After the Madness:: A Judge's Own Prison Memoir [Hardcover]

Sol Wachtler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 1997

n the course of a year, Sol Wachtler went from being New York's top judge to the very bottom of the criminal justice system, assigned to solitary confinement in a federal prison. Poignant, gripping, and unflinching in its honesty, Wachtler's memoir is a warning from America's most dangerous realm and a revealing account of what prison does to individuals.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In November of 1992, New York's Chief Judge Sol Wachtler, an heir aparent to the governor's mansion, was arrested. He was charged and convicted for a humiliating crime stemming from his manic, obsessive harassment of his former mistress. A prominent New York socialite, the woman happened to be pals with the director of the FBI. Recorded conversations of the judge's threatening phone calls made for an open and shut case and sent the judge to federal prison for a 15-month stint. In After the Madness, the fallen jurist has created a confessional diary that chronicles his prison term. Stories of inmates are interspliced with prison reform recommendations and brief reflections on his crime. He also describes his "illness" and eventual diagnosis as manic-depressive, his incredible appetite (and ability!) to "self- medicate" at the rate of 5,000 pills in an 18-month period while serving on the bench, and the path he has taken to rebuild his name and career. The degree of hubris and the catastrophic fall give this story a classical dimension; the emphasis on psychiatry and self-esteem mark it as a product of our times.

From School Library Journal

YA. A very readable memoir by the former Chief Judge of New York, Wachtler's story is valuable for its points of view, for the author was a man of enormous power and potential, with a loving wife and family. His dark side, however, unalterably determined the course of his life. Within months of his appointment, Wachtler began an affair with Joy Silverman, the stepdaughter of his wife's uncle. It continued until he succumbed to depression and ended it. Using his prestige, he was able to convince various doctors to prescribe amphetamines, antidepressants, and hypnotics in large amounts, which provoked the development of a severe manic-depressive disorder. In the throes of mental illness, he harassed and threatened Silverman in an attempt to get her back. In November 1992, he was arrested and charged with extortion. A year later, in his mid '60s, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison and 2 years of supervised release. Written as a diary of his prison time, the book contains stories of fellow prisoners, reflections on his situation, and an analysis of the current state of the penal system. It's an interesting, and rare, discussion of both sides of the fence?a convicted felon who can speak as both guilty party and judge. Having lived through being strip-searched, confined to the "hole," and stabbed, Wachtler can definitively speak about prison life. His opinions of his failings, his actions, and the corrections needed in the prison system could lead to lively moral and ethical discussions.?Carol DeAngelo, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 369 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (March 25, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679456538
• ISBN-13: 978-0679456537
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,646,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Crime & Criminals > Penology
  • #71 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Criminals

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Window Into Our Criminal Justice System, January 23, 2000

By 

"juli3" (Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: After the Madness:: A Judge's Own Prison Memoir (Hardcover)

This book should be read by every person involved in sentencing people (they are people) to our prisons, both federal and state. Senators and Representatives, both federal and state; probation officers, judges, the police, etc. The book illustrates how mental illness is still not put in the same category as physical illness. There is no sympathy, understanding, or compassion for one who is mentally ill. Judge Wachtler was severely punished for his crime of harassment. Harsh punishments for non-violent crimes should be reconsidered. Drug/alcohol addiction is an illness and should be treated as such by our criminal justice system. Prison is dehumanizing, especially for the non-violent offender. I would like to see Judge Wachtler try to effect the changes within our system that he talks about in his book.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and thought provoking, December 5, 2003

By 

David H. Birley (Rock Hill, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: After the Madness:: A Judge's Own Prison Memoir (Hardcover)

The combination of the brilliant and insightful mind of the former Chief Judge of New York State (and frontrunner for possible Governor), and his brutal dehumanizing experience in Federal Prison makes this book a "must read" for anyone who is concerned about this country's current "criminal justice" system. The opportunities that he made the most of to get to know people who were serving long terms for first offences, his insights into how the current sentencing guidelines have taken away the opportunity for judges to judge, and passed that authority over to the prosecutors is eye-opening.

At the last, I was left with a helpless feeling for the total failure of the much vaunted "fairness" of our legal system. A realization that perhaps the greatest punishment isn't the incarceration, but the stripping of a person's personality, and opportunity to be a "normal part of society" upon release.

Please read it, think about it, and ask yourself "Is there anything I can do to change this system?"

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest look at the justice system from both sides, May 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: After the Madness:: A Judge's Own Prison Memoir (Hardcover)

This book provides an excellent look at the justice system from both sides. The former chief judge for the highest court in New York spent time in federal prisons, and in this book, he shares his experiences and the lessons he learned. This is a great book for anyone interested in the legal system, because it gives Wachtler's inside views and opinions from the aspect of both a judge and a former prisoner.