Paul MacNamara was born in Sydney, Australia. He has worked as an educator in several correctional centres in Australia as well as a teacher in the juvenile justice system. He never held a political position on the prison system and knew very litle of the workings of a jail. Through The Criminal Class, MacNamara has created a thought provoking tale based on his surreal and eye-opening experience, that is, all at once, tragic, amusing and entertaining. The author is currently based on the North Coast of NSW.