The Tallahassee Project: One Hundred Prisoners of the War on Drugs, a Project of the Committee on Unjust Sentencing

Dr. John Beresford's book, The Tallahassee Project, offers a rare glimpse behind the razor wire of a maximum-security federal prison in Florida, told through the poignant letters and photographs of 100 nonviolent female drug war prisoners. Originally intended as an exhibit for the 1998 General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, the words and images of these women have finally been compiled in a short book of immense importance. The featured women write with courage and conviction. Their experiences of being separated from society have compelled them to share with anyone on the outside who will listen. Some of the inmates emphasize legal and political aspects of the drug war. One woman expounds on the bureaucratic nightmare of the legal system. Another prisoner gives a terrifying description of solitary confinement. Yet another writes of the inherent injustice of penalizing drug offenders with longer sentences than violent criminals. Ironically, several women have become political activists and legal specialists through the experience of incarceration.The subject of family is a common thread that weaves its way through most of the stories. Spouses, parents, children, grandchildren, and close friends have been torn apart. In some cases, multiple family members have been convicted of conspiracy and now sit behind bars. The Tallahassee Project effectively illustrates that irrational and unjust drug laws have devastated the same families they were purportedly enacted to preserve. There is simply no way to quantify the aggregate suffering inflicted upon these families in the name of prohibition.Dr. Beresford transcribes the prisoners' words verbatim, including spelling and grammatical errors, which preserves the integrity of the letters as historical documents, and highlights the economic, racial, and educational implications of the war on drugs. If prisoners cannot even correctly spell the offense they were charged with, it seems unlikely that they would be able to fully comprehend the nature of their circumstances or provide for an effective legal defense.The Tallahassee Project contains useful appendixes that provide evidence, reports, and observations from multiple sources. Included is a list of private companies that profit from involuntary, low-wage prison labor, such as Lexus, McDonald's, and Toys R Us. There is also a comparative table of federal sentencing guidelines that illuminates the disproportionate punishment meted out to drug offenders. For example, predators who sexually abuse children will receive a sentence of 18 to 24 months, but people who are convicted of drug conspiracy can be incarcerated for the remainder of their natural lives. Dr. Beresford has juxtaposed anecdotal accounts with hard data, punctuating the personal stories of the prisoners with statistical research. The Tallahassee Project provides vital information unavailable through the mainstream media. The book appeals to a wide audience, and wi