This non-fiction book explores the true story of H Division, the punishment division within Pentridge Prison, Melbourne, that operated from 1958-1994, which was responsible for cultivating criminals who committed horrific crimes upon their release. 

Established in 1958 to punish prisoners like William O’Meally, the last man legally flogged in Australia, H Division, or Hell Division as it became known, established a culture so ferocious, in 1972 the Victorian Government was forced to hold an inquiry into the brutality. 

I served four months in H Division in 1973 and prior to my release in 1975 I asked numerous H Division inmates to write their stories for me. They included Chris Flannery, aka Rent-a-Kill, Stan Taylor, responsible for bombing Russell Street Police Headquarters, Archie Butterly, infamous for blowing his way out of the Melbourne Remand Centre and Julian Knight (written recently), responsible for the Hoddle Street massacre. 

The book includes their autobiographical stories and a detailed analysis of the inquiry including quotes from original transcripts of evidence presented to the inquiry, giving insight from both sides into a punishment prison that was once the most brutal in Australia. 

Author

Ray Mooney

Ray has been a freelance writer and lecturer in creative writing for three decades, specialising in novels, plays, film scripts and non-fiction books. He’s one of a handful of writers with major success in each category.  His plays have been produced throughout Australia. His novel, A Green Light, became Penguin’s second biggest fiction seller for 1988. His screenplay, Everynight Everynight, co-written with director Alkinos Tsilimidos, won awards throughout the world and his recently published non-fiction book, A Pack of Bloody Animals, sensationally revealed another side to the Walsh Street murders.  Ray specialises in crime and social injustice. His articles have appeared in many national and local publications including The Age, The Sunday Age and The Crime Factory.  As an educator Ray lectured in novel, playwriting, screenwriting and short story writing at Holmesglen Institute, Box Hill TAFE and the VCA Film and Television School. Recently he completely rewrote A Green Light, regarded by many as Australia’s best crime book, into three stand-alone eBooks. His latest non-fiction book, The Ethics of Evil, about H Division, Pentridge, is due for release as an eBook.

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