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If you’ve ever imagined what would happen if you committed a significant crime and were sentenced to jail despite having previously lived an ordinary, law-abiding life, this is the memoir to read. Natalie Peters, a healthcare professional working in Queensland, Australia, turns her quiet, churchgoing life upside down with an unspecified, serious crime she committed under the influence of a mental health issue. Convicted and sentenced to jail time, the next four months of her life were spent grappling with the many stated and unstated social rules of incarceration that she had to swiftly learn in order to cope with the personality quirks of her fellow inmates and prison guards and staff.
Honest and unadorned, Peters’ narrative is neither insignificant nor particularly shocking, lending credibility to her descriptions of the Australian penal system. Peters candidly reveals that she, at first, found it hard not to be judgmental toward other incarcerated women since she hadn’t experienced the same level of dysfunction, racism, or tragedies in her own life. Ironically, she found the schedules and routines in jail to be stabilizing, and her spiritual inclinations and introspective thinking helped her to overcome her initial anxieties and fears. Loss of freedom and identity presented Peters with a deeper understanding of herself and a new appreciation for the strengths of the women she shared life with as an offender. Serving time can be degrading on many levels, but Peters’ inspiring recap of her 120-day sentence assures interested readers that human decency and spiritual growth can be acquired and shared abundantly in any situation. Her stated goal in her prologue of providing encouragement to others has surely been reached through bravely facing the consequences of her actions and by writing this memoir.