Prison From The Inside Out

One Man's Journey From A Life Sentence to Freedom

By: William Mecca Elmore, Susan Simone

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Paperback | 2 February 2021

At a Glance

Paperback
390 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 2.21

Paperback

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Prison From The Inside Out is both a book and an act of trust: A black man from New Jersey and a white woman from New York meet in a workshop at a North Carolina prison. They decide they have something to tell the world about incarceration, self-esteem, personal growth, survival, and the power of trust. Together they have created this book.

On March 30, 1991, William "Mecca" Elmore fired a gun toward a parked and occupied van in an attempt to protect a friend who he thought was actively involved in a drug deal gone bad. In court two years later, that same friend testified that Mecca had aimed directly at the van's occupants, one of whom died of his wound before reaching the hospital. Mecca admitted to firing the gun, but he did not plan to kill anyone, so although the public defender urged him to take a plea bargain, he insisted on taking the stand. Today, Mecca sees giving that testimony as a turning point in his life.

Mecca was sentenced to "mandatory life," a sentence that meant he would spend the rest of his natural life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Prison From The Inside Out tells the story of how that sentence was served.

Industry Reviews

Forceful, vivid, and utterly captivating. Every voice is fully alive, opinionated, smart, honest, articulate, and human--especially that of Mecca, the complex, thoughtful figure at the center. - Lydia Davis, fiction writer, MacArthur Fellow, Man Booker International Prize

In his many years of incarceration, William 'Mecca" Elmore realized that words are more powerful than bars. This is also a love story dedicated to resistance, resilience, hope, unconditional love, and humility. - Jaki Shelton Green, North Carolina Poet Laureate

Beautiful! A revealing oral history that opens up the world inside our prisons. - Timothy Tyson, Author Blood Done Sign My Name & The Blood of Emmett Till

Prison From the Inside Out is Awesome. Just like William, It's Straight Up with No Chaser. - James Langston, Retired Superintendent, Wake Correctional, Raleigh, NC

You have a lot to say to me and to anyone who picks up this book. I'm honored to be a character in your story. - James Leone, U.S. Marine, Former supervisor, Piedmont Correctional, Salisbury NC

This multiple perspective approach challenges how we interpret the lives of the incarcerated and how they deal with the difficulties of daily living behind bars. - Jeffrey Ian Ross PhD, Professor, co-author Beyond Bars: Rejoining Society After Prison

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