A Prison Diary II - Purgatory

Long days of boredom in confinement, the general inefficiency of prison bureaucracy and a critically over-stretched prison service. The tediousness of prison life kicks in for prisoner FF8282, also known as author Jeffrey Archer, in the second volume of his best-selling series The Prison Diaries. Still his fellow inmates show inspiring spirit and courage, amid an otherwise gloomy prison landscape, revealing that even in the darkest hours light can always be found.

In 2001 August 9th, Jeffrey Archer is transferred from HMP Belmarsh, a double-A Category high-security prison in south London, to HMP Wayland, a Category C establishment in Norfolk. Though more relaxed in terms of rules prison life still is no picnic, but rather a purgatory.

During his sixty-seven days in Wayland, Archer reveals the harsh details of everyday life in Britain’s prisons, offering firsthand insight into the lives led behind bars.


Jeffrey Archer is a bestselling British author and former politician. He was educated at Oxford and went on to become a Member of Parliament, the deputy chair of the Conservative Party as well as sitting in the House of Lords. His political career ended in scandal and he turned to writing and he has been published in over 275 million copies worldwide.

He is perhaps most famous for the "Clifton Chronicles" and his blockbuster "Kane and Abel" which was number one on the New York Time’s Bestseller list and inspired a popular miniseries starring Peter Strauss and Sam Neill.

After he was imprisoned for perjury in 2001, he wrote his highly acclaimed non-fiction series, Prison Diaries – "Hell", "Purgatory" and "Heaven" – which were inspired by his experiences and loosely structured around Dante’s Divine Comedy.