Jailhouse Doc: A Doctor in the County Jail

By: William Wright

Narrated by: Eric Martin

Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Dr. William Wright gave up a suburban practice as an ear surgeon to become the doctor at Colorado's maximum-security prison. After that, running a medical clinic at the county jail should be a snap, right? Oh, brother.

Hoards of desperate people fresh from the streets, homeless addicts, illegal aliens, and gangbangers all ruled by a corrupt sheriff and his concubine sidekick made the supermax look almost pastoral.

Told with humor and biting wit, Jailhouse Doc follows Dr. Wright and his struggles with scamming inmates, corporate bureaucrats, and a sheriff who wants to be a doctor.

Peek behind the bars at the operations of a city jail and the daily battles to deliver medical care to a population on the edge.

©2014 William Wright (P)2015 William Wright

Very funny and educational

This was such a fun book!
The story was great! And the narration was spot on.

Entertaining Memoirs

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would, because it was entertaining in sharing anecdotes and stories about a situation that is not common but does lead to a lot of pondering

What other book might you compare Jailhouse Doc: A Doctor in the County Jail to and why?

I don't really have anything that would be a good comparison because I don't read a whole lot of non fiction. Maybe Waiter Rants but that one has more to do with the person's superiority.

What about Eric Martin’s performance did you like?

All of it, considering that there wasn't really a presence of any new characters it was him who managed to keep it interesting with only one voice making it sound like the author is there in the room with you sharing his stories.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Doctor Is In...

Any additional comments?

I received the audiobook for this in exchange for an honest review and would recommend it to others interested in how other people live.

Tales About Jail

What made the experience of listening to Jailhouse Doc: A Doctor in the County Jail the most enjoyable?

The narrator gives a very good performance. He sounds just like you would imagine the doc. The sound quality is excellent.

What did you like best about this story?

It manages to give a real social critique of the jail system while remaining light and entertaining. That is a hard balance to achieve, but this book pulls it off perfectly. It also gives an inside look at what everyday life is like for the prisoners and manages to make it amusing. For instance, "how to achieve glamour in jail" or "how to make booze in jail."

What does Eric Martin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brings the characters to life and makes them even more memorable. For instance, the colorful Hispanic dental assistant, or some of the illegal immigrants, or the prisoners' mothers who call the doctor up to make sure he is treating their sons well; he captures them perfectly.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

What some people will do for free healthcare.

Any additional comments?

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.

This will be a favorite for me.

Dr. Wrght tells it like it is. I loved everything about this book. the perfect narrator for your droll sence of humor. Being a retired nurse and having had to deal with a loved one in jail, I found this book to be very truthful and the story told without holding back. The best parts for me were you, standing up to administrative BS. I, too have never stood down when I considered an injustice was being done to myself or my fellow nurses. So it was that I had many jobs! But I was never sorry for standing up for myself. You, Dr Wright , are my hero! keep writing, please. This review goes for both books . "Maximum Insecurity" and "Jailhouse Doc". love, love, love them!

A dark comedic look into the jail system

Dr Wright recounts his misadventures working as a medical doctor in a country jail. The book tracks through his time in the jail system, from how he moved out of being an unfulfilled private practice doctor through the trial and eccentricities of the system to his eventual placement on 'unpaid indefinite leave' due to not playing politics.

Wright tells some interesting stories or how the system works (or in many cases doesn't) because of red tape, limited time with patients, patients that don't any help, patients looking for drugs (or sex or money or weapons), cost limitations, or people just thinking rules don't apply to them.

He also touches on non-doctoring related items, covering some general details of life in prison such as how create makeup out of the typical items found in a jail.

Mixed in with this is poignant and interesting details on the issues facing the US jail system such as overcrowding, inability to get good staff etc. While he admits he doesn't have all the answers he certainly makes suggestions on how things could be improved, while admitting that sometimes you can't help people who don't want help.

The balance between the 'hard' moments and the funny is often a difficult one to get, but Wright does it really well. Never did I feel like I was overwhelmed by how bad the system was but never were we able to forget how messed up it was.

The narration by Eric Martin brings the book to life. He conveys the emotion and humour of Dr Wright well. He also performs the characters we meet in the jail, distinguishing each one with voices and accents, while never overdoing it.


This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of audiobookblast dot com.

Great look into jail environment

I want to thank the author for taking the time to write your experience and opinions to benefit the rest of us. The reason I bought your book was that I was hired by a corporation to be mental health director and I wanted to know what is like so I go in with my eyes open. You sound like a wealth of information and wisdom and also wit. Thank you. This book was like having an interview lunch to find out "you got what it takes?". Funny I wonder if I got the job because I was good or because they are desperate lol. I will find out. Thanks again. I highly recommend this book for anyone any service line that wants to know a glimpse what's like to work there and where improvements are needed and if you want to be part of the problem or part of the solution.

Beware the politics of corrections health care

Of course I enjoyed this book. I am a nurse who enjoyed working in the jail and House of Corrections for one Sheriff's Dept, and in a different jail in another county after relocating. I was intrigued by his perspective as MD accustomed to serving solvent clients as opposed to the indigent. I can't comment on the prison experiences, only the jail ones. I will admit to being disappointed that he did not mention that approximately 25% of jail residents (regardless of jail size) are the truly mentally ill (as opposed to 'situational depression' of having gotten caught), but gratified that the issues around chronic overcrowding were exposed. I am sorry for his experiences with the politics of corrections, but very pleased that he exposed the issue. It can happen anywhere.
I feel that this first person account was very well written and provides a cautionary tale to the readers.
Eric Martin gave an excellent audio performance! Truly captured the emotional responses of the writer to so many new experiences and outrages.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

I LOVED IT!!

Thank you , Dr. Wright! Jailhouse Doc is an exceptional read. Next up? Maximum Insecurities!! Yes!

Good Stuff!

I enjoyed this book very much as well as the first. Very entertaining and informative.

Worth several listens

Absolutely fascinating look into a profession at a corrections center and the trials and tribulations that come with the job. The reader is very talented at bringing to life the events as told by the Good Doctor Wright. Phenomenal book!