Jack Abbott
Encyclopedia
Jack Henry Abbott was an American
criminal and author
. He was released from prison in 1981 after gaining praise for his writing and being lauded by a number of high-profile literary critics, including author Norman Mailer
. Six weeks after his release, however, he fatally stabbed a man during an altercation, was convicted of manslaughter
and returned to prison, where he committed suicide
in 2002.
, to an Irish-American soldier and a Chinese prostitute. According to his book, In the Belly of the Beast
, he claimed to have been in and out of foster care from the moment of his birth until the age of nine, at which point he started "serving long stints in juvenile detention quarters." As a child, Abbott was in trouble with teachers and later with the law, and by the age of 16 was sent to a long-term reform institution
, the Utah State Industrial School
. According to Abbott, his mistreatment by the school guards left him scarred for life.
The Australian film Ghosts... of the Civil Dead
is based on his life.
prison when he stabbed another inmate to death. He was given a sentence of three to 23 years for this offense, and in 1971 his sentence was increased by a further 19 years after he escaped and committed a bank robbery in Colorado
. Behind bars, he was rebellious and spent much time in solitary confinement
.
In 1977, he read that author Norman Mailer
was writing about convicted killer Gary Gilmore
. Abbott wrote to Mailer, alleging that Gilmore was largely embellishing his experiences, and offered to write about his time behind bars in order to provide a more factual depiction of life in prison. Mailer agreed and helped to publish In the Belly of the Beast, a book on life in the prison system consisting of Abbott's letters to Mailer.
Mailer supported Abbott's attempts to gain parole
. Abbott was released on parole
in June 1981, despite the misgivings of prison officials, one of whom questioned Abbott's mental state and whether he was rehabilitated, saying, "I thought ... that Mr. Abbott was a dangerous individual ... I didn't see a changed man. His attitude, his demeanor indicated psychosis." After leaving prison, Abbott went to New York City
and was the star of the literary scene for a short time.
. He argued with 22-year-old Richard Adan, son-in-law of the restaurant's owner. Adan, a budding actor and playwright, told him that the restroom was for staff use only. Abbott stabbed Adan in the chest, killing him. Abbott maintained that he acted in self-defense.
The very next day, unaware of Abbott's crime, the New York Times ran a positive review of In the Belly of the Beast.
After some time on the run, Abbott was arrested in Morgan City
, Louisiana
while he was working in an oilfield. He was charged with the murder of Adan. At his trial in January 1982, he gained the support of such celebrities as writer Jerzy Kosinski
, and actress Susan Sarandon
. He was convicted of manslaughter
and given a sentence of 15 years to life.
Apart from the advance fee of $12,500, Abbott did not receive any revenue from In the Belly of the Beast, because Richard Adan's widow successfully sued him for $7.5 million in damages, which meant she receives all the money from the book's sales.
Norman Mailer
was criticized for his role in getting Jack Abbott released and was accused of being so blinded by Abbott's evident writing talent that he did not take into account the man's violent nature. In a 1992 interview in The Buffalo News
, Mailer said that his involvement with Abbott was "another episode in my life in which I can find nothing to cheer about or nothing to take pride in." Kosinski admitted that their advocacy of Abbott was in essence, a "fraud."
He appeared before the parole board in 2001, but his application was denied because of his failure to express remorse, lengthy criminal record and disciplinary problems in prison.
Abbott's distrust of the prison system and his refusal to express remorse for many of his actions stemmed from his belief that much of what he did was in response to a dehumanizing system. He says his incarceration at the age of 12 until 18 was the result of "not adjusting well to foster homes" and his indeterminate sentence of up to five years for "issuing a check for insufficient funds" when he was 18 were examples of a system criminalizing and harshly punishing those it deems unfit for society.
On February 10, 2002, Jack Abbott hanged himself in his prison cell using a makeshift noose constructed from his bedsheets and shoelaces
. He left a suicide note, the contents of which have not been made public.
In 2004, a New York theater company ran a play based on the book, named In the Belly of the Beast Revisited.
In 2009, BINIBON by Elliott Sharp and Jack Womack was presented in New York at The Kitchen, which is based on the events surrounding the 1981 killing of Richard Adan.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
criminal and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He was released from prison in 1981 after gaining praise for his writing and being lauded by a number of high-profile literary critics, including author Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
. Six weeks after his release, however, he fatally stabbed a man during an altercation, was convicted of manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
and returned to prison, where he committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in 2002.
Biography
Abbott was born at Camp Skeel in Oscoda, MichiganOscoda, Michigan
Oscoda is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan located on the northern side of the Au Sable River where it enters Lake Huron. The community of Au Sable is on the other side of the river. Oscoda is in Oscoda Township in Iosco County, and not in Oscoda County, which is to the...
, to an Irish-American soldier and a Chinese prostitute. According to his book, In the Belly of the Beast
In the Belly of the Beast
In the Belly of the Beast is a book written by Jack Abbott and published in 1981.Jack Abbott was an American career criminal and the book consists of his letters to Norman Mailer about his experiences in what Abbott saw as a brutal and unjust prison system...
, he claimed to have been in and out of foster care from the moment of his birth until the age of nine, at which point he started "serving long stints in juvenile detention quarters." As a child, Abbott was in trouble with teachers and later with the law, and by the age of 16 was sent to a long-term reform institution
Reform school
A reform school in the United States was a term used to define, often somewhat euphemistically, what was often essentially a penal institution for boys, generally teenagers.-History:...
, the Utah State Industrial School
Utah State Industrial School
Utah State Industrial School was a juvenile reform school that operated in Ogden, Utah from October 31, 1889 to 1983.-History:In 1888, the Utah Territorial Assembly passed the Reform School bill, at the initiative of Salt Lake City attorney James Moyle, to help juvenile delinquents by teaching new...
