R. Rathbone Leonard

Iprison: the Injustice in Justice R. Rathbone Leonard

i PRISON is the autobiography of a veteran journalist who spent ten years under the rule of the Indiana Department of Correction. What is inherent in Hoosierland is not much different than what is found in other states. Why the small i? Because incarceration made him feel small, real small. The book is sub-titled, ?The Injustice in Justice.? ?While in a daze as best I remember, I was grabbed by the arm and led from the courtroom. I was too stunned to cry. I was unable to turn my head and look at my loved ones. My mind became a blank as my life as I had known it for almost 72 years came to an end.? to ?When I walked out of the prison ingesting at long last fresh, fresh air, I broke down for several minutes in the comfortable front seat of Carole?s car. I couldn?t control myself, much as I tried. Six-plus years of emotions spewed forth.? i PRISON is a story of ?trials and imprisonment that needs to be told,? according to author/book publisher Nancy Niblack Baxter, daughter of longtime federal judge John L. Niblack. ?People need to know how screwed up a man?s life can be by legal mistakes and laziness of a system over which an individual has no control,? Mrs. Baxter stated. As you read this book, you will notice statements that seem to contradict earlier assertions. One instance is that prisoners should be educated as part of a rehabilitation program, but also that college courses are offered. I don?t know the number taking courses (including G. E. D.) but, out of 25,000 inmates, the percentage is small. Thus, not much education. I have tried to be fair; however, from the inside of the prison system it is difficult not to be biased, so consequently the minuses far outweigh the plusses. To be otherwise would not be true. I hope that this is the closest to the justice system readers of this book come and that my account is both enlightening as well as interesting. I also hope that it will give second thoughts to any who might be on the verge of breaking the