Felons & Fugitives: Stories from the History of Florida State Prison

 

Florida State Prison (formerly Raiford Prison) had it's humble beginning in the early 20th century as a farm designed to temporarily hold offenders deemed too infirm to work on chain gangs.  Today, it is a high security institution confining Florida's most dangerous criminals and the home of it's death chamber.  Felons & Fugitives: Stories from the History of Florida State Prison traces the history of Florida's only named "prison" through the eyes of those unfortunate people who spent time within it's walls.

From the author of the Amazon Best Seller South of the St. Marys River: Stories from the History of Northeast Florida, the new book, Felons & Fugitives, examines the history of Florida State Prison through the lives of some of Florida's most unusual criminals.  Each story is as unique as the individual behind it, from the youthful indiscretions that blossomed into lifelong sentences to the harrowing circumstances that forced individuals into a life of crime, to the extraordinary measures that some of them took to avoid or escape their sentences.  The following are a few of the real-life characters that the reader will meet:


A man who spent fifty years behind bars for repeatedly committing the same petty crime.  Every time he got out he did it again.  Some people never learn!


The prisoner who, after being strapped in the electric chair, was spared after prison officials could not agree on who would pull the switch.


The first woman to be executed in Florida's electric chair.  She had a bad habit of murdering family members for the insurance money.



An escapee who managed to remain on the run for an incredible thirty-two years before being recaptured.  He found that the prison he was returned to was much changed from the prison he had escaped.


The Miami Beach pool boy and surfing champion who became the nation's most celebrated jewel thief.


Two killers who became best friends while in prison.  One went on to be executed, the other became an author and lecturer.

Felons & Fugitives: Stories from the History of Florida State Prison delves deep into the essence of how these people became felons and how they dealt with their punishment.  The reader is warned: some of their stories are disturbing!  Other stories are thought-provoking, some are even darkly comical.  Through them the reader will not only relive the history of Florida State Prison but will gain a greater understanding of justice and humanity.

Felons & Fugitives: Stories from the History of Florida State Prison is scheduled for release this Summer.  If you would like to be notified as soon as it is available and receive a special pre-release discount, please enter your email below.

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