JOHN HEFFERNAN
​THE LAST GOVERNOR​
​
A revealing and candid behind the scenes look​ at life inside Australia's largest prison system through the eyes of a former governor. It's 1975; the NSW prison system is in a state of crisis, prisoners are rebelling against what would later be described by a Royal Commission as a regime of savagery and for some inexplicable reason John Heffernan decides to become part of it all by joining the Department of Corrective Services to train as a prison officer. After receiving the most basic training imaginable he is literally set loose to guard some of the worst and most violent criminals in the state. This is a story where prison riots and prison officer strikes become almost an accepted norm, simply an everyday part of going to work. During his watch he would witness corrupt police, dishonest officials and even a Minister of the Crown all spend considerable periods as a guest of Her Majesty.
THE LAST GOVERNOR DIARIES
In this sequel to THE LAST GOVERNOR, former governor John Heffernan, once again takes you behind the bars of the NSW prison system.
THE LAST GOVERNOR DIARIES is a virtual record of the author's 30 year journey through the NSW Department of Corrective Services and the many remarkable characters he meets along the way. Often frightening, yet at times humourous, THE LAST GOVERNOR DIARIES provides a unique insight into the closed and unseen world that exists behind the imposing high walls of the state's prisons. This is a story of some very dangerous prisoners and a few very ordinary correctional officers. In many respects, this is a reminder that not all those charged with law enforcement are necessarily saints while not all those who break the law are complete sinners.
A collection of the kind of 'war stories' that prison officers swap when behind closed doors.