“An unforgettable look at the peculiar horrors and humiliations involved in solitary confinement” from the prisoners who have survived it (New York Review of Books). On any given day, the United States holds more than eighty-thousand people in solitary confinement, a punishment that—beyond fifteen days—has been denounced as a form of cruel and degrading treatment by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. Now, in a book that will add a startling new dimension to the debates around human rights and prison reform, former and current prisoners describe the devastating effects of isolation on their minds and bodies, the solidarity expressed between individuals who live side by side for years without ever meeting one another face to face, the ever-present specters of madness and suicide, and the struggle to maintain hope and humanity. As Chelsea Manning wrote from her own solitary confinement cell, “The personal accounts by prisoners are some of the most disturbing that I have ever read.” These firsthand accounts are supplemented by the writing of noted experts, exploring the psychological, legal, ethical, and political dimensions of solitary confinement. “Do we really think it makes sense to lock so many people alone in tiny cells for twenty-three hours a day, for months, sometimes for years at a time? That is not going to make us safer. That’s not going to make us stronger.” —President Barack Obama “Elegant but harrowing.” —San Francisco Chronicle “A potent cry of anguish from men and women buried way down in the hole.” —Kirkus Reviews

The saga continues in Special Housing Unit 2. This book takes us on another rollercoaster ride into the lives of five brave women who work behind prison walls. Raheem Brownwell escapes from custody of SCI Greene Correctional facility. He has one focus; revenge on the two people he feels ruined his life. The city of Philadelphia is on edge as Detective Norman Holder and the Philadelphia police are on a manhunt for the convicted murderer. Detective Norman has personal reasons for trying to find Raheem. His wife ex-corrections officer Lisean Douglas-Holder is one of Raheem's targets. Special Housing Unit 2 introduces a new character Champagne Simmons. Champagne discovers a new type of sorority, women brought together through crisis. All of our women continue to discover the power of love, family and friendship.

The Society of Friends (Quakers) founded America's first "penitentiary" in the 1790s. For more than forty years, the American Friends Service Committee has worked with prisoners, parolees, and victims of crime, seeking just alternatives to incarceration. In Beyond Prisons, the AFSC offers a powerful moral critique of the American criminal justice system and describes a new paradigm for dealing with criminals based on restorative justice and reconciliation. The authors include a specific twelve-point plan for immediate changes. Book jacket.

Michael Santos helps audiences understand how to overcome the struggle of a lengthy prison term. Readers get to experience the mindset of a 23-year-old young man that goes into prison at the start of America's War on Drugs. They see how decisions that Santos made at different stages in the journey opened opportunities for a life of growth, fulfillment, and meaning. Santos tells the story in three sections: Veni, Vidi, Vici. In the first section of the book, we see the challenges of the arrest, the reflections while in jail, the criminal trial, and the imposition of a 45-year prison term. In the second section of the book, we learn how Santos opened opportunities to grow. By writing letters to universities, he found his way into a college program. After earning an undergraduate degree, he pursued a master's degree. After earning a master's degree, he began work toward a doctorate degree. When authorities blocked his pathway to complete his formal education, Santos shifted his energy to publishing and creating business opportunities from inside of prison boundaries. In the final section, we learn how Santos relied upon critical-thinking skills to position himself for a successful journey inside. He nurtured a relationship with Carole and married her inside of a prison visiting room. Then, he began building businesses that would allow him to return to society strong, with his dignity intact. Through Earning Freedom! readers learn how to overcome struggles and challenges. At any time, we can recalibrate, we can begin working toward a better life. Santos served 9,135 days in prison, and another 365 days in a halfway house before concluding 26 years as a federal prisoner. Through his various websites, he continues to document how the decisions he made in prison put him on a pathway to succeed upon release. Contact Michael Santos PrisonProfessors.com 32565 Golden Lantern Street Box B-1026 Dana Point, CA 92692

A Guide to Distance Learning Education Programs for Prisoners.