Readers throughout the world will find this historical contribution in English, German and French well worth the investment.

There were countless riots and disturbances, and an eleven-hour hostage crisis during which the superintendent and five officers faced death. When I requested a transfer to Walpole State Prison (since renamed MCI Cedar Junction) it was Massachusetts' sole maximum security prison. At 26 years of age, I had a bright future, for I was about to earn a BS w/honor degree from Northeastern University, and within two years I earned a Master of Public Administration degree. The Commissioner of Correction invited me to transfer from a county system after hearing me speak at a seminar. It didn't take long to recognize why Walpole was so dangerous. Inmates had basically wrested control from the Commissioner and the Walpole administration. SCREW is the story of how we, my fellow officers and I, fought for and finally won changes. It took a great deal of courage for the officers to stand united during five strikes, four of which were for increased safety, which ultimately made Walpole one of the safest maximum security prisons in the country. There could have been mass firings, for there is no right to strike in the public sector. If the only complaint I hear about the book is that I exaggerated my role, I am a happy guy. When I arrived at Walpole in the spring of 1976, the word throughout the prison was that I had been sent to spy on the officers by the Commissioner of Correction. I was assigned to the 3-11 shift, during which most of the violence took place, and a short one year later, I was elected president of my local (at age 27). I was outspoken against the new statewide contract which was about to be ratified and held my first news conference at the suggestion of the union members who helped elect me. The senior union officers tried to stop me and even attempted to censure me. And although the contract was ratified, they knew I would not fall in line as so many presidents before me had. Three weeks after my swearing in, we had our first showdown with manangement. Three weeks later my car mysteriously exploded as I was driving home at high speed. During my two-and-a-half years as president (elected 3 times) we struck five times as we negotiated safety policies which were put in place and still exist today to some extent. There were two organized crime contracts on my life, at least four attempts to take me hostage, and one officer credited me with saving his brother's life during the eleven-hour hostage crisis. My battles with then District Attorney William Delahunt, who is currently a U. S. Congressman, were reported in the newspapers. Not only did he fail to prosecute the inmates who took the hostages, he made several attempts to indict officers for alleged brutality against inmates. I never intended SCREW to be about Mike McLaughlin, but wanted it to be about life behind prison walls as seen by me. What happened in Walpole could happen in any prison anywhere. At any given moment, any officer or inmate may confront the same dangers, or worse, in any prison. Why is a good question and the answer will not be known until the people learn what is really going on. Only then can true change occur. Remember, 92% or more of all inmates will one day walk free. We should all be concerned about their reintegration into our communities. We should all be concerned with rehabilitation, which all too often takes a back seat to political considerations. Throughout our country, employees of correctional institutions are prevented from speaking out publicly about life behind the walls. The only news comes from the administration's public relations personnel. They determine what the public should learn, unless acts of violence occur that cannot be kept quiet. I wrote SCREW, with the assistance of my two co-authors, Warren Jamison and Russell Dynda, for the purpose of getting the message out about life behind prison walls. SCREW was not written to expose those I disagreed with, nor to position myself for a return to prison work. I had resigned from the Department of Correction in April 1980 and was gainfully employed as a Mortgage Originator with a local credit union. I had no ax to grind and I was not seeking anything more than to get my story published. The vast majority of rejections Warren, Russ, and I received stated clearly that a contract would be offered if the story were fiction. I am thankful Warren and Russ agreed with me, for the story is true and rather exciting, if I may say so. Respectfully submitted, Michael A. McLaughlin.

Previously valued friends exhausted his patience: Swinburne, for example, is "the crowning nuisance of the whole world. " At the same time, he unreservedly acknowledged debts and obligations, in particular to F. M. Brown and his brother William (to both of whom he owed "more in life" than to anyone else); and friends in need could always count on his generosity. When James Hannay's death left his family in uncertain circumstances, Rossetti acted immediately: "I have no family of my own to provide for, & am therefore doubly bound to do what I can for an old friend's children. ".