Category crime and punishment

Prison Lingo — Revisited (reposted w/o the pesky paywall)

Prison is a strange world unto itself. It comes with its own set of rules–the convict code– and a unique language. So, if you ever find yourself behind bars, listen up. Your survival may depend on it. There are a few common expressions used in the big house that might sound a little foreign to […]

Prison Lingo – Revisited

New Blog Up Over At Murder Books

True crime comes with a price…

Prison–The New Social Safety Net

Here’s a blog post from Murderbooks talking about what prisons and their staff are expected to manage…

Arrest in the Stockton Serial Killer Case

Stockton Police made a dramatic arrest in the case that plagued the city in recent weeks. On October 15th, Wesley Brownlee was taken into custody while authorities believe he was out hunting for another victim in the central California city. The city of Stockton is not unfamiliar with gun crime and homicide. The city of […]

The Lockdown Continues : Lessons From Behind the Wall

Extended lockdowns like the six-month slog we’re going through can take a toll if you’re not prepared. As we talked about in March when the COVID lockdown orders were popping off across the country, a little prison wisdom can help ease the pain of long-term confinement. In prison, when the place comes off lockdown, it’s […]

Surviving the Virus Lockdown: Lessons From Behind the Wall

So, here we are, a month into our shelter-at-home exile from society. The virus, or more accurately, the response to it, has been difficult for some folks to wrap their heads around. One particular group seems to have coped exceptionally well during this isolation and quarantine — the convict. Shelter-in-place orders and doing time have […]

California’s Recently Uncovered Serial Killer

Serial killers are creatures of habit. It’s part of what often keeps them undetected for years. That same habit, often turns into a pattern, and patterns are a serial killer hunter’s best friend. Patterns helped to unmask the Golden State KiIler, Joseph DeAngelo, Jr,  and the Toolbox Killers, Bittiker and Norris. These killers sought specific […]

Serial Killer Pair–Bittaker and Norris

On December 16, 2019, an inmate housed on condemned row at San Quentin State Prison died while awaiting execution. Lawrence Sigmond Bittaker, known as one of the “Tool Box Killers” was sentenced to death in March of 1981 the kidnapping, murder and sexual assault of five young women. Bittaker and his crime partner, Roy Norris […]

Sacramento Serial Killer — Profile of a Second Chance

Digging around in Sacramento’s history isn’t for the faint of heart. The Gold Rush town was lawless and bloody with a reputation for quick frontier justice. Yet on a few occasions, the hand of mercy reached out and offered a second chance to a killer. Ida Brewer was a sex worker in the 1850’s who […]