Corrections_Today_November_December_2022_Vol.84_No.6

COMMUNICATIONS & PUBLICATIONS

BOOKSHELF

creative writing class led by Brian Daldorph. Mr. Daldorph has done this for twenty years of his life; taken time to enter the jail, go through the security procedures and provide meaningful guidance to inmates who through their writing provide a realistic picture of incarceration. This picture is not what you would see in a textbook, or a typical anthology of prison prose prepared by professional writers, but these words when put together create a powerful word picture of their experiences. Many of the poems contained in the book sparked memories for me, some good and some bad about inmates who I found had more talent than I ever had. For the many years I served as a prison administrator, I was always amazed by the amount of talent displayed by offenders. I have gone to art shows, attended holiday plays, looked at hobby craft on display and been amazed by the skill level of the inmates. Many knew I collected fountain pens and I’ve purchased pens from inmates when auditing facilities. These pens are a great writing instrument, but to the inmate the pen provides three things, something constructive to complete, something which provides him a bit of income, more often than not to send home, and the intangible of hope. As it seems our institutions have, and sometimes for good reason, become more punitive, this thing called hope provides an impetus for offenders to keep trying. We all know the recidivism data, and this is not about recidivism,

this hope gives people opportunity. Now many of my friends would say there he goes again, being soft — it has nothing to do with softness, it is about people, and some very dangerous people, being provided an avenue to express themselves. This picture is not what you would see in a textbook, or a typical anthology of prison prose prepared by professional writers, but these words when put together create a powerful word picture of their experiences. I reach back in time for two personal experiences which demonstrate how someone provided hope for offenders. And believe it when I say it certainly was not a prison employee. On one occasion, it was a lady who worked at a medical center and assisted many of the sick and infirm demonstrate joy through art. In this case, we had a man who killed a correctional officer but was found incompetent to stand trial. This man had absolutely “nothing” for anyone who carried a set of prison keys; I do not know how many times he told me he would kill me the first time he had the chance, and I believed him. No one was able to find anything which would provide him some distraction to

Words Is a Powerful Thing Written by Brian Daldorph, University Press of Kansas (2021), 203 pp. REVIEWED BY Art Beeler, Former Warden, Bureau of Prisons, Adjunct Faculty, North Carolina Central University, Sr. Lecturing Fellow, Duke University Law School. When asked if I would review this book for the American Correctional Association I said sure. It has been a difficult time, between bouts of COVID-19 suffered by my wife and me. But I am glad I agreed. I want to say this book should be read if for no more reason than to pay tribute to the many different volunteers who enter our prisons to provide bits and pieces of the real world to those who are confined. The book is about the Creative Writing Class at the Douglas County Jail and the many inmates who have entered, left, reentered, and left a

56 — November/December 2022 Corrections Today