Decades Behind Bars

Gaye Holman is a retired professor of sociology. For several decades she taught within four medium-security correctional facilities in the Louisville, Kentucky area and coordinated her college's degree program there. She still resides in Louisville where she is deeply involved in efforts to help ex-offenders as they re-enter society.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

One—“I’m weary all the time”: An Introduction to the Men

Two—“Gnaws at your heart like a worm”: The Emotional Impact of Incarceration

Three—In the Belly of the Beast: Entering Prison

Four—On the Yard: ­Day-to-Day Life in Prison

Five—In the Lion’s Mouth: Crime and ­Rule-Breaking Within the Walls

Six—Power, Respect and the Convict Code: Surviving Behind Bars

Seven—The Past That Clings to Them: Scars of Child Abuse and Neglect

Eight—Desperate Connections: Family Ties

Nine—Two Sides of a Coin: The Man and His Crime

Ten—Searching for Blue Skies: Religion Behind Bars

Eleven—The Long Wait: The Parole Process

Twelve—End of the Journey: Illness and Death in Prison

Thirteen—The Patterns of Change: Results of the Study and Suggestions for Improvement

Fourteen—The Conversation Begins: Current Status of Inmate Subjects

Glossary of Prison Terminology

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index