of the street you live in – you don’t know anything about those people, they could have a record…treat inmates like people.” But then suggested a few sensible precautions… and with that piece of worldly advice I started work, mostly I assisted prison visitors to fill out forms and allay their fears (most hadn’t been in a prison before either and shared many of my concerns) – a calm visitor makes for a good visit day.
I didn’t work there very long but that’s another story.
So I understood a little of Wil’s trepidation. It’s about expectations. And hoping most of them don’t come true.
I enjoyed this honest, creative memoir /coming of age/humorous (mostly) reflection on Wil’s time in jail. He highlights some flaws in the judicial system, reflects on his own past, his crime and accepts responsibility for his actions. He doesn’t allow himself to be defined by the actions that landed him in jail. I am pleased he has found a way to reconnect with his family and start a meaningful life.
My View:
One upon a time, many years and career changes a go, I had a part time job – social worker for visits time at a low security prison. I was filled with the same trepidation that Will experienced for his first night at prison. I knew no-one else at the prison, I didn’t know how any of the prison systems worked (I had assumed I would have a meeting with someone on staff before I started work but that didn’t happen). I was a little concerned. The stereotypes of prisoners in crime fiction and film and TV shows were almost enough to put me off- but I was studying and thought I wanted this experience on my resume.
So Sunday – visits are generally on a Sunday, I made my way to the local prison. I didn’t even know how to enter the place and consequently drove down a road I shouldn’t have and was quickly escorted to the main entrance by a patrol of guards.
My concerns must have been obvious - one of the guards on duty that day took me to one side and said “They (prisoners) are just ordinary people. Think of the street you live in – you don’t know anything about those people, they could have a record…treat inmates like people.” But then suggested a few sensible precautions… and with that piece of worldly advice I started work, mostly I assisted prison visitors to fill out forms and allay their fears (most hadn’t been in a prison before either and shared many of my concerns) – a calm visitor makes for a good visit day.
I didn’t work there very long but that’s another story.
So I understood a little of Wil’s trepidation. It’s about expectations. And hoping most of them don’t come true.
I enjoyed this honest, creative memoir /coming of age/humorous (mostly) reflection on Wil’s time in jail. He highlights some flaws in the judicial system, reflects on his own past, his crime and accepts responsibility for his actions. He doesn’t allow himself to be defined by the actions that landed him in jail. I am pleased he has found a way to reconnect with his family and start a meaningful life.
August 5, 2018
Good short memoir. Some interesting lessons - about the confluence of situations needed to lead to the crime, about doing your own time, about what constitutes respect in different settings. Need a professional editor, though - words such as rapt were spelled wrapped! Dear oh dear.
September 14, 2018
Wil's humour in a situation that most people would find harrowing makes this a book that's hard to put down.
September 11, 2018
Do your own time
Will has written an account of his time in jail and all the events that led up to it . This book is very easy to read . Very funny at times yet heartbreaking at others .I laughed and cried and felt deeply sorry for Wil . A remarkable first book . More please ☺
Will has written an account of his time in jail and all the events that led up to it . This book is very easy to read . Very funny at times yet heartbreaking at others .I laughed and cried and felt deeply sorry for Wil . A remarkable first book . More please ☺
December 10, 2018
Great story and what Wil recants about the Victorian prison system is intriguing and thoroughly gripping.
I’m a “Mr Ordinary” as well and would be scared senseless if ever confronted with having to go to prison and Wil shares his thoughts and emotions in these moments with great clarity.
I first listened to Wil’s story on the Australian True Crime podcast with Emily Webb and Meshel Laurie and found Wil’s story so interesting I had to buy his book.
While Wil went through some tumultuous times I was glad to see he eventually found the light at the end of the tunnel.
I read this book in one afternoon and my only con is that the editing really wasn’t all that good. Many spelling and grammar errors and words missed or words where they shouldn’t be. This is my only criticism though and would recommend this book to any fan of true crime as well as anyone else who is intrigued about the prison system in general.
I’m a “Mr Ordinary” as well and would be scared senseless if ever confronted with having to go to prison and Wil shares his thoughts and emotions in these moments with great clarity.
