R U Listenin'?

The sleeve of this book says it "challenges men to reflect on their personal and emotional behaviour and uses prison life as an analogy to help them rethink their perspectives" and that it is aimed at "professionals working with men who are challenging the boundaries of society or any man who feels frustrated by his life".

The first 13 chapters focus on prison themes such as offending behaviour and segregation, and each contains a combination of stories and individual case studies taken from prison, and a section on the issues involved.

For example, the kitchens chapter tells us about the food served in prison, and prisoner Charlie whose moods were influenced by his diet, before explaining the contents of a balanced diet.

The last two chapters concentrate on life planning and a series of exercises recommended for those working with men.

But this book does not do what it says on the tin. It is disguised as something else and Bianchini is at risk of being locked up for misrepresenting the facts. The exercises are straight out of a self-help therapy book and wouldn't work with many men our agency works with.

If you know little about prisons and want to read stories told by someone who is in and out of them, or if you are looking for simplistic case studies that guess what might have motivated someone to commit a crime, then this will be worth the cover price of £16.99.

If you are looking for something to support your work with boys and young men, then certainly look elsewhere.