No Human Contact, Pete Earley
No Human Contact, Pete Earley
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No Human Contact
Solitary Confinement, Maximum Security, and Two Inmates Who Changed the System

Author: Pete Earley

Narrator: Rich Miller

Unabridged: 9 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/25/2023


Synopsis

In 1983, Thomas Silverstein and Clayton Fountain, both serving life sentences at the U.S. Prison in Marion, Illinois, separately murdered two correction officers on the same day. The Bureau of Prisons condemned both men to the severest punishment that could legally be imposed, one created specifically for them. It was unofficially called "no human contact."

Each initially spent nine months in a mattress-sized cell where the lights burned twenty-four hours a day. They were clothed only in boxer shorts, completely sealed off from the outside world with only their minds to occupy their time. Fountain turned to religion and endured twenty-one-years before dying alone of natural causes. Silverstein became a skilled artist and lasted thirty-six years, longer than any other American prisoner in isolation.

Pete Earley—the only journalist to be granted face-to-face access with Silverstein—examines profound questions at the heart of our justice system. Were Silverstein and Fountain born bad? Or were they twisted by abusive childhoods? Did incarceration offer them a chance of rehabilitation—or force them to commit increasingly heinous crimes? No Human Contact elicits a uniquely deep and uncomfortable understanding of the crimes committed, the use of solitary confinement, and the reality of life, redemption, and death behind prison walls.

About Pete Earley

Pete Earley is a mental health advocate, journalist, and New York Times bestselling author of fiction and nonfiction books, including The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness. A former Washington Post reporter, Earley has appeared five times before the U.S. Congress to testify about the need for mental health reform, has spoken in forty-nine states, and addressed legislators in four foreign countries. He serves on the board of the Corporation for Supportive Housing, which finances projects to eliminate homelessness. He writes regularly for USA Today and the Washington Post about mental health issues.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Laura on August 24, 2023

A disturbing, challenging portrait of two inmates convicted of separate crimes subjected to the same conditions within the American jail system. As per the author, as many as 80,000 inmates are currently held in isolation, or solitary confinement, in the US. This book details and discusses the backg......more

Goodreads review by Julie on May 05, 2023

Ugly Truth This is a really interesting book about two prisoners who each killed a prison guard and they were punished severely. Each prisoner lived isolated from all other human beings. Not only isolated, but often abused by guards for the sake of revenge. How far is too far? This book is incredibl......more

Goodreads review by Valerity (Val) on January 20, 2023

Another excellent true crime book by Pete Earley. Shocking stories of the real life situations behind bars endured by prisoners for decades. It gives much to think about and will stay with me a long time.......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on May 25, 2023

No Human Contact by Pete Earley audiobook was narrated by Rich Miller. He was good and I highly recommend listening to this one. This was true crime fiction at its ugliest. It was disturbing at times and difficult. The mother was a real piece of work and I really can’t believe Tom survived her. It’s......more

Goodreads review by Shelly on March 06, 2024

Not for anyone with a weak stomach or a strong aversion to brutal violence and bloodshed. This was a very insightful read, questioning if someone born into a violent, hateful family environment can possibly navigate through life with ANY potential. Our prison systems are hugely flawed, what's happen......more