It’s commonplace for many of the products and services we consume to come complete with a range of reviews from past users.  As such, it’s incredibly rare now to book a hotel or dine out in a restaurant that has no reviews attached to it.

Perhaps less well known is the growing practice of reviewing ones prison experience, yet they are increasingly appearing on the likes of Yelp.

For instance, “the food is not that great, but the personal attention makes up for it,” writes one prisoner in a Florida based prison.

The trend is fascinating because it sheds a light on institutions that are normally spared from public scrutiny, and certainly from the kind of scrutiny that hotels, hospitals and other such institutions operate under.

“In the absence of any formal mechanism, I think these informal sources of information can be helpful in alerting people to problems in these institutions,” the National Prison Project for the American Civil Liberties Union said recently.

Of course, whilst reviews for hotels and the like are hugely influential and therefore demand attention from operators, it isn’t clear just yet how attentive prison administrators are of the reviews inmates leave.

Initial evidence suggests that they have some way to go before they match the interest shown by restauranteurs and hoteliers.  The reviews provide a useful glimpse into prison life for the family and friends of inmates however, with it increasingly common for lawyers to post reviews after visiting clients.

Whilst this trend is largely happening in the US, it is also spreading slowly overseas, with prisoners in British prisons also sharing their experiences online.

“Inferior long term stay accommodation compared with other facilities at this price point,” said one prisoner from London’s famous Wormwood Scrubs.

“I must agree with other reviewers that food quality is a problem; perhaps engaging the services of a cordon bleu chef may raise the standards. Front desk staff could have been a bit more helpful,” said another.

Whilst many of the reviews are seemingly light in nature, there are some that highlight more serious issues at institutions, whether that’s abuse or neglect.

A recent report from the UK’s chief inspector of prisons suggested that prisons were in their worst state for a decade, so anything that can shed light on the inner workings of life inside has to be a good thing, especially as there was a particular rise in the number of serious assaults conducted within the prison walls.

Reviews have grown to be incredibly important in so many aspects of our life, it will be interesting to see just how influential they prove to be on the judicial system, especially as they offer a more real time insight than the kind of reports referred to above.  It will certainly be an interesting trend to follow.