Prison, An Outsider Looking In

Prison, An Outsider Looking In

Nearly fifty years inside prison walls—told by the volunteer who always got to go home, but never left unchanged. For nearly fifty years, sociologist and volunteer Norman Zurn has walked through the gates of Utah’s prisons—then walked back out again, changed every single time. In “Prison: An Outsider Looking In,” he shares what he has seen, heard, and felt on the inside, offering a rare, compassionate look at the people most of society tries not to see. Drawing on decades as a college professor, spiritual-group facilitator, and mentor, Zurn weaves together “thought streams”: brief, powerful stories and reflections from chapels, cell blocks, classrooms, and visiting rooms. Readers meet men in white whose lives were shaped by trauma, bad years, and one terrible decision, as well as those who found education, faith, and a second chance behind the fence. Along the way, Zurn explores service, redemption, family, grief, spiritual growth, and the simple human longing to be seen as more than a number. This is not a policy manual or a sensational true-crime exposé. It is the honest account of an “outsider” who chose to go where others would not, listening deeply to those living with the consequences of their choices—and of ours as a society. Through stories of programs like the Spiritual Journey Group, prison college classes, gardening projects, and transition efforts, Zurn shows how small acts of connection can tip a life toward hope instead of despair. “Prison: An Outsider Looking In” will resonate with readers interested in criminal justice reform, prison ministry, sociology, memoir, and spiritual growth. It invites all of us to ask a simple but uncomfortable question: Who do we want people to be when they come home? And what are we willing to do, right now, to help them get there? Publisher: BookFuel