It’s often thought that incarcerated criminals spend their time daydreaming about life without bars.
But prisoners at the north-east’s multi-million-pound super jail have rented a US prison drama nearly 100 times in a year from their library service.
Netflix hit Orange is the New Black, which details life for inmates at a woman’s prison, appears to be one of the most popular choices at HMP Grampian in Peterhead.
Freedom of information figures reveal that the four series of the programme have been taken out 91 times at the institution between October 2017 and October last year.
It is so popular that the third series of the show was rented on 47 occasions – more than double the number of times that the most popular book, The Oxford Companion to World Mythology by David Adams Leeming was taken from the library shelf.
A total of two prisoners requested Adolf Hitler’s autobiography-come-manifesto Mein Kampf and were provided with it.
Although the book proved more popular in the lower-security Castle Huntly prison where it was rented five times.
Other crime-related literature proved to be a popular choice for prisoners serving time at HMP Grampian.
Fourteen inmates read both The Parkhurst Years: my time locked up with Britain’s most notorious criminals by Bobby Cummines and The Profession of Violence: the rise and fall of the Kray twins by John Pearson.
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The Secrets and Lies: exposing the world of cover-ups and deception by David Southwell book was borrowed 15 times.
And the library service recorded 13 withdrawals of Gangs of Russia: from the streets to the corridors of power by Svetlana Stephenson.
The Chamber’s dictionary which was also borrowed 16 times.
DVDs can also be rented through the service – and Wonder Woman proved to be a surprise hit – watched on 51 occasions.
Scottish Conservatives Shadow Justice Secretary Liam Kerr said: “We should always encourage prisoners to read as much as possible, and it is interesting to see what type of books are most popular.
“Some of these literary choices may raise a few eyebrows.
“I not sure that studying the lives of London gangsters the Krays or looking up Crimes of the Century will do much for the rehabilitation of offenders.
“On a more serious note, however, we should not be prescriptive about what books should and should not be read inside.
“The Scottish Conservatives have long called for inmates to be kept active both physically and mentally. I think most people would agree that library books deliver more in terms of educational benefit than time spent playing video games or posting pictures on social media.”
A prison service spokeswoman said: “The Scottish Prison Service actively encourages those in our care to engage in activities that develop reading and literacy skills and welcome any interest shown in accessing library services.
“Our library provisions are as varied as libraries in the wider community, reflecting a wide range of interests among those in our care.”