I first listened to Wil’s story on the Australian True Crime podcast with Emily Webb and Meshel Laurie and found Wil’s story so interesting I had to buy his book.
While Wil went through some tumultuous times I was glad to see he eventually found the light at the end of the tunnel.
I read this book in one afternoon and my only con is that the editing really wasn’t all that good. Many spelling and grammar errors and words missed or words where they shouldn’t be. This is my only criticism though and would recommend this book to any fan of true crime as well as anyone else who is intrigued about the prison system in general.
June 22, 2018
I loved this book. One man's journey through his own destruction and back again. I highly recommend this for anyone fighting their own demons and looking for battle advice. A great read.
August 7, 2018
Was a good story, but the writing a little long winded at times.
February 23, 2024
An honest and insightful look at prison life from the perspective of a first (and hopefully only) timer.
Wil Patterson had got into some serious debt, he had realised for some time that they (he and his wife) had been living beyond their means and that, not only could they not sustain it, but they would very soon go under if he couldn’t find a way to pay those debts.
It was the dire seriousness of these imminent consequences that compelled him to make a snap decision that he would live to regret forever.
The ramifications of his decision gave him only short term relief as his indiscretions soon caught up with him, throwing his whole world, and that of his family and friends into disarray.
There was no coming back from this.
Wil Patterson effectively describes not just the trepidations and angst involved in going to jail for the first time, but also the wider ramifications and collateral damage to relationships and lifestyles.
He considers out loud the effects on his family and friends/friendships and the effects on their newfound (forced lifestyle) circumstances as a result of his actions.
This is an eye opening look at the possible consequences of poorly informed or rash decisions and actions…incarceration being just one part of the overall consideration.
4⭐️s
Wil Patterson had got into some serious debt, he had realised for some time that they (he and his wife) had been living beyond their means and that, not only could they not sustain it, but they would very soon go under if he couldn’t find a way to pay those debts.
It was the dire seriousness of these imminent consequences that compelled him to make a snap decision that he would live to regret forever.
The ramifications of his decision gave him only short term relief as his indiscretions soon caught up with him, throwing his whole world, and that of his family and friends into disarray.
There was no coming back from this.
Wil Patterson effectively describes not just the trepidations and angst involved in going to jail for the first time, but also the wider ramifications and collateral damage to relationships and lifestyles.
He considers out loud the effects on his family and friends/friendships and the effects on their newfound (forced lifestyle) circumstances as a result of his actions.
This is an eye opening look at the possible consequences of poorly informed or rash decisions and actions…incarceration being just one part of the overall consideration.
4⭐️s
March 2, 2022
This is the third Australian prison memoir I've read recently. The author spent 9 months in Beechworth prison in Victoria for fraud. He is very open and reflective about his life before the crime and how he felt about it all and the impact. I do wonder whether his friends and family are happy to be described thus, and named (or pseudonyms used?).
The book is loosely structured and jumps all over the place with key pieces of information casually introduced as though we know all about them, when we don't. Regardless, a good, easy to read insight into how someone "ordinary" ends up in prison, but less detail on actually being in prison. The prison runs on coffee! Descriptions of the units, cells and kitchen arrangements were confusing.
The book is loosely structured and jumps all over the place with key pieces of information casually introduced as though we know all about them, when we don't. Regardless, a good, easy to read insight into how someone "ordinary" ends up in prison, but less detail on actually being in prison. The prison runs on coffee! Descriptions of the units, cells and kitchen arrangements were confusing.
February 17, 2019
For most people, their idea of prison is like a combination of Orange is the New Black and Prison Break. The book, Mr Ordinary Goes to Jail will challenge these beliefs because it is a firsthand account of what happens at a minimum security facility. Wil Patterson’s debut book is a candid and matter-of-fact look at his crime and the aftermath.
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To read the rest of this review please visit: https://100percentrock.com/book-revie...
July 22, 2018
Interesting story about how an ordinary person committed a crime and went to prison
October 2, 2018
Easy to read!!
May 20, 2019
I quite enjoyed reading this book as it was an interesting story. Much more reflective than descriptive of his time in prison, which I would have liked more of.
May 2, 2021
Compelling. Self-absorbed but that is the nature of it.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews