The Sounding Tree: Voices Along the Razor Wire

Written by a corrections officer with fifteen years on the job, this crusading look at the sordid world inside stone walls rings authenticity rarely found in books about prison life. Sparks fly when Dickenson speaks of racism, incompetent officers and administrators, extortion, sexual misconduct and physical and mental abuse.

Lee Dickenson is a former corrections officer and advocate for prison reform. He spent 15 years working as a corrections officer, which gave him an intimate, high-stress view of the American penal system. He began writing as a therapeutic way to process the emotional and mental impact of his career. His blunt and uncompromising style in books like The Sounding Tree and The Keepers of the Keys led to significant backlash and even personal threats due to his exposure of systemic abuse. Dickenson has used his platform to campaign for better oversight and reform within state and federal prisons