Life Without Parole Living and Dying in Prison Today

by Hassine, Victor; Johnson, Robert; Tabriz, Sonia

• ISBN13: 9780199774050
• ISBN10: 0199774056
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-12-17
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In 1981, Victor Hassine went to prison. In 2008, he died there. This edition of Hassine's Life Without Parole is no longer just an account of life in confinement; it is the story of life and death behind bars. Revised and updated throughout, the fifth edition includes: A new title. In honor of Hassine's life and death, editors Robert Johnson and Sonia Tabriz have given the fifth edition a new subtitle-- Living and Dying in Prison Today . A new format. To create a more fluid narrative, the editors have restructured Hassine's writings to offer a seamless chronicle of his life and death in prison. New stories. To better convey Hassine's journey, the editors have added three of Hassine's original works of fiction. A new beginning and ending. The editors have replaced chapter introductions with two new essays bookending Hassine's text, offering insights that complement Hassine's own perceptions. A revised appendix. Editors Robert Johnson and Sonia Tabriz examine the latest developments in the field.

Author Biography

Victor Hassine (1955-2008) was an accomplished author of works on crime and punishment. Shortly after graduating from law school, he was convicted of a capital offense and sentenced to prison for life without parole. While incarcerated, Hassine devoted himself to bettering prison conditions for himself and his fellow inmates and strived to promote prison reform through his written works of fiction and nonfiction. Sadly, Victor Hassine committed suicide in April 2008 shortly after being denied a commutation-of-sentence hearing. Robert Johnson is a Professor of Justice, Law, and Society at American University, Editor of BleakHouse Publishing, and a widely published author of fiction and nonfiction. Sonia Tabriz is a J.D. candidate and merit scholar at The George Washington University Law School, Managing Editor of BleakHouse Publishing, and is noted for her creative writing and legal commentaries.

Table of Contents

About this Book	p. ix
About the Author	p. xi
About the Editors	p. xiii
ôPrisonö	p. xv
ôLife Without: Opening Reflections on Living and Dying in Prison Todayö	p. xvi
In the Beginning	p. 1
The Architecture of Fear	p. 7
Gauntlet of Despair	p. 15
Staying Sane	p. 25
Things Missed	p. 33
Playing the Opposites	p. 41
The Politics of Persecution	p. 53
Society of Captives	p. 67
Friends in Low Places	p. 77
A Kingdom Remembered	p. 97
Battle in the Big House	p. 103
Prisons Old, Prisons New	p. 109
Modern Ghost Towns	p. 121
The Runaway Train	p. 129
Stories from the Inside	p. 133
ôDeath Without: Closing Reflections on Living and Dying in Prison Todayö	p. 149
Appendix: ôHassine's Life Without Parole in Criminological Perspectiveö	p. 155
Recommended Readings	p. 169
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