Mother California: A Story of Redemption Behind Bars

Kenneth Hartman killed a homeless California man for no reason at age 19, in 1980. It was not his first problem with the law. Caught within 24 hours, he was sentenced to life without parole (LWOP). Since he was 16, Hartman has been out 86 days - hence the book's name "Mother California." Hartman calls his sentence 'the other death penalty,' 'infinite meaninglessness.' He also asserts that most prisoners are poorly educated, with unresolved mental issues, low self-esteem, and addiction problems, and that enhanced/increased visiting privileges to build family ties, higher education, and quality drug and alcohol treatment lower recidivism but are opposed by special interest groups - a 2006 San Diego Union-Tribune article reported that 10% of California correctional officers earned over $100,000 in 2005. (My reading of the data on treatment programs is much less sanguine.) His first years were spent trying to stay near the top of prison society - always armed with a shank, and frequently using it on his fellow inmates. Drug traffic flourished within prison walls, thanks to visitors, packages, and even guards, and Hartman did at least his share. (Payment goes to a free-world address within ten days, and doubles every ten days. Recalcitrance leads to severe beating, if one is lucky.) Hartman also spends as much as 9 months at a time in solitary, accompanied only by a 12" B & W TV. Race 'conflict' (a euphemism) is endemic throughout the prison system, and depending on location, stabbings may be as well (20-30/month at Folsom). Readers also learn that painted floors help identify where shanks are produced, guards are often abusive towards inmates, and complaints against those in the system often result in retaliation. Eventually Hartman begins attending group therapy, finds love, marries a very attractive woman employed as a legal secretary (what was she thinking?), becomes the father of a girl (now a teenager), and joins a creative writing group. He even stops using drugs, though the transition is slow - at first Hartman uses his wife to smuggle in drugs contained in a balloon which he'd swallow (avoid detection), then 'retrieve' a day or so later. His wife goes through severe depression after childbirth and quits work to care for the child; she has now returned to work. Years after beginning his sentence, Hartman comes to regret his past, respects his parent's past efforts and accomplishments, stops participating in the prison violence and racial hatred, and helped establish an honors program for those who qualify and want a peaceful life within prison. California, meanwhile, becomes swept up in the punishment movement - cutting programs, visitations, food expenditures, and even taking away their weights. He blames these changes for recidivism rates rising from 30% when he first came to prison to today's 70%, and California's higher than average prison suicide rates. Bottom-Line: Hartman is correct when he points out the waste of resources bott

I recieved the book in a timely fashion and it was in exelent quality, and an exelent reader. Thank you.

Kenneth E. Hartman is a masterful writer, bringing us into his world. His memoir is intense. We're pleased to have an uplifting story (Seeking Peace) by Kenneth in our latest book "Serving Productive Time." - Tom Lagana, co-author "Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul," "Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul," "Serving Productive Time," and "Serving Time, Serving Others." Serving Productive Time: Stories, Poems, and Tips to Inspire Positive Change from Inmates, Prison Staff, and Volunteers Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Hope, Healing and Forgiveness (Chicken Soup for the Soul) Serving Time, Serving Others: Acts of Kindness by Inmates, Prison Staff, Victims, and Volunteers

I work in a prison, and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about a dark part of life that most people in the public know little about. The book is more than just a story of one man's life behind bars; it speaks to the unfortunate circumstances in which the State of California finds itself. Kenneth Hartman gives a very balanced view of the prison environment. He does not apologize for his life circumstances, yet he leaves the reader with a richer understanding of what it is like behind bars. There is a deep sadness that comes across in his writing, along with a message for reform of our current system of punishment. By delving into this fine read, one can readily see the need for prevention and reformation, and the difficulties of achieving redemption within the California prison system.

I've read quite a few prison memoirs and this is up there with the best in the class. Kenneth Hartman tells most of his life story in this book (and in doing so he makes a great case for doing away with the harsh U.S. sentencing guidelines). This is a personal book but it moves the reader to get involved in some type of prison reform. He writes in a straightforward and gripping manner. I finished this book in two days and could barely put it down from the moment I started it.