Walls and Bars

by Eugene V. Debs

Book Overview

"The prison as a rule, to which there are a few exceptions, is for the poor." "Every nation has the criminals it deserves." - Eugene V. Debs

A must read for anyone interested in prison reform. The United States justice system continues to be an institution of destruction rather than correction. The inhumane conditions behind prisons walls have not changed since Debs wrote this book in the early 1900s. "Adopt more drastic laws ...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0C5H7NJRY
• ISBN13: 9798888305492
• Release Date: May 2023
• Publisher: Bibliotech Press
• Length: 142 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Shamefully relevant, even 80+ years later

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.