Writing "Confessions of a Former Prosecutor"

Confessions of a Former Prosecutor recounts the journey from the office of the Tennessee Attorney General... to the most unlikely college classroom at a women’s state prison... to a life now dedicated to advocating for juvenile justice reform. Author Preston Shipp reflects on how his experiences became the book.

Do you have a moment when you realized “this needs to be a book?”
The first person who ever encouraged me to put pen to paper and share my conversion story in book form was Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow. In 2012, she and I had been on a panel together in Cincinnati at the annual conference of The Children's Defense Fund, and upon hearing me share my story about abandoning my career as a prosecutor after getting involved in a college prison initiative and forming friendships with people who are incarcerated, she said she believed it needed to be a book. I knew all along that these inspiring stories needed to be told, and I am so thankful to Chalice Press for creating the opportunity for readers to learn them.


How did this book get written?
As I first-time author, I didn't know what to expect from the writing process. Fortunately, I had as a co-author a seasoned writer, Eric Wilson. However, Eric and I did not know one another prior to this working relationship, and we were not able to spend much time together during the writing process. So Eric had the unenviable task of writing the story of a person he didn't know. When I received his draft, I saw he had done a great job of structuring the overall narrative. But not surprisingly, it didn't sound like my voice! For the telling to be my own, I spent the next several months adapting it to sound more like my own voice, using Eric's draft as an indispensable guide. When I reached the end, I breathed a sigh of relief. But then came the editing phase! Entire sections were again reworded, enhanced, transposed, or stricken altogether. It was hard work! But I am so proud of the final product and so grateful to all of the individuals without whom I would not have a book!


What was the biggest challenge of writing your book?
The biggest challenge I encountered while writing my book was remembering not so much events, but feelings. As my wife, Sherisse, will tell you, I tend to not spend much time and energy being mindful of my emotions and how I am being guided by and responding to them. I have never kept a journal, so I had to go back in time not just mentally, to remember and describe what happened, but emotionally, to experience and articulate what I felt throughout the process. Although challenging, this aspect of the writing process was one of the most healing.


What was your biggest surprise writing your book?

During the writing process, I was most surprised by the perspective that the passage of time brings. Looking back, I am able to appreciate the connections between events that seemed isolated at the time, or the significance of things that seemed rather ordinary. Most surprising of all was the recognition that I seldom had to do anything. I had only to be present, to say yes when opportunities presented themselves, and to trust that I was being carried by a current, which at the time was almost imperceptible, which would carry me where I needed to go.


What is the most inspiring feedback you've received from a reader?
The most inspiring feedback that I have received thus far from a reader came from a lawmaker I worked with in Rhode Island a couple of years ago to pass legislation creating parole eligibility for youthful offenders, ensuring that people who committed crimes as kids would not be thrown away and never given an opportunity to demonstrate that they deserve a second chance. First this lawmaker ordered and read the book herself. Then she shared it on her social media channels, saying "Anyone involved in our justice system should read this. It's a brilliant piece of all that is wrong with our system." Then she took it with her to a conference she attended and encouraged other attendees, including sitting judges, to read it. Finally, she ordered additional copies to give to friends and colleagues, including the Rhode Island Attorney General! 


What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

My hope is that people who read Confessions of a Former Prosecutor come away having thought carefully, even prayerfully, about what justice actually is, and with an understanding of how far the American criminal legal system falls of that lofty ideal. I hope that readers will be convicted of the racism inherent in America's system of punishment and inspired to take action to bring about change. I hope they appreciate the tremendous potential for good that all people have, including people who are caged. I hope church folks feel a sense of urgency to get up off the padded sanctuary pews and heed Jesus' clear command to visit people who are imprisoned and see what God is up to outside the comfort of the steeples. I hope that people feel the parameters of their sense of kinship expand and are converted to deeper compassion. I hope Confessions of a Former Prosecutor causes readers to think about their own vocation, how they are putting their faith into action, and where the divine current might be leading them.