March 5
TEXASnew book
A career behind bars ... former TDCJ warden lends hand to
soon-to-be-released book
Jim Willett, curator of the Texas Prison Museum and former warden of the
Huntsville Unit, will release a book later this month chronicling his
years of service within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Inspired by Willett and authored by his longtime friend Ron Rozelle,
"Warden: Texas Prison Life and Death From the Inside Out," recounts
Willett's experiences as a warden from the 1970s on up until his
retirement in 2001.
The book is non-fiction but is written in the style of a novel from a
first-person perspective. Willett was originally inspired to put together
the book when a New York Times reporter, who was in Huntsville, read some
of the notes and journal entries the former warden had kept about his
experiences within the prison system.
The idea sparked Willett's interest, but a self-proclaimed lack of writing
ability presented a rather looming roadblock to bringing the idea to
completion. So he did what many other people would do in a situation like
this: He had someone else write for him, though not without a little bit
of good fortune.
"My first thought was, 'I don't know anything about books, all I know is
Ronnie.' So I tried to get ahold of him, but I didn't even know where he
was. I couldn't find him," Willett said, referring to Rozelle. "Then,
about a week after that incident, out of the clear blue, I haven't talked
to him in years and he calls me and says, 'I need your help. I'm thinking
about writing a book about the 'Walls' Unit.' And so then we just got to
working on this book."
The book begins with Willett's 1st day of work at the Huntsville "Walls"
Unit, and runs through the gamut of his positions during his 30-year
career with TDCJ.
Willett has been witness to a staggering number of executions (89),
several of which he recounts in the book, as well as being present for the
Carrasco siege, the longest-lasting prison standoff in America's history.
Despite the magnitude of these other events which have dominated Willett's
career, he feels it is the smaller, less-noticed parts of his career he
sees as giving the book its unique flavor.
"It just kinda picks the little things, incidents and characters that I
ran across, both inmate and guards. It talks about the little things that
don't get picked up by the news media that are really interesting," he
said.
Rozelle said the appeal of the book comes through the unique way it is
written while maintaining the facts.
"The main thing is that it is written very much like a novel, but every
word of it is true," he said. "The story is of the 'Walls' Unit and the
Texas prison system, but never do we leave the focus, and that is on Jim."
Producing the book was not without its problems, however. Several major
disagreements with the original publisher caused the book to be shelved
for a couple of years before it was revived by Bright Sky Press.
"The original editor very much wanted an expose about dirty prisons and
corrupt prisons, and you can't imply that because it's just not true,"
Rozelle said. "So we started another book and Bright Sky Press brought us
out of bondage."
In all, Willett hopes after people read the book they'll come away with a
better understanding of how the Texas prison system works.
Rozelle feels readers will find a story "about a life well lived."
"I think they will gain a sense of a life well lived and a sense of the
community of the prison system," he said. "When I went to school in
Huntsville, I never paid much attention to what went on in those prisons,
but it really is a true community in the people that work there and serve
time there. Jim gets calls from ex-inmates all the time, thanking him for
his work. As long as we have people like (Jim) in charge of prisons, we're
going to be OK."
Rozelle is currently a teacher of creative writing at Brazoswood High
School in Clute. His previous works include "A Place Apart" and "The
Windows of Heaven."
"Warden: Texas Prison Life and Death From the Inside Out," is scheduled to
be released on March 28 and will retail for $28.95.
(source: Huntsville Item)
*
Fast track sought for execution bill--Measures give juries the option of
life without parole
2 state senators on Friday urged Gov. Rick Perry to give emergency status
to bills banning the execution of juvenile offenders and creating a life
without parole option for Texas juries.
Their request comes after Tuesday's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that
said it is unconstitutional for states to execute offenders whose crimes
were committed when they were younger than 18. A spokesman for Perry said
the governor is not likely to fast track either bill this session.
Texas is one of only three states to execute juvenile offenders in the
past decade. The ruling affects 28 Texas men who were sentenced to death
for crimes committed when they were 17.
"As the state most affected by
