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Poetic Justice: Reflections on the Big House, the Death House, and the American Way of Justice

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What a wonderful and unusual book! Robert Johnson, well-known for his scholarly analyses of the experiences of prisoners on death row and of their executioners, here presents poems that his studies have inspired him to write. While his rightly-acclaimed scholarly books tell us what his brain learned from studying the darkest corners of our criminal justice system, his poems tell us what his heart learned: "All of us, made/Cold as ice, hard as steel/unable to feel/the harm we do/in the name of justice." Anyone who wants a full understanding of criminal justice in America should not read only scholarly works of the sort that Johnson and others have written, but should read this book as well!

Poignant and powerful, lyrical and raw, Rob Johnson's poems make us feel and think about what the death penalty does to the condemned, and to us. A gem for lovers of poetry and undergraduates in criminal justice or ethics courses alike.

In the work Poetic Justice, Rob Johnson takes the reader on a fascinating portrayal of life as an inmate experiences it. Johnson eloquently humanizes the prison experience, and in so doing allows the reader an intimate exposure to the world of the incarcerated. The raw and often dispassionate views are real and force the reader to realize just how ineffective our modern prison system is. The empathy that is often conveyed in even the most simple of passages is disturbing and challenges all who read these verses to recognize the need to rectify societies thirst for vengeance and retribution while adopting solutions that are not only theoreticaly sound but practically effective as well. Our modern prison system is in an imbalanced impasse where both staff and inmates co-exist in a limbo of uncertainty of each other, and where human congestion results in a gauntlet of violence, greed and desperation.

As a college instructor, I have found this reader to be of utmost value in having students relate many of the theories of criminology that we study in class to the verses of the poems.
The very first poem which uses the book's title "Poetic Justice" emphasizes a collaboration of conflict theory and class hostility, along with social structural theories such as disorganization and strain theory in which the author posits "Build prisons not day-care, lock 'em up what do we care? Hire cops, not counselors, staff courts, not clinics, wage warfare, not welfare." Our system of government, schools, and employment often creates the very problems they portend to deal with by not providing the assistance, education, employment and comunity programs where needed. The government advocates punishment over rehabilitation and structural services to provide for the poor and disenfranchised. With limited opportunities, disillusionment grows as does poverty and crime.

In another poem entitled "Busted," the author relates "You thought you'd make a big score, now you face the prison door." "But once we tag you a criminal, we hate to let you go." "Busted, sitting in a squad car,...looking in the rearview mirror at the life you left behind." In this selection, classical theory with it's emphasis on "free will" is evident along with social strain, particularly institutional anomie and relative deprivation, to convey the feeling of being busted. Labeling thoery is also examined through a series of successful degradation ceremonies of a a life of freedom now squandered for a life behind bars.

In "Colder" a violent offender has turned to crime as a result of weakened social bonds. Indeed, he is often cold and calculating, "disconnected," and numb to emotion like a machine or "robot." Since his primary source of socialization was absent during his early childhood, little was learned of compassion and comfort, he feels no attachment to his victims. He lacked the discipline, care and support offered by strong family ties. There is no containment, self-enhancement, or strong bonds or models to imitate. "He lives for revenge -cold world, cold comfort." He is doomed to a life of crime and misery. "There's no over the rainbow for this guy, just one long storm."

In classic Marxian taste, Johnson dispels any rumors that prisons are non-discriminating in the poem "Prison." His not so subtle use of such terms as "people of poverty," "working wounded," "dispossessed," and "discarded," clearly points to the prison industry as being created almost entirely with the thought of the poor and indigent in mind, indeed, to smother the hopes of the impoverished. Dehumanization and the ultimate sense of total exclusion from society is echoed in "Prison time out of sight, time out of mind, for those who don't toe the line." Still, one is left to wonder whether the inmate failed society or did society fail the inmate?

These were only a sampling of the many theoretical compositions that are readily apparent in these poems. In almost every case, several theories can be examined which is a great method to get students to understand the theories more concretely when used in the light of both prose and poetry. I highly recommend this reader for both undergraduate and graduate courses in criminology or criminal justice.

