Sing Sing

by Denis Brian

This book vividly presents the gripping history of one of America's most notorious prisons. Based on extensive research with original sources, the author's narrative covers every period of the prison's checkered history, from the awful conditions of the 19th century to the relative improvements of the 20th century to today. For most of the 19th century Sing Sing was a bastion of inhumane treatment, where guards made every effort to break the spirit of inmates by a fanatic rule of silence enforced by shockingly brutal punishments and tortures.In 1920, a dramatic turnaround occurred, when one of criminology's most progressive wardens, Lewis Lawes, took over. In command for twenty-one years, Lawes-who believed in reforming prisoners, not just punishing them-brought almost miraculous changes for the better.During the 20th century Sing Sing held such infamous prisoners as members of Murder Incorporated, the Lonely Hearts Killers, Albert "the cannibal" Fish, Lucky Luciano, Louis Lepke, and Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Brian recounts their stories and throws in "cameos" of such diverse visiting luminaries as Harry Houdini, Arthur Conan Doyle, Johnny Cash, John Cheever, and Mother Teresa. Sing Sing has witnessed it from daring, ingenious escapes and the first blood donations by prisoners to inmates volunteering to be injected with syphilis in the interest of medical science.Brian's story ends with a glimpse of Sing Sing in the recent past and today, based on his interviews with the present warden, Brian Fischer; prison guards; a prison psychiatrist; and the daughter of Sing Sing's last executioner.A must for fans of true crime, criminology, and urban American history, Brian's powerfully told story is both a dramatic page-turner and a definitive history.

263 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 2005

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the story of Sing Sing Prison throughout the past 2 centuries through the eyes of the guards, the wardens, and the inmates, including those in the death house. It shows not only the brutality of prisons and inmates (and their crimes), but also shows the good in inmates that often is not seen or heard beyond prison walls. The history of Sing Sing parallels that of prisons/corrections in general and the oscillation between punishment and rehabilitation that has transpired throughout the social and political development of the United States. Overall, a good, interesting read.