You Are Going to Prison

Forget MTV's Scared Straight. If you want to scare someone, no matter what age, into toeing the line and avoiding a prison sentence at all costs, make them read this book. I guarantee there is not a more forthright, realistic view of what goes on in the belly of the beast that is our prison system than can be found in the passages that comprise this excellent book. As a note of caution, much as I would have liked to use this as a text in my high school teaching days, I probably wouldn't have gotten it past my department heads, as it does depict very graphically what awaits the prison newbie as he (no focus on women's prison here) wends his way through the prison system. It's none too jolly, trust me. Hogshire definitely "tells it like it is," and holds nothing back. HBO prison shows don't show the half of it. For the real, unadulterated deal, trust this author. Even if you're not planning on a prison junket anytime soon, I recommend this short book as a fascinating read. It may trun your head (or at least your stomach) about the continuing sorry state of affairs in our nation's prison system.BEK

Let me start out by saying that I am a Corrections Officer in the 13th largest county jail system. One might think that I would hate this book because of it's anti-law enforcement stance. But this book speaks the truth on a great many things.Unless you are a psycho or a hard core convict, prison is not a fun/pleasant place nor are jails and certainly not reception centers. This book exposes a world that most Americans cannot believe exists.This book is a must read for anyone committing or considering committing crimes. Due note that prisons and jails vary by a great degree, with no two being the same, so this book is not absolute gospel but it still is worth reading.Even regular citizens should read this book, if for no other reason than appreciation of the normal lives they have and enjoy.

Jim Hogshire's, You are Going to Prison, is a very frightening and in depth look at the United States prison system. The book takes the reader deep into the "criminal justice machine" while explaining in vivid detail how to survive a trip to a maximum security prison, or to at least make it as painless as possible. While Hogshire is blatantly biased against the criminal justice system, his book is one of the most facinating that I have ever read. This is because the book is informative and very descriptive. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what really happens inside America's prisons.

This is one of the most fascinating and disturbing books I have read in some time. Though I (thankfully) have never been caught in the "maw of the criminal justice machine" as Hogshire puts it, I literally could not put this book down once I started reading and I finished it in one afternoon!Hogshire takes you on a journey through our justice and criminal system from the "flashing blue lights" all the way to the electric chair. Remember the "Scared Straight" program back in the 1970s? Well this book should be required reading for all juvenile offenders - if this book doesn't set them on the right path, nothing will.One thing that disturbed me about this book was that Hogshire seems to lean too heavily in the favor of the criminals. Such as telling us where we can buy handcuff keys for example, or how to hide evidence. But even more disturbing is the growing power that we citizens have yielded to the government. For example, police can now seize property and initiate investigations based on anonymous tips alone and can apparently manufacture evidence against you very easily should you do so much as sass certain police officers at a routine traffic stop. There are few saints on either side here.Even if you plan on being a law-abiding citizen your entire life, you should still read this book and be aware of how easy it is for anybody to fall into the "machine."