Having read Robert Johnson's previous works dealing with crime and punishment, it was most enlightening to read his powerful poetry. The poems show great sensitivity towards those caught in the criminal justice system. The graphic designs on the cover and throughout the book capture the essence of the material. Hats off to Eleanor Potter, Jennifer Leigh Adger and Amy Hendrick.

Having read Robert Johnson's amazing poetry about prisons, death row, and our criminal justice system, I can highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in justice, poetic or otherwise. Johnson's creativity and the raw power of his poems make it both a "can't put it down" book and one you also want to study in depth. As a college professor, I look forward to reading it in class with my students. Many of the poems are real thrillers while others are subtle and thought-provoking. All are to be savored and re-read often.

It is bracing to read a collection of verse that sustains the manuscript's title throughout the publication. The book is subcategorized into eight sections with an Addendum, and the entire assemblage maintains one unmistakeable theme: America's Prison System Does Not Work.

The first poem in Part I, PERSPECTIVE, is the title poem, "Poetic Justice". The poem bluntly states that we should "Build prisons/not daycare/lock 'em up/what do we care?" with a cynical slant, but it is clear that Professor Johnson writes with authority.

Section V, "THE CORPORATE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER" gives the reader a collection of five pieces written in the form of a 'prayer-book'. The second poem, called A PATRIARCH'S PROTOCOL, is a prayer in the tone of Psalms 32, with phrases riddled throughout such as, "...hollow be/Thy Claim/Thy Fortune Come/They will be Mum/On CNN/and before Congress/..."--just one example of the metaphorical wit that Mr. Johnson uses throughout the book. I especially liked Section VII's poem called GLOBAL VILLAGE LIFE, where we "...forget about victims of injustice, real and imagined,/whose resentments simmer and boil/just below the surface of village life..." A profound piece.

His voice changes throughout the book, from the voice of an executioner, to a man on death row, to a lamenting mother of a convicted felon. The empathy that the writer conveys gives the reader a sense of understanding that wouldn't be possible had just any poet/writer tried to create such a unique collection. Johnson's involvement with the corporate-controlled prison system gives him an advantage, and the collection rings honest and forthright.

The poems remind us that the concept of vengeance leads our society to an inevitable path of constant retaliation, and a system based on regressive practices is bound to fail--not only for the "prisoners", but for the corrections employees and the victims as well.

There are several poems that are characteristic of Johnson's intrinsic, fluid wit, each one worth savoring not only for their lucidity--which is no simple task for many poets--but for the edification that these poems extend to the reader.

The entire collection comprising POETIC JUSTICE is heroic, to say the least. Robert Johnson not only offers up technically balanced and concise verses, but they bear the stamp of honest, as well. The arenas of our imperfect justice system merit a reawakening in our society, and this book not only helps to clarify exactly what is wrong with "justice", but it vilifies the fallacy that all is well within our courts. All in all, I was left with a sense of America's perpetual proclivity towards the scales of justice leaning more towards the inequitable, which is, in itself, a sort of Poetic Justice.

Robert Johnson's work, starting with classic texts such as Death Work, resonates with layers of meaning and a passionate conviction that without a commitment to justice, life is not worth living. For years he has been inspiring students and scholars of justice and law across the world not only to do probing analyses but also to make changes in their lives and their work. Now, with his first book of poems, Poetic Justice, Johnson reaches out to a wider audience of readers, bringing his passionate scrutiny of injustice to life with words that sing out the wrongs of contemporary society and the confusion of vengeance with justice. His "Police line: Do not cross," ironically intertwines the call to order and the institution of policing and the inadequacies of our own internal governance. His "Reptile House" provides a chilling and powerful metaphoric exploration of the prison experience. Throughout this collection, Johnson's insightful use of irony, metaphor, incisive allusion, and rhythm brings to life terror and brutality in the justice system and makes real the necessary and fundamental insight that we have all been wronged, that we all are victims of injustice as well as purveyors of it, and that to move forward toward a more just society, we must all recognize ourselves in each other. Johnson's poems do just this. They should be read and re-read by all who are concerned about inhumanity and injustice, all who are concerned about constructing a better and more just society.