{"id":254161,"date":"2026-07-13T03:18:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T00:18:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/behind-bars-anna-leask\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T03:18:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T00:18:27","slug":"behind-bars-anna-leask","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/behind-bars-anna-leask\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind Bars – Anna Leask"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hanlon remembers a vicious example that took place one morning at Hawke\u2019s Bay Prison. The inmates had lined up for the morning parade \u2014 80 men in their prison tracksuits, standing to attention, waiting for their name to be called, their photo checked, and to be ticked off the muster list so they could go off to work, training or free time.<\/p>\n

The guards knew something was about to happen \u2014 that there would be an attack on a staff member during a morning parade. But they didn\u2019t know which guard, nor who the attackers would be, or when they would strike. Hanlon and his colleagues were on edge, but they tried not to let the inmates see it; if they sensed fear it would only exacerbate whatever was going on.<\/p>\n

Names ticked, prisoners accounted for, parade ended; the men were sent off for the day. Suddenly Hanlon saw two particularly violent Mongrel Mob members taking their shirts off. This was a sure sign a fight or assault was imminent, as in prison you don\u2019t take your shirt off for nothing. They approached one of the guards, who was distracted by another Mobster walking up and saying, \u2018Excuse me, mister, but can I talk to you?\u2019<\/p>\n

The guard turned to respond to the inmate and CRACK, he was king-hit by the inmate. As he fell \u2014 Hanlon watching on as if it were happening in slow motion \u2014 the inmate thumped the guard another couple of times before he hit the ground. Hanlon put his rugby skills to use and took the offending inmate out in a bruising tackle, and then used the winded man as a kind of human shield. He knew he had to get his colleague out of there to safety, but the other gangsters were still coming at him, so he picked up their mate and held him over his shoulder as protection.<\/p>\n

\u2018Don\u2019t you fucking dare!\u2019 Hanlon screamed at the advancing inmates, who seemed to understand that he had their man in his grip and they needed to back off. Thankfully, they did, and other guards were able to come in and drag their injured colleague to safety and allow Hanlon to get out of the unit unscathed.<\/p>\n

The injured guard didn\u2019t fare so well: he suffered multiple jaw fractures, his teeth were broken and he had severe concussion. \u2018The violence levels are lower in prisons now,\u2019 Hanlon says, still shaking his head at the violence he witnessed that day. \u2018Staff are assaulted every day.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not as bad as that.\u2019 In the 2015\/16 year there were more than 15 attacks on prison guards by inmates that resulted in serious injury, and just under 500 attacks that were deemed minor or non-injury.<\/p>\n

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Most New Zealanders will never know what it\u2019s like to do time \u2014 to spend days, months, years, even decades behind bars with some of the country\u2019s most dangerous criminals. For the men and women who have spent time inside, it\u2019s an experience they will never forget.<\/p>\n

These are their stories. Among others, we hear from a former gang member who has been in prison multiple times over four decades; another man whose 10-year murder conviction was overturned two years after his release; a repeat offender whose first stint began when her second child was just a few months old and her eldest a toddler; a serial fraudster who has spent 12 Christmases in prison; and a guard who over 17 years supervised some of our most violent offenders.<\/p>\n

Behind Bars reveals the private lives of New Zealand inmates \u2014 a raw and fascinating glimpse into a world most of us can only imagine. \u2018You exist, you survive. You see many things and you see many people you wish to God you had never met. Prison is not real. What happens in there happens, but it\u2019s not real life.\u2019 1kitap1.com\/en 1kitap1.com\/en 1kitap1.com\/en CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE FREEDOM LOST CHAPTER TWO A DAY IN THE LIFE CHAPTER THREE THINGS I\u2019VE SEEN CHAPTER FOUR BREAKING THE RULES CHAPTER FIVE MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS, SISTERS CHAPTER SIX THE OTHER SIDE CHAPTER SEVEN FAMILY MATTERS CHAPTER EIGHT OUR MOST NOTORIOUS PRISONS CHAPTER NINE FIGHT CLUB CHAPTER TEN BREACHING THE PERIMETER CHAPTER ELEVEN DEATH OF AN INMATE CHAPTER TWELVE FREEDOM REGAINED EPILOGUE THE PEOPLE OF BEHIND BARS PRISON PROFILES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS GLOSSARY FOLLOW PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE 1kitap1.com\/en This one\u2019s for you, Grandy.<\/p>\n

Alexander Mackenzie Leask 5 August 1934\u201326 September 2016 1kitap1.com\/en INTRODUCTION Prison was not a happy place for me. It was horrible \u2026 I was fucking terrified. I was violated, I was beaten. The only place I ever felt close to safe was in my cell, at night, when I was locked in. That was my sanctuary. I knew no one could get me in there. You are never quite comfortable in prison, no matter how many times you go back.<\/p>\n

You exist, you survive. You see many things and you see many people that you wish to God you had never met. Nothing was more of a punishment than the people I had to mix with \u2026 You are quite safe when you are locked in your cell, but when you have to mix with people they are right in your face and that can be quite traumatic.<\/p>\n

Prison is not real. What happens in there happens, but it\u2019s not real life \u2026 \u2014 Sarah, former inmate YOU\u2019RE IN A SMALL, bare room, and the door is locked from the outside. The room feels cold, sterile and desperately lonely. A bed juts from one wall, surrounded by concrete from floor to ceiling.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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