
Justice is what love looks like in public.
– Cornel West
“Being in these situations for a quarter of a century let me know what I’m made of. I’m not invincible. I’m a mere man of flesh and blood. But let me tell you something: if we wanted to, me and my family, my friends, we could go
through this struggle again. We’re built like that. And everybody is. That’s what we want to tell everybody. You are wonderfully made. You just don’t know it. It took twenty-five years and a natural life sentence in prison for me to figure out that I was wonderfully made. How can I help you figure that out without the stick across your head? Please help me figure that out. ‘Cause everybody don’t survive the stick across the head. They just don’t.”
– William “Mecca” Elmore
Prison From the Inside Out is both a book and an act of trust: A black man from New Jersey and a white woman from New York meet in a workshop at a North Carolina prison. They decide they have something to tell the world about incarceration, self-esteem, personal growth, survival, and the power of trust. Together they have created this book.

Order the book! Click Here!
Plans for the book project
Prison from the Inside Out: One Man’s Journey from a Life Sentence to Freedom
FREE TO THE INCARCERATED
We intend to distribute it at no cost to every incarcerated person requesting a copy, (subject to available funding).
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
William “Mecca” Elmore and Susan Simone are available together, and individually, for motivational and moving discussions in many venues
The FREEDOM PHOTO Project
Inspired by the cover photo of Mecca’s first day of freedom, Simone is collecting other FREEDOM PHOTOS. Some of these will be presented in the blogs on this website.
HELP US PUBLISH & MAIL
We used our own time and money to get to this point. Mecca is out and a free man, Simone has written like crazy! Now we are partnering to get the book printed and sent into prisons.
We are trying to raise funds to allow us to concentrate on getting out there to speak and discuss. All contributions are tax-deductible.
You may donate online via the link to donate at HKF, our publisher and fiscal sponsor. The book is also available at AMAZON and at Barnes and Noble bookstores online.
If you have any questions or would like to chat about our coming to your organization, email: simone@prisonfromtheinsideout.org
You may also send a note via the “contact us” page on this website. Thank you for your interest and concern!
Book ISBN: 9780961444488