Life Without Parole: Living in Prison Today

In 1981 law school graduate Victor Hassine was convicted of a capital offense and sentenced to prison for life without parole. Based on his pivotal experiences as an inmate, Life Without Parole, Fourth Edition, offers an insightful and extraordinary firsthand look at the conditions of confinement and prison life in America today. In powerful and poignant prose, Hassine takes the reader on a "guided tour" of the prison experience, discussing the changes in prison life that have come about as a result of the war on drugs, prison overcrowding, and demographic changes in inmate populations. Topics covered include rape, prison gangs, prison violence, AIDS, homosexuality, and prison politics. This gripping text graphically documents the violence and fear that are part of everyday life in a men's maximum-security prison. Each chapter features an introduction written by eminent criminologist Robert Johnson, and the book is divided into three sections: Prison Life, which introduces readers to the day-to-day aspects of Hassine's life in prison; Interviews, which presents a series of candid interviews with Hassine's fellow inmates; and Op Ed, in which Hassine addresses some of the most significant problems within the current prison system. Revised and updated throughout, the fourth edition also integrates three new chapters that explore the following topics: * The harmful effects of crowding on both criminals and correctional administrators * A vivid analysis of the many prisons Hassine has inhabited, compared and contrasted as both living environments and as institutions of punishment * Hassine's reflections on his long period of incarceration, along with his predictions for how tomorrow's prisons might evolve An invaluable resource for criminal justice students and those interested in the prison system, Life Without Parole, Fourth Edition, presents a riveting account of life behind bars.