This anthology consists of a selection of articles and essays written by people who are either in prison, or have been imprisoned. The work of the writers was first published in several editions of the Journal of Prisoners on Prisons, from 1988 to 2001. The writers address the growth and development of the crime control industry, the social construction of prison life and the implications for society in general.This anthology humanizes the prioner by enabling his/her voice to be heard by members of society. It opens with a general introduction to prison writing by the editor and with considerations on being a writer in prison by three established prison writers. They write of the need to know, understand and deconstruct the prison as a formative aspect of the decision to write and as an influence on their development as writers.The entire collection presents the notion that writing and artistic expression become resistance - a testament to surviving the dislocation that prison life creates. Gaucher suggests that this moves writing from merely being an act of resistance and into the arena of cultural struggle.

Dr. Bob Gaucher is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa.

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