The Big House: Life Inside a Supermax Security Prison (ISBN 0896580393)

Big House; Not a big deal.:
This is a very compelling story of the career path of someone in the penal system. It has several good accounts and some characters are pretty well defined, however, it reads like a childrens' book.

A Little Disappointing:
The Big House provides a graphically detailed and insightful look at "life inside a supermax security prison" just like the cover says. I was a little disappointed however, that Warden James Bruton seemed to spend more time patting himself on the back than actually writing about what we bought the book to read. He seemed to spend entirely too much time describing how problems of other prisons don't exist at HIS prison, and how well he cleaned up the place. That is great, and I am sure there are many lessons there for other wardens or correctional officials but that is not what I was interested in reading. I wish he had spent more detail (and pages) focusing on the life and experiences of the inmates and less on what a great job he did. I would still recommend this book to anyone interested in an "inside look" at a supermax prison, but there are others I would suggest reading first.

Good and Accurate Insight to Prison Life:
James Bruton was an enlightened Warden; someone who believed in the dignity of prisoners and in giving them self-respect. He argues, in the stories he tells about life in a supermax prison, that 95% of all prisoners get paroled at some point and that society has an interest in seeing that parolees re-enter the streets well-adjusted and not angry. His anecdotes about older lifers, and how they typically "run" prisons (through long-term stays in key jobs), about what causes lockdowns, and the experiences of guards ring true. (...). This is not a leering, notorious book; rather it is an insightful report of the author's experiences. Highly recommended.

Intersting for the all aspects of life, are you in or out?:
the warden did a great job of detailing what prison life is like...sadly some people end up there and its taking the caring of other to maintain the security. danger and compassion. a very well written book. highly recommend.

Good. Needs more details.:
Pretty good. A fast read. Needs more details in some stories. Worth the $$ though.