Life Sentences: Writings from Inside an American Prison

by The Elsinore-Bennu Think Tank for Restorative Justice, Ralph Bolden Oscar Brown (Contributor), Richard “Khalifa” Diggs (Contributor)

Life Sentences is a collection of writing by six incarcerated men, a hybrid of prison memoir, philosophy, history, policy document, and manifesto. It is also a how-to guide for those who are trapped inside our own community, uninclined or unable to form loving connections with those around us, ashamed perhaps of the harm we have done them and not knowing any way forward. Mainly, though, this book is a letter of invitation, asking readers to join with the incarcerated, their families, and the editors and teachers who worked together on this unique book, so we can all continue to fly over walls, form loving connections with each other, and teach one other to be free.

167 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 10, 2019

Reviews

[Cason Cloud · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of poems, stories, and other short pieces of writing by six men serving life sentences in Pittsburgh. Their words were extremely powerful and gave me a perspective I hadn’t heard previously. All of these men are black and were born into poverty in Pittsburgh. All had at least one parent in prison for the majority of their upbringing and received very little education. After reading, I felt a strong wave of empathy for everyone involved in each of their situations.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

ASV un Latvijas ieslodzījumu vietu sistēma ir ļoti atšķirīga. Tas, kas ir kopīgs, visbiežāk ieslodzījumā (un uz kriminālā ceļa) nonāk cilvēki no nelabvēlīgas, nereti trūcīgas vides, kurā bērns nav saņēmis pietiekamu atbalstu izaugsmei, kas palīdzētu viņam atrast veselīgu vietu sabiedrībā.

Ja lasītājam ir šī izpratne, tad šī grāmata neko pārsteidzošu nepiedāvās. Grāmata arī neapmierinās to mūsu dīvaini ziņkārīgo smadzeņu daļu, kas ik pa laikam ieklīst youtube kanālos, kur stāsta par īpaši nežēlīgiem noziegumiem, sērijveida slepkavām un vai īpaši nežēlīgiem bērniem.

Taisnīguma atjaunošana ir jauna ēra ieslodzījumu vēsturē (par laimi to ievieš arī Latvijā). Taisnīguma atjaunošana ir vērsta ne tik daudz uz cilvēka sodīšanu kā uz pāridarījuma labošanu - gan attiecībā uz upuri (vai upura ģimeni), gan sabiedrībā kopumā. Elsinore Bennu Think Tank ir domnīca, kurā tiekas 6 ieslodzītie un cilvēki no brīvības, kopīgi apspriežot, bieži rakstiskā veidā, dažādus jautājumus, kas saistīti ar viņu noziegumiem, izvēlēm un dzīvi kopumā. Šī grāmta ir domnīcas rezultāts un, manuprāt, lielisks veids, kā ļaut cilvēkiem izvērtēt notikušo un notiekošo, kā arī lielisks veids, kā runāt ar sabiedrību. Kā liecina komentāri pie šīs grāmatas, cilvēki aizdomājas, kļūst empātiskāki, iecietīgāki. Un tā ir sabiedrība, kurā es gribu dzīvot.

I shouldn't have been involved in what I was involved in but I was and when you do dirt you eat dirt and I'm eating dirt.

I knew in my mind I was gonna make them pay for not seeing me, for not speaking to me, for acting like I wasn't there or gad some disease. Truth is I hadn't took a deep breath yet, everything was shallow, quick, and numb. I guess the only thing that stood out in my mind is that I didn't feel alive. I didn't feel like anyone cared, or that anyone even knew what was happening to me - inside me! I didn't know myself and couldn't have explained it if someone were to ask.

[Elizabeth Deters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creative, beautiful writing. Gives a new perspective on those who are incarcerated written by 6 men with life sentences.

[Hannah Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting perspective on the lives of these 6 men.

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars***

[Deb Grove · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could only read a few selections at a time. It was recommended by a friend of mine and has prose and poetry by 6 incarcerated prisoners at the State Correctional Institution in Pittsburgh who are serving life sentences. The longest has been there since 1975. Ask yourself: Do I dare to read something that is so disturbing? Do I really want to think about humanizing those that have murdered ?
From a review: "Bolden said he accepted responsibility for his crime at his trial 23 years ago. Bolden remembered that the wife of the man Bolden had killed delivered a statement.
“She said, ‘I’m not sure if you understand, but you just didn’t kill one person. You killed more than one person,'" he said. "'This man was my friend, my best friend, my children’s father, someone’s son.’”
Until then, Bolden had not considered how his crime had impacted anyone but the man he shot.
“And I look behind me [in the courtroom], and I saw the tears,” Bolden said, growing emotional. “I saw the tears and the faces of my family also. … And I’m like, 'What did I do?'”
In that moment, Bolden continued, “All also the bravado and the [braggadocio] and the street, all that stuff just left. And that … [was] something within me, that I saw that I had to get better. That I was really sorry for what I had done.”
Ralph “Malakki” Bolden's poetry is

[Zara Lei Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep and rich in scope, greatly appreciative for these writings being shared.