. According to Abbott, his mistreatment by the school guards left him scarred for life.
The Australian film Ghosts... of the Civil Dead
Ghosts... of the Civil Dead
Ghosts... of the Civil Dead is a 1988 Australian film directed by John Hillcoat. The script was written by Hillcoat, producer Evan English and the unflappable Gene Conkie, as well as musicians Nick Cave and Hugo Race. It is partly based on the true story of Jack Henry Abbott...
is based on his life.
Prison and release
In 1965, aged 21, Abbott was serving a sentence for forgery in a UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
prison when he stabbed another inmate to death. He was given a sentence of three to 23 years for this offense, and in 1971 his sentence was increased by a further 19 years after he escaped and committed a bank robbery in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Behind bars, he was rebellious and spent much time in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
.
In 1977, he read that author Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
was writing about convicted killer Gary Gilmore
Gary Gilmore
Gary Mark Gilmore was an American criminal, and murderer, who gained international notoriety for demanding that his own death sentence be fulfilled following two murders he committed in Utah. He became the first person executed in the United States after the U.S...
. Abbott wrote to Mailer, alleging that Gilmore was largely embellishing his experiences, and offered to write about his time behind bars in order to provide a more factual depiction of life in prison. Mailer agreed and helped to publish In the Belly of the Beast, a book on life in the prison system consisting of Abbott's letters to Mailer.
Mailer supported Abbott's attempts to gain parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
. Abbott was released on parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
in June 1981, despite the misgivings of prison officials, one of whom questioned Abbott's mental state and whether he was rehabilitated, saying, "I thought ... that Mr. Abbott was a dangerous individual ... I didn't see a changed man. His attitude, his demeanor indicated psychosis." After leaving prison, Abbott went to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and was the star of the literary scene for a short time.
Murder and return to prison
On the morning of July 18, 1981, six weeks after getting out of prison, Jack Abbott went to a small cafe called the Binibon in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. He argued with 22-year-old Richard Adan, son-in-law of the restaurant's owner. Adan, a budding actor and playwright, told him that the restroom was for staff use only. Abbott stabbed Adan in the chest, killing him. Abbott maintained that he acted in self-defense.
The very next day, unaware of Abbott's crime, the New York Times ran a positive review of In the Belly of the Beast.
After some time on the run, Abbott was arrested in Morgan City
Morgan City, Louisiana
Morgan City is a city in St. Martin and St. Mary parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 12,404 at the 2010 census....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
while he was working in an oilfield. He was charged with the murder of Adan. At his trial in January 1982, he gained the support of such celebrities as writer Jerzy Kosinski
Jerzy Kosinski
Jerzy Kosiński , born Józef Lewinkopf, was an award-winning Polish American novelist, and two-time President of the American Chapter of P.E.N.He was known for various novels, among them The Painted Bird and Being There...
, and actress Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
. He was convicted of manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
and given a sentence of 15 years to life.
Apart from the advance fee of $12,500, Abbott did not receive any revenue from In the Belly of the Beast, because Richard Adan's widow successfully sued him for $7.5 million in damages, which meant she receives all the money from the book's sales.
Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
was criticized for his role in getting Jack Abbott released and was accused of being so blinded by Abbott's evident writing talent that he did not take into account the man's violent nature. In a 1992 interview in The Buffalo News
The Buffalo News
The Buffalo News is the primary newspaper of the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area, and the area's only daily newspaper. It is the only newspaper owned by Berkshire Hathaway.-History:...
, Mailer said that his involvement with Abbott was "another episode in my life in which I can find nothing to cheer about or nothing to take pride in." Kosinski admitted that their advocacy of Abbott was in essence, a "fraud."
Final years
In 1987, Abbott published another book titled My Return, which was not as popular as In the Belly of the Beast. In both these works, Abbott argues that society must reckon with its treatment of prisoners and that the prison system is fundamentally flawed in that it treats prisoners like sub-human creatures. In "Belly of the Beast" he explains the helplessness that prisoners feel while at the mercy of a prison system that is seemingly never held accountable for its actions. He also hints at the subtle yet devastating effect prisons have on all society. Abbot states,We have no legal rights as prisoners, only as citizens. The only "rights" we have are those left to their "discretion." So we assert our rights the only way we can. It is a compromise, and in the end I greatly fear we as prisoners will lose-but the loss will be society's loss. We are only a few steps removed from society. After us, comes you.
He appeared before the parole board in 2001, but his application was denied because of his failure to express remorse, lengthy criminal record and disciplinary problems in prison.
Abbott's distrust of the prison system and his refusal to express remorse for many of his actions stemmed from his belief that much of what he did was in response to a dehumanizing system. He says his incarceration at the age of 12 until 18 was the result of "not adjusting well to foster homes" and his indeterminate sentence of up to five years for "issuing a check for insufficient funds" when he was 18 were examples of a system criminalizing and harshly punishing those it deems unfit for society.
On February 10, 2002, Jack Abbott hanged himself in his prison cell using a makeshift noose constructed from his bedsheets and shoelaces
Shoelaces
Shoelaces, which are also called shoe-strings, shoe laces, or boot laces, are a system commonly used to secure shoes, boots and other footwear. They typically consist of a pair of strings or cords, one for each shoe, finished off at both ends with stiff sections, known as aglets...
. He left a suicide note, the contents of which have not been made public.
In 2004, a New York theater company ran a play based on the book, named In the Belly of the Beast Revisited.
In 2009, BINIBON by Elliott Sharp and Jack Womack was presented in New York at The Kitchen, which is based on the events surrounding the 1981 killing of Richard Adan.