When Daniel Khalife escaped from Wandsworth in September 2023, the nation got a glimpse into the heart of the prison system, and what they saw there was chaos. This came as no surprise to Ian Acheson, who had spent years warning of the disasters to come. Screwed is the inside story of the collapse of His Majesty's Prison Service, told by someone who had a front-row seat to it all. Acheson went from officer to Governor in less than a decade, and during that time he witnessed the uniformed organisation he was proud to serve crumble into lethal disarray. This uncompromisingly brutal account exposes the politics and operational decisions that have driven our prisons to a state where rats roam freely, prisoners are forced to use slop buckets, violence and intimidation are normalised and it is easier to get a bag of heroin than a bar of soap. Concluding that the crisis is not unfixable, however, Acheson outlines a new corporate culture and mission that puts its faith in the officers who walk the landings every day: order restored, potential rescued, society safeguarded.

Screwed is the inside story of the collapse of Her Majesty's Prison Service told from the front line. Ian Acheson served as both officer and governor in a twenty-year career that saw him move from the landings to the boardroom.

During that time he witnessed Her Majesty's Prison Service, the uniformed organisation he was proud to serve, collapse into a hopeless and helpless bureaucracy presiding over feral penal dustbins warehousing the worst of human failure.

This hard-hitting account looks at the politics and the operational decision-making that have driven our prisons to rock bottom, where extreme violence, indolence and victimisation are normalised.

Concluding that the situation is not beyond repair, however, Acheson outlines how a new corporate culture and mission can achieve a much-needed revolution in the way the service is run.