Inside Belmarsh: Banged Up in Britain's Toughest Prison

by Jonathan Levi and Emma French

THE NEXT BOOK IN THE BESTSELLING INSIDE... PRISON SERIES

Following on from the bestselling Inside Broadmoor and Inside Wakefield Prison, Jonathan Levi and Emma French will deploy their trademark combination of exclusive access to prisoner testimony and staff revelations, weaving a compelling, unfiltered story examining the lives and crimes of Belmarsh Prison's most deadly and notorious prisoners.

From the Hatton Garden gang to the Securitas robbers, Julian Assange to Jonathan Aitken, they offer unique insights on inmates past and present including Steven Barker, Mark Dixie, Abu Hamza, Michael Adebowale and Wayne Couzens.

Through attacks, drugs, gangs and, sometimes, redemption, Emma and Jonathan will discover the truth about what it's like to live and work in 'Hellmarsh', Britain's toughest and most renowned prison.

Genres: Crime, Nonfiction

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 3, 2025

Reviews

[✨Lauryn✨📖 · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Inside Belmarsh

Inside Belmarsh is a raw, unfiltered look into one of the UK’s most notorious high-security prisons. The author takes you past the gates and into the wings, revealing the daily reality of life inside — the tension, the violence, the strict routines, and the surprising moments of dark humour that help people survive it.

What makes this book stand out is the honesty. It doesn’t glamorise prison life, but it also doesn’t rely on shock value. Instead, it shows the complexity of the men held there — the notorious cases, the vulnerable inmates, and the personalities that shape the atmosphere of the prison. You also get a powerful sense of the staff’s perspective: the pressure, the emotional toll, and the constant balancing act between safety and humanity.

It’s intense, gritty, and eye-opening — the kind of book that stays with you long after you close it. If you enjoy true-crime insights, prison memoirs, or books that peel back the curtain on hidden worlds, Inside Belmarsh is absolutely worth the read.

[Soph Thurlby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Generally ok but quite repetitive and chapters about a certain person or subject often tailed off into talking about something else rather than the chapter title. Enjoyed overall as a light read though.

[Rebekah Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really informative read and a good insight into the what life is like in HMP Bellmarsh also referred to as ‘Hellmarsh’. It goes into detail about some of the prolific criminals who are behind bars at HMP Belmarsh or who have spent time there and also has accounts from previous inmates and prison officers who have worked there. I found this a really interesting read and it gives a good insight into the challenges the justice system face as well as real life accounts of what life is like to be behind bars there or work there.

I haven’t actually read the other two books in the series as I saw this one in Asda the other day and noticed it was a new release.

It feels wrong of me to say I enjoyed this book because of the nature of what it is about however I thought it was very well written and I am definitely going to read the rest of the series.

[Kelly Hollingworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absolutely fascinating up to date insight into the Category A local and high security prison of Belmarsh. Built in the 1980’s and opened in the 1990’s it has been and is home to many of the most serious, dangerous, manipulative and unpredictable men imaginable. With testimonies from previous inmates and staff, I learnt about this prison within a prison, the fortress-like walls, the procedures and protocols and the robust security measures. I enjoyed reading about Colin’s story, a glimmer of hope and positivity. I highly recommend this book and plan to look up the two others in the series - Inside Broadmoor and Inside Wakefield Prison.

[Ashley Gibbons · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read the "Inside.." books up to present day and I can't really say that it was what it could have been.

Maybe I'm being quite critical but it didn't tell me what I didn't already know from reading about inmates, that's been discussed in the media.

The usual people (same guvs) was spoken to, just like the other books and same thing repeated throughout... prison service understaffed, under funded etc.

I wouldn't be rushing to get the next book to this series.

[Ben Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the start of the book I was a little bit dissapointed as there was a lot of repeated information but as the book went on I got really addicted to it. The stories from both the prison staff and the prisoners were very detailed and truely eye opening. I really loved reading the stories about some of the most famous criminals in Britain. Overall I loved this book and I highly recommend it.

[Gary K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I brought this in the Works as part of one of their ‘3 for £7.50’ offers so wasn’t expecting much but it was really good. It was very varied with details of the prison and the routine plus chapters about individual prisoners like Tommy Robinson , Barry George , Stephen Port etc. Worth a read if you are interested in finding out what really happens in a maximum security prison.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book especially reading about inmates who have been in the media finding out more about their background and was has subsequently happened. I’m planning to read ‘Inside Wakefield Prison’ next

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book of the "Inside" series I've read (Broadmoor and Wakefield being the other two). I really enjoyed the Broadmoor one, but have found the other two a little "fact heavy" with lots of statistics. There doesn't seem to be as much "inside" information from former prison guards or inmates and the sections featuring some of it's more infamous residents are quite brief. However, I did like the information about the prison building itself, and the procedures of moving around, entering and leaving the prison. It was an interesting read on the whole.

[Matt Gale · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay if new to Belmarsh and prison books. if you've watched documentaries or read anything on Belmarsh before you won't learn much new. Felt there were better people they could have interviewed for the book snd dug deeper on certsin inmates as opposed to excessive repetitive parts about the regime

[Sarah-Louise Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Belmarsh, a category A prison, has held some of the most notorious prisoners over the years. An interesting read.

[Imogen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Kelly Maskell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful
Insight into life behind bars!

[emily pipet · Rating 2 out of 5]

FULLY copied an exact paragraph from ‘Inside Wakefield’

[Paula Strachan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful into how the prison system works and some of the criminals that we have behind its doors.

[Bren · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, but rather too many repeated sentences and grammatical errors for me, which spoilt it

[jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

an interesting insight in to Belmarsh! i learnt a lot about the prison system from this book and about the awful people banged up in there

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but a bit too much from the author(s) and a strange way of working in anecdotes from their various sources.

[Deborah Cumming · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my true crime fans everywhere. This book is the third in the ‘inside’ series (Broadmoor and Wakefield are the others in the series). The information about the prison and inmates in this prison is brief due to Belmarch prison being high security and very private because of infamous inmates like former politician Jeffrey Archer.