false 3272917 1 Dreams from the Monster Factory tells the true story of Sunny Schwartz's extraordinary work in the criminal justice system and how her profound belief in people's ability to change is transforming the San Francisco jails and the criminals incarcerated there. With an immediacy made possible by a twenty-seven-year career, Schwartz immerses the reader in the troubling and complex realities of U.S. jails, the monster factories -- places that foster violence, rage and, ultimately, better criminals. But by working in the monster factories, Schwartz also discovered her dream of a criminal justice system that empowers victims and reforms criminals. Charismatic and deeply compassionate, Sunny Schwartz grew up on Chicago's south side in the 1960s. She fought with her family, struggled through school and floundered as she tried to make something of herself. Bucking expectations of failure, she applied to a law school that didn't require a college degree, passed the bar and began her life's work in the criminal justice system. Eventually she grew disheartened by the broken, inflexible system, but instead of quitting, she reinvented it, making jail a place that could change people for the better. In 1997, Sunny launched the Resolve to Stop the Violence Project (RSVP), a groundbreaking program for the San Francisco Sheriff 's Department. RSVP, which has cut recidivism for violent rearrests by up to 80 percent, brings together victims and offenders in a unique correctional program that empowers victims and requires offenders to take true responsibility for their actions and eliminate their violent behavior. Sunny Schwartz's faith in humanity, her compassion and her vision are inspiring. In <I>Dreams from the Monster Factory</i> she goes beyond statistics and sensational portrayals of prison life to offer an intimate, harrowing and revelatory chronicle of crime, punishment and, ultimately, redemption. 3309108 6 1 2009 Dreams from the Monster Factory: A Tale of Prison, Redemption, and One Woman's Fight to Restore Justice to All total:35|5:20|4:8|3:6|2:1|1:0| 35 152 77 17 5 1 false false Thu Feb 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 20 12:38:53 -0800 2009 Fri Jun 26 10:01:37 -0700 2009
Skipping college, she was accepted to New College's Law School in San Francisco became...more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Feb 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 10:14:05 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 10:17:37 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 15:04:25 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 15:27:43 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Mar 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 23:43:14 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 23:45:36 -0700 2009 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A true heroine, March 17, 2009

In one of his interviews after landing Flight 1549 safely on the Hudson, Captain Sullenberger said that he didn't consider himself a hero because he didn't choose to be in tha...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Aug 28 21:34:11 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 22:13:07 -0700 2009 Tells how Schwartz develops a humanizing program in a San Francisco jail that gets at the root of inmates’ violence (great to read this alongside James Gilligan’s VIOLENCE).
She’s humble about ...more...]]> 5 0 true false Fri Mar 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 17 13:24:09 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 01 08:49:59 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Mar 03 17:43:26 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 18:35:09 -0800 2009
Schwartz introduces the concept of reparative justice, and...more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Feb 18 12:36:00 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 18 12:37:05 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Fri Apr 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 12 22:23:56 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 12 22:29:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Feb 14 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 05:02:11 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 05:18:26 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 21:40:31 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 21:45:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Aug 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 19:04:59 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 19:18:24 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Dec 22 10:44:49 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 22 10:48:23 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Nov 04 09:27:05 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 04 10:02:27 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 13:38:43 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 04 11:58:52 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Thu Aug 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 20:40:07 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 20:05:19 -0700 2009 Dreams from the Monster Factory and Mother California to everyone. I can't do it justice. Just go read it.]]> 0 0 false false Thu Jul 30 14:10:51 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 14:15:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Nov 12 11:06:07 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 12 11:06:07 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Nov 07 06:31:34 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 07 06:31:34 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Fri Nov 06 08:54:30 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 06 08:54:30 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3272917