Inside

"More than just a seamy look at prison life. A chilling, timely portrayal."—New York Times Book Review

 

"Inside is actually two books. The red meat of the book is a collection of more than 100 prisoners' accounts, including every gruesome detail . . . But between shocking tales of inmate misbehavior are Santos' convincing theories about what it all means."—Sean Bosker, New York Post

 

"[A] revealing, compelling book . . . At the heart of Santos's frequently harrowing book is a simple argument: Prisons have become places where crime does pay."—Edward Humes, Los Angeles Times Book Review

 

 

"Incarcerated for drug-trafficking since 1987, Santos documents the tedium and brutality of prison life. The author’s first book weaves memoir and first-hand reporting together to paint a muckraking portrait of American jails. His constant refrain is that the current penal system perpetuates failure-prisons 'create resentment . . . degrade each individual's sense of self, and separate offenders in every way from society'—and since prisoners aren't taught to expect that they can be anything other than jailbirds, a feeling of hopelessness sets in. Santos's stories about ruthless and corrupt prison officials are especially shocking. One guard, for instance, pimps out his wife, who also works in the prison, to an inmate; for one five-minute tryst, the couple collects $1,000, which the prisoner easily procures from friends on the outside. The dehumanizing penal culture guarantees recidivism, the author argues. He envisions prisons in which convicts are encouraged and prepared to lead constructive, law-abiding lives in the outside world, and he urges taxpayers to demand reform. Santos presents himself as an example of what is possible. He took college classes, earning a B.A. and a master's degree, and was on track to get a doctorate from the University of Connecticut when the relatively progressive prison warden retired. The warden's successor decided that graduate education would make prisoners hard to control, and so he shut down the program. The insights offered here are valuable . . . [and] eye-opening. "—Kirkus Reviews

 

"[Santos] uses his insider perspective to provide a blunt, often disturbing look at America's prison system. More anecdotal than personal or analytical, his account illustrates the presence of gangs, drugs, prostitution and rape in prison through a series of dramatized stories. Although the dialogue is at times overwrought, the stories themselves are shocking and illuminating. Together they paint a picture of prison culture and its dehumanizing effects on the people who live within it. The book also functions beyond its role as an exposé, effectively questioning the efficacy of modern prisons. Santos rejects the idea that the 'correctional system' does much correcting, and provides repeated examples of the sense of hopelessness inmates suffer during their sentences."—Publishers Weekly