Life Without Parole: Living in Prison Today

By Victor Hassine

Book Overview

In 1981 law school graduate Victor Hassine was sentenced to prison for life without parole for a capital offense. Life Without Parole , Third Edition, is an insightful look at conditions of confinement and prison life in America today, taking the reader on a "guided tour" of the prison experience. In powerful and poignant prose, Hassine conveys 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. The Third Edition features five new chapters and continues to graphically document the violence and fear that are part of everyday life in a men's maximum-security prison. Every chapter also features a new introduction rewritten by eminent criminologist Robert Johnson. New Chapters: * Chapter 8: "Anatomy of a False Confession" recounts the story of Frank Stoppage, an innocent man who was released before DNA testing began to reveal the innumerable travesties of justice that permeate our justice system. * Chapter 17: "Scenes from a Prison" introduces us to several fascinating inmates whose lives reveal the human diversity of the prison world. * Chapter 18: "Interview With Judge Richard J. Nygaard" provides a forum for Judge Nygaard to speak with authority about our growing penal system and the ease with which society has come to live with prisons that operate as destructive human warehouses. * Chapter 23: "In Search of the Convict Code" debunks the long-held notion that there exists a convict code, unique to confinement, which is a powerful force in prison affairs. Real codes of prison conduct, we learn, are imported from the outside world and adapted to the demands of life in confinement. * Chapter 24: "A Hitchhiker's Guide to Prisons" examines how offenders cope with fear, and offers strategies on how correctional officials could convert the prison from a danger zone into an environment where new lives can be forged without fear.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195330129
• ISBN13: 9780195330120
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 267 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.0" x 0.7" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

I read lots of prison books

And this is the best one. The only bad part is the fact that it's quite short. Being a text, it's also expensive. But it's concise, well written, informative, and the commentaries by the editor are helpful. I live a few miles from Grateford and found that added to my interest.

Author Victor Hassine Lauded for Efforts

I met the author in prison during an educational presentation, and found out about the book through our local criminal justice classes. After reading this book, I came away with an increased knowledge of life in prison and the multiple methods of manipulation that exists among prisoners. The book is well written, researched, and exemplifies the wasted talents of inmates in prison today. Victor is to be applauded for his efforts to enlighten us about life in prison in a realistic manner.Pat Pulinepatpuline@aol.com

truth

Life without Parole is an inmate's account of life at Graterford prison in Pennsylvania. It is a view of prison as he knew it. I would never expect the guards nor the administration to publicly admit to the goings on at Graterford during the time the author was incarcerated. There are countless acounts of wrong doing by both inmates and guards alike. Mr. Hassine has presented his view of prison and I find it to be informative, interesting, and believable.

This is a terrific book, you must read it.

I had a chance to meet this man, he is a very intellegent man and a great writer. This book changed my views on prisons and prison life. In talking with him in Albion prison, where I met him while i was on tour there, i realized why he wrote the book. You must read this very real book.

There's nothing like the truth from the PEN.

I feel the only way to describe the place is to be blunt about. The truth, to you nonbelievers and you that KNOW and won't believe is staring you in the face. Today's society express all the terms I've learn from Dr. Wright's (a great man) class. I've spent time inside, but probably not the time that immediatly come to mind. Observe almost any institution and you'll, really, see the same behavior. Maybe most are not privileged enough to explore the depths of many others' personal rel-ships. Wheather its the military, the dept. of corr., tyson chicken or the calms missionary baptist church, LIFE within individuals will exist. This, in turn, yeilds love and sometimes distress. Once you can truly recognize that there is a good and bad rooted, then killings, such as those we have experienced will continue to exist. I must go now. Thank you for listening.