USA

April 2005

neue bücher zm knast aus den usa:

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CELLING AMERICA'S SOUL:

Torture & Transformation in our Prisons by Judith Trustone and seven prisoners -- Called by prisoners the "best book in print that describes prison from every perspective," this collection of raw, provocative stories by a writing teacher and her imprisoned students covers the effect of incarceration on families, alternatives to the current correctional system, enlightened approaches in other countries, and suggestions for further reading. It celebrates creativity and transformation in prison.

Reservations: The book provides little documentation. 322 pages, 5 1/2 x 8, softbound$19.95 & $2.50 s&h.

PRISONS ALMANAC 2005

This is a convenient reference for both the casual reader and the serious researcher. It covers the latest statistics on prisons in America, predictions of changes in the penal and criminal justice systems, advice from experts, and reprints of the best prison-related news stories of the previous year. Contributors include prison psychologist Laura Tahir; Ted Wallman, a warden turned college professor; documentary filmmaker Slawomir Grünberg; and ex-prisoner, now social worker Dan Smith. People who have never experienced prison life will find this book insightful. Reservations: Statistics could have been more helpfully presented in appendices rather than in the text.

203 pages, 8 1/2 by 11, $68 hardbound, $58 spiralbound, includes s&h.

Order from the Prisons Foundation, 1718 M Street NW, #151, Washington, DC 20036; phone 202-393-1511, fax 727-538-2095 ;

LEAVING DEATH ROW

by Reginald S. Lewis

This is a skillfully crafted collection of poems that skip from standard English to hip hop to street patois to prison jargon. Written by an award-winning poet, essayist and playwright who has spent twenty years on death row, it tells how it feels to be sentenced to death: "memories escaping this low-slung mass of steel and stone and bullet-proof glass. " An inspirational work, it demonstrates the power of the human mind to transform even the worst of circumstances.

Limitations: This book does not address moral or legal issues or the criminal justice process.

Leaving Death Row--105 pages, 5 1/2 x 8, softbound $12 plus p&h.

Order from 1st Books, 2511 W. 3rd St, Suite 1 Bloomington, IN 47404;

PRISONS HELP SOURCEBOOK

This is a comprehensive collection of resources for those in prison and the people who interact with them: family, friends, correctional staff, researchers, writers, students, and advocates. It includes: * A resource directory of legal help, pen pals, books, medical advocacy, prison reform, religious support, and general information. * A checklist of items that can be taken into prison. * A resource guide for wardens -- what it takes to run a prison well. * A guide to popular films about prison life and training videos for prison staff. * A prison memoir. * Annotated bibliographies of nonfiction and fiction books about prison life. Limitations: Prison and correctional jargon is unexplained.

406 pages, 8 1/2 by 11, $85 hardbound, $75 spiralbound, includes s&h.

Order from the Prisons Foundation, 1718 M Street NW, #151, Washington, DC 20036; phone 202-393-1511, fax 727-538-2095;

CONTEMPLATIONS OF A CONVICT: A Journey To Freedom

When Innocence Isn't Enuf by Anton Forde/Trevor Mattis

This collection of essays, poems and aphorisms is described as "noteworthy" by the Black Issues Book Review. Written by a Jamaican-born prisoner who came to the U.S. to go to college, this work offers analyses of racial, sexual and class issues, political commentary, and musings on love, religion and the state of "America's soul." Forde's voice has been described as "intelligent and humorous, sarcastic and sweet." A lifer who has always proclaimed his innocence, he was once beaten so badly by guards his face had to be reconstructed.

Limitations: The book is unified by the author's persona alone.

Contemplations of a Convict---184 pages, 5 1/2 x 8, softbound $14.95 & $2.50 p&h.

Order from Box 215, Swarthmore, PA 19081; SageWriters@comcast.net; 610-328-6101;

PRISONERS RIGHTS RESOURCE GUIDE

A comprehensive guide to the rights of prisoners, the responsibilities of staff, and the standards by which prisons operate, the book provides plain-English summaries and full texts of dozens of recent and landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions (through 2004). It also includes: * An overview ofprisoners rights. * An American Bar Association analysis of ways to improve prisons. * A report by the U. N. on international prison standards. * A glossary of legal terms. This book works well for activists, researchers, writers, corrections officials, the families of inmates, and prisoners themselves.

Limitations: The text frequently relies on legal terms; the glossary defining them is at the end.

507 pages, 8 1/2 by 11, $94 hardbound, $84 spiralbound, includes s&h.

Order from the Prisons Foundation, 1718 M Street NW, #151, Washington, DC 20036; phone 202-393-1511, fax 727-538-2095;

PRISON ARTISTS AND THEIR WORK

This colorful book profiles more than 80 prison artists working inside prisons and jails in every sector of the United States. It reproduces hundreds of theirworks, many in full color, including drawings, paintings, handkerchief and envelope art, woodworking, leathercraft, and textile art. In separate and frequently frank sections, the artworks and their meaning to the artists are described in the artists own words. Includes an introductory overview of prison art, an artist index, and 71-minute CD of music made in prison. Reservations: A hand-crafted book, some of the color reproductions are of limited quality.

328 pages, 8 1/2 by 11, $137 hardbound, $127 spiralbound, includes s&h.

Order from the Prisons Foundation, 1718 M Street NW, #151, Washington, DC 20036; phone 202-393-1511, fax 727-538-2095;

HEALING OUR IMPRISONED MINDS:

A People's Guide to Hope & Freedom by Patrick Middleton, Ph.D., prisoner #AK-3703

An inspirational, advice-filled and self-help volume, this book offers the reader techniques for leading a productive life in any circumstance, in prison or in the outside world, whether the bars are metal or mental. In prose described as "smooth, eloquent and graceful," the author, the only prisoner in America to have earned his B.A., M.A. & Ph.D. while imprisoned, provides a healing journey. Issues addressed include the pride, arrogance and stubbornness that prevent us from solving disputes and problems. This book is a useful tool for classrooms, universities, libraries, correctional settings, and corporate boardrooms.

Limitations: Includes few details about the author's own life behind bars.

Healing Our Imprisoned Minds--129 pages, 5 1/2 x 8, softbound $14.95 & $2.50 p&h.

Order from Box 215, Swarthmore, PA 19081; SageWriters@comcast.net; 610 - 328-6101;