Behind Bars: Surviving Prison

At one time this book might have been insightful. Now, though, more information is available on internet sites. I have always been fascinated by prisons because they are such unnatural environments and force people to behave in inhumane ways. I am fascinated by the way prison changes people and how people adapt to their new horrific circumstances.

This book covers the details of prison life in a very sterile way. The two authors are familiar with life in prison--one having worked within the prison system, the other (now a college professor) spent a number of years in prison. They describe things like the procedure associated with privilege of shopping in the commissary, but actually discussing how prisoners earn money, how they spend money, how they cook, how they share this food, the problems with the food served within the food, how prisoners can have their food adultered as part of the power structure..... none of these topics are covered in any detail. I wanted to know these things, and so many more, and I found this book to fail in that regard.

But. It IS a comprehensive overview. So for someone having to face going to prison this book might be useful as a general preparation. For someone like me, who is curious about a life far from my own (at least for now---you never really do know), this was not a good book.

My daughter was the victim of a stalker, who will soon be facing years in prison. Unlike a lot of the people who read this book, I purchased it because I wanted to read what a terrible place prison is so that I can feel that he is truly being punished. While this book did answer many questions that we had about the arrest procedure, bail, etc. I would have liked more in-depth information about day to day prison life. The book just gives a brief summary about most topics, and doesn't go into detail at all.

My sister is in a county prison, so I sent her this book. She said she loved it ... even found some things to laugh about ... and passed the book amongst all her acquaintances there.

There is some good advice in this book, but it is really only for men who face incarceration. There is a scant chapter devoted to women, which in my experience offers little useful info.

Of course, if one is facing incarceration, any good advice is very slightly comforting.

KK REVIEWER' Guidebook to a Distant Country
Yes, you are a good person. But a relative or friend may not be so law-abiding. And stuff happens. Here is what to do if you are ever arrested (mostly what not to do) and what you can expect if put behind bars. Written by two professors of criminology one was a former correctional officer, and the other served eleven years in federal custody, including maximum security. They know what they are talking about, and they dispense their straight dope with surprising clarity and uncommon elegance and wit. (One chapter is called 'You've Got Jail!'). They've written a guidebook to a distant country and its alien customs and ways may you never arrive there. You get street-smarts from inmates and wise counsel from the Man. I rank my books by how dog-eared they are this one had nearly every page marked and underlined. This is one of the books you want to read before you need it.