Life Without Parole Living in Prison Today

by Hassine, Victor; Johnson, Robert; Dobrzanska, Ania

• ISBN13: 9780195341133
• ISBN10: 0195341139
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-03-04
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In 1981 law school graduate Victor Hassine was convicted of a capitaloffense and sentenced to prison for life without parole. Based on his pivotalexperiences as an inmate, Life Without Parole, Fourth Edition, offers aninsightful and extraordinary firsthand look at the conditions of confinement andprison life in America today. In powerful and poignant prose, Hassine takes thereader on a "guided tour" of the prison experience, discussing the changes inprison life that have come about as a result of the war on drugs, prisonovercrowding, and demographic changes in inmate populations. Topics coveredinclude rape, prison gangs, prison violence, AIDS, homosexuality, and prisonpolitics. This gripping text graphically documents the violence and fear that are part ofeveryday life in a men's maximum-security prison. Each chapter features anintroduction written by eminent criminologist Robert Johnson, and the book isdivided into three sections: Prison Life, which introduces readers to theday-to-day aspects of Hassine's life in prison; Interviews, which presents aseries of candid interviews with Hassine's fellow inmates; and Op Ed, in whichHassine addresses some of the most significant problems within the currentprison system. Revised and updated throughout, the fourth edition also integrates three newchapters that explore the following topics: * The harmful effects of crowding on both criminals and correctionaladministrators * A vivid analysis of the many prisons Hassine has inhabited, compared andcontrasted as both living environments and as institutions of punishment * Hassine's reflections on his long period of incarceration, along with hispredictions for how tomorrow's prisons might evolve An invaluable resource for criminal justice students and those interested inthe prison system, Life Without Parole, Fourth Edition, presents a rivetingaccount of life behind bars.

Table of Contents

About This Book	p. x
Foreword	p. xii
About the Author	p. xiii
About the Editors	p. xv
Acknowledgments	p. xvi
"Prison," a Poem by Robert Johnson	p. xix
Prison Life	p. 1
How I Became a Convict	p. 3
Things Missed	p. 14
Playing the Opposites	p. 24
Prison Violence	p. 31
The Underground Economy	p. 38
Prison Politics	p. 47
Race Relations in Prison	p. 58
Saying Goodbye	p. 65
Interviews	p. 67
Anatomy of a False Confession	p. 69
David: A Sexual Victim	p. 77
Chaser: A Medication Addict	p. 81
Toney: An AIDS Tragedy	p. 88
Albert Brown: A Permanent Resident	p. 92
Jacko: Surviving the Hole	p. 97
Coach: A Changeling	p. 103
The Dancing Man	p. 110
Scenes from a Prison	p. 115
Interview with Judge Richard J. Nygaard	p. 136
Op-Ed	p. 143
Prison Overcrowding	p. 145
Mr. Smith Goes to Harrisburg	p. 148
Prison Rape	p. 152
Inmates and Officers	p. 166
In Search of the Convict Code	p. 170
A Hitchhiker's Guide to Prisons, Part I: A Study in Fear	p. 179
A Hitchhiker's Guide to Prisons, Part II: The Big House: What Goes 'Round Comes 'Round	p. 208
A Hitchhiker's Guide to Prisons, Part III: The Contemporary Prison: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow	p. 233
Conclusion: The Runaway Train	p. 272
Afterword: Prisons and Prison Reform: Hassine's Book in Perspective	p. 277
A State Tries to Rein In a Prison Awash in Drugs	p. 291
Struggle to Survive: View from Behind Bars	p. 296
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