'These strange criminals' : an anthology of prison memoirs by conscientious objectors from the Great War to the Cold War / edited by Peter Brock.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Sometimes intensely moving, and often inspiring, these memoirs show that in some cases, individual conscientious objectors - many well-educated and politically aware - sought to reform the penal system from within either by publicizing its dysfunction or through further resistance to authority.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

The title of this book refers to the fact that those who have been imprisoned as conscientious objectors are a "strange" breed of criminal. Refusing to comply with laws requiring military service out of principle, they are not predators. Editor Brock (emer., history, Univ. of Toronto) has selected some 30 prison memoirs of conscientious objectors from English-speaking countries (the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand) who went to jail during the WW I, WW II, or Cold War periods. The excerpts from these memoirs are prefaced with useful introductions from Brock, who places them in the proper context and provides some background information on the memoirists. The excerpts are mostly quite lengthy. As conscientious objectors tend to be better educated and more articulate than typical prison inmates, the writing is on a reasonably high level. The memoirs provide reflections on the pains and privations of prison, as well as thoughts on prison reform. The volume has two intended audiences: students of penology and students of peace movements. In light of the banality of prison life, these memoirs may be of limited interest to other constituencies. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. D. O. Friedrichs University of Scranton