Australia's Hardest Prison: Inside the Walls of Long Bay Jail

Publisher details

Author: James Phelps
Publisher: Random House Australia
Genres: Non Fiction, True Crime
Released: 01 August, 2014

Australia’s Hardest Prison: Inside the Walls of Long Bay Jail

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Synopsis

Welcome to Long Bay, Australia's hardest prison.Opened in 1909 Long Bay Jail, originally a women's reformatory, has a dark and extraordinary history.From ghosts to legendary prisoners, there has been an infamous collection of Long Bay 'guests', including the formidable Neddy Smith, convicted rapists the Skaf brothers and shamed entrepreneur Rene Rivkin.Former inmates Rodney Adler, Graham 'Abo' Henry, Tom Domican, John Elias and others tell all about the brutal reality of life behind bars. And 'Mr Big' Ian Hall Saxon finally comes clean about his prison escape, which baffled the nation.Delve into the personal accounts of the prison guards, Long Bay's unsung heroes, as they open up about their experiences dealing with some of the most dangerous men in the country.

About the author

James Phelps

James Phelps is an award-winning senior reporter for Sydney's The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph. He began as an overnight police-rounds reporter before moving into sport, where he became one of Australia's best news-breaking rugby league journalists. James was then appointed News Corp Australia's Chief National Motorsports Writer and travelled the world chasing Formula 1 stories, as well as covering Australia's V8 Supercar races. As well as writing bestselling and critically acclaimed biographies of Dick Johnson and Johnathan Thurston, James established himself as Australia's number-one true crime writer with his bestselling prison series, including Australia's Hardest Prison, Australia's Most Murderous Prison, and Australia's Toughest Prisons. His most recent books are Australian Heist (2018), a dramatic retelling of the true story behind Australia's largest gold robbery, and Australian Code Breakers (2020), a gripping account of how Australian cryptographers helped bring about the most vital Allied naval victory of World War I.