Murder on the Inside (trade paper)

Description

You have taken our civil rightswe want our human rights.On April 14, 1971, a handful of prisoners attacked the guards at Kingston Penitentiary and seized control, making headlines around the world. For four intense days, the prisoners held the guards hostage while their leaders negotiated with a citizens committee of journalists and lawyers, drawing attention to the dehumanizing realities of their incarceration, including overcrowding, harsh punishment and extreme isolation. But when another group of convicts turned their pent-up rage towards some of the weakest prisoners, tensions inside the old stone walls erupted, with tragic consequences. As heavily armed soldiers prepared to regain control of the prison through a full military assault, the inmates were finally forced to surrender.Murder on the Insidetells the harrowing story of a prison in crisis against the backdrop of a pivotal moment in the history of human rights. Occurring just months before the uprising at Attica Prison, the Kingston riot has remained largely undocumented, and few have known the detailsyet the tense drama chronicled here is more relevant today than ever. A gripping account of the standoff and the efforts for justice and reform it inspired,Murder on the Insideis essential reading for our times.Includes 24 pages of photographs.Praise forMurder on the InsideCatherine Fogartys page-turner is a story of social and political failure. Shes worked very hard to flesh out the complex men on both sides of the 1971 Kingston Pen riot and make them into compelling characters. Shes found fascinating heroes and moral cowards in places you wont expect. And, when you think youve reached the end of the story, Fogarty will show you injustice upon injustice. Almost no one comes out of this story looking good, including Canadians who think human beings should be locked in cages and left without hope.Mark Bourrie, lawyer and author ofBush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit RadissonCatherine Fogartys moment-by-moment recreation of the bloody 1971 riot at the notorious Kingston Penitentiary is a compelling must-read. The depth of research is remarkable. The narrative crackles with tension and foreboding. Those caught up in the standoffinmates, guards, prison officials and journalists alikecome alive. This searing portrait of the still-too-secret world of Canadas prisons truly is impossible to put down.Dean Jobb, author ofThe Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream and Empire of Deception