Locks, bolts and bars : a life inside

John Massey's story is unique. Part of a notorious duo that the Flying Squad dubbed 'Laurel and Hardy', his criminal activities included hijacking a police car after robbing a bank of GBP25,000 and relieving the Sunday Mirror of GBP50,000 - and all before he was arrested for murder, aged 27. But that was just the beginning. Given a life sentence, with a minimum term of twenty years, Massey would find himself incarcerated for forty-three years, give or take a prison break, in almost every prison in the country.

In Locks, Bolts and Bars, one of Britain's longest-serving prisoners reflects on a life spent on the 'inside', from corrupt guards to notorious criminals, and the real value of freedom.