ISBN: 9780307736710

In 1961, Rideau robbed a bank, took three hostages, forced one to drivethem to a remote area, and shot them. Two lived. One, whom his shotfailed to kill, he also stabbed. For this, Rideau… More...

In 1961, Rideau robbed a bank, took three hostages, forced one to drivethem to a remote area, and shot them. Two lived. One, whom his shotfailed to kill, he also stabbed. For this, Rideau spent 44 years in Angolaprison. A black man, 19 years old at the time of the crime, Rideau wasconvicted three times by all-white juries. A mixed-race jury reduced hisconviction to manslaughter. In the Place of Justice is his exploration of theAmerican penal system, primarily the ways in In 1961, Rideau robbed a bank, took three hostages, forced one to drivethem to a remote area, and shot them. Two lived. One, whom his shotfailed to kill, he also stabbed. For this, Rideau spent 44 years in Angolaprison. A black man, 19 years old at the time of the crime, Rideau wasconvicted three times by all-white juries. A mixed-race jury reduced hisconviction to manslaughter. In the Place of Justice is his exploration of theAmerican penal system, primarily the ways in which racism, both covertand institutionalized, plays a role in determining the length of prison sentencesand the ways in which those sentences are served. As editor of the prison newsletter, Rideau placed a high premium onjournalistic integrity. He became a celebrity prisoner for his exposés onprison life, including sexual slavery, drugs, weapons, "families," petty guardsunrestrained by management or conscience, inedible food, filthy conditions, and brutal rivalries. Those incarcerated for violent crimes are often dehumanized by society, just as those who kill dehumanize their victims, parsing them over time tobothersome abstractions. If integrity can be defined as the willingness tohold oneself accountable, In the Place of Justice is as much a look insideAngola prison and the judicial system as it is a fascinating yet unsettlingjourney inside the minds of those who do time there. Books, Biography & Autobiography~~General, In-the-Place-of-Justice~~Wilbert-Rideau, 999999999, In the Place of Justice: A Story of Punishment and Deliverance, Wilbert Rideau, Dominic Hoffman, 0307736717, Random House Audio Publishing Group, , , , , Random House Audio Publishing Group<

ISBN: 0307736717

From Wilbert Rideau, the award-winning journalist who spent forty-four years in Louisiana prisons working against unimaginable odds to redeem himself, the story of a remarkable life: a cr… More...

From Wilbert Rideau, the award-winning journalist who spent forty-four years in Louisiana prisons working against unimaginable odds to redeem himself, the story of a remarkable life: a crime, its punishment, and ultimate triumph.After killing a woman in a moment of panic following a botched bank robbery, Rideau, denied a fair trial, was improperly sentenced to death at the age of nineteen. After more than a decade on death row, his sentence was amended to life imprisonment, and he joined the inmate population of the infamous Angola penitentiary. Soon Rideau became editor of the prison newsmagazine The Angolite, which under his leadership became an uncensored, daring, and crusading journal instrumental in reforming the violent prison and the corrupt Louisiana justice system.With the same incisive feel for detail that brought Rideau great critical acclaim, here he brings to vivid life the world of the prison through the power of his pen. We see Angola's unique culture, encompassing not only rivalries, sexual slavery, ingrained racism, and daily, soul-killing injustices but also acts of courage and decency by keeper and kept alike. As we relive Rideau's remarkable rehabilitation-he lived a more productive life in prison than do most outside-we also witness his long struggle for justice. In the Place of Justice goes far beyond the confines of a prison memoir, giving us a searing expos? of the failures of our legal system framed within the dra african-american and black,african-american studies,biographies,crime and criminals,criminology,ethnic and national,memoirs,politics and social sciences,regional u.s.,social sciences Crime & Criminals, Random House Audio<