Background They say write what you know. Malcolm Braly (1925-80) knew prisons. Orphaned as a teenager, the Oregon native spent the majority of his years aged approximately 17-40 behind bars. A career burglar and multiple parole violator, he was in a reform school at 17 and in the facility at San Quentin for the crux…
Charles A. Gardner’s Dannemora is a gripping account of the notorious escape of two vicious convicted murderers from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, in New York’s North Country, which lead to one of the country’s most extensive manhunts and culminated in a dramatic, bloody standoff. Great nonfiction shares some key features with outstanding fiction: they both…
Harms’ Way by Thomas Rayfiel takes us into the world of a super-max detention facility, painting a dark depiction of prisoners and prison life where despite the presence of America’s most psychotic killers, we find ourselves comfortably at home. This lyrical, almost hallucinatory look inside the mind of a serial killer is both beautiful and…
This December 21st, Dark Horse Comics will publish Dead Inside, a new creator-owned series from critically acclaimed writer John Arcudi and Veil artist Toni Fejzula. Dead Inside is a twisted and bloody murder mystery—in a place where there should be no mysteries: behind prison walls. The Jail Crimes Division of the Sheriff’s Office in Mariposa…
Read this exclusive guest post from Paige Shelton about Charles Dickens's experience with prison and how it shaped his writing—especially A Christmas Carol—and make sure you're signed in and comment below for a chance to win a hardcover copy of The Cracked Spine and an advanced copy of Of Books and Bagpipes! When I began…
Human beings can get pretty creative when backed into a corner—or locked in a cage. While not everyone has to crawl through a river of shit to come out clean on the other side, some pretty drastic measures were taken by these 5 escape artists.
Life or Death by Michael Robotham is a standalone thriller about an honorable criminal, shrouded in mystery, that escapes from prison a day before his release. It is nominated for the Edgar Award for “Best Novel.” In Life or Death, Michael Robotham’s new standalone thriller, Audie Palmer—a man thought to have been involved in an…
Previously, I wrote an appreciation of Malcolm Braly’s 1961 prison novel Felony Tank as part of my Lost Classics of Noir series for Criminal Element. I singled out the book for being a noteworthy and under-appreciated work of edgy crime fiction, as well as a standout tale about life behind bars. There’s a reason—besides his…
Lockdown on Rikers by Mary E. Buser tells the shocking stories of abuse and injustice at New York's notorious jail (available September 29, 2015). Mary Buser began her career at Rikers Island as a social work intern, brimming with ideas and eager to help incarcerated women find a better path. Her reassignment to a men's…
As a former mental health chief at New York City’s Rikers Island, I watch TV crime dramas with special interest, especially when the action switches to Rikers. No crime series includes the notorious lockup more often than the enduring Law & Order. While this popular TV series makes for satisfying entertainment, and even better PR…
