DOC A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning; Survival; and Coming of Age in Prison by Dwayne Betts in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This is a good read because it is realisticBy MaelsterThis is a good read because it is realistic. It's not a feel good story fluffed by the wrongfully accused hero that triumphs. It does shed light on the injustices and inadequacies of the U.S. penal system though. A child should not be charged as an adult - at least when the crime does not involve murder. I found the story particularly relevant due to the legislation being pushed in several states to try juveniles as adults. How does that benefit society ? In most cases when such convicts are freed they have few options awaiting them. The author is an exception.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Prison Makes the ManBy David R. AndersonDwayne Betts did not fit the stereotype of an underachieving; trouble-bound black youth on Pearl Harbor Day; 1996. He was well read and college bound when he and a buddy committed the crimes for which he was ultimately sentenced to serve eight years in the Virginia prison system. Sixteen years old; a relatively recent amendment to the Virginia penal code allowed the Commonwealth to "certify" him as an adult. A Question of Freedom describes his prison experiences. More often than not during the first five years of his sentence; he was the youngest prisoner in his unit; although not necessarily the most vulnerable. Smart; resourceful; if; sometimes; too defiant for his own good; he made good use of his time; much of it spent in solitary confinement. He kept in shape (200 push-ups a day); read voraciously; wrote poetry; learned Spanish; completed a paralegal training course; and; took advantage of the diversity of the prison population to expand his horizons. His book provides a full account of the how; what; where and when of his experience. It is less definitive when it comes to his explanation of why he stepped out of character for the ten minutes that forever changed his life. It is to his great credit that he refused to blame his failings on his absent father or; more generally; on the failure of the community to help him steer clear of the crime. He seems to say that he did what he did because he thought he could do it and not mess up. Today; Dwayne Betts has become a role model for young black boys and a much sought after speaker and talk show guest. He is working for the repeal of the laws that allowed him to be certified as an adult. The question is before the U.S. Supreme Court and should be decided this spring. He is married; he and his wife Teresa have a two-year old son. His first book of poetry Shahid [his prison name] Reads His Own Palm is to be published in May. Just so you know; my wife and I had the good luck to make Dwayne and Teresa's acquaintance recently during an airport stopover in Baltimore.10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. We are the sum of our experience!By Robert J. GagnonHere's the story about an intelligent kid (not a thug) that grew up in a predominately Black area. The one older person he admires tells him how he got revenge on the police that abused him by carjacking "a whitey". Having never spoken to a white person himself; Betts honors his Peer by imitating his crime. He is sentenced to 9 years in an adult prison; where he spends the majority of his time; improving himself while seeking out (the knowledge) that will appease his desire to understand who he really is. Transferred from one prison to another; some bad some not so bad; he experiences a series of epiphanies; that mark his progress; told in such a way that can only be described as remarkable. He gets into trouble and goes to confinement frequently to read and contemplate his goals with less distraction. Towards the end of his sentence he teaches himself another language and describes prison as the most culturally diverse place he'd been to up to that point. But through it all he describes his time as being very alone. Betts did his time his way and left the same way he came in "alone". "VENI VIDI VICI!