criminal justice/prison issues/social concerns/reform

FRONTIERS OF JUSTICE: VOLUME III
The Crime Zone

Frontiers of Justice: Volume III
The Crime Zone
edited by Claudia Whitman and Julie Zimmerman
Biddle Publishing Company

Our authors share the pain and violence of their pasts, their present existence in the sterility and brutality of prison, and their hopes for a future of freedom. They also share their remorse and the changes they have undergone in their resolve to find self-worth and value in their lives. Their goal in this very difficult task is to help us understand the roots of crime and recidivism and the factors that encourage crime prevention and habilitation.
ISBN: 1-879418-30-4
Š2000
15.95 US
Softcover 184 Pages

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ENDORSEMENTS

"It is the height of arrogance and folly to ignore any person, regardless of prior bad acts, who is attempting to articulate a message of hope and redemption."

Steve J. Martin

"An absorbing account from the experts, the prisoners. Without blaming others for their circumstances, they prove that offenders should be incarcerated AS punishment, not FOR punishment. Their stunning stories reinforce the often ignored fact that each of us could be caught in the Crime Zone."

Tekla Miller, Warden, Huron Valley (MI) Men's and Women's maximum security prisons (1985-1991)

"Anyone interested in crime and punishment will find these offender essays worth reading. They are poignant reminders that each one of the more than 1.5 million people imprisoned in the United States in an individual with hopes and fears and dreams."

Charles Chapel, Oklahoma Supreme Court Judge

"You can throw away the mold because there is no such thing, for we are them and they are us. The only difference is we have control over our demons."

Lieutenant Steven Edmondson, Topsham Maine Police Department

"Reading these testimonies left me in awe--such hard work, discipline and courage in the face of horrendous histories and obstacles, with no support from the system, to become the people God created them to be. These are challenges few of us are called to endure, let alone master. We must address the wasting of those incarcerated who, in the end, are of absolute value to our communities."

Marietta Jaeger Lane, mother of Susie Jaeger, 7-year-old murder victim

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Roots of Crime from the Real Experts, the Criminals Themselves!

These fourteen incarcerated authors discuss the factors that led to their crimes, not to place the blame elsewhere, but to help us understand what went wrong. They tell us if community intervention could have prevented the murders they committed, how their experiences in juvenile detention affected the likelihood of them becoming career criminals, the aspects of prison life that make recidivism more likely and the programs that make habilitation possible. It is fascinating, often chilling, reading for layman (parents, teachers, taxpayers) and professional alike.

The contributors have not opened their painful pasts to public scrutiny because they are looking for sympathy, financial support or legal intervention. Their purpose is to educate, to help. These authors have done a remarkable job finding ways to grow and change in the hostile environment of prison. Contributing to this book is one more way they are making a positive difference--despite Americans' "lock'em up and throw away the key" view of convicted criminals. This volume makes it very clear that many (most?) of this country's criminal justice policies are only making us less safe.