title: Dreams from the Monster Factory: A Tale of Prison, Redemption and One Woman's Fight to Restore Justice to All
author:  Sunny Schwartz 
description: "Sunny Schwartz understands accountability, kindness and forgiveness. In her brave and empowering book about people's ability to change, she tells the story of her life and her work with people who are often detested, feared or forgotten and explains how restorative justice can transform these criminals, their victims and our communities." -- Sister Helen Prejean, author of <i>Dead Man Walking</i><br /><br />"<i>Dreams from the Monster Factory</i> is as gritty as the halls of the San Francisco jail in which it takes place. But rather than being filled with despair and violence, Sunny Schwartz's story is marked by hope and respect. It is truly breathtaking to read about the transformation of the jails that Sunny has led. Putting the principles of restorative justice to work at ground zero of the crime culture, Sunny and her team have created a space where hardened criminals can realize their better selves and begin giving back to the community that they have heretofore only taken from." -- Pat Nolan, vice president of Prison Fellowship<br /><br />" I couldn't put this book down. This is to the world of prisons and rehabilitation what Dead Man Walking is to the death penalty. It's gritty and real, simple yet revolutionary, hopeful but realistic. It isn't all happy endings, but there is vision combined with experience that suggests a way out of the morass our society is in. Dreams, yes, but not fantasies." -- Howard Zehr, professor of restorative justice at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, Eastern Mennonite University, and author of <i>Changing Lenses</i><br /><br />"A powerfully honest and revealing glimpse into a little-known world. Ms. Schwartz captivates the reader with her clear-eyed belief that even violent offenders can change. Her work shows that violent behavior is a choice and our communities can be stronger if each of us -- victims, offenders, citizens -- better understands why we act the way we do. As a survivor of violent crime, I respect Ms. Schwartz's insistence that the penal system is not working. I admire her willingness to follow her heart toward a vision that will make a difference." -- Trisha Meili, author of <i>I Am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility</i><br /><br />" Personal and provocative, Sunny Schwartz's book demanded my wide-eyed attention. Schwartz confronts our skepticism of the prison system and its ability to prevent violence with gripping and authentic stories from her life and her work on a visionary program in the San Francisco jails that has actually reduced recidivism rates for violent crimes. <i>Dreams from the Monster Factory</i> is an inspiring story about justice and forgiveness." -- Terrie M. Williams, author of Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting
zlib_text: Gate 76
  Andrew Diamond
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and events are the products of the author’s imagination.
  Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.
   
   
  Cover design by Lindsay Heider Diamond, based on a photo by Adam Birkett on Unsplash.
   
   
  Copyright © 2018 Andrew Diamond
  All rights reserved.
   
  ISBN:  0-9963507-5-6
  ISBN-13: 978-0-9963507-5-4
   
   
   
   
   
  
  The gates of hell are open night and day;
  Smooth the descent, and easy is the way:
  But to return, and view the cheerful skies,
  In this the task and mighty labor lies.
   
  —Aeneid VI, 126–129
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  1
  SEPTEMBER 29
  In the security line at San Francisco International, there’s this woman:
  blonde hair with dark roots, blue eyes that are hard and bleary and a little
  bloodshot, like she’s been crying, or up all night doing coke. She might be
  thirty, thirty-two. She wears a light-blue blouse and pale-green skirt, both
  wrinkled, like they came out of the laundry