A LIFE IN THE BALANCE

In 1965 Sinclair killed a store clerk during a bungled robbery. He was subsequently imprisoned in what he describes as “America’s worst prison system”—and this autobiographical account supports that description.

Jailed (not for the first time) at 20, he spent 7 years on death row in Angola State Prison, Louisiana, before being resentenced to life and moved into ordinary lockup. Conditions on death row were terrible. Prisoners remained permanently in their cells except for a weekly shower; many spent years on drugs, freely dispensed by the prison to keep them quiet. Conditions outside death row were even worse: violence, murder, and race riots were endemic. Young men were routinely raped—except the most vicious, who became rapists themselves. Drugs and weapons were everywhere, and the administration was corrupt. Ironically, corrupt guards do not go out of their way to abuse prisoners, they do the opposite: leave them alone—and a prison controlled by inmates is a nightmare. As years passed, the author transformed himself, losing his taste for drugs and battle. He read constantly, becoming a jailhouse lawyer, helping inmates, forcing a few improvements through legal action. He began writing for the prison newspaper, which achieved national prominence. During the filming of a television documentary on prison life, he met the co-author and later married her. He also spoke out about the universal corruption in the prison system, cooperating with FBI and federal investigators. Dozens of officials went to jail or resigned, but these actions infuriated Louisiana state officials. They could do little except deny him parole, but they did this effectively. This account is partly a desperate effort by the author to achieve his freedom, and it’s written in the irritating docudrama style that plagues modern nonfiction. Scenes from decades past are recreated in detail with dialogue, and we read thoughts and emotions of characters who certainly did not reveal them to the authors. But once readers get past these fictional elements, the truth that remains is shocking enough.

A crude but vivid account of life beyond the bounds of decency.