LVA Book Talk Series - R. Dwayne Betts, A Question of Freedom

August 12, 2009. Dwayne Betts discusses his memoir, A Question of Freedom: A Memoir of Learning, Survival and Coming of Age in Prison. Betts was a good student from a lower-middle class family when, at 16, he and a friend carjacked a man. He had never held a gun before, but within a matter of minutes he had committed six felonies. A bright young kid, weighing only 126 pounds, he served his eight-year sentence as part of the adult population in some of the worst prisons in Virginia. A Question of Freedom is a coming-of-age story, with the unique twist that it takes place in prison. Utterly alone-and with the growing realization that he really is not going home any time soon-Betts confronts profound questions about violence, freedom, crime, race, and the justice system. Above all, A Question of Freedom is about a quest for identity-one that guarantees Bettss survival in a hostile environment and that incorporates an understanding of how his own past led to the moment of his crime.
U. S. Congressman Robert Bobby Scott of Virginia Third Congressional District, a long-time advocate of juvenile justice reform, also delivers a presentation at the event.