Dr Shahed Yousaf is a prison doctor dedicated to caring for people on the margins of society. An outsider on the inside, in Stitched Up he introduces us to a cast of unforgettable characters, including killers, con men and auto-cannibals. To Dr Yousaf, they are patients first and prisoners second – because any one of us could end up on the wrong side of the law. He tells us honestly and compassionately what it’s like to be their doctor in a system that’s chronically overcrowded, drastically under-resourced and all too easy to ignore. Running between emergencies – from overdoses to assaults, from cell fires to suicides, and with one hand perpetually hovering over the panic button – it’s not a job for the faint-hearted. But while the system is failing, Dr Yousaf and his colleagues are doing their very best to prop it up. In stories that are frequently harrowing, sometimes humorous and always hard-hitting, we discover how hard it is to be locked up but that there is still hope for all those who dare to care.]]>