The Criminal Class

Memoir of a Prison Teacher

By: Paul MacNamara

Narrated by: John Robertson

The Criminal Class follows the journey of a teacher working inside the criminal justice system. This amazing story will both repel you, and at the same time, draw you in.

The only door in the room was now closed and sitting before me was a murderer, a rapist, an armed robber and a guy serving six years for grievous bodily harm.

Each of them had a sharpened pencil in their hands; a potential weapon. I had been forewarned yet I had handed them out willingly. I looked at these four brutes trying not to stare but conscious of not looking away in fear either. All four of them had their eyes fixed on me too; sussing out the new guy. In silence I shot back a tight-lipped grin. Slowly but purposefully, I glanced at the secured metal door and, next to it, the red duress button on the wall. I guessed the distance to be three metres. I looked back at the prisoners and wondered, if it came to it, would I be able to press that button or exit the doorway before they could get to me? I didn't fancy my chances....

The Criminal Class is based on the true-life experiences of an everyday teacher who makes the precarious career transition to an Education Officer in the prison system. Dealing with both the law enforcers and the law breakers, but not bound by any normal allegiances, he finds himself having to thread the rocky path of an outsider on the inside.

"Teaching in the jail system is a surreal experience. In this bizarreness you encounter things that make you shake your head, shake your fist, cry your heart out, laugh your head off and blow your mind. And I felt compelled to write it down; to capture its un-realness. Hopefully I can convey some of this in The Criminal Class." (Paul A. Macnamara)

©2022 Paul A. Macnamara (P)2022 W F Howes

Spot on!

I laughed out loud listening to this. The stupidity of the department, the futility of the system and the hopelessness of the inmates and staff alike was almost comical if it wasn't so real.
The characters are clearly real people, or based on real people. Tommy is a great character. Still optimistic and naive to the double speak of Corrective Services NSW. Jake is that upbeat guy who never seems to care that nothing he or any of his colleges do changes anything. His laughter at the absurdity of it all seems contagious. I Z is that smart-arse that makes managers nervous because he loves pointing out the elephant in the room, He expertly translates the doublespeak but one or two incidents away from being totally desensatised to all human misery. Stephanie sounds like that sort of corporate climber can eat a sh!t sandwich whilst walking over the corpses of her friends on the way to the next promotion.
The 'Hollow Men' series feel to this book is only made funnier by the realism of it.