A Life in the Balance: The Billy Wayne Sinclair Story

by Billy Wayne Sinclair, Jodie Sinclair

A man serving a life sentence for killing a convenience store clerk in an accidental shooting challenges the prison system in a powerful, no-holds-barred account of America's worst prison system. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime

339 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

FUN FACT: since 2017 There have been 223 killers with the middle name WAYNE
Some of you have some play it safe classes to attend

[Frederick Bingham · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of Billy Wayne Sinclair, convicted murderer. He has spent most of his life in prison in Louisiana. This may sound like a right wing diatribe, but there was a lot in this book about him, but almost nothing about the man he killed.

[Lawrence Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, but a repetitive common narrative: I am different from these violent, callous men in prison. Although I cannot change the violent prison culture or its sexual slave trade, I am a strident leader, who has forced legal changes that will improve the corrupt prison system in a myriad of ways.

These books claim to give the reader insight jnto life in prison, but they often turn into an outline of why the author should receive clemency or parole. However, the author provides instrumental instruction on the environmental factors that often leads to incarceration. The author writes: The social selectivity of prison - poor, uneducated, offspring of abusive parents. Of course, these environmental factors lead to the behavior that increases the probability of being incarcerated: drugs and alcohol, stealing the property of others and risk taking with a gun.

If enough of these books are read and digested, it becomes clear how to avoid prison and the criminal justice system:

(1) get an education
(2) refrain from drugs and alcohol
(3) avoid guns and uneducated people with an affinity for guns.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off ok but after three thirds I'd had enough. It got very political, repetitive and boring! Not upto par with a lot of prison non fiction I have previously read! It was just an ok book nothing special, and hard to finish!

A lot of the corruption that was mentioned was awful and I believe it probably still goes on now! Do I think billy Sinclair should have got out of prison? Yes! If prison isn't there to rehabilitate it is absolutely pointless! He was certainly one of very few that was truly rehabilitated by the prison system, be it for he right or wrong reasons he did make some very right decisions that did genuinely i'm sure put his life in danger.

Would I recommend it? Not especially.

[River Scott Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Life In The Balance is is 4 star audiobook..

We all know that life in prison ain't grand, but the utter horror of it is shown in this autobiography, written by a one-time death-row inmate.

I actually really enjoyed listening to this, I found it really interesting and at parts difficult to listen to as its quite brutal on death row. I enjoyed his story and hearing if from Billy Himself. Despite his crimes I actually liked him and could see that he was turning his life around but he wasn't given the chance to show how much his changed, this Is a very in depth story very well written and honest. I would recommend this book.

[Claudette · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audiobook) It was an interesting story about the inmate and the corruption, however, I thought it was very political. The politics went over my head, only because I don't live in the States. Then the story started to loose me because I didn't understand the politics.

[Adrian Brown]

Plenty of sad stories still a wonderful book.

[Theresa M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an eye opener. I knew that government could be corrupt, but not to this extent!! I hope Sinclair writes an addendum to this book so it will give the reader information on the years just prior to his release.