A brief history of the use of law and imprisonment as a means of social control is introduced, with the comment that punishment for the violation of law is always a counteraggression directed by society against the offender, which is usually an intensification of the kind of abusive environment that initially nurtured the deviant behavior. Topics discussed in the groupings of statements include discrimination in the enactment and enforcement of law, manifestations of caste and class in the use of imprisonment, the families and friends of inmates, sex in prison, solitary confinement, capital punishment, prison escape, the uses of religion in prison, ways of coping and surviving in prison, the military dissident, and the release experience. In addition to being statements and narratives of despair, the presentations also portray political and social insights developed during prison terms. Quotations from philosophers, psychologists, and novelists accompany the confessions of male and female inmates and ex-inmates. Biographical notes and an index are provided.