-
Moves to USA
Attwood moves to Phoenix, Arizona, from Widnes in the North West of England. -
Period: to
Stockbroking and rave-throwing
By day, Attwood is making millions as a stock market trader, but by night he is throwing raves and dealing club drugs. -
SWAT raid
The door of Attwood's Arizona home is smashed down in a SWAT raid that will change his life forever. -
Period: to
Jail: Towers and Madison Street
Attwood spends 12 months on remand in Towers jail before moving to the maximum-security Madison Street, where conditions were inhumane. His book, Hard Time, documents his jail experiences. -
First blog entry
With a golf pencil sharpened on his cell wall, Attwood began his blog. The following is an excerpt from his first entry: "The toilet I sleep next to is full of sewage. We’ve had no running water for three days. Yesterday, I knew we were in trouble when the mound in our steel throne peaked above sea level. Inmates display remarkable ingenuity during difficult occasions, defacating in the plastic bags the mouldy breakfast bread is served in." -
From jail to prison
Attwood is sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison for money laundering and drugs offences, and leaves sheriff Arpaio's brutal jail system. -
Period: to
Prison
Attwood serves time in three Arizonan prisons: Florence, Bookeye and Tucson. -
Guardian excerpts
Excerpts from Attwood's blog are published in The Guardian. -
Release from prison
After nearly six years, Attwood is released from prison a changed man and deported back to the UK. He read around 1,000 books during his time inside. -
Judge: Conditions in Arpaio’s jails “violate the constitution”
After seven years of litigation, a federal judge rules that sheriff Arpaio's jails violated the constitution by "depriving inmates of adequate medical screening and care, feeding them unhealthy food and housing them in unsanitary conditions". -
Hard Time hits shelves
The first book in Attwood's trilogy, Hard Time, is released in the UK. It comes out in the USA in May. -
Preston book signing
Attwood, accompanied by his mum Barbara, signs 31 copies of Hard Time in Waterstone's, Fishergate, breaking the record for a non-celebrity.
