INSIDE: Life Behind Bars in America
In his newest book, Inside: Life Behind Bars in America, Michael Santos shows readers what it’s like to live in America’s jails and prisons. Using the voice of the penitentiary, he graphically describes a system infested with gangs, drugs, beatings, shanks, and extortion. From meth-crazed prisoners raping the weak, to female guards who prostitute themselves with the help of gang leaders, and murders in protective custody, Santos brings readers as close as they’ll ever want to come to confinement.
It is not the sugarcoated version of “corrections” and “rehabilitation” that administrators want taxpayers to swallow. This book describes a $60 billion industry designed with policies and infrastructure that perpetuate failure.
Santos succeeds in introducing readers to the characters, values, and growing subculture festering inside America’s prison system. With the soaring costs of keeping more than two million prisoners inside, this hard-hitting book is timely for all nonfiction readers.
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I really likes this book “Inside”, i even ordered it and had it sent to my husband whois in FCI Elkton..i hope he enjoys it as much as I did. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
I truly enjoyed this very vivid and detailed account of life behind bars. This story is especially touching if you have a loved one or know someone who is incarcerated. Reading this book forces one to take a hard look at the prison system and how it must be reformed.
This past fall I actually had the pleasure of reading “Inside” for a class that I was taking. I am currently working towards a Criminal Justice degree and I truly appreciated the graphic nature of your book because it was a breath of fresh air to hear stories that were not sugar-coated or destroyed through Hollywood movies to make life behind bars look easy. Although I don’t know these things from personal experience, my father was incarcerated when I was younger and we visited often, which I assume is where my interest in the field began. Thank you for sharing your honest and raw experiences with all of us.
I have read two of your bookds available on Amazon Kindle. I am apalled at the failure of the penal system. I think your story should be a great topic for TV show like Anderson Cooper.