Accomplices to the Crime: The Arkansas Prison Scandal

by Tom Murton, Joe Hyams

Grove Press mass market paperback about the Arkansas prison scandal.

Genres: Nonfiction

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Sheena]

I'd been on the hunt for this book for several months before I finally managed to track it down. Why was it so hard? Because I live only ten miles from the Cummins/Varner units and and hour or so from Tucker. I know several people (or their kids/grandkids) that were in this book. It simply IS NOT spoken of down here. Many of my family members have worked as guards, farmers, and office workers at Cummins/Varner in the last 20 years or so.

That said, I found this book both fascinating and absolutely horrifying. I cannot even comprehend the horrors that these inmates saw and went through. They were criminals I know, but no one deserves this kind of treatment.

If you want a look at prison reform in the late 60s, then look no further than this book.

[Diane Wang]

This is the kind of stuff that doesn’t make it to the news...because the situation is far too large, hairy and politically unflattering for existing power structures. Incredibly enlightening and depressing.

[Lee Ann]

Read this because Colson Whitehead had it listed in his acknowledgements section of The Nickel Boys. It was not readily available for purchase, but luckily the Los Angeles Public Library had a copy (from 1970). Accomplices to the Crime is a worthwhile read, especially if you are interested in understanding the American prison system. This account is not that old.