Walls and Bars is a non-fiction book written by Eugene Victor Debs, an American socialist, union leader, and political activist. The book provides a firsthand account of Debs' experience serving time in prison for his role in the Pullman Strike of 1894. The book chronicles Debs' time in prison, including his interactions with other inmates, the harsh conditions of imprisonment, and his reflections on the justice system and the role of the state in society. Debs also discusses his political beliefs and the socialist movement, arguing for the need for fundamental change in American society. Walls and Bars is a powerful and insightful book that offers a unique perspective on the American justice system and the struggle for social justice.1927. The book is dedicated To the countless thousands of my brothers and sisters who have suffered the cruel and pitiless torture and degradation of imprisonment in the jails, penitentiaries and other barbarous and brutalizing penal institutions of capitalism under our much-vaunted Christian civilization, and who in consequence now bear the ineffaceable brand of convicts and criminals, this volume is dedicated with affection and devotion by one of their number. Contents: The Relation of Society to the Convict; The Prison as an Incubator of Crime; I Become U.S. Convict, No. 9653; Sharing the Lot of Les Miserables; Transferred From My Cell to the Hospital; Visitors and Visiting; The 1920 Campaign for President; A Christmas Eve Reception; Leaving the Prison; General Prison Conditions; Poverty Populates the Prison; Creating the Criminal; How I Would Manage the Prison; Capitalism and Crime; Poverty and the Prison; Socialism and the Prison; Leaving the Prison; Prison Labor, Its Effects on Industry and Trade; Studies Behind Prison Walls; and Wasting Life.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
Written between World Wars One and Two, Eugene Debs details his experience in prison (first for defying a court injunction against a railway strike, and then for a speech opposing U.S. Involvement in WWI). Rather than devote the book to an asserition of his innocence (today, neither of his "crimes" exist, and the laws prohibiting his "criminal" actions have long been held unconstitutional), Debs uses his personal experiences to highlight the absurdities and brutality of prisons as they are operated in the U.S.Despite the fact that this book describes prison life over 80 years ago, much of what Debs has to say remains fully applicable to U.S. prisons in 2003. We still lock up people who suffer from drug addiction, rather than offering them treatment; we still incarcerate young people for decades (far longer than when Debs wrote), and act surprised when they develope a "criminal mentality" after spending their entire adult lives in prison. The U.S. still incarcerates a higher percentage of its population than any other countyr in the world, and hands out longer sentences than almost any other country.Most tellingly, the prison population still consists almost exclusively of the very poorest members of society. It is still rare to find a weealthy man in any prison in America.The only reason I did not give this book five stars is because the publisher takced three speeches given by Debs after his release onto the end of the book. They add absolutely nothing, and lack the cogent analysis of the rest of the book.Anyone who is interested in crime in American, and certainly anyone with an interest in prisons, should read this all too relevant 80 year old book.
